Chapter 117


    “It is within all of your best interests to stand down.” Jaspar Fox’s voice rang throughout the crowd,


    strong and very much alive. The wolves he had brought with him twitched their tails in irritation, we


    were evenly matched now. I could see shimmering eyes deep within the forest, watching and waiting


    from the outside. “Defy your Alpha and take your own life into your hands, because soon Marcus


    Novak will be d**d.”


    Jaspar looked towards me and somehow, I was able to decipher the words within his pale colored


    eyes. He was asking me a question, a simple yes or no. It took only a few seconds, reaching out with


    my magic before I had the answer.


    Disappointment and eptance shed in his eyes as I shook my head ‘no’.


    Many of the warriors here were loyal to Marcus, and radiated waves of hostility as they barely managed


    to keep themselves still. I could feel that so many of them were desperate for a way out, but the fear


    that stole their breath smothered any hope that might have flickered to life.


    My warning gave all of us a head start before a sand-colored wolf on Jaspar’s nk lunged for his


    throat, the sudden outpour of sound was violent symphony in the background.


    A second wolf, eyes the color of earth and fur the color of snow moved with incredible speed, hurling


    itself at the enemy. They collided in a see of gnashing teeth and snarls, but my attention was torn away


    before I could see who the victor had been.


    “Can you get her to Marcus?” Jaspar questioned, gripping Zayne by the bicep in what I assumed was a


    greeting.


    “He has bunkers all over the country, but he’d want to stay close.” Zayne said, piercing eyes narrowing


    as he paused for a moment. His eyes flickered up to mine, surprisingly calm considering he was


    sentencing his father to d***h. “I know where he is.”


    “Lead the way.” I swallowed, nerves settling in my stomach.


    I noticed his eyes weren’t on me but focused somewhere behind my head. Whirling around, I expected


    to see the towering form of a snarling wolf. What I noticed were the twin’s, thick onyx fur and blood-


    stained teeth as they fought to protect the three of us.


    A sh of red sat just a few feet away from the twin’s, right where Zayne happened to be standing.


    Tori’s crimson wolf leaped through the air; muzzle coated in blood as she sunk her teeth into the throat


    of an enemy. Despite her lean form, she thrashed back and forth, tearing the flesh of the wolf before


    letting its body fall to the ground.


    My own eyebrows crept higher at the look on Zayne’s face, an expression I wasn’t sure he had ever


    made before. He watched Tori with surprise brimming in his eyes, the realization that he had


    underestimated her-that he didn’t truly know her.


    Part of me wanted to think that even if he didn’t ept the bond, he was beginning to realize that Tori


    was his Luna.


    “Where can I find him, Zayne?” I asked, pulling him back into the present as I read the clear reluctance


    in his eyes. “Tell me, and I’ll take the twins.”


    I kept my eyes trained on his face, knowing he’d surely shut down if I even mentioned Tori’s presence.


    “From behind the mansion, it’s a three-mile run to my mother’s old estate. You’ll lose their scent at the


    river, but you must keep going. Marcus, and his inner circle are in an underground bunker, in the


    basement. You won’t pick up his scent again until you’re inside.” His eyes met mine, emotionless and


    unwavering. Poise and perfection amidst the b****y and brutal backdrop. “They’re going to know you’re


    coming, and they won’t be alone. Ariana, the Hound and Chaos will be there.”


    “Ariana is the only one who poses a threat to me. Once she is out of the picture, the rest of them will


    fall.” I said a bit darker than I intended, rage clouding my vision for those fleeting seconds.


    “Do the world a favor, don’t lose yourself trying to k**l Marcus.” Zayne grunted, unreadable eyes of


    crystal blue flickering down to my own. “There’s no one alive to stop you if you go dark.”


    With that heart-felt farewell, Zayne flexed his fingers and squared his shoulders, taking long strides


    forwards before shifting into a te grey wolf.


    His form was asrge as the twin’s, nearing the size of a bear. There was an elegance to the way he


    walked, holding his head high. As I watched him bound into the thickest part of the fight, where Tori’s


    fiery wolf currently resided, I wondered what type of Alpha Zayne might turn out to be.


    “A*****e.” I muttered.


    “Consider it apliment. That’s more concern than he’s shown in years.” Jaspar smirked, his eyes


    holding the answers to the dozens of questions swimming in my head. “I’ll be sending a few warriors to


    keep Marcus’s guys off your tail. Keep your guys from k*****g them for me.”


    I let my thoughts mesh with Alec and Kade’s, both of which were charging through battle as though


    they had been born to it.


    Neither were white wolves, but their aura of dominance and ferocity made me want to run in the


    opposite direction. They seemedrger than most of the wolves, their teeth longer and sharper. That


    alone made them frightening.


    I gave both a hasty recap of what Zayne had said, and the n that was now set in ce. Both took a


    few seconds to finish off their prey, tossing limp, fur covered bodies to the side.


