Chapter 113
Just as Sabine had said; the Assassin and Hound had finallye, and Chaos followed.
“Are you going toe with us willingly, Aurora?” The Assassin spoke first, her voice a delicate
falsetto. “Your little magic won’t work on me, but I’d love to see you try.”
Something at the very pit of my stomach told me not to use my abilities on her. I didn’t have those
punch you in the gut feelings very often, but this was one I couldn’t ignore.
The way she sang my name sent a shiver down my spine, which I suppressed with gritted teeth. She
plucked a knife from one of the straps around her leg and held it in her hand. Her glossy auburn hair
was tightly pulled back, wrapped in a braid at the base of her neck.
She only reminded me of the de I had as well, given to me by Isaiah before he had left with Mera. It
was a kind gesture considering I barely had a clue on how to use the thing. Either way, if the Assassin
got her hands on me, this de could quickly be my salvation.
Clearly, she was the star of the show, the one who led the other two. Chaos was foaming at the mouth,
shing his movie star smile that seemed all wrong with the cruelty in his eyes. The Hound just stood
there, mindlessly staring at the five of us, nostrils ring as he took in our scents.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I assured her, forcing as much false bravado into my voice as
possible.
The Assassin shrugged indifferently and nodded at Chaos, whose smile widened into a grin. A tremor
of excitement seemed to snake its way down his back, making his fingers twitch and eyes sparkle.
“F**k yeah, been waiting forever for this.” He whooped, inky hair falling back as he threw his arms out
towards the five of us.
I realized toote what Chaos’s ability was, and that he hadn’t been aiming for the five of us, but for the
twins. The twin’s obsidian eyes brightened, turning a rich shade of crimson that mirrored Chaos’s.
H****r enveloped me when I realized that while I could still feel the mate-bond, I no longer had ess
to their stream of thought. Awareness was leached from their sight, leaving room for nothing but chaos.
Alec and Kade turned towards one another, snarling and tensing up. I acted without thinking the
moment I saw Kade’s hand shifting into that of a wolf, nails elongating into curved ws. I lunged
forwards, though not towards the twins, and not physically.
Ished out with my abilities, desperately trying to sink my hooks into Chaos and pull with everything I
had. Just as I felt myself make contact, and form that connection, the Assassin sliced through them
with cold-hot steel.
She leaped forward with incredible swiftness, with the Hound tailing her. Her muscr form still moved
incredibly fast, making me scramble into action. Chaos was engrossed with the twin’s, using them like
a child would battle with two action figures.
Kade lunged at Alec, shing his elongated nails across the soft flesh of his face. I snarled in sync with
Alec, who was already shifting before my eyes. I needed to do something, and fast. Another minute
and I’d be lucky if I had one mate standing.
I wanted to nce at Tori and Sabine, who were both just as exposed as I, but I couldn’t risk cing
attention on them.
Instead, I did what anypletely sane werewolf would do and ran.
I veered left into the forest, knowing I wouldn’t make it very long or far. The goal wasn’t to escape, but
to get them away from the twins, Tori and Sabine.
It was the exact opposite of what everyone had been telling me—that I was more important than
everyone else, that I had to stay alive and away from Marcus at all costs.
My chest was wracked with pain, because at the end of the day, I couldn’t sit by and let the people I
cared about d*e for me.
So here I was, running into the arms of the enemy.
Even as I heard the Assassin’s snicker at my back, I couldn’t bring myself to regret doing everything
humanly possible to save my mates.
If there was one thing I promised myself, it was that now I needed to be strong. Aurora, weak human
daughter of Melissa, was skin shed from my shoulders. There was room for nothing else–no one else,
except for Luna Aurora.
I was knocked to the ground, shoved into the dirt just half a minute in. The taste of it filled my mouth,
followed by a disgusting grainy texture that crunched beneath my teeth. The gentle scent of gardenias
and rose petals filled my nose, and I met the not-so-gentle eyes of the Assassin. They were a deep,
chocte shade of brown that held rich undertones of caramel.
Even though Icked the fighting skills of your typical Luna, I still had the reflexes.
I wrapped a hand around the leather-bound hilt of the silver de currently hidden within my belt loop. I
had no doubt the Assassin had earned her name by writ of blood, but she had made the same mistake
everyone makes when they be the best at their trade; she becamecent, she
underestimated me.
