#Chapter 78: The End of All Lies


    You''ll never beat me! Ryan says, and I know he means it.


    Normally, I would be cautious taking on someone of his stature, but now I''m


    angry...and angry me doesn''t always


    make the best choices.


    I snarl. I want to know why Cynthia.


    Because she stands in my way... But not like your brother did....


    Now the beast inside me is just pissed.


    I spring forward, ready to strike. Ready to kill. I get in a swipe to the left of his jaw, then right, then a mouthful of fur and flesh above Ryans'' shoulder.


    Except Ryan proves too strong for me, and now that I''m on the offensive, I''ve left myself vulnerable. I realize that as soon as I feel him move.


    Ryan slings me off, knocking me to the ground, and is on top of me before I can manage to get up, using his body weight to hold me down. I''m able to avoid most of his bites, whiche fast and ferociously.


    I use my hips to roll him and get him to the ground. Then I use the momentum of the motion to roll away, but Ryan is too fast. He gets a grip on my shoulder and shakes his head, trying to tear out a chunk of flesh.


    A lightning bolt of pain strikes through my head, carrying an image of Alex, bleeding. "There''s something wrong!"


    I grab at the sides and press hard with the heel of my hands to make it stop.


    Rita is by my side, a hand on my back. "What is it? What''s wrong?"


    "The pain...Alex..."


    Rita cries out, "He''s with Ryan!"


    I hear the others scurrying, but I can''t see anything. They''re all around me, hands lifting me and leading me out of the room.


    Through the bright light, I see my feet moving along the ground and into a building I don''t know. Something is given to me, and the pain begins to subside. My vision begins to return, and I see them all in a small room with me. A living room somewhere.


    Lenor brings me a cup of some hot, steaming liquid and sits beside me. Rita is on the other side.


    Jeraout and Charles are across the room. They are all watching me, concern on their faces, but Rita is the first to break the ice. "You saw Alex."


    "Yes. He''sss in pain." The urgency of the situation sets back in. "We have to find him!"


    I hear Charles say, "They must be linked."


    Jeraoul moves forward slowly, as if he''s afraid he might spook me. "Do you know where they went?"


    "They asked. Where we were," is all I can say.


    "When we were attacked," Rita adds to rify, knowing they''re probably not used to my broken way of speaking. We told them it was possible the attacker came from the northwest."


    "Toward the mountain," Charles mumbles from the corner of the room. "We should go that direction. Follow


    their scent."


    "We need to send a recovery team," Jeraoul says as he begins pacing the floor, his arms folded in front of his chest, thinking


    "There''s no time," Rita argues. "We need to do it."


    Lenor gets a sad look in her eyes. "Ryan is powerful. None here challenge him.”


    "Rita is pretty tough," I say, eliciting a smile from someone bing an unlikely friend. Definitely a savior.


    Charles moves forward. "Then we''ll go." To Lenor and Jeraoul he adds, "You can send someone after us." Rita and I stand to go, when Lenor puts her hand on mine, stopping me. Her skin is soft for someone her age, and there is a tenderness to the touch that makes me miss my mother. "Be careful, dear," is all she says.


    Try out in pain-both physical and emotional. I need to stop this guy and get back to Cynthia because she''s in danger. I left her there, in enemy territory.


    And tow I don''t feel anything from her anymore, which has me worried.


    I''m able to pull away and turn my head around, but I''m not able to get a grip on him. I flip the other way so he can''t grab me again.


    I take off into the trees. I realize I''m leaving a blood trail, so I rub against the ground to try and get the dirt to clump up in the wound.


    But I don''t risk stopping for very long, because I have to keep moving. I should


    run back to the Malkeye base to get Cynthia and Rita, but I don''t want to lead him there. I need to take him out.


    Instead, I make for the mountain. There must be ces to hide among the scraggly rocks.


    I run as fast as I can, but I hear him behind me. I can hear him huff as he struggles for air between steps, and I can tell he''s close. I know he''ll overtake me soon, so I have to find high ground to take advantage of.


    1 see the stream at the bottom of the mountain. It''s at least twenty feet wide. I hit the water running full speed and turn to the right, knowing the water will obscure my scent.


    1 also know that he''ll hear me soon.


    A deer is drinking on the other side. As soon as it sees me, it takes off in the other direction. Lucky me.. be able to tell the deer''s sshes apart from mine.


    In the distance, far behind us, I hear a rustling sound.


    nay not


    Of course, I''m on Rita''s back. Where else would I be? We can''t afford for my human legs to slow us down, so I swallowed my pride. As did Rita.


    The air is cold and I''m trying not to shiver as we ride through what I consider to beplete darkness. Even after my eyes adjust, everything looks ck because the forest is congested with trees.


    On asion, Charles, who is in front of us, stops and turns his head from left to right. It worries me because I can tell he''s only doing it when he loses their scent. But he assured me he is an expert tracker, and that if we are in remotely the right area, he will be able to pick up their scent.


    I''m useless. There''s nothing I can do but yank poor Rita''s fur and cause her difort. However, I soon realize that if I crouch down close to her, Rita''s bodyweight warms me. It also keeps me from wondering if she''s going to run me into a tree branch.


    I realize my troubles are nothingpared to what poor Alex is going through right now. What if Ryan has hurt


    #Chapter 78: The End of All Lies


    him? Oh, God...what if he dead? If it''s true that Ryan had something to do with his own brother''s death, then it''s certainly possible he could hurt Alex. I mean, Alex is Michael''s sessor.


    If all this is true-and I don''t know that it is-does this mean Ryan is in league with


    the rogue werewolves? If so, did he have Michael attacked? Shit! He could be the one behind my attacks! To think we were in his house.


    To think that asshole was hitting on me!


    We start to slow down and my attention returns to what is happening now;


    everything else can be figured outter.


    I hear running water and realize the mountain is right in front of us. A stream flows


    across its base, where the


    moonlight reflects. Just like our stream.


    Please Alex...where are you?