Chapter 118


    Kade’s rage became him, heating his blood until it boiled as it pumped throughout his form. The violent


    emotion overtook himpletely, giving his increased strength a savage edge.


    Alec’s head was a different story, the same book but in another format. He could see and breathe


    through his rage, using it to propel not himself, but his thoughts forward. Strategies and ns flitted


    through his head, disorienting and at rapid-fire. Many of them looked like football ys, marking where


    Ariana, the Hound, and the two guards stood.


    I tried not to give into the sinking feeling that overtook me, when even Alec couldn’t produce a n of


    action. We were outnumbered, exceptionally considering I couldn’t use my magic while Ariana was in


    the room, and mybat training was strictly lodged in the beginner stage.


    Still, I hadn’te this far by giving up. Through pain and blood, I’d give everything I had. With my


    mates at my side, both identical and different in every way, the very idea of failure became an


    impossibility.


    Ariana hadn’t been appointed Marcus Novak’s personal assassin for her doll-like smile and charming


    personality. Like a poisonous flower with curling petals, her beauty was just another distraction before


    the k**l.


    She stepped to the side just as Kade’s teeth glided past her neck, snapping down on where she had


    previously stood. His ws scraped across the rough cement floor as he slid to a stop.


    Her eyes hadn’t even left my face, her smile never once wavered.


    A reckless, poorly thought-out n of my own flitted through my head. I closed my thoughts off from


    the twin’s, knowing both would do whatever possible to keep me from acting it out.


    ‘Take out the guards and the Hound.’ I told them both through mind-link, ignoring the incredulous look


    Alec was giving me. ‘I’ll take down Ariana.’


    Kade heeded mymand as though it werew, letting out an ear-piercing snarl as he dove into one


    of the guards. The Hound was next to shift, smelling even stronger in wolf form. The scent of his body


    odor mixed with that of a d***y, blood covered animal.


    I sprinted towards Ariana, giving Alec no time to stop me. The second guard was charging my way, hair


    sprouting from his face and neck as he shifted. With a snarl aimed in my direction, Alec barreled into


    the guard before he had the chance to reach me.


    I had to y this perfectly. It wasn’t hard to feign hesitation, to let it halt my movements ever so slightly.


    I made a point to nce down at the knives strapped to her waist and thighs, then took a step


    backwards.


    “Power is wasted on the weak. How you were given so much of it is beyond my understanding.” She


    said softly, with so much disappointment that I snarled. A sensual smile twitched onto her lips, a


    glittering serpent leading its prey into murky waters. She utched the knives from her waist and


    thighs, letting them tter to the ground. With her arms spread out on either side, she took a step


    towards me. “I don’t even need a weapon to k**l you, Aurora. You can run like a coward or face me.


    Either way, it will be your blood that stains the ground for the next hundred years.”


    Amid the snarling, my footsteps echoed loudly across the floor as I sprinted towards Ariana, and what


    could easily be my doom. The few lessons I had still ringing in my head. I made a wild grab for one of


    the knives she dropped, unfortunately choosing one that would give me little distance. One touch from


    her and my blood would turn cold, my strength sapped like a magical juice box.


    Her lips twitched and eyes shone with satisfaction, which I hoped stemmed from how predictable my


    actions were.


    Gripping the padded hilt of the knife until my knuckles turned white, I shifted into my best fighting


    stance. She shook her head once more before lunging with elongated ws.


    In the back of my mind, Tori’s lengthy promation aboutbat being a dance of blood of d***h


    yed on repeat. I had taken her seriously at the time, but it’s different when one wrong move-one


    mistake can send you into an early grave. Though sparring with Tori was exhausting at best, itcked


    the same terror that an actual fight to the d***h had.


    It was my own reserve of strength and Thalia’s hatred for Ariana that kept me from d***h within the first


    five minutes.


    She wasn’t aiming for my throat, but for the soft flesh of my stomach. The wound would have hurt, and


    surely slowed me down as I bled to d***h. I managed to sidestep in time, though not fast enough to


    remain untouched.


    Cold, tearing pain ripped through my arm, right where her nails had broken the skin. The pain was


    heightened from her brief touch, turning a weeping scratch into what felt like a gaping wound.