I’m positive she was told everything about me, that my abilities were the most dangerous aspect of my
personality. I had no formal training, no lifetime at being raised a werewolf, but I now had awork of
people dedicated to train me, to keep me alive.
I wasn’t sure where I had found the sudden bout of brutality, or whether it had always lived within me,
but I tore the de from my belt and jammed it into the first thing I could think of; her chocte-colored
eye.
The heart would have been the obvious choice, the easiest when it came to securing a k**l. Alec taught
me that going for the obvious k**l wasn’t what you should do against a more skilled opponent. Surprise
them, use your inexperience against them.
She hadn’t been expecting me to a****k, much less something like her eye. Such a vital part, especially
in her profession.
Metallic warmth sshed against my face, mixing with the dirt granules in my mouth, and the
Assassin’s furious howls grated my ears. Instead of panicking and turning her attention to her gaping
wound, she tore the knife from her eye and frantically ripped her gloves off. I could still hear the sizzle
from her flesh as the silver knife burned her skin, destroying any chances at healing her wound.
Her b**e hands touched my skin before I had the chance to get away, and it was then I fully understood
what her abilities were. She didn’t just block magic, she fed on it; stole it from other white wolves.
Her touch made my blood run cold, my sweat freeze and breathe out in strained huffs. My veins
were clogged with ice, churning and scraping against my flesh as my heart continued pumping.
Her nails were digging into my skin, pinpricks of cold in a torrent of ice and snow.
“You f*****g b***h.” She hissed incoherently, so furious with me that I wondered if she’d just end my life
here and now. I could feel her spittle-or perhaps blood, misting across my face. “This is silver–this is
f*****g silver! I’ll never heal from this. I’m going to f*****g k**l–“
“Assassin, you good?” Chaos’s husky voice sounded from a few feet away, jolly even as it made my
hair stand. The Assassin let go of me, and I gasped as the pressure had finally been lifted from my
body. She snarled at Chaos, whose eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Why in the f**k did you let her
get the upper hand on you? Boss isn’t gonna like this, Assassin. You better not let this s***w up your
rate.”
“I didn’t let her get the upper hand, and it won’t s***w up s**t.” She hissed, sending me a look so full of
venom that I thought I might actually faint. “I can still k**l you just the f*****g same.”
I let out a grunt as a bony shoulder mmed into my gut, followed by the rancid scent of body odor as
it flooded my nose. I opened my eyes to see an upside-down version of the world, watching my hair as
it trailed across the ground. I was slung over the Hound’s shoulder like meat, hauled deeper into the
forest.
The world sloshed back and forth slowly, leaving doubles and triples of everything. With the blood
rushing to my head, I could hardly keep up with what I was seeing, so I decided to focus on what I
heard instead.
“What did you do with her little mates?” The Assassin asked, sending me another d***h and destruction
filled look that overpped one another three times. I could still feel the cold rattling in my chest from
where she had touched me with her hands.
“Left them wounded real nice.” Chaos sighed unhappily, garnering my attention. “Didn’t have time to
maul them the way I been practicing, not with you screaming in the middle of a d**n invasion, making
Hound drag my a*s through the f*****g woods.”
Relief flooded through me, washing some of that miserable cold. They were alive–which meant ToriContent is ? by N?velDrama.Org.
and Sabine had to be alive as well.
“She took my f*****g eye, Chaos.” The Assassin hissed, and for a moment I thought she might either
m****r Chaos, ore finish her work on me. “I’d like to see how well your little tricks work with one
eye.”
“Y’know, I don’t see why our soul-eater here needs two eyes to work some magic.” Chaosmented
in between whistling some annoyingly repetitive tune. He came up behind the Hound and bent over,
tilting his head so that he could look me in the eye. His movie-star grin turned lopsided, giving him that
perfect boy next door vibe–if the boy next door was a raging psychopath with crimson eyes. “I call dibs
on the brown one. I think I’ll dry it like one of those little heads.”
“An eye for an eye.” The Assassin mused, and I hated this look of gentle contemtion even more.
My eyes fluttered once, and then twice before we had finally emerged from the forest. I knew I had to of
cked out at some point because the sun was hanging precariously low in the sky, casting sshes
of orange and yellow across the horizon.