    ‘You two in?’ I asked, breathless even though I had yet to join the fight.


    ‘Of course, doll.’ Alec’s voice was rough, raspy from battle and the thrum of adrenaline. You’re not


    leaving our side for the foreseeable future.’


    Alec and Kade paved the way, demolishing any wolf who stood against us. I sprinted along side of


    them, my lungs burning as cool air whipped across my cheeks. Even though my limbs burned from the


    lack of exercise, my thundering heart was soaring.


    I slid off the t-shirt I wore and tied it around my ankle, knowing sooner orter I would have to shift


    back. I took deep breaths, savoring the moisture and scent of nature in the air. There were no more


    cement walls and artificial light, the floral scent ofundry detergent and the grating voice of Marcus


    Novak. I could feel the twin’s emotions as if they were my own and reveled in the feeling of freedom


    that sent me propelling forwards.


    At some point Kade had warned me that going too long without shifting would hurt. As my bones


    cracked and pulled apart, I realized how right he had been. Pain was short-lived inparison to what


    was toe, the knowledge that I was on my way to end a life. What shocked me even further was the


    estate. A wrought iron fence spanned the property, it’s gate was covered in stray vines, with little red


    flowers growing in small clusters. It’s slow and steady creek sounded unbearably loud as I wrenched it


    open wide enough for us to slip through.


    I kept a hand on Alec and Kade, letting my fingers sink into their thick fur. The t-shirt I wore wasn’t the


    mostfortable thing to wear into battle, but it covered everything important as it reached nearly to


    my knees.


    A cracked and faded sign read ‘Novak Estate’, welded onto the iron gate. Crumbling pirs sat on


    either side of what must’ve once been a paved driveway. There wasn’t much asphalt left, mostly weeds


    and clumps of dry dirt. The entire ce held an underlying tone of sadness, a loneliness that p******d


    the earth and stained the air.


    Enough remained of the estate’s structure that I could tell it was beautiful in it’s prime. Large windows


    that were shattered and had crumbled, were ced to let in copious amounts of sunlight. Twin


    balconies with ornate railings sat on the left and right side, somehow still standing despite all the other


    structural issues.


    We entered through where the front door must have been. That part of the house had eroded, taking


    behind a good portion of the ceiling. The basement doors, which were wide enough to fit both twins’,


    were through the kitchen and into a small servant’s quarters. From the looks of it, this ce was meant


    to be an intimate and private home. Much warmer than Marcus’s office-like mansion.


    As we left the sunlight behind for more confined spaces and artificial light, I could see why no one


    would dare search this far. The air felt heavier, as if I could still taste whatever tragedy had urred


    here.


    The walls were of smooth cement, and every ten feet hung a small dome light from the ceiling. It left


    just a few inches of darkness between each light. Within that darkness, I watched a familiar eye open.


    Hazel with hues of moss and gold, ruined by the cruelty that shined within them.


    “You talked a big game earlier, Aurora.” Ariana cooed sweetly, grinning at the twins and I. “But you’re


    going to d*e here, like a pathetic nobody, in some d**d woman’s house. While the meat is rotting off


    your bones; I’ll be up there, ruling the f*****g world.” Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    “You won’t be ruling anything, Marcus will.” I answered reflexively, a flicker of rage igniting in my gut


    when her smile widened.


    “You’ll never make it to him, you know.” She snickered, turning on her heel as she sprinted off into the


    shadows.


    It was clear she was leading us into a trap, but there was no other choice. The hallway twisted and


    turned, but never once branched off. It was a one way shot to the bunker, and there was no avoiding


    the fight that was brewing.


    I sprinted around the corner after the twin’s when I heard Ariana shout, “I had to convince him you


    weren’t worth keeping. Too rabid and uncontroble, there’s no other choice but to put you down. I


    didn’t even have to convince him to k**l Zayne. No, he set those ns in motion himself.”


    My breath halted for a moment, thoughts flitting back to Zayne and Tori, both of which were neck-deep


    in the fight. A wave of panic threatened to overtake me at the thought of Tori losing her mate, but I


    swallowed the emotion for the time being. There was nothing I could do from here, but I could focus on


    k*****g Marcus. That might save us all.


    The hallway opened into arge, circr room. At the very end was a metal door, much like what I


    would expect a safe room to have. A guard stood on either side, and next to Ariana stood the Hound.


    The scent of wet earth and mildew mixed with his body odor, filling the room with the scent of rot, and


    sweat.


    “That’s right, breathe it in. This is where you’re going to d*e. In this filthy hovel, like a mutt.” Ariana


    chuckled sharply, noticing the way my nose wrinkled at the smell.


    With each insult she hurled my way, Kade’s rage ratcheted higher. His vision quickly became tinged in


    shades of red before a deafening snarl left his mouth, and his muscr form lunged for her throat.