    I swung the knife as she inched forwards, hearing the metal slice through the air. The move was on the


    reckless side, further pushing the idea that I wasn’t a trained fighter, and that my luck with stabbing her


    eye out had been a one off. I let fear blossom in my eyes and then stomped on it, poorly smothering it


    as I feigned courage.


    Ariana danced backwards, eyes bright and eager. I saw her next moveing. Even if I had the


    knowledge to avoid it, I wouldn’t have.


    The n I had, which had a high percentage of failure, wouldn’t work unless we were close-as in, she


    had to touch me.


    Her fist mmed into my stomach, tearing the breath from my lungs as her sheer strength sent me


    toppling backwards. The grunt that left my lips wasn’t forced but helped reassure her that I was an easy


    k**l.


    As I had hoped, she surged forward and used her weight to send me falling to the ground. She


    straddled me, her nails digging into my shoulders. I could feel warmth flooding my skin, soaking into the


    fabric of the shirt I wore. She grinned down at me, a cat growing tired of toying with its prey.


    Ariana’s magic wasn’t subtle or gentle, there was no build up before the inevitable pain. One moment I


    felt the tear of my flesh from her nails and the next, bitter cold seeped into my bones and made my


    limbs grow numb.


    Every instinct in my body told me to revolt, to fight and thrash with every ounce of energy I had left. I


    resisted those urges, screaming and shouting within the confines of my own head. Like metal frozen


    from ice and cold, my limbs all but refused to work.


    Instead of fighting the connection between the two of us, I used my magic and pulled. Using my magic


    while she was feeding from me elerated. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    A room of six shimmering lights, like candle me. One of the six was flickering, growing weaker and


    weaker until only the wick smoldered. There was a seventh light in the room. Only it was cold, dark,


    and without heat. It was desperate, grasping for the light with everything it had, but it was destined to


    remain frozen.


    I pulled from those five shimmering lights, trying desperately to grasp some of that strength for my own


    before Ariana devoured it. I knew that Alec and Kade were among the five, but I was smothered in


    layers of agony that were too thick to peel back.


    “What are you doing?” She hissed, her voice strained and hazel eyes wide–so wide that I could see the


    different shades of brown within their surfaces.


    All that energy, it was having an impact on her. Not only did I pull from the twins and the warriors in the


    room, but I shoved it all down her throat. Instead of resisting, I gave it eagerly.


    My fingers twitched, and just a speck of warmth flooded my skin. It wasn’t a coat or a hat, meant to


    withstand the bitter frost. Instead, it was a cup of hot chocte, fighting away the cold for just those few


    precious seconds.


    When my fingers wrapped around the slim hilt of the de I had picked up, I managed a warped grin of


    my own.


    “I’m distracting you.”


    The same moment, I plunged the de up and under her ribcage, Kade’s blood coated muzzle


    snapped down on her neck and shoulder.


    For just a split second, time seemed to freeze. True surprise blossomed across her pale face; eyes


    blown wide with the prospect of her own d***h. The blush on her cheeks was the same shade as the


    blood that poured down the jagged, open wound.


    Time sped up and Kade tore her from my body, flinging her against the wall with a sickening thud. That


    ssh of crimson seared itself into my memory, along with glossy auburn hair and nk eyes.


    Kade’s b****y muzzle tore me from my endless stare at Ariana’s corpse, her head angled so that her


    eyesnded on my face.


    ‘Sweetheart, pay attention.’ Kade’s voice, though rough and hoarse, helped steady my nerves. He was


    trying to reign in that rage, the one that told him to k**l and ravage, to destroy until nothing was left. It


    was his concern for me that kept his mind at bay. ‘We don’t know how many are in his inner circle.


    There’s no telling how many wolves are going toe out.’


    ‘We need a n.’ I cleared my throat, thankful my voice didn’t break, though it was still full of disbelief.


    ‘We already have one.’ Alec’s voice was soft, but also clear and determined. ‘It’s you, doll. You can


    feed from them and strengthen yourself. Focus on Marcus, and we’ll handle the rest.’


    Kade shifted into his human form, doing what I couldn’t as he pulled Ariana’s body over to the thick,


    steel door. He ced the palm of her b****y hand against a t sensor. Anear silent click sounded,


    followed by the whir of gears turning.


