Chapter 143 - Unknown Male

"Do you have anything to feed him, Sage?" August whispered, and Sage dug into his pockets before shaking his head.

"I guess we'll have to start carrying around little snacks for the crows if we want a good picture, huh?" she smiled down at him. "Okay, let's head back."

As they turned back toward the direction of the market, August heard raised voices deeper in the forest. The vicious intensity of the male's voice made her freeze. It was as if her body bore a physical recognition of that level of anger from her past, and the trauma caught hold of her—stealing her breath.

This wasn't just any argument she was overhearing. That male was abusive. He was going to hurt whoever was on the receiving end.

Before she knew it, August was following the voices, her heart thudding in her ears as the man's voice grew louder. Images of Alan standing over her mother flashed through her mind, and her feet moved faster to find the source of the anger before it was too late.

Finally a male and female came into view under the forest canopy. The man was towering over her, snarling out something incoherent until August's presence had him stop abruptly and turn toward her.

"Are you okay?" August heard herself ask, addressing the female some distance in front of her. She didn't recognize her own voice. It was too brave for how her heart was quivering uncontrollably in her chest.

The woman looked over to her, pale and shocked—terrified—before she slowly nodded.

"Y-yes," she stuttered simply and forced herself to smile, but her lips were trembling and August watched as the smile faltered before she turned to hide her face from them.

The male was still poised over her in rage. August heard his threatening growl echo off the trees before it reached her ears.

"You're not okay," August replied, answering her own question. "I am familiar with abuse. I know it from experience," her voice had started to shake as she said, finally betraying her fear, but she stood firm watching the couple before her.

She saw the male's body shift, and suddenly the broad side of his chest was facing her, his head tucked low as he glared her way. Oh shit.

"You know nothing," he snarled like the barely contained wolf that he was. The female reached for him, but he smacked her hand away.

With that smack, August found her feet moving forward of their own accord, but a small hand grabbed her from behind. She turned to see Sage with fear in his eyes. When she turned back to the couple in front of her, the man had started to stalk her way. She felt her heart flutter up into her throat watching him approach.

"They are mates," Sage said—only, he didn't open his mouth to speak. His hand was still on hers, and she looked back down at him in surprise.

Little Sage was like Greta and Graeme?

She didn't have time to ponder this before the furious snarl grew closer, and she looked again at the man who was close enough now to where she could see the bright flame of rage in his eyes.

"Mates?" she whispered, taking a step back.

Her heart was pounding its own warning, and she wondered for a moment if they should run. But it was too late. She would never be able to outrun a lycan anyway, and now this one was so close. The only thing to do was stand her ground.

"Sage—go," she turned back to him, but he didn't move. "Go now," she pleaded, and he took a step backward as the worry swelled in his eyes.

The threatening energy of the lycan was closing in, and she turned to face him while blocking Sage from view. Hopefully Sage would listen and run. She didn't know where the violence harbored in that man's energy would be released. It was a chaotic rage that wanted nothing but to be let loose.

"You can't treat your mate that way," she said as he approached, and she felt the anger prick her eyes and send nervous trembles down her body.

The unknown male snarled, closing the remaining distance between them with two long strides and striking her across the face with the back of his hand. The impact threw her back against the damp ground. A rush of air was pushed out her lungs, and she turned over gasping to regain it.

"Hallowell's mate, huh? The fucking witch? I don't care who you are. That female over there is mine. There are rules," he snarled again as he bent over her.

Suddenly Sage was against him, trying to push him away from August. Without being budged by the boy's attempts, the towering lycan turned his anger on Sage and launched him in the air against a nearby tree.

"No!" August screamed, scrambling up off the ground, the pain in her face and lungs forgotten.

What had she done by instigating him? And what could she do now?

Seeing Sage in a heap against the tree sent bolts of rage through her, and suddenly she was engulfed in the Veiled around them. The male was surrounded by a pulsating dark aura as he turned back to face her.

The idea of taking that dark aura into her was terrifying. She couldn't do it and expect to send it on its way so easily, so she grasped for any energy around her—it was but air itself—as he came at her again with a snarl.

Trauma lives in the body. Past events may recede and even seem to vanish, but the body instantly responds to the memory of violence when it arrives again. Now that August was faced with another threat of violence, the air around her seemed to crystallize, freezing its life-sustaining movement around them.

Rather than hitting her again, the man slumped against her, his eyes filling with horror as he began gasping for air. She watched his face turn red and his eyes bulged as he let go of her and began clawing at his throat.

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FUNTIVITY ALERT! CHANCE TO NAME A CHARACTER!

Privilege resets tomorrow for January with the Webnovel daily reset (December 31st in the U.S., 11 am EST), and I am adding another privilege tier with 5 additional chapters!

This means within 5 minutes of reset (11:05 am EST), 5 new chapters will be available to read.

As a "fun-tivity" for the readers who purchase the highest privilege tier after reset, I am offering a chance to name a character in Graeme and August's story!

Here is how it will work:

Hidden within one of the new 5 chapters (in the highest privilege tier) is an easter egg. The easter egg will be heavily reminiscent of/almost identical to an image in a popular book and/or movie.

I will leave a comment at the end of the chapter in which this easter egg first appears. The first reader to REPLY to my comment WITH A GIF of the original image from the popular book and/or movie will get to name a character in the story.

I will offer this reader a few options of character profiles that will be upcoming in the story, and the reader can choose which character profile they would like to name.

Does that make sense? If not, feel free to ask questions below!

And may the odds be ever in your favor!