496 Outnumbered
Facing off against ten normal rogues would have been easy for the beta alpha.
He was a lot stronger now than he had been two years ago and the added power he got from becoming a beta alpha gave him a significant advantage over these amber-eyed werewolves.
Caden had challenged Alpha Duncan and Cross a few times in the past and they had shown him the vast difference between the power of an alpha and that of a beta alpha. He was no stranger to that difference and didnât even have much trouble adjusting to the well of power he gained access to when Cole became king.
Nevertheless, something felt wrong with this group.
They mirrored their stances with a familiarity that suggested theyâd been training for this exact moment⦠or at least a moment similar to this one. The odds werenât looking goodâ¦
The rogues stared them down with mixed looks of hate, bloodlust and disgust.
Caden could already tell that the rogue with bloodshot eyes was far more dangerous than the average alpha.
After watching the red-eyed woman they left locked up at the human hospital, Caden had assumed he was safe and fineâ¦
But now that he saw the transformation again, he realised that was only wishful thinking on his part. He couldnât draw conclusions yet but he could at least assume this transformation was erratic and could happen at nearly any moment.
.....
Was it so bad for the beta alpha to hope?
The rogueâs deep voice already confirmed a striking similarity between him and the most dangerous werewolf in the world⦠the rogue king.
Then again, he didnât feel as powerful as the alpha they had faced at the reserve in Sirius nearly two years ago. Back then, a single rogue general had managed to overpower, Cole, Caden and Jason combined and make it look like a mere training exercise.
Caden wasnât sure if this abominable copycat was stronger or not. The way he held himself looked slightly unsteady⦠as though he wasnât yet used to his enhanced physical abilities yet.
Caden could at least confirm that they were in big troubleâ¦
âCould be worse though,â he took a stab at self-motivation.
âGive them hell,â Caden said over the mind link.
The leading wolf lunged forward and leapt into the air, claws extended, fangs bared in a stance so feral and primal to werewolves going for the kill.
His grotesque appearance was the perfect depiction of a rogue⦠the description they used to scare little children to keep them from wandering out at night.
This rogue was that perfect image.
Caden sidestepped and struck the wolf square in the jaw with as much force as he could muster, which was a lot for a beta alpha of his calibre. The crazed rogue flew a few metres to the side from the force of the hit rolling numerous times following the sound of crunching bone.
Caden was about to relax when the wolf got up on his feet and swayed lightly. The wolf tilted its head and faced Caden with a deranged mishappen smile.
Caden watched the manâs jaw unnaturally reset to its normal position, âWe didnât get to spar the last time⦠and I was right. My enemies have been getting stronger over the years. Itâs like you knew I would return. Anyway, it doesnât matter. Youâre just another obstacle that I must bring down.â
âAnother?â Caden asked, however, there was no time for questions.
The rogue blurred from vision. If it hadnât been for Cadenâs relentless training in the past several months, he would have failed to pull his head back in time.
Cadenâs back muscles bunched up instinctively, pulling him back just in time to watch a set of razor-sharp claws swipe right where his head had been, nicking a small cut in the side of his cheek.
The beta alpha wasted no time and took several steps back, dodging a clawing frenzy and synchronizing his timing as well.
When the next downward swipe, Caden stepped in and hit the manâs wrist with the right amount of force to stun his hand.
The rogueâs eyes widened in shock before a fist went connected painfully with the werewolfâs gut. The force of Cadenâs attack pushed the wolf back several paces.
This time, he didnât wait for the rogue to recover and followed through, slamming the rogueâs head on his knee. The previously pompous businessman staggered and dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Caden turned his attention to the other nine and froze. The small cut on his cheek was now closed and he didnât have a scratch on him. Even the pain of crashing into the pillar was all but a memory by now.
But the same couldnât be said of his comrades. Two of his deltas had been overpowered and knocked unconscious.
âThey work fast!â
The situation had turned from hopeful to dreadfully desperate in a matter of seconds. Heâd downed the most powerful of the rogues but the other deltas werenât as powerful as he was.
After all, there were two whole levels of power above deltas before they got to the beta alphas.
Alphas and their betas were stronger than the deltas, which meant the power difference was staggering. They were outnumbered and their enemy knew their fighting style. Caden didnât blame them for going down so fast butâ¦
He was now seriously outnumbered.
Two of the original nine rogues lay on the ground, unconscious and bloodied. Three surrounded the last delta, growling and snarling at him while four turned from the unconscious alphas and turned to Caden.
The delta clutched his left hand which seemed injured and gritted his teeth in pain and defiance. Blood was dripping down his hand. Caden could only guess there was a large gash in his hand. His pain could be felt through the mind link and so could his defiance and unwillingness to back down.
Caden let out a loud growl that rumbled through the air and caused the air to hum. The humans keeping their distance had to cover their ears to protect their eardrums from rupturing.
Caden had lashed out as a way of drawing his attention to the rogues that were surrounding the delta. Despite the fact that he was facing his own group of rogues, he couldnât help but be distracted.
The delta was in worse shape than he was anyway.
Unfortunately, not all the rogues surrounding the man fell for this ruse.
Two of them turned their attention to the surrounded alpha, wondering what kind of death wish he had. While they werenât watching, the delta struck one with a full-force uppercut and clawed at anotherâs throat, sending the maimed rogue tumbling in an effort to keep his life intact.
Caden was almost sure he heard the sound of crunching bone as the rogue whoâd been punched sailed into the air. The beta alpha smirked and chose to use this confusion to his advantage as well.
The rogues surrounding him had also got dazed by his sudden outburst, growing warier. Perhaps they really werenât that qualified to fight the beta alpha.
Perhapsâ¦n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
These thoughts were wiped from their minds as the beta alpha started picking them off one by one. Caden, despite his size, was full of explosive energy, a fighting style heâd copied and improved after watching the Lost Luna fighting.
He dashed forward, completely taking the rogue in front of him by surprise and struck the man in the gut so hard that he flew a few metres away. While the rogue recovered from a fit of painful blood coughs, Caden turned to another to his right and focused his weight on his left leg before swinging his right aiming for his side.
The rogue got down swiftly and brought his guard up, catching the alphaâs kick in his palm. Caden backed away only to fall into the hands of two other rogues that were conveniently positioned behind him.
Were they still two though? The alpha wondered as a third presence struck the back of his knees and forced him onto his knees.
âYou fight well⦠but not well enough. Not as frightening as a few others Iâve had the glory of meeting,â the rogue that had caught his kick rumbled.
His voice was painfully familiar as well.
âIâm getting tired of this,â Caden mentally groaned.