<h4>Chapter 315: Chapter 315</h4>


    ~Diana~


    L jumped back. "Control your wolf!"


    "He’s protecting us from you!" Devon’s hands were glowing a little bit. His purification power starting toe out. "Because you’re bad!"


    "I’m not bad! I’m desperate! You are only children, you wouldn’t understand the kind of mess I am in." L’s eyes were wet. "They have my sister! She’s been tortured for eight years! What would you do if someone had Diana?!"


    "I wouldn’t betray people trying to help me!" Devon shouted.


    "I’m not betraying anyone! I’m going to help destroy the array! Then I’m saving my sister! Both things can happen!"


    "That’s not what it sounded like!" I tried to stand up. My ankle screamed. I fell back down. "You’re gonna give them the relic and then ck Moon wins anyway!"


    "No! I’ll give them a fake! I know how to make one! They won’t know the difference until it’s toote!" L was talking really fast now. "Please, you have to believe me! I’m not the enemy!"


    "Then why were you meeting with ck Moon’s guy in secret?!" Devon’s glow got brighter. "Why didn’t you tell Mom and Dad?!"


    "Because your father already doesn’t trust me! If he knew about my sister, he’d lock me up! Keep me from doing anything!" L’s voice broke. "I need to save her! She’s all I have left!"


    "So you’re using us to do it!" I was crying harder now. "You’re using Mom to get what you want!"


    "I’m trying to save everyone! Including you!" L reached toward us. "Just let me exin to your parents."


    "Don’t touch us!" Devon threw purification power at her.


    It hit her in the chest. She screamed. Fell backward. Smoke came off her shirt where the power hit.


    "Devon!" I couldn’t believe he did that. "You hurt her!"


    "She was gonna grab us!" Devon’s hands were shaking. "We gotta go! Now!"


    He helped me stand. Put my arm around his shoulders. We started limping away as fast as we could.


    Purple stayed between us and L. Still growling. Still protecting.


    L was on the ground. Coughing. "Wait! Please! Don’t tell them what you heard! Not until I can exin properly!"


    We didn’t wait. We kept going.


    But I didn’t know where we were going. Everything looked the same. Trees and more trees and I couldn’t tell which way was back to the manor.


    "Devon, are we lost?"


    "No. We just... we need to find the path we came from." But he didn’t sound sure.


    We walked for a while. My ankle was throbbing. Each step hurt worse than thest.


    "I need to rest." I couldn’t walk anymore. "Just for a minute."


    Devon helped me sit against a tree. "Okay. But just a minute."


    Purple was sniffing around. Walking in circles. He looked confused.


    "Purple can’t find the way back." Devon’s voice was small. Scared. "We’re really lost."


    "Mom’s gonna kill us." I put my head on my knees. "If something else doesn’t kill us first."


    "Don’t say that."


    "It’s true though. We’re lost in the forest. L knows we heard her secret. Bad guys could be anywhere." I was crying again. "We messed up really bad."


    "We were trying to help."


    "We always mess up when we try to help." I looked at Purple. He was still walking in circles. "Even Purple doesn’t know what to do."


    Devon sat down next to me. "Maybe someone will find us."


    "How? Nobody knows we’re gone. Gamma probably still thinks we’re sleeping."


    "Purple could go get help. He’s smart. He could lead them back to us."


    "What if he gets lost too?"


    "He won’t. He always finds his way." Devon looked at Purple. "Purple! Come here boy!"


    Purple trotted over. Sat in front of us.


    "We need you to get help." Devon talked slow. Clear. Like he was talking to a baby. "Go find Mom or Dad. Bring them here. Can you do that?"


    Purple tilted his head.


    "Go find help!" Devon pointed at the trees. "Go!"


    Purple barked once. Then took off running. Disappeared into the trees.


    "You think he understood?" I asked.


    "I hope so." Devon put his arm around me. "Because if he didn’t, we’re in really big trouble."


    We sat there under the tree waiting. My ankle was swelling up. Getting bigger. Turning purple.


    "That looks bad." Devon stared at it.


    "It feels bad."


    "Sorry."


    "Not your fault. I’m the one who tripped."


    "I’m the one who wanted to follow Mom in the first ce."


    "I wanted to too. So it’s both our faults." I leaned against him. "You think Purple will actually find help?"


    "He has to. He’s the only one who can."


    We waited more. The sun moved across the sky. My stomach growled really loud.


    "I’m hungry." Devon said.


    "Me too."


    "And thirsty."


    "Yeah."


    "And scared."


    "Me too."


    We heard something moving in the bushes. Both of us tensed up.


    "Is that Purpleing back?" I whispered.


    "I can’t tell."


    Devon stood up fast. Moved in front of me. His hands started glowing again.


    A cursed wolf jumped out from the bushes.


    "Diana, can you use your purification power?" Devon didn’t take his eyes off the wolf.


    "My ankle hurts too much. I can’t concentrate."


    "Try!"


    I tried. Closed my eyes. Reached for the silver feeling inside my chest.


    Nothing. Just pain from my ankle. Just fear making my heart beat too fast.


    "I can’t!" Tears ran down my face. "It’s not working!"


    The wolf took a step closer.


    Devon raised his hands. "Stay back!"


    The wolf growled. Deep. Rumbling.


    "STAY BACK!" Devon threw purification power at it.


    The light hit the wolf but it wasn’t strong enough. Not like when we worked together. The wolf shook it off.


    Started walking toward us again.


    "RUN DEVON!" I screamed. "Run and get help!"


    "I’m not leaving you!"


    "You have to! It’s gonna kill us both if you stay!"


    "NO!"


    The wolf crouched down. Getting ready to jump again.


    Devon put himself between me and it. Hands up. Glowing as bright as he could make them.


    The wolf lunged.


    And something massive hit it from the side.


    Purple.


    He crashed into the cursed wolf mid-jump. They rolled across the ground in a tangle of teeth and fur and ws.


    But Purple wasn’t alone.


    Dad burst through the trees in full wolf form. Huge. Scary. Roaring.


    He grabbed the cursed wolf. Threw it against a tree so hard the tree cracked.


    Mom appeared right after. Her hands glowing with royal blood. She threw it at the cursed wolf. It screamed. Started burning.


    Uncle Killian camest. His eyes were purple too but he was fighting it. Staying in control. He ran at the cursed wolf and finished it off with his ws.


    The wolf stopped moving. The corruption burned away. It was over.


    Dad shifted back to human. Ran to us. Grabbed us both in a hug so tight I couldn’t breathe.