Bölüm 2 : Mark of the Blade

= DIXIE =

The pull was undeniable. Like a magnet tugging me back to a scene of an accident, I found myself drawn to the clearing again. Maybe it was the strange energy I felt there, or the memory of the terrifying yet oddly captivating battle between the two werewolves one being Trix (which I haven’t still quite wrapped my head around). Whatever it was, I couldn't ignore it.

Grandma would have my head for this, I knew. She'd warned me a million times about staying away from this part of the woods, but sometimes, the quiet kid in me who always followed the rules craved a little excitement. Maybe that's why I was always a magnet for trouble, even if it meant potentially getting mauled by a giant wolf.

Sneaking through the undergrowth, I kept my head down and my senses on high alert. The silence of the woods was broken only by the rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird. 

Suddenly, a guttural growl ripped through the stillness. I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. A mistake. Peeking through the foliage, I saw a sight that sent chills down my spine. Trix, in his human form, stood facing a group of four hulking figures, all radiating an undeniable predatory aura. 

Trix, again. Why him again?

They were arguing, their voices rough and angry.

"Give us the key, Slater," one of the bigger wolves growled, his voice rough and full of threat. "And maybe we'll let that little trinket of yours stay intact."

"The Heartstone? You wouldn't dare," Trix shot back, his voice strained but firm.

A skinny wolf with mean-looking eyes stepped up. "Don't tempt us, Alpha. You know what the Blade Pack is capable of.”

Blade Pack? My heart skipped a beat. Were these the guys that woman was talking about? The ones responsible for hat stuff that haunted Trix?

"… the damn key, Slater," one of them snapped, his lips curling into a sneer. . "We gave you a week, and you still haven't coughed it up. Don't think we're afraid to take matters into our own paws."

"And what makes you think I even have it?" Trix shot back, his hands balled into fists.

Another figure stepped forward, his eyes glinting with malice. "The rune symbol carved on your territory. Don't play dumb with us, Alpha. We know where you hide your secrets."

A rune symbol? This conversation was going way over my head, but it sounded important. 

Curiosity getting the better of me again, I inched closer, desperate to hear more. Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through my hand. I yelped and stumbled out from behind the tree I was hiding behind.

All eyes turned towards me. The rogue wolves bared their teeth and their growls grew louder and louder until they filled my eardrums.

"Who the hell is this?" one of them snarled.

"Well, well," the snarling werewolf from before stepped towards me, his claws scraping against the dirt. "Looks like the Alpha has a little secret of his own."

The others moved forward as well, teeth bared in a predatory grin. I was surrounded and trapped like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

All of a sudden, something zoomed by me. Trix was there in front of me, standing stiff and looking fierce.

"Stand down," he growled firmly. "She's with me."

The werewolves hesitated, glancing from Trix to me, their eyes filled with suspicion and maybe something else I couldn't quite figure out.

Thinking fast, Trix grabbed my hand, his icy touch sending shivers down my spine. "Just one of my women," he said with a forced smile, his voice dripping with a fake sweetness. "She, uh, thought I was out here cheating, so she decided to follow me. See honey?" he turned to me, his voice dropping to a sickeningly sweet whisper, "Busy doing work now, aren't I?"

I wanted to scream. Cheating? This whole mess was because of a stupid werewolf fight and now I was being used as a human shield. The urge to kick him in the shins, preferably with steel-toed boots, was overwhelming. 

"Sure…babe," I gritted out through clenched teeth.

The rogue werewolves didn't seem entirely convinced, but they didn't argue either. "You've got five days, Slater," the leader growled. "Five days to hand over the key and the artifact, or you can kiss it goodbye."

With that, they turned and vanished into the woods. The clearing was silent again, broken only by my ragged breaths. It was just me and Trix alone in the tense silence.

Trix whipped around, his fury directed squarely at me. "What the hell are you doing out here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

He was really angry and it was intense, but this time, it didn't scare me as much as before. Maybe because I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole werewolf thing, or maybe it was his blatant lie about me being his "woman" that sparked a bit of rebellion in me.

"I can take care of myself," I shot back, my voice steadier than I expected. "Besides, who knew you had a pack of angry werewolves demanding mystical keys?"

He stared at me for a bit, his jaw clenched tight. It seemed like forever before he finally spoke, his voice low and dangerous.

"Stay away from me, Dixie," he growled. "And stay away from my territory and my pack. This isn't some stupid game, and you'll be killed if you get caught snooping around again."

He turned to leave, obviously mad, and it felt like I could almost see the anger coming off him in waves. But then, he suddenly stopped. He stared right at my hand, the one he'd just let go of a moment ago. His eyes got big, and he started cursing—a bunch of foreign-sounding words I'd never heard him use before since he's recently been so quiet and serious.

The anger he'd been barely keeping in check looked like it was about to explode. He took a threatening step towards me, his voice really low and rough. "What. The. Hell. Is. That?"

I barely had a chance to try and answer when suddenly, that woman from that night was right there beside him. She seemed to be always watching out for him, and when she took one look at my hand and Trix's mad face, she looked just as shocked as he did.

“Alvera, tell me I’m seeing double.” Trix addressed the woman.

Alvera…so that was her name.

"Oh, moons," she breathed. "This can't be happening." The air crackled with a tension so thick I could practically chew it.

I looked down at my hand and all I could see was my own slightly damp skin, thanks to the scuffle with those wild werewolves. Feeling confused, I glanced back up at them and they looked scared, angry, and something else I couldn't quite figure out.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Dixie," Trix finally growled. "How… how did you get that?"

I blinked, confused. "Get what?"  I looked down at my hand, again, still not seeing nothing out of the ordinary.  "I don't know what you're talking about."

Trix stared hard at me. "How did you get that mark, Dixie?" he asked, sounding really tense and mixed up.

I blinked, completely lost. "What mark? I don't see anything."