Five

Once night emerges, I stand in the middle with my arms crossed and eyes closed, waiting for my package. I had Saye and Arlo return to the farmhouse since Camila and the others would be coming by.

A wolf no older than us rushes past me from where the entrance gate is and approaches Dominic.

"What is it?"

"T-there...there..." the teen pup stuttered and seemed surprised.

"What?" Dominic asks with a demanding tone making the boy flinch.

"There is a huge monster at the gates."

I hear everyone gasps and talk among themselves about the monster on the other side of the gates. I know who it is judging by the reaction of that wolf.

"He's here probably for me," I say with a smile. "Open the gates."

Dominic wanted to ask but didn't. "Open the gates."

"But alpha-"

"Open the gates."

Without questioning his alpha, the young pup ran to the gates, and with another guard there, they opened the two large doors. Takkar enters the pack base pulling a wheeled cage meant for a large animal; beside him are Kaze and Camila. And in the cell is what I had requested.

"What the hell is that?" Ask a wolf referring to the Takkar. It seems they have never seen an ogre before. Well, they are very solitary creatures. They never leave their cave.

"Is that a wolf? It's huge!"

"What kind of wolf has a horn?"

"Who's the girl? I smell a cat on her."

"Forget them; what is that inside the cage?

Everyone is curious and scared, asking around, wondering who these strangers are. Then their attention landed on the main attraction. Everyone looks at the feral inside the cage, snarling and growling at them.

"Lippy!" Takkar let go of the chain, pulled the cage, and brought me up in a hug. "Takkar miss you."

"I miss you too, buddy," I chuckle and smile. Takkar then put me down gently as curious eyes landed on us.

"Master," Kaze revealed his voice with such a deep tone as it gave the wolves inside in shock. "I brought what you requested."

I caress the large side wolf as you do with a horse. He enjoys it begging more. "Thank you."

I sense hostility coming from behind as I turn my head to see Dominic with his eyes glowing red.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with that guy?

"There are a lot of wolves here," Camila says as she moves next to me. When her eyes landed on Clayton, who winked at her, she hissed at him.

The snarling and sound of gurgling coming from the feral inside the cage as he scans his yellow, green eyes around, looking at potential victims.

"This," I raise my voice introducing the creature. "This is a feral. This is what happens if you stay too long in the miasma. The area is poisonous and can turn you into one like this fellow. They are far more dangerous than a rogue."

I had Dominic and everybody's attention.

"The miasma is a living thing that came from the Demon Realm. Once miasma consumes you, your life is in its hands." I turn to Leah and her grieving family. They don't look too happy. "I'm sorry I had to end Wallace's life, but he's already long gone before I killed him."

"You didn't have to kill him!" Doug screamed; there was a pain in his tone.

"If I didn't, then he wouldn't have attacked a family of campers that night," I blurt out. Doug's mouth shut; that is when his mate opens hers.

"Wallace wouldn't do that," still not convinced. "My son, he's a sweet boy."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Larson," I lower my voice while looking at her. "It was a family of three, and there was a child, a boy, younger than the two Melton boys."

The image of that boy's wide lifeless eyes was full of fright and pain. It breaks my heart to see a young boy die before he can take an independent step into reality. I found the child underneath the tent. He was hiding, but Wallace found him. He has watched his parents get mauled by Wallace's feral form.

Angela gasped and whispered 'no' before she passed out. Her worried mate catches her before she can hit the ground.

"This could all be a hoax," Gwen spat, trying to get the other members on her side again. "That thing is probably her doing. From what I heard from our alpha and beta. Tuna Carter is a demon."

Gasp and mutter emerge from the crowd. My identity as a demon was never a secret; I didn't want to tell them.

"She's probably the one who let that miasma go. She's the one who turned Wallace into that and killed him to get revenge on us." What nonsense is she spatting? "She will have us all killed. We must kill her first before she makes a move and destroys us."

"You are a piece of work, Gwen," I snarl. Besides me are Kaze, Camila, and Tokkar, all shooting hostility at Gwen.

I had enough of her mouth running.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?"

I scoff. "If I want to kill you, all I should have done the day I left." Although, I didn't know my magic powers and being a demon then. So I said it in a bluff.

I took a step toward her as her eyes grew wide. I glare at her making my eyes glow bright violet purple. "Demon loves the taste of blood; the first one on the list will have your name on it."

I smirk as her body starts to tremble and fall on her ass.

"See! Didn't you all hear that?!" She jolts back up. "She's evil!"

"Gwen, enough!" Dominic barked an order making Gwen reveal her neck, submitting and not questioning her alpha. Probably he is as fed up as I am. "Calliope, since you know so much about these ferals. How do we kill them?"

Speaking like a true alpha made me smile inside. 

I walk over to the cage. The feral snaps his sharp piranha teeth at me. "Since their humanity is gone and shows no emotions; there are two ways. Cut the neck to separate the brain from the body. Then destroy the head before they regenerate—secondly, their heart. But the difficult part about the heart is protected by a steel-like plate. For you to hit the spot, you got to strike them hard. But it's going to be a challenge. I learned the hard way."

