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Aria's POV

My initial plan backfires. Kaia was able to hold my choices in her fingers and twist them into doing the opposite. She is skilled at trickery. Unfortunately, I always give in to it without notice.

'I'm sorry, Aria. He's not really our mate,' she admits after we have faced a hundred werewolves. 

The freaking illusion fools me. If I had known it before, I would have abandoned the wolf and refused to take part in any of its fights. It was the freaking bond that obliged me to give in. And now, everything turned out to be a lie.

The injured wolf was not my mate. It was nothing more than a made-up mirage created by my stupid wolf so that I would help it. Indeed, it was stupid of me to believe Kaia. I could have sensed the connection, but I let my wolf trick me. Not because I'm desperate to find my mate; it's just my foolishness.

Now Kaia and I have to face not just one wolf but a fleet of them, and my sole partner is a wounded wolf who appears to be incapable of battling a cluster.

'Kaia, don't fucking get us killed here,' I warned.

Tens of wolves surrounded us, snarling and dripping saliva from their fangs. Surprisingly, I don't feel any dread, as though I'm more than ready to accept whatever end this conflict may have. It could be the pain in my heart that's fueling up my courage.

One of the wolves charges forward, attempting to attack the gray wolf beside me. But before he could reach him, Kaia's prickly nails were swift enough to strike his throat first, slashing it and enabling him to bleed. It was this very action that prompted other wolves to attack.

Shit!

My wolf fought hard to avoid every blow, but despite her quick docking, she still got a few scratches. Kaia was able to take down a few of the enemies, but many of them were still left. She evades the claw and defends the injured wolf, so we bare each hit instead of him receiving it.

'They're too many,' Kaia complained.

I've lost track of how many wolves have perished thus far. They were like mushrooms that kept sprouting and never seemed to end. Once one is eliminated, another arises. And the cycle goes on.

'Come on, girl. You chose this. I wanted peace, but you wanted this pain!' I answered sarcastically.

Our blood may have run out, but many of them would still be standing. I don't know which pack Kaia and I are dealing with now. They're too many for us to handle. Set aside the reality that I am only a she-wolf. My strength is limited.

'Oh, shut up, Aria!'

I rolled my eyes. I speak nothing but the truth. It's her lie that may cause us to die. We are no superheroes; we may die beside this pathetic wolf. And because Kaia and I share the same vessel, even if our bodies are different, if she dies, I die. We are two saves for one. Her fate is my fate. Her pain is my pain. In short, we share the same suffering. 

'Fuck it! Who bit me?' Kaia hissed.

'The black one, you idiot!'

'We're about to die! Give them no opportunity to touch us!'

Expectedly, Kaia's rage had reached a boiling point. I sense a surge of wrath racing through her veins as she spun around to confront the one who bit her tail. And at some point, I feel grateful to the red-furred wolf for awakening the deadly Kaia.

'This bitch!' she growled and, without delay, started taking its revenge.

Blood instantly poured from the wolf's neck, leaving trails on Kaia's paw. I couldn't believe what my eyes had seen. My human consciousness cannot withstand such brutality, the opposite of what Kaia has always desired. She hates violence, but she beheaded the wolf without any trace of guilt. It stunned me.

I suppose taking part in this fight will just bring me trauma. I should have allowed Kaia to take total control of my body. Now I have to live with such a recollection.

'I'm sorry, you shouldn't have seen it. I just got upset because he can bite me everywhere but my tail.'

The battle continued, and I tried hard not to make anything a big deal. Kaia, on the other hand, struggled to take down everyone, especially now that the wolf we were protecting was no longer fighting back.

He's unconscious, but hopefully, he's still alive. Otherwise, our effort to help him would be useless if it ended both of us in death.

'I would like to apologize in advance if ever we don't make it out alive,' Kaia spoke while receiving the claws.

Alas, no matter how powerful Kaia is, we are still at a disadvantage. We are outnumbered, not to mention our deteriorating strength. This fight, in my opinion, is not worth it. We fought in a dispute that was never ours, to begin with.

A powerful kick in the stomach propels us straight to the tree, banging our back on the trunk of the enormous acacia. As we landed on the projecting roots, Kaia shrieked in pain, followed by a break in our spinal bones. I just had a broken rib yesterday and now a fractured spine. But that didn't stop us.

Despite the fractured bones and deep excruciating wounds, Kaia stood up and continued the destruction. Seeing the dead bodies and blood scattered over the road reminds me of what happened last night. I'm living up to my rogue status now, killing these individuals who do nothing wrong to me.

It's ironic how I twisted my ideology and became the primary source of violence. I'm protecting one while killing many. It certainly does not justify my stand in this life. And holding on to such logic is nothing but hypocrisy.

'Kaia!'

A searing fire of enlightenment poured upon me, waking the essence of my existence. Everything doesn't make sense anymore. I live to save, not to kill. 

'This is too much, Kaia,' I regrettably spoke.

Why did we end up in this situation?

I tried to wrestle my wolf to stop this madness, but she was too focused on the fight, and no longer heeded my words. Kaia has lost its sanity as she killed everybody who tried to obstruct or approach us without mercy. This is not her.

'Please, stop, Kaia,' I begged.

I should have saved the wolf right away before his foe arrived. If I had known the number pursuing him, I wouldn't have wasted so much time leading us to end this way.

'If I stopped, we will die. There's no turning back, Aria.'

Like earlier, we were struck again, causing us to fly directly to the window of my car, breaking the glass. We landed flat on the ground while embracing the pain of the thrash. Every bite, scratch, and cut obtained was torturous. None of em' feel good.

Out of the blue, my human consciousness decreased. As though Kaia wanted to cut me out. Perhaps her way of keeping me from witnessing the following scene, as wolves charge in our direction, ready to devour us.

'Kaia, don't shut me off,' I whisper.

She didn't respond.

Everything has turned a blur, like a fog in the morning, covering the vividness of the view. I even feel someone trodden on Kaia's since we gradually lost our oxygen. This case made me come to terms with the possibility that my life may end here.

But then the growling suddenly grew louder, followed by a specific natural sound, most likely originating from someone being slammed into the ground. There is hissing in pain and howling in anger. Though I could tell, those fits of rage were no longer intended for me.

Someone has come. 

'He's here.' I heard Kaia whisper. 

Gradually, a far more aromatic scent overpowered the smell of blood. The fragrance was the same as I had sniffed earlier, like a mixture of morning dew, vanilla, and coffee. It was unique and enticing.

Engrossed, I didn't notice how my breathing returned to normal, and the heavyweight Kaia and I were carrying lightened. Just as I was getting a good breath, pain and discomfort began to sweep on me. It was as though my numbed body restored my consciousness, allowing me to suffer from the wound we had received.

'Aria.'

My inside jittered in surprise when someone uttered my name through a particular mind link. And what made it strange was that it wasn't Kaia's voice, but a man.

Despite my hazy vision, I forced myself to see who had arrived. And there, in front of me, was a silhouette of what I assume to be a black wolf with piercing golden eyes, staring at me intently.

His eyes were burning with desire, filled with mixed emotions, some of which I couldn't tell. But there is one thing I'm sure of from how he looks at me.

Was he the one who saved us?

'Who are you?' I tried to ask. 

My vision grew hazy every second, and the surrounding began to swirl, but before darkness completely consumed me, I heard his response, saying, 'I have found you...my mate,' and everything went black.