Chapter 28 - Alpha & Omega

---Marcus' POV---

My smirk couldn't grow any wider as I kept my eyes on a confused Cain, who was following the she-wolf on her paws. Normally people were intimidated by his massive size and would submit to him instantly.

Not the she-wolf he was following though. When Cain had raised his head and walked beside her in a dominative way. His fur was still standing on end and by the way he walked closely beside her and hovered slightly over her, he was trying to put her on her spot.

But that had been a big miscalculation on his part.

She had snapped at his face, forcing him to back up and accidentally trip over some broken branches on the floor. The she-wolf had huffed and actually stepped over Cain's stunned form.

I had thought he might attack the woman for clearly disregarding his position in his pack, but I only saw confusion, shock and awe in his golden eyes as they remained transfixed on the she-wolf's behind.

Now he was groveling, trying to understand why she was ignoring him while at the same time he tried to come across as indifferent to the guys. His ears were swiveling back and forth, torn between hesitant submission and agitated dominance.

His three brothers were snickering in the back, very amused with the fact that the biggest and sibling with the worst reputation of them all was heeling a she-wolf.

A soft nudge to my side made me smile and twist my head. Zayne was still asleep, fingers clutching to my fur but twitching from time to time. My protectiveness knew no ends as I flashed my teeth slightly, hearing the sound of approaching paws.

"Its okay, they're the babysitters." The woman spoke up, shifting and huffing under her breath as Cain shifted behind her. His arms wrapped around her and covered her privates as he snarled at the approaching wolves before grunting as she drove her elbow in his gut.

"Hand's off!"

"I was just-" Cain grunted again as he earned himself another jab before staggering back. One of the unknown wolves snickered before coming forwards with a dress in its muzzle, eyes averted from the she-wolf.

At the time she was dressed and speaking to her fellow pack members, Zayne stirred on my back, yawning before slipping to the floor and shifting instantly. It was incredibly cute to see his wolf form still sleepy, swaying slightly before he yawned again.

"Are we there yet?"

I barked out a laugh as the question sounded just like a whiny pup, making Zayne tilt his head cutely in confusion. Before I could reply to his question, the others shifted and Alpha Lee snorted as both Zayne and I glanced around in confusion.

"We agreed it would be dangerous to go directly to the pups, so a small group is going to retrieve them and bring them to a save location while the rest of us are going to take down the Alpha and any wolves that support his lead."

"What about Zayne? I don't wanna leave him but..." I trailed off, letting the truth fill in the blanks. Zayne was and always would be a target of these deranged wolves. Bringing him along would be foolish but I didn't want to leave him alone either.

Lee sighed deeply, tilting his head as he thought about it. "I guess there's only one way then." He blinked before motioning me back and I understood. If I couldn't let the others guard Zayne but couldn't take him with me, I'd have to stay back and guard my mate.

I wasn't going to complain. Though, I would've liked to get my teeth on that despicable Alpha's throat and tear it out. A huff escaped me as I turned around, nudging a confused Zayne.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from the pack, at least for now. We can't protect you in the middle of a fight and I can't be separated from you." I replied as we followed the she wolf and her few pack mates.

She turned around quickly, smiling warmly at us before her eyes lingered on Zayne. "I'm Anya by the way." Her eyes flitted back and nodded once, understanding my defensive posture.

"Your Alpha told me your name Marcus and I know Zayne. I wish we would've met under different circumstances but..." She sighed deeply while reaching out to take a pup from a wolf's muzzle.

It was sad to see these wolves on edge, ears pinned up to detect any danger while they kept glancing over their shoulders. Soon enough we were at a small cave, barely large enough for any of us to fit into. The slender Felix managed, but barely, squirming and dragging his body in.

My ears twitched as I easily detected the young yelps inside, giving Felix a warm welcome before I spotted several tiny noses sniffing at the entrance but staying put. At least the pups were smart enough to stay where none could get to them.

"But I wonder how many have seen what happened to the other pups... They must be traumatized, hungry and afraid."

Anya nodded, as if knowing what I was thinking. "You see our problem don't you? If we leave the pups to hunt, they could die. If we stay here to protect them, they'll surely die and if we travel out of the borders, we will die."