“Shove her in the back.” The Assassin’s voice grew louder in my ears, followed by the sound of a car
door opening. Her form was hazy at first, but cleared up the more I blinked. She was ncing down at
her watch, tapping on the small screen. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before the alpha and his b***h show
up with the entire brigade.”
“I told boss those wolves weren’t ready for real battle.” Chaos sighed dramatically, though I knew he
wasn’t upset over the lives lost.
Another poorly thought-out n flitted through my head. Fifteen minutes—if I could stall them for that
long, then Mera and Isaiah would show up. That had to be who they were talking about.
I groaned softly when I was tossed onto a cold leather seat, but quickly turned over and pushed myself
into a sitting position. I had limited time, and scoured the floor of the van for anything.
There were splotches of paint, and what I hoped wasn’t blood, along with plenty of dirt and little bits of
trash. My fingers ached when I felt a slightly bent nail beneath them. It was one of thoserge
construction nails. Judging from the way my fingers stung, there had to be some percentage of silver
within the material. It was stuck under a small piece of stic, protruding from the floor.
Within seconds, the Hound slid into the front seat and the Assassin into the passenger. I wrapped my
hand around the nail tightly, trying not to lookpletely frazzled. My heartbeat could be heard
throughout the van, but the fast-paced pattering wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
My stomach clenched as the back door opened, just a few feet away from where I sat. Every muscle in
my body tensed, coiled and ready. Even my wolf, whose words of encouragement were all that kept me
going, waited withheld breath.
Chaos opened the door to the van, and when he was halfway through, Iunched myself at him.
Either Chaos underestimated me more than the Assassin, or he truly loved any excuse for a fight,
because he tumbled to the ground like he weighed less than the Hound. I rolled on top of him, jamming
the nail as deep into his shoulder as I could whilst moring forward.
His hand wrapped around my ankle, making me stumble when I should have already been running.
Instinctively, Ished out with the same foot he had grabbed and smashed my heel into his teeth. His
grip loosened enough for me to slip free, stumbling to my feet and running forwards.
Before I barreled into the thick brush of the forest, my breathsbored and pained from the tiny dagger
in my hip, I nced back to see Chaos’s beautiful, smiling face; both teeth and eyes crimson.
I counted the seconds in my head, lost track, and began counting again. Pain was a distant memory,
burning the corners of my awareness just enough to leave a dull ache. I couldn’t feel the pain in my hip
anymore, just this tearing sensation whenever I moved strenuously-which was a lot at the moment. I
had torn the knife out, almost doubling over when the silver coated handle burned my hand.
Somehow, it made sense that Chaos would have a knife that harmed its user; to feel pain whilst
inflicting it.
I spun on my heel, my eyes practically rolling as I heard Chaos’s joyful whooping fill the forest. It
bounced from tree to tree, echoing in every direction yeting from seemingly nowhere. I continued
turning, losing track of where I had been and where I was going.
For the second time in what I would soon name the worst day of my life, I was tackled to the ground.
This time my face was pushed into the dirt, and I clenched my eyes shut to avoid getting anything in my
eyes.
I was lifted from the ground, met with the smell of body odor and flowers.
“Tsk tsk, bad soul-eater.” Chaos’s voice was right by my ear,ughing loudly when I jerked my head
away.
I wrenched open my eyes, wincing when they stung and itched from the dirt that was spread across my
face. The Hound held me again, the ever so silent grunt man who did as he was told.
Chaos was walking behind us, his hands in his pockets as he shed me his pretty grin.
“You ran for six minutes, by the way.” Hemented helpfully, and it was in this moment that I knew
Chaos was the second biggest monster I had ever met. His smile revealed nothing of the beast that hid
within him, “The other girls I y chase with usually onlyst for two.”
“No games.” The Hound said tly, his voice unusually deep. He turned to face Chaos; the abrupt
motion made my head swim. “You cannot k**l this one.”
I realized it was just us three, and that the Assassin was clearly back at the vehicle. Even though it
made my body ache to try and use my abilities, I reached out tentatively. A feather light caress against
the Hound’s lifeforce, feeling it’s intoxicating warmth just inches away.
“Would never dream of it, dear Hound.” Chaos shook his head, a hand against his heart in a very
convincing disy of offense. The look was wiped away as easy as it hade, reced with a
carefree smile. “Besides, it’s Assassin you should worry about. She’s the one gearing to k**l her. I on
the other hand think Assassin looks lovely with her singr eye, just ravishing.”
