Lisa's POVThe tunnel shook so violently that my teeth rattled, and the sound of stone collapsing behind us got louder. "More quickly!" With a growl, Dominick firmly grasped my hand and dragged me forward. "I'm making an effort!" Leaping over a sharp rock that had fallen in our path, I snapped. Marcus trailed after, clearing falling stones with his sword, while Chelsea was in front, her wolf form slicing through the rubble. "We will fail to make it!" Marcus shouted, but his voice could hardly be heard above the commotion. "Yes, we will!" Dominick's growled, his eyes blazing. "Keep going!" The exit loomed ahead, a dim, almost inconceivably far gleam of light. "Don't stop!" Chelsea's voice was keen with desperation as she howled. Dominick's POV Rock fragments started to fall dangerously close as the walls started to crumble inward. As another boulder fell behind us, I shoved Lisa forward, protecting her. She said, "Dominick!" in a terrified tone. "I've got you!" Despite my gu
Lisa's POVThe air rushed by as I grabbed at the blackness, looking for anything, anything, to cling to, and the fall was vicious. The contact knocked the wind out of my lungs as I struck the ground, leaving me gasping in the almost complete darkness. "Lisa!" Dominick's voice, strained and frantic, sounded from someplace above me. "I'm present!" Wheezing, I forced myself to stand. "I'm all right!" I knew someone else had landed when I heard a loud thump close by. "Is everyone still alive?" Marcus's strong voice cut through the confusion. With her figure moving in the low light coming from gaps above us, Chelsea moaned, "I think so." "Dominick?" My pulse was racing when I phoned. He came up next to me and stated, "I'm here," in a very tight voice. "Are you in pain?" With my body hurting, I lied and said, "I'm fine." "How about you?" As he helped me get up, he said, "I'll live." Dominick's POV We had fallen into a smaller, colder, and in some ways more sinister cavern than th
Lisa's POVThe tall figure remained still, its bright eyes scanning us like a predator evaluating its victim. The air seemed heavy and stifling from the oppressive force it projected. "What is that?" Chelsea's voice was barely heard as she said. Marcus said, his blade quivering in his hand, "A mistake." As soon as the figure's eyes met mine, a rich, rich voice filled the room. "You've set me free." I took a tentative step back and said, "No." "This was not expected to occur." “Lisa,” Dominick snarled, stepping defensively in front of me. "Remain behind me." With a glimmer of laughter on its otherwise expressionless face, the creature cocked its head. "You don't even realize what you've let loose, do you?" Dominick's POV With my claws growing longer, I said, "I don't care who or what you are." "You're returning to whatever abyss you escaped." The apparition laughed, and the room echoed with the sound. "A mortal wolf's brave words." However, your strength pales in comparison to
Lisa's POV Echoing around the wrecked hall like a phantom taunt, the chilling laugh seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Has anybody heard that?" Chelsea questioned, her eyes darting across the room as she hold her blade firmly. Dominick snarled, stretching his claws, "It's her." "She's not finished yet." Marcus mumbled, looking at the broken altar, "Obviously." However, where is she? And now, how can we stop her? "You can't," Anabella said in a mockingly silky voice. No one was there, yet we all twisted toward the sound. "Coward!" Dominick's voice echoed around the room as he yelled. "Exhibit yourself!" A whirling shadow materialized close to the remnants of the altar as Anabella's laughing became louder. Slowly, her shape appeared, her face as arrogant as ever. With a tone full of contempt, she said, "You've been so entertaining." However, the beast was never the focus of this. "So what is the matter here?" Despite Dominick's cautionary glance, I stepped fo
Lisa's POVAs we went away, all of us stiff and quiet, the dust from the collapsing room still clung to the air. Anabella's cryptic comments kept coming back to me, and my head was whirling. "The legacy of your family, Lisa." "What lineage?" I grumbled to myself as my annoyance mounted. "What were you saying?" Dominick went next to me and inquired in a tense voice. I lied and shook my head, saying, "Nothing." Dominick came to a halt and met my eyes. It's not insignificant. Since she said that, you have remained silent. I threw up my hands in response and shot back, "Because it doesn't make any sense." "What she's talking about is beyond me!" Ahead of us, Chelsea snorted. "Oh, Lisa, hurry up. You must acknowledge that it's strange that you continue to survive seemingly insurmountable situations. There could be some truth to it. "Reality?" I turned to her and snapped. She lies. She is manipulative in every way! Marcus stepped between us and said, "Perhaps." However, what if she
Lisa put her back against the cavern's icy, angular wall, breathing in harsh gasps. The faint blue illumination of the runes carved into the stone created frightening dancing shadows. The enormous, ghostly, moving, and flickering thing in front of her was inky black. Its red eyes, brimming with rage, fixed on her without averting.She tightened her hold on the sharp fragment of metal she had found, a shoddy alternative to a real weapon. Her chest vibrated when the beast hissed, the sound echoing across the cavern."Remember, Lisa," she said to herself. It's not just about physical strength here. Something is holding it here. Something.She glanced at the luminous runes. As if giving it energy, they pulsed subtly in time with the creature's motions.With its claws tearing through the air, the beast rushed. A strike that created deep gouges in the stone floor was barely avoided by Lisa as she rolled to the side. Her heart thumping, she sprang to her feet."Aren't you connected to this p