Thankfully there were some spare clothes so I quickly changed and jumped in a pair of shorts before crouching down as slowly, the pups trickled out of the cave. My wolf whined and curled up in my mind as all of the pups reminded me of Zayne when he first arrived.

Starved, beaten and a shivering lump of fur, who's eyes were haunted by the horrors of his past. Now I was staring at a dozen or more pups who were all shaking in the wind, some of them not even daring to leave the relative warmth of the cave.

"How many did you lose?" I managed to ask, feeling my muscles burn as I tried to keep my wolf back, reminding myself that Zayne needed me. These pups needed the defense of a healthy and fully-grown wolf.

Anya sighed, a pale hand covering her mouth for a moment before she leaned back against a tree, hugging herself. "Ten. We lost ten pups, some of them newborns, others just getting into high school."

Internally I was snarling, wolf clawing at my mind to go after the Alpha, to tear him limb from limb, piece by piece until nothing was left. Shaking all over, I sighed when I felt Zayne climb in my lap, shivering slightly as he licked at my throat.

"We managed to save seventeen pups in all, Felix being the oldest. He insisted to help and had remembered this old den." Anya said while lovingly patting the young wolf on his side before scowling.

"Thanks to that thickhead Alpha friend of yours, he won't be able to make runs and look for any other survivors for a while." I smiled apologetically but Cain's actions couldn't be held against him.

Howls sounded in the distance, making everyone jolt on their feet. The little ones scurried to the den as fast as they could, tripping and whimpering in fear as I listened to the familiar voices.

"It started, they reached the pack and are fighting the Alpha's men." I replied, soothing them slightly.

Ten wolves fanned out, settling on the rocks and fallen trees, ears swivling and eyes scanning the woods. "And what's going to happen now?"

"Now, you will all die."

---Zayne's POV---

No. That voice,

I spun around, instinctively pressing myself to the floor as Anton and several of his men were smirking widely and were only across the clearing.

How did they get past the pack?!

My mind quickly found the answer, tail tucking in and fur bristling sharply. "The traitor... they told Anton of our arrival. The packs must be fighting a small group of his followers meant as a distraction."

"While he would turn around and attack them in the back. But he found us instead." Marcus mentally added while bracing himself. We might outnumber Anton and his posy but they outmatched us.

Ten starved and exhausted wolves were no match against these bloodthirsty creatures. What was more important, I already spotted a few of the wolves eying the den with smirks on their faces.

"Jackpot."

Anton chuckled as one of the rogues shifted, eyes pinned to the den where the pups where whimpering softly. "Thanks for gathering them up Anya, we'll take it from here. Now back off before you'll end up like your dear little sister."

Anya froze, teeth baring slowly.

"What have you done to Clair? Where is my sister?!" She demanded angrily, only making the men laugh viciously while Anton took a threatening step forwards, his soulless eyes focusing on me.

"Nothing much..." he tilted his head, baring yellowed teeth as a spark of madness flashed through his eyes. "I gave her as a reward to my brother. Just like that runt's mom was promised to me. But then her father backed off, stating she should find her one true mate. I dealt with him quickly."

I let out a small whine, realizing that Anton was speaking of my supposed grandfather. He murdered him for protecting his daughter? He chuckled again, tsking at Marcus when my mate growled threateningly and went to move.

"Do you really want to risk it, pack law? I'm a lot closer to the runt than you are. One misstep and he'll be kibble." Anton sneered, lips tilting in a wicked smirk as Marcus realized he spoke the truth and snarled in defeat.

"M-Marcus...." I whined as I saw Anton take another, calculated step. A step closer to me. Fear was nipping at my haunches as I spotted his wolves changing and posturing themselves, getting ready to attack. Marcus and the others shifted in response but didn't dare move, afraid to trigger a fatal cascade of events.

The trigger was neither Anton nor Marcus. When one of the rogues went to slip into the den while everyone was locked in an impasse, Felix launched out and grabbed the wolf by the throat.

Its following shriek allowed everyone to snap out of the impasse as wolves darted everywhere, all deadly serious and going in for the kill. That also meant Anton, who shifted in his massive wolf, was charging straight at me.

With a yelp, I managed to dodge him by the skin of my teeth, feeling the air as he passed by my face. While he was spinning around, Marcus had arrived and vaulted himself up on Anton's back.

