Revolting

We were driving back toward our home. William and I were bickering over whether or not we should stop half way to get a hotel. I was totally in favor of the idea, the baby was making sitting for long periods uncomfortable. William wanted to drive straight though so that he would be able to get a good sleep and have plenty of time to practice and prepare his new routine before he returned to work. We had left Pelton Glade behind us, and were now on a quiet narrow stretch of road that twisted through a no-man's land. Thick forest encroached on both sides of the road. Suddenly Shane slammed on the breaks, throwing my body hard into the seat belt. "Trouble," he said through gritted teeth. Two black SUV's, identical to the one we were driving had blocked the road ahead. Shane threw it into reverse, and tried to turn around, but a third vehicle came speeding up from behind and blocked us in.

Nolan emerged from one of the vehicles looking like a beautiful, angry God, and behind him more warriors piled out into the road. "Don't move," Shane commanded me, as he and William opened their doors and faced off with Nolan and his fighters.

Nolan glared at the two men. "My own brother, and my beta... the two men I trusted the most... kidnapping my wife."

"We didn't kidnap her, she ran away from you!" William yelled back.

Nolan made a motion with his hand. "Arrest them... for treason against the Gold Mountain Pack." The pack warriors advanced on Shane and William, although the looks on some of their faces showed that they were reluctant to do so. While Shane and William were distracted, Nolan skirted the vehicle and came around to the passenger door. I tried to bolt for the driver's side, but belatedly realized I was still stuck in the seat belt. "My dear wife..." Nolan growled. "So nice to..." and then his eyes caught up with his mouth. He stared first at my marked neck, and then at my pregnant belly.

"You cheating little whore," he roared. He reached over and released the seat belt, and dragged me out of the vehicle by my arm, his strong fingers biting into my flesh. "I don't even need to ask who it is... his stinking scent is all over you." He cast a deadly glare over at Shane, who was squared off against six men.

"I am not the cheat!" I growled, twisting my arm free, and glaring back at him. "You are the one who couldn't keep your fucking pants zipped up, and I rejected you. I am a free woman."

"Mate or not," he growled, "you are still legally my wife."

"Not for long. I want a divorce."

"A divorce!" he roared. "Do you think you can just up and leave me like that? You belong to ME, to ME, damn it."

"I belong to no one," I stabbed him in his chest with my finger, and it was like stabbing a boulder. "I go where I want. I love who I want. You don't own me, Nolan Pierceson!"

We were all so busy fighting and arguing that we were unaware of the danger that was creeping up on us through the shadows of the trees. One of Nolan's men was the first to spot them. "Rogues!" he called out a warning, just seconds before chaos erupted from the forest, and a dozen Rogue warriors surrounded us. We stopped fighting each other, and turned now on a common enemy. Nolan was also forced to turn away from me to defend himself from the attackers. I backed up against the SUV and watched the fight like a slow motion movie. William took a hit to the head, and dropped like a felled tree. I screamed his name and started to move toward him, sliding around the vehicle, moving toward the middle of the road. I saw Shane fighting, and it was like watching a carefully coordinated dance. His skills with his fists and his feet made his whole body a deadly weapon. Nolan fought too, with more brute strength and brawn. He had no finesse, but he was just as effective. His giant fist plowed into someone's face, and I could hear the crunch of bone.

From the trees I heard a voice shout, "Take out the Luna!"Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

I froze. So did Nolan and Shane. Shane jumped over an attacker and tried valiantly to reach me, but he was too far away. From the corner of my eye I saw the sun glint off the sniper's rifle in the trees, and in the next instant I heard the shot. Time seemed to freeze, and I thought to myself, this is it. This is how it will end for me. But then in the next moment, Nolan had thrown himself in front of me. His eyes on my face, his hands on my shoulders, his giant back a human shield against the shooter. I felt the bullet slam into his body, the impact traveling through his flesh and into mine as if I had been hit with a hammer. His eyes went wide as he grasped my shoulders, and pulled me down. I landed hard on my back, and he half crawled over me. "Nina..." Nolan was gasping for breath, "Stay still. Stay... down." I stopped struggling as I realized that he was protecting me with his own body. He tried to prop himself on his elbow, to take some of his weight off the baby. "I messed up... Nina... I was supposed to...say.. sorry." There was a terrible rattle in his chest as he struggled with each breath, and his face was quickly turning a sickening shade of grey.

"Your wound, Nolan... we have to stop the bleeding." I could feel the warm, wet stickiness of his blood oozing off from him and on to me. I tried to wiggle around so I could apply pressure to the wound, but I couldn't reach the place on his back. Nolan only shook his head.

He reached out and caressed my stomach with his giant hand. Since I'd known him, it was the gentlest touch he had ever given me. "Tell me... is it... my baby?"

Moments ago I had been ready to deny it, but now as the man lay on top of me dying, I couldn't lie to him. He had just taken a bullet for me, he deserved to know the truth... and maybe... maybe it would give him strength to fight and pull through. "It's your baby, Nolan." I felt hot tears coursing down my face.

For the first time ever, a genuine smile spread across his face. I realized with a pang that I had never, ever seen him smile with happiness. His smiles had always been mean-spirited smirks with evil intent lurking behind his curved lips. But for this one instant, there was nothing but joy... and for a moment his face was innocent and boyish, almost angelic... even as all the color had drained away and his skin was beginning to look almost translucent.

"My baby... I'm... a daddy." He bowed his head and kissed my stomach. "hello baby... I love you." He told his unborn child, before his eyes rolled up in his head, and he collapsed on top of me.

"Nolan! Nolan, no! Hang on! Wake up" I sobbed. I tried to move him, but I couldn't get out from under his massive weight. However much I hated the man, I didn't want this, I never wanted to see him die. There was an audible, gurgle from his chest, and then he went still and limp, with his head resting on my belly. With horror I watched blood, thick and black dripping from his mouth... and I knew he was already dead.

Other shots came from the woods. One of Nolan's fighters took a hit in the shoulder. The moment he identified the shooter's location, Shane had taken off, running like a mad man straight into the woods. I could not see him from my prone position in the road, but I heard the sound of him crashing through the underbrush, a brief struggle, and then silence. I had this stabbing feeling of dread, thinking that I had lost Shane too. But before I could panic, my wolf assured me that our mate was okay. The few rogues that remained alive and seemed to realize that their hunter was dead, and they scattered back into the woods from which they came. Nolan's men would have given chase, but they had now circled around us. Shane came running back, and dropped down beside me. "Nina! Nina!"

"No... its Nolan..." I was crying... I couldn't stop crying.

Shane gently rolled Nolan off from my body, and pressed his fingers into his neck... only to confirm what I already knew in my heart. The Alpha was dead. Shane's head dropped and his shoulders sagged, and his wolf-cry echoed though the trees. Before I had come along, and the mate-bond had disturbed things, Nolan and Shane had been like brothers. Despite the fact that he chose to follow me, Shane had never rejected Nolan as an alpha. In his heart, he was still Nolan's beta. One of the pack warriors came, put a consoling hand on Shane's shoulder, and said quietly, "He died more honorably than he ever lived."