Dominick's teeth were gritted hard as the unwavering energy scorched into his hands, and his claws scraped on the magical barrier's shimmering surface. His wolf snarled in exasperation, demanding that he make a breakthrough, but all of his previous attempts had failed.With a growing pain in his chest, he said, "Lisa." Their relationship allowed him to sense her terror, weak and flickering but unquestionably genuine.Marcus came up behind, blood spilling from his blade. We can't keep these creatures at bay indefinitely, Alpha. Whatever Anabella has put in place is depleting our strength and resources."Then protect the line and stop wasting time!" With a harsh, desperate voice, Dominick let out a bark. "I need more time."Chelsea came up behind Marcus, breathing hard. Her eyes were burning with resolve, yet her garments were ripped and her face was stained with blood. Although the western flank has been cleared, reinforcements are on the way. Dominick, you have to accomplish whatever
Like a leaf caught in a fierce storm, Lisa was spun about by the nothingness as her cries reverberated through the darkness. She was drawn more into an unending dark abyss as the whirling shadows became tighter about her. Her voice hoarse from yelling, she grabbed at the void."Dominick! Are you able to hear me? Her voice was lost in the emptiness as she sobbed.No answer, just the ominous laugh of a voice she was all too familiar with."Didn't you think he would save you?" Anabella's disembodied, all-pervading voice purred. "So cliched, Lisa. Always relying on other people for support."Where are you?" With a furious turn, Lisa spit. She still had a ragged bit of metal, but she didn't know where to aim it, so she tightened her grasp.Anabella answered in a mocking tone, "I'm everywhere." "And you're nowhere, poor little omega."The emptiness changed shortly. The darkness was penetrated by a dazzling light, and Lisa staggered back, covering her eyes. She was standing on a rock with th
Dominick could feel it in his bones; the war was upon them. Every step he took seemed heavier than the previous, and the woodland buzzed with the force of the approaching storm. There was no time to relax, but he could still feel the effects of his near-death experience and the strength he had given up to save Lisa. The pack needed him as Anabella's soldiers drew near.His Lycan form steamed under his skin as he stood, his hand clutching a fallen branch to stabilize himself. Although the anguish persisted and continued to chew at him, it was overpowered by the strong urge to defend his pack and fight for what was left of them.Despite the fatigue that dragged him down, Dominick's voice was crisp and powerful as he said, "Get ready." The warriors of the pack assembled, their eyes full of unflinching allegiance and their features set in deadly resolve. "Together, we confront our biggest foe to yet. We defend one another as well as our place.He looked at Chelsea, Marcus, and the others
The world seemed unending, gloomy, and heavy.In Lisa's arms, Dominick lay still, his body icy and unresponsive. His once-strong and regular pulse was now hardly there. With each faint, labored breath, his chest scarcely raised. He was on the verge of death since the energy that had rushed through him had vanished due to his sacrifice. His eyes were still closed, and the once-bright green had turned into a drab, empty void.As Lisa held him tight and let her tears fall over his skin, her pulse raced in her chest. Even though she could still feel his little pulse, she felt as if she would choke with the weight of their predicament. She had felt his vitality ebbing away, along with the optimism she had held onto. The sight of him like this was almost unbearable to her. It felt obvious now, yet she had always dreaded losing him."No... "Please, no," Lisa said, her voice trembling. She pressed her forehead to his and ran her fingers through his hair. "Dominick, I can't let you go. For me,
Dominick's surroundings had become still and chilly. The weight of loss and hopelessness appeared to loom over the last of the broken magic of the Obsidian Stone. His hands shook as he held Lisa's limp body, her once-bright warmth no longer there. Her eyes, once full of life, were now glassy and vacant, and her chest no longer rose and fell with breath.As Dominick looked down at her, his heart broke. His mind was refusing to comprehend the truth of what was occurring, and his pulse was thundering in his ears. She had been let down by him. She had been let down by the pack. He was now unable to envision a way out of this dire situation."Lisa… please," he said in a broken murmur. The coolness of her skin just made the agony more excruciating when his palm lightly touched her face. "You are necessary to me. You are necessary to us. I can't let you go. Not in this manner.As he hugged her closer, the blackness around them pushing in, tears clouded his eyes. Even while the stone's enchan