"It sounds as if there's an easier way."

There is.

"Camila, open the cage."

"Wait, Calliope, are you insane?" Question Clayton as Camila holds the handle on the cage."You're going to let that thing out with everyone here. Lives will be endangered here."

"Don't worry," With a wave of my hand, a magic barrier form a dome around me and the cage. Camila, Kaze, and Takkar all step out of the barrier.

The feral burst out and crawled on all fours like a predator, stalking and hissing. Seeing so many victims, he starts to attack. He was pushed back hard by the barrier. The magic barrier keeps demons like him inside, and his attack failed.

He tried scratching, biting, and even hitting himself at the violet transparent barrier, but none worked. I blew a whistle through my lips. The feral stopped and gave up as he slowly turned his head to my attention.

"Let's dance, asshole."

He stalks me, slowly making circles around the barrier. I stood in my place with my eyes on him, waiting for him to attack.

I guess I can tease him a bit.

He snarls in a battle cry and jumps in the air for a strike, but my whole body disappears, making him land.

I smirk.

The feral screeched in frustration. Usually, I've learned that although the miasma has a child's mind but can control its brains, it's not very bright. All ferals care about is life and flesh. They are zombies but deadlier.

Using his long sharp nails to take me down, I dodged every movement. With a hidden weapon, I had summoned by magic as many people of the pack watching, and I might as well give a demonstration. I put away my secret weapon and instead enlarged my nails into talon-sized claws aimed at his neck.

"Aim for the neck, cut it off and destroy the brain."

Not wanting to cut the neck to end this session too soon. I then aim for the heart. You need to make a plan when going for the heart. It's the only way to release the original host soul. Although the heart is protected, only the front blocks the attacks. But ferals are aware of it, and marking the hit will make them guard it at all costs. So, you must be wise and precise when stabbing the heart from the back.

I spin and jump on its back, pinning him to the ground. "Here, since the front is too hard to destroy the heart. You stab the heart on its back." I instruct.

The feral pushed me off as I made a smooth cat-like backflip, landing solidly on my feet. The feral did not like what I did. He became ever more hostile. "When I had enough, it's time to end this," I crouched and did a back hind kick sending him flying across.

The feral got up and growled at me.

Now it's time. I unleash full of my magic, revealing my proper form to everyone around here. My hair turns a silver-white shade like the moon as fox ears, and nine tails pop on my head and back.

I was ignoring all the stares and surprised looks from the crowd. The feral made a screeching howling.

He came charging me full speed as I extended my hand and blasted my black-blue fox fire at him. He starts to screech in agony and pain. His whole body starts to melt; he reaches for me with little strength, still wanting to kill me, but before he can do that. His entire body then turned into ash. I let the magic go, and my appearance and the magic barrier dispel.

"Wow!" Camila jumped on my back. "That was fucking amazing, Lippy."

"As expected from my master," Kaze praised and wagged his tail.

"Lippy, super strong." Takkar clap.

"Master is so sexy and hot when she killed that feral," Saye and Arlo appear beside, harassing me again by rubbing themselves.

I groan.

When are they going to stop the touching?

Their praise made me smile before I turned to face the crowd, who still had a shocking expression. I look at Dominic, surprised, then pull up a full smile.

Oh...Kay.

I release myself from the twins and step forward. "As you can see, this was not an easy kill," not easy for you guys, but for me, I can burn the whole forest down to get rid of this nuisance. "As long as you don't step foot in the swamp area, your life will be safe. Until I can figure out

I snapped my finger and instantly lit the dead feral on fire, burning its rotten flesh. I created a barrier to keep the miasma from entering the pack base with my magic touch. They should be fine if they don't enter the swamp a mile from here.

If they listen to me, I don't have to come back here and annihilate the pack.

"Well, now that my job here is done." I turn my back. "Guys, it's time for us to go."

Camila and the gang came by my side for us to teleport, but before we could, Tracy stopped us.

"Calliope, wait, please," I can see that she is nervous as I can see her eyes. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I should have never doubted you. I mean..."

"No need," I stop her with a smile. "Some people change, and I understand you had doubts about me assuming my reputation here. But I did what I had to do to pay for my...transgressions."

"Thank you," She smiled at me genuinely as her eyes were puffed up from crying. "Thank you for saving my boys."

I nod and look up at Dominic. It seems he had something to say to me. I'm hoping he would. It had been a year since we last saw each other, and his expression of me was different from my past life. Before he opened his mouth, Leah came to his side and linked her arms around his, sticking close to him like glue. She sends a message that I should stay away from her man as she darts her menacing eyes at me.

I snort.

Her man?

I felt a knot in my heart and reminded myself that I had already broken off with him as it didn't concern me if those two were or were not together from what Dominic told me. But seeing how Leah is close to him means she still wants him.

I sighed and closed my eyes shut before the magic I had released teleported us out of here. Thinking about my decision, leaving the pack, and giving up on Dominic will make me regret it.