568 Not Far Behind
A chorus of howls caught her attention. With heavy regret, Ashleigh pulled away from Caleb’s embrace to look back on the battlefield. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the source of the howls.
Where before there had been a small army of feral and hybrid wolves ready to take their turn at murdering her and her fellow defenders, there was now a row of ten large wolves, all brown hues. They lined up defensively between the enemy and Ashleigh and her soldiers.
“Who…?â€� she whispered.
Caleb pulled her tighter, nuzzling his nose against her hair.
“Broken Crag,� he whispered with a soft kiss pressed to her temple.
Ashleigh pulled away from him and looked up with a questioning glance.
Caleb smiled and pulled her back into his arms.
“We have a lot to catch up on,� he laughed, kissing her cheek and leaning in for another more intimate kiss.
“My Alpha!� the more seasoned soldier that had joined Ashleigh called.
She pressed her fist to her chest and bowed her head. The boy quickly moved forward to do the same.
Caleb chuckled, his lips hovering just above Ashleigh’s.
Ashleigh was slightly disappointed but also relieved. This was definitely not the time or place for their reunion.
A growl called Caleb and Ashleigh to look at one of the Broken Crag wolves. It raised its head up toward the tower. Ashleigh looked and saw two hybrid wolves making their way up the small hill.
“Stop them!� Ashleigh shouted.
“You heard her!� Caleb added.
Two of the Broken Crag wolves separated from the group without further word or instruction, they ran with speed and strength, and immediately one of the offending wolves was tackled to the ground. After a short struggle, the first hybrid was killed, and its tendrils were torn from its body before it could react.
The second Broken Crag wolf leaped at the remaining hybrid, knocking it to the ground. Then he shifted to his human form. Climbing onto the hybrid’s back and using his daggers to tear open the monster’s back, pulling out the tendrils while it was still alive. The beast screeched, but the wolf held tightly, using the last tendril to wrap at the hybrid’s throat and suffocating it until it shriveled and shrunk.
The remaining monsters saw this exchange. Rather than wait for their turn to face off against the remaining defenders, there was a snarl and a screeching howl. The monsters slowly backed away, pulling back far enough to stop attacking the gate. But close enough to make it clear they were only waiting for their numbers to be reinforced.
Ashleigh was amazed, and then her alarm went off. Ten minutes had passed. She looked back up at the tower to see the team emerging with confused looks. The two Broken Crag wolves walked beside them down the hill toward the gathered defenders.
Ashleigh couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips.
She turned to look up at her husband. He was watching the field still.
“You’re amazing,� she whispered.
Caleb looked back at her and smiled.
Ashleigh jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him and kissing him with gusto, unphased by the sound of clearing throats around them.
As they pulled away, Caleb grinned.
“As much as I hate to interrupt this moment,� he said, easing her back down to the ground. “We need to get inside. Reinforcements, from their side, are not far behind.�
Ashleigh nodded.
She confirmed that the repair team had finished at the tower successfully and then told Clara to let them back inside.
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With both towers successfully repaired and the sentry system back online, they had gained more time to prepare for the second assault and to get the civilians to the gate.
The Broken Crag wolves were escorted to find food while Ashleigh and Caleb met Fiona in the conference room.
As they walked through the hallway, Ashleigh was surprised by how quickly they had evacuated the building. There was almost no one around.
She turned the corner and suddenly found herself pulled back and pressed against the wall.
Caleb held her hands above her head as he leaned in and kissed her lips roughly, pressing his body against hers.
Ashleigh couldn’t help but respond to him, inviting his tongue into her mouth and pressing her firm breasts against his hard chest.
She moaned into his mouth as his thigh moved between her legs to rub against her most sensitive area.
Caleb’s hand trailed down the side of her body to rest at her hip. He squeezed gently as he pulled away from her mouth to breathe.
Ashleigh rested her head against the wall, taking deep breaths as his lips moved down her jaw and throat with a hungry growl.
“Caleb…â€� she whispered breathily. Trying to calm herself while unable to resist the temptation to turn her head and give him more of her throat to kiss and lick.
“Not yet…â€� he whispered against her throat.
She bit her lower lips as his teeth grazed against her skin.
“Caleb…â€� she repeated, with a little more insistence.
“A little more,� he replied, flicking his tongue against her mark.
Ashleigh hissed as a jolt of pleasure spiked through her body, she arched her back, and his thigh between her legs caused her to moan as the heat in her core grew.
Her body was desperate for him, but her mind was still clear enough that she knew they needed to stop. She bit down on her lip painfully, letting out a soft growl as the taste of her blood hit her tongue.
Caleb pulled back, his eyes immediately drawn to her lip. He let her arms go, bringing his hand down to her cheek, running his thumb along her lip to touch the tiny wound.
“I hate to see you hurt…” he whispered.
He leaned forward, kissing her lips gently, his tongue caressing the wound on her lip.
As he pulled away, their eyes met.
He gave her a pained expression.
“I’m sorry,� he whispered. “I let myself go too far.�
Ashleigh sighed.
“I missed you too, Caleb,� she whispered. Reaching out to touch his cheek, he leaned into her palm. “You didn’t do anything that I don’t want to do. We just don’t have time right now.�
Caleb nodded.
“Yes, my Luna,� he smiled.
Ashleigh grinned.
“Come on,� she said, “your mother is waiting.