My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 191: Stampede

Violet

My heart jumped.

The serpent.

I hadn’t sensed it at all, and now it was too close.

Its jaws were open wide, fangs dripping with venom, and aiming straight for my throat. There was no time to dodge and no time to even raise my hands to defend it.

I immediately kicked into action that split second, about to seize the serpent with my syzygy when a blur of dark fur slammed into me from the side.

Rowan knocked me out of the serpent’s path, and his massive wolf frame shielded me as the serpent’s fangs sank deep into his side instead.

"No!" I yelled.

Rowan twisted and clamped his jaws around the creature’s fat body and pulled.

The serpent’s scales split apart with a wet, tearing sound. Its body thrashed violently, whipping against Rowan’s side and anything it could reach. Thick, dark blood sprayed across the forest floor.

Rowan wrenched his head sideways, and the serpent’s flesh tore further, exposing muscle and sinew beneath those gleaming scales. The creature let out a horrible, gurgling hiss, unlatching its fangs from Rowan’s flesh as its movements grew more frantic and desperate.

With one final, savage twist, Rowan ripped a chunk of the serpent’s throat clean out.

The creature’s body spasmed once, twice, then collapsed to the ground, still twitching. Its coils loosened and fell away from Rowan’s body, leaving smears of blood and venom across his dark fur.

All of this had happened so fast and when some of the wolves paused to regroup and reassess the threat before them, I heard it.

There was a low rumbling sound, along with a deep, resonant vibration that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The ground began to shake.

The wolves heard it too. Their advance faltered, and their ears twitched and eyes flickered with confusion.

The first of the animals Rowan and I had been hiding from burst through the bushes.

It plowed into the space, its massive thick body crushing everything in its path. The wolves scattered, howling, as the beast swung its tusked head and caught one of them in the side. The wolf flew through the air and hit a tree so hard the trunk splintered.

More of the animals followed, drawn by the noise of the fight, and enraged by the release of energy they had sensed.

And they attacked everything that moved or burned with energy. Wolves were running in every direction, their coordinated assault forgotten in the face of this new threat. One was trampled beneath massive clawed feet. Another was seized in those terrible jaws and shaken like a ragdoll before being flung aside.

I lost sight of Rowan and started to panic.

I stretched my senses desperately, reaching through the chaos of energy and violence, searching for the familiar thread that connected us. I tried to focus more on the bond rather than use my syzygy to sense him faster.

Rowan was nearby, but there were wolves and these terrible monstrosities between us kicking up dust and tearing down everything in its path.

Three wolves were still coming for me. They had used the chaos as cover while I was distracted, and their tenacity shocked me.

What reward were they promised for them to risk their lives to get me?!

I couldn’t use my abilities if I didn’t want to become an immediate target for these animals.

The first wolf reached me and I met its lunge with a spinning kick that caught it across the jaw. The impact sent it tumbling sideways, dazed, and I was already turning to face the second.

It came in low, going for my legs. I jumped, tucking my knees to my chest, and as it passed beneath me, I reached down and grabbed its tail. I swung my body around and drove both feet into the side of its skull.

The third wolf was already on me when the others were getting back up.

I had to get to Rowan, I didn’t have time for this!

I raised both hands and let my energy pour out, ripping something deep inside from me. I seized hold of the wolves and their eyes widened in terror as their bodies were held suspended in the air.

I could feel them struggling against my hold. Could feel their panic, their disbelief, their dawning realization that they were completely helpless.

I didn’t care.

I hurled them directly into the path of the approaching animals.

Their screams were brief as they were trampled to the ground.

The distance between Rowan and I was increasing and it scared me.

I didn’t have time to stop to even think as more of the animals started coming after me due to the surge of energy I had just emitted. And they were fast!

I pulled my syzygy inward as I moved, dimming and compressing it until it was barely perceptible. It only worked partly.

Some of the creatures lost interest and ran for other targets while a number of them still thundered after me, their heavy footfalls shaking the ground with every stride.

They were following the sound of my movement.

I considered unleashing my syzygy at full force. Letting it explode outward in a wave that would make them cower and run away, but I doubted that would work. Rowan knew more about these creatures than I did. And releasing my syzygy at full blast might might alert other wolves searching for me even though they were far away.

My energy was unusual and they would go with that.

I couldn’t risk it.

I focused on becoming as quiet as possible. There were trees around, I could use it as a cover to hide and go fast enough so I don’t fall into their path. Running fast a great distance away was an option, but I didn’t want to move too far away from Rowan.

Finding an opportunity, I dove to the side.

My body slid into the narrow space between two gnarled roots, and I pressed myself flat against the cold earth after swooping a great distance away from the path I had been taking. I held my breath and pulled my energy so far inward it felt like I was trying to make myself disappear entirely.

The animals thundered past.

The ground shook beneath me as their massive bodies tore through the underbrush, their clawed feet crushing everything in their path. I could hear them snorting and grunting as they rushed past.

I stayed frozen for another long moment, not trusting the silence and not trusting that they were truly gone.

When I finally let myself breathe, the air rushed into my lungs so fast it made me dizzy.

I lay there in the dirt, my mind racing.

After what felt like an eternity, I crawled out of my hiding spot, still quiet.

I could still feel Rowan through the bond, but it was very faint and weak. I silently rushed towards it.