I held back nausea as I was swung around again so that the Hound could face Chaos, letting loose a
snarl that cracked and echoed through the trees.
If he kept spinning me around, I wouldn’t be able to draw anything from him. Thankfully, Chaos
managed to shut up long enough for me to get my bearings again.
I couldn’t take much, or too fast. I was sure that he’d notice the significant drain, or the Assassin would.
Thest thing I wanted were her hands on my skin again, the thought sent a chill skittering over me.
My first instinct was to drain Chaos dry just for some of the things he’s said since capturing me, but he
was also one of the most dangerous. I had no clue if his abilities worked on me, but I wouldn’t put it
past him to hold off until thest moment. Instead, I bided my time and slowly pulled from the Hound,
stopping whenever he stiffened or twitched.
We were back within a minute, telling me I hadn’t ran far at all. Beneath the slightly torn fabric of my
shirt, I could feel the little knife wound knitting itself back together, taking away the stinging pain of
silver in my blood.
I wasn’t ready to take down the three of them, but this was a start. My limbs no longer felt like lead and
the pain in my chest dulled to a slow throb. I stopped pulling from the Hound the moment I was within
sniffing distance of the Assassin. I feigned fatigue, groaning when I was tossed back into the vehicle.
Chaos grinned from the seat beside me, the b****y nail still protruding from his shoulder. The quiet hum
of the vehicle sounded as we coasted down the highway, away from the fading scent of burning houses
and trees. Even as I watched ck smoke curl into the sky, and felt Chaos’s crimson eyes on my face,
I refused to let fear take hold.
“Well, looks like the twinsies are back.” Chaos cheered, gleefully turning to look out the back window.
“They sure heal fast.”
I did the same, only with an abject look of h****r on my face. It churned in my gut and rose up in my
mouth like acid, searing my tongue and throat so that no sound could slip past.
From upfront the Hound grunted, narrowing his eyes through the rearview mirror where two onyx-
colored wolves could clearly be seen weaving throughout the trees.
My heart stammered as I caught sight of them, racing for the vehicle that carried me away. Any flicker
of hope I had, it shriveled into a husk when Assassin spoke.
“I take back what I said, an eye for an eye doesn’t sound nearly fair enough.” The Assassin said
smoothly, sparing me a single nce before turning to Chaos. “Can you k**l them from here?”
“Of course.” Chaos scoffed; this time actually offended. He rolled his shoulders and gave me a lopsided
grin, “Off the mountain, or speared on a tree?”
“Tree.”‘ Both Hound and Assassin replied in unison.
The Hound hit on the breaks, a gentle tap that had the twins gaining on us. Chaos bounced eagerly in
his seat, rubbing his hands together like a demented child.
They were close now, and I could feel my heart fracturing as I read the emotion in both of their eyes.
They could see me through the window, face pale and covered in both blood and dirt.
Just as Chaos unleashed his power—I let loose my own.
I hadn’t much, perhaps even less than Chaos, but there was something I had that he didn’t. I had my
mates, both of which I refused to let d*e. Giving myself up to these three, I did it to spare the twins, not
to have them k****d anyway.
I had just a split second to ponder if using energy, I didn’t have would k**l me, but the consequences
would be worse if I didn’t.
“No!’ My scream mirrored Chaos’sugh, though only one of our magic was able to take hold.
Both of the twin’s eye’s widened, still dark and familiar as I flung them back into the depths of the
forest. I could feel them, and every branch or tree they clipped as I forced them even further back.
During those long moments in between heartbeats, I thought about Mera and Isaiah, pledging to one
another that they would not d*e alone. I felt guilty that I couldn’t Alec and Kade that same promise, that
we would leave this life together.
It wasn’t selflessness that made me desperate–hair pulling desperate to keep them alive.
Love, such a small word to epass something that held no beginning or end. Endless variations
and each one was just as important as the next.
Mera’s love for Isaiah meant they would face d***h together. My love for Alec and Kade meant keeping
them from pain and torture at all costs.
It meant sacrificing myself, because I could not live in a world where they didn’t exist–and I, I am much
more dangerous than the two of them.
It felt like being hit by a pickup truck, using more energy than what I had. It threw me against the
driver’s seat and onto the floor, where I gasped and sputtered under the weight that seemed to press
down on me.