    The interior was almost predictable. A room for rich cowards who loved nothing more than watching the


    masses fight and d*e in their battles. Leather couches and Persian rugs, mahogany coffee tables and


    even a bar area. What made it unique were the copious television screens mounted on the walls,


    capturing footage of the fight in town.


    I took a few tentative steps forward, stopped by Alec’s low growl. From where I stood just ten feet


    away, the room looked empty.


    One second passed, and then two. A sh of silver eyes was all I saw before everything descended


    into chaos. Rather than slow, the adrenaline coursing through me sped things up.


    A silver wolf leaped over my head; it’s ws just two feet above me. I turned on my heel, my magic


    lashing out with desperate ferocity. It sunk into the thick hide of Marcus’s wolf; another cold, d**d me.


    This time I was the one distracted and had no time to react when a gunshot rang out. The sound


    echoed, bouncing off the walls as it tore through my eardrums. It was foreign to my ears, considering I


    now lived in a world of ws and teeth.


    It hade from the bunker. An errant thought flitted through my mind, something about Marcus and


    his inner circle.


    He fell to the ground, ripped backwards by an invisible tether. He twisted and writhed but was forced to


    stop thrashing. Eyes of blue and silver flitted up to meet my own, radiating hostility along with that


    infuriating confidence.


    Something dark shed behind my shoulder, falling to the ground in a mess of fading fur and pale skin.


    Dark glee filled Marcus’s pale eyes, making my once heated blood run cold.


    ‘Focus.’ Alec’s voice was a warning not to turn around, not to break my concentration from the silver


    wolf in front of me.


    I could hear his snaps and snarls as he charged into the bunker, along with an additional three


    gunshots. The echo of Alec’s voice followed each one, reminding me what was truly at stake.


    “Shift.” I snarled, my ears popping from the pressure as I pulled with my magic.


    Where Ariana’s magic was forged from the harsh artic, mine held the heat and radiance of a soul.


    What I felt as I fed from Marcus’s soul made me stop instantly, both revolted and horrified at the stain I


    now felt was beneath my skin. It was utter darkness, a gaping pit that hungered for more and more,


    never satiated. Even if he had beaten us and imed me as his own, it would have never been


    enough.


    “Shift.” I snarled, giving another harsh tug that made his hackles raise.


    Silver fur retreated, limbs shifting until the b**e form of Marcus Novak sat on the cement floor. The sight


    was jarring to see a man decorated in designer suits, lifted above the masses, sprawled out in the dirt.


    If this had been the first time I everid eyes on Marcus Novak, I wouldn’t have looked twice. A man so


    cold and empty inside that he was forced to chase the light that others exuded. What some had in


    abundance, he had none.


    “She’s never lost, you know.” His voice was strained, emotionless even in the face of the inevitable.


    The physical pain in his words reminded me that he was wasn’t this great viin, but a werewolf like the


    rest of us. The sheer indifference in his eyes threatened to send me into my own blood-thirsty rage, but


    I suppressed those emotions. He didn’t bother ncing towards Ariana or feigning any grief when it


    came to her d***h. Even as I crouched down, wrapping my hand around the hilt of one of Ariana’s


    des, he was free from the burden of human emotions. “Neither have I.”


    I hovered over him; my hands steady as the silver coating on the de glittered like an old friend. My


    heartbeat roared in my ears as eyes of cold steel met my own.


    “Sooner orter, everyone loses.”


    You would think that it was cathartic, ending the life of someone who had caused so much h****r. That


    there would be some grand finale, the stars trickling down from the heavens as d***h swung her scythe


    and imed yet another soul. There was no physical change that rippled across the earth as Marcus


    Novak left this world. You couldn’t feel the absence, theck of evil that had once existed within this


    one person. The stubborn fury to his eyes that refused to fade, even when all awareness had vanished,


    and breath no longer fell from his lips. Men like Marcus Novak; they never submit, even in d***h.


    What I could feel were the shackles falling from thousands of wolves’ wrists, ttering against the


    blood-soaked earth as Marcus’s iron grip was finally removed.


    I had no time to process the change that practically rippled across the earth. Any joy I would have felt


    was smothered, held tightly in the grip of panic. An echo of searing pain rushed through me, hard


    enough to make my teeth snap together. It throbbed and burned just below my left cor bone,


    matching the gunshot wound in Kade’s chest.