There was black energy in the air. As Dominick gazed at the Obsidian Stone, its ragged edges glimmering with the pulse of the evil energy it contained, his heart thumped in his chest. It seemed like a countdown at every second. This cursed item was tied to Lisa's life and soul. The stone was the secret, and Anabella stood on the edge of triumph. Lisa would be gone forever if Dominick didn't take action right once and destroy it.Lisa was barely hanging on, her body rigid, her eyes dead, still trapped in the ceremonial circle. She had lost everything because of the Obsidian Stone. What about Anabella? Standing opposite from Dominick, she had the look of someone who was certain she had won, her eyes glimmering with ill will.Dominick said, his voice low and angry, "I won't let you do this." Long and keen, his claws sank into the earth below. His Lycan form's strength rose, but it didn't appear to be enough to match the stone's sheer might.As she watched him struggle, Anabella's lips fo
The surrounding woodland has turned into a magical fire. A storm of power surged through the air, dark energy that threatened to destroy everything. The weight of Lisa's body, now completely under Anabella's control, and the power of the Obsidian Stone were palpable to Dominick in every fiber of his existence. His heart tightened with anger and terror as her dead eyes, glowed with the stone's sinister enchantment, stabbed him like daggers.Dominick's heart raced as he thought, "I can't let this happen." Even the sheer power of his Lycan form, which rushed through his body, was insufficient. Every move they took was thwarted by Anabella's evil power, and the enchantment all around them was too strong.Anabella sang in a language Dominick couldn't understand while standing in the middle of the ceremonial circle with her hands up high. Her gaze remained focused on Lisa's still figure, her expression a mask of warped contentment.With anger in her voice, Anabella said, "You're too late, D
The trees surrounded the pitch-black clearing like quiet sentinels, while the center of the forest was enveloped in shadows. The ritual was happening in the middle. With the energy of the Obsidian Stone throbbing with black power, Anabella stood at the center of the menacing circle, and Dominick's gaze was fixed on her. The stone was broken, but it still had a lot of force. The air around them vibrated as the crackling energy emanated from it.Desperate to escape, Dominick's Lycan form surged under his skin as his hands tightened. His heart ached from dread of what Anabella was about to do, not from the stress of the combat going on around him. He could feel the tiniest throb of life inside Lisa as she lay asleep in the middle of the ceremonial circle, her body strangely quiet."You believe that you can stop me?" As her gaze met his, Anabella's icy and scornful voice broke the uncomfortable quiet. "You haven't succeeded, Dominick. Your priceless Lisa and your priceless pack are alread
The first sign of what was to come was the howling that filled the night air. Dominick stared watching the horizon from the border of the pack's area. His heart thumped in his chest as the full power of the conflict fell upon them, and the wind conveyed the tiniest hint of Anabella's soldiers.Despite the raging tempest of emotions inside of him, Dominick's voice remained firm as he ordered, "Gather the warriors." His eyes were keen as he turned to his bag. "This is it. We battle for our future and our lives.With grim determination on their faces, the pack members advanced quickly. There was no time to spend, but Dominick could see the doubt in some of their eyes. Anabella's army was approaching. And all they had battled for would be gone if they failed to hold the line.With a resolute but pallid expression, Lisa stood behind him. She'd learned to resist the wolf spirit that fought within her, to utilize it, but never to allow it to rule her. She fixed her gaze on his, and for a min
Dominick stood at the front of the training fields, looking at his pack's faces, and the atmosphere was tense. They were all there, and they were all feeling the weight of what was about to happen. The hour of reckoning was approaching, and the adversary was just outside their door.Dominick felt a pounding sensation in his chest. Never in his life has he felt the weight of leadership more keenly. Anabella's army was expanding, and each second they lost brought them one step closer to the conflict that would determine their destinies. It was his responsibility to ensure that the pack was prepared."Come on!" Dominick's voice was clear and authoritative. With deadly resolve on their features, the soldiers formed up in perfect order. We train in a way that has never been done before today. It's not just about surviving anymore. It's all about winning. We shall also prevail.His voice was steady yet ferocious as he marched in front of them. "Anabella is on her way to us. She has boosted
As Dominick and Lisa walked back from the clearing, the wet, chilly air of the pack's territory seemed heavy. Dominick was reminded of the curse that had imprisoned him in his human form by the silent, gnawing ache that accompanied every stride. The weight of the situation was almost oppressive, and his body was weak and still reeling from Anabella's curse.Lisa's presence beside him was both consoling and agonizing. She struggled against the wolf spirit that had taken her, but he could see the darkness rising inside her, pulling at the very core of her being. They suddenly had to be concerned about more than simply Anabella. The ghost also posed a continual menace, threatening to consume her whole.Dominick looked at her, concern shining in his eyes. His voice hardly raised above a whisper, he whispered quietly, "Are you okay?"Lisa nodded but remained silent, her face disturbed. She was suffering so badly that she didn't need to express it to him. He couldn't tolerate the strained a