Chapter 3

“Run!”

Naya’s heart sank. She heard her companions shout as they all dispersed, following what they had trained.

Frost distant glints flickered through Naya’s eyes as she glanced at the origin of the attack. It was from the Southern border’s tower. As she had expected, their map was outdated and plenty of things had changed. The map stated there would only be one tower meeting them, but as it turned out, another tower had been placed there. Each tower had about fifteen warriors or so to guard the place. Now they spotted Naya and her group trespassing on their land.

Cursing under her breath, Naya sprinted and rolled to hide behind a thick tall tree.

“Quick! Find those trespassers! Chief Martin will be here any second! Don’t let the rogues escape!!”

Naya’s blood ran cold. Her father mentioned it before.

“The Main Land is far different than our place. Its size is twenty times larger than ours. The warriors guarding these borders surrounding the mainland might belong to lower ranks considering they are too far from major pack territories, but they will still be in numbers greater than your group. The first border you will cross will dictate if you and your team are capable of executing this mission as we have all hoped for. Remember, if you are hurt beyond movement or found yourselves caught by these people, it will be over.”

Naya clenched her teeth.

An arrow shot about towards her hiding spot. Naya sensed it quickly and ducked down, the sharp blade hitting the trunk above her.

“Captain,” a man standing by the next tree called.

Naya glanced at him and quickly recognized him though his face was covered. It was Billy.

He panted as he made quick hand symbols, passing on a message from the others.

Naya understood and in quick hurried steps, they all retreated to the forest, running through the bushes and thorned paths until they reached a spot near the lake.

“Captain!”

Naya reached the spot with Billy. She took quick breaths while looking around then her eyes knitted. “Where are Kevin and Sage?” All of them were beta warriors, with two females and five males in total. Naya and Sage were the only two women who had passed the training to become members of the Midnight Seven, their team.

Everyone looked at each other, horrified.

Naya bit her lower lip, sighed, and turned around preparing to head back.

“W-Wait, captain! It’s too dangerous!” One of them exclaimed.

Naya coldly looked at him. It was Orvyn, the most skilled archer in their group. Naya’s voice was cold, “That’s what we all have signed up for.”

Dangerous wasn’t enough to stop them. It shouldn’t be.

Orvyn chased her and stopped her by the shoulder. “I mean, it’s too dangerous to go alone. We’ll go with you, Captain. Let’s find them.”

Naya looked at her team. She sighed. At the same time, a loud roaring voice of a man erupted from the distance. “Find them!!”

Naya frowned and coldly glanced in the direction. “Let’s go.”

Everything happened too quickly after that. They found Kevin and Sage fortunately before darkness fell. The group didn’t stop to rest, only moving forward until they reached the next border. It was still far from the Crimson Stone Pack’s main territory but it would lead them there.

They just needed to cross it.

But Naya underestimated the power of those packs… Or to be more precise, the people stationed to guard the borders.

With cold, horrified eyes, she watched as Kevin, the youngest member of their team, was attacked by two guards at the same time. They didn’t shift to their wolf forms but they carried weapons: a knife and a spear.

They pushed Kevin to kneel down on the ground. They removed his mask and angrily demanded, “Speak! Where did you come from? Why did you trespass on West Wood Pack’s territory? Who sent you here?! Speak the truth!”

West Wood Pack. Naya heard about it before, it was definitely one of the major packs on the mainland.

Cold sweat covered her back as she watched the guard kick Kevin’s back, shoving him to the ground.

“Are you a rogue? Answer me!” The guard stepped on Kevin repeatedly, making him groan. Yet he clenched his teeth and glared at nowhere, never revealing anything.

“We need to help him,” Sage said, worry and pain filling her eyes.

The members of the Midnight Seven were all hiding from the distance.

“But if we come out now, those other folks might call for more backups,” Jeffrey said with a deep frown.

“If we leave him be, they will kill him,” Billy commented mirroring Jeffrey’s expression, he turned to Naya. “Captain, what should we do?”

Naya’s heart pounded erratically, the blood in her veins all running colder and colder. She balled her fists and uttered coldly, “Let the night deepens. We’ll save him once those guards decrease in number.”

Everyone looked up at her, understanding quickly, and nodded in agreement.

Sun disappeared and the bright, full moon lit up in the starry sky.

Naya and her team took off. Using all the knowledge and skills they learned from their training, they knocked down the guards surrounding the small hut.

“That’s where they took him,” Billy said.

Naya coldly looked at the hut. “I will get him. Everyone, meet me at the border.”

Billy and Sage frowned. “Captain—”

“Go!” Naya cut them off and turned to the hut. She counted the guards earlier. She couldn’t be wrong, only one guard remained missing and that was the man acting like the leader earlier.

Making sure the other members were gone, Naya kicked the door open.