“D**n it!” Chaos hissed, turning to Assassin. He jutted his lower lip out in a pout, an expression that
would have worked on almost anyone. “I want to go back for them.”
“Boss said to k**l them if we had the chance, not to f*****g hunt for them.” She snarled, looking at the
Hound. “Step on it, we’re expected.”
I was defenseless as Chaos grabbed both of my arms and hauled me onto the seat, giving me a
grimace when he lifted a bag of crushed Doritos.
“You crushed my snacks, soul-eater.” Was all he said before opening the bag.
“That was a cute little escape attempt, Aurora.” Assassin nodded to herself, not bothering to look back
from where she sat in the passenger seat. Her voice was delicate and smooth, every word precise and
perfectly pronounced. “Congrattions, you spared your mates another week or so. Really, you should
have let Chaos have at them. The boss will only make you k**l them yourself.”
“Marcus won’t get a single thing from me.” I promised her, holding onto that truth, searing it into my
heart so that even when things get worse–which they will, I knew I wouldn’t give in.
“You say that now, but you got no idea how persuasive he can be.” Assassin turned in her seat,
grinning darkly when I paled at the sight of her eye. She was right, there was no chance it would heal
properly, even with her white wolf abilities. Where her chocte eye had once been was now a raw
festering mass of flesh, trying it’s best to heal from the wound I inflicted. She gave me a few long
seconds to stare, but I refused to squirm at the sight of it. I hissed and recoiled when her cold fingers
wrapped around my arm, sending rippling waves of agony up my shoulder. “Goodnight, soul-eater. The
fun really begins when you wake up.”
I couldn’t tell what images and sounds were real, and what horrible things my head had concocted.
Screaming, thrashing and snarling as people were stuck in mid-shift. Magic everywhere–so thick that
you could choke on it, like sweet syrup turned into gas.
Was it their screams or mine that apanied the pain and fear, the agony and hatred, the
hopelessness—such hopelessness that I wanted to curl up in this darkness and let it sweep me away.
But I couldn’t, not with the faces of two beautiful men burned into my mind, etched so deep that no
scalpel could ever mar its surface. Still, the pain continued. shes of rage, slices of fear, and bruises
full of torment and captivity until it all melted into something painful and heavy, seated right on my
chest.
My eyes snapped open, bringing light and the faint echo of pain. I clutched the silken nkets that had
been thrown over me, a deep shade of navy even under the yellow light of themps on either side of
the bed. Everything rushed back to me at once, ending with the panic-stricken faces of Alec and Kade’s
wolves as I threw them back into the forest.
I stumbled out of the bed I was in, my legs wobbling beneath me. I groaned when my head swam, still
aching and weak from the Assassin’s touch. Disgust and revulsion ran through me when I nced
down, noticing the sweatpants and tank top I had been dressed in.
I was in a fancy looking bedroom, with arge bed covered in ent pillows, a sectional and a
bathroom bigger than one person should ever need.
I whipped around when I heard the distinct sound of a lock being utched, followed by three more.
I knew what this was then; a padded cell, an offer.
The singr door made of what had to be silver, held a small window about eye height. It was covered
with a thin sheet of metal, giving me no forewarning to whoever was about toe inside.
Even with how weak and disoriented I felt, my magicshed out with everything it had the moment
Marcus Novak’s face came into view. His neatly trimmed hair that sat thick on his head, just a slight
spattering of facial hair, enough to make him look his age. Aman without life in his eyes, without
emotion or humanity.
Just a pristine, neat version of Chaos.
“Hello, Aurora.” Marcus said politely, stepping inside with Assassin on his heels.
The Assassin’s cold magic sliced into my own, searing my skin and making my already weak body feel
that much worse. My legs finally gave out, and I crumpled to the pale carpet that sat on the floor.
I made note of the hulking guard outside, along with the Hound’s ripe scent. I also happened to make
note that the Assassin now wore an eyepatch. If I remembered the jagged g**h on her face correctly,
the healed version probably wasn’t too many steps up. I red up at her, hoping she knew I didn’t
regret a thing.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak with you before you consequently pass out again.” Marcus said
in a rehearsed polite tone, one I knew could change at the flip of a switch.
I reigned in that anger, that absolute disgust I felt for this one man and managed not to hurl as I looked
him in his d**d eyes, already plotting how I would k**l him in his ownnd.