My eyes widened with fear as I froze, shivering all over my body as they fought inches away from me. Two massive wolves rolling around in the dirt, snarling and snapping their teeth as they both tried to get a grip on the others throat.

I was yanked out of that shock when I was slammed into, flattened on the floor. My paws were digging into a rogue's face as it snapped and snarled, getting in a good bite on my paw before I managed to snatch his lip between my teeth and bite down.

He howled in pain and shook his head, tearing the tissue as I was flung away and tumbled through the dirt. Rolling and tumbling, I tried to get to my paws but bit on a whine when my left paw throbbed painfully.

An angry roar instantly answered my whine as Marcus tried to come to me but Anton blocked him off, a sneer on his muzzle. The rogue shook his fur out, licking his lips and snarling angrily as he tasted the blood of his injury.

I scrambled back as he came closer but he paused in surprise when I growled back, snapping my own teeth. Marcus and the rest of my pack had always said I had the right to defend myself.

I wasn't worthless.

I wasn't a nobody.

I am a welcome addition to my pack. They need me as much as I needed them. And I was allowed to defend myself from any attack, night that be physical or psychological.

So when the rogue snarled and launched, I did what I saw the others do while play fighting and training. I let my body drop down and just when my front leg hit the floor completely, I forced myself upwards and forwards.

He tried to correct his attack but yelped as my teeth caught his throat and I shook my head on instinct. Surprisingly the rogue only tried to dislodge me, trying to paw at me and force me off.

When he managed to get lose, he was knocked to the side and attacked by one of the other wolves. Panting heavily and shaking from shock, I realized I actually did it. I fought back!

My ears perked up a bit, tail wagging slightly as my eyes searched for Marcus, to see that proud glint in his eyes. But as I found him however, my wolf whined before growing furious. Tiny paws thudded against the floor as I spotted Anton pinning Marcus to the floor, an ugly gash running over Marcus' chest that was bleeding quite profusely.

Anton was snapping at Marcus, but because of the gash close to his front leg, he was barely able to keep the bulking male off of him, especially not with one of the rogues holding on to Marcus' neck.

My mind focused as I remembered Seth's secret lessons as he had been giving me as I watched the others play and fight. He didn't mean anything by it, he was simply talking to be, strengthening our bond.

"Look at how they're fighting, how they aim. They're just playing but even when teasing, its always best to go for a spot where it hurts." Seth chuckled before shaking his head as Dimitri stumbled, Marcus standing on top of him with curled tail. "Just one move and you can turn the tide."

Anton was turning slightly, tail curled over his back in a clear show of Dominance as he bit and snapped in Marcus' paws., the other wolf shaking and trying to tear his flesh. As Anton turned again, he gave me right the angle I was looking for while my wolf took over.

I launched up and opened my jaw wide before sinking my sharp, puppy-like teeth right next to his groin. Already I could hear him howling, muscles tensing underneath my jaws as my wolf stopped me from feeling awkward for biting him in the junk.

Snarls slipped from my muzzle as my wolf shook its head and lurched back constantly, going at it as the adults playing tug of war. It gave Marcus the opportunity to fight the wolf biting him while Anton was desperately trying to get his canines in me.

Pain shot through me as his teeth snapped on the end of my tail, making me whimper and cry as I felt warmth spread over my tail and soak the fur. As a revenge I chomped down even harder and had the satisfaction of hearing big and menacing Anton whimper.

Then I was crushed under his heavy weight, forced to let go or suffocate under the massive pile of muscle and fur. My throat burned as a huge paw stepped on it, further enforcing the fact that I needed to let go or die.

Just as I saw the menacing light in Anton's eyes and his muzzle dripping with blood and saliva, I also heard the sound of our salvation.

The pack is coming...

Anton obviously heard too, because he snarled and aimed for my throat. I whined and he froze, eyes shocked before slowly the life slipped out of them. Marcus was snarling, chomping down on Anton's neck harder and harder while my previous Alpha weakly struggled above me before he was tossed to the side.

We were fine.

I sighed and laid down, relaxing completely as the rest of the pack charged through the woods and took care of the Rogues while Cain and his siblings made a beeline for the panting Anton.

We would be just fine.