CHAPTER TWO: THE UNLEASHING.  

As the rival werewolf pack closed in on Declan and me, the tension crackled in the air like static electricity. On instinct, my hands clenched into fists, my eyes narrowed as I prepared for the impending battle. Declan standing at my side, his muscles tensed and ready, his gaze never leaving the approaching enemies.

With a primal howl, the rival werewolf lunged forward, his claws glinting in the moonlight as they sliced through the air. I reacted instinctively, dodging his attack and countering with a swift kick that sent him stumbling backward. But he was quick to recover, launching himself at me with a ferocity that made my blood run cold.

Declan leaped into the fray, his strength matching that of the rival alpha as they grappled with each other, snarling and snapping in a deadly dance of predator and prey. I found myself fighting beside him, my movements swift and precise, every strike aimed at weakening our opponents.

The battleground was a blur of motion and sound, the clash of claws and teeth ringing through the night. My heart pounded in my chest, and my senses heightened as I focused on the task at hand: defeating the rival pack and getting the answers I came for.

Just when it seemed like the tide of the battle was turning in our favor, a new adversary emerged from the shadows. A powerful witch, her dark eyes glinting with malice as she summoned a tempest of dark magic that crackled and sparked around her.

I felt a surge of fear grip my heart as the witch's power surged toward us, threatening to overwhelm us with its dark energy. But I was not alone. Declan stood by my side with the werewolves from his pack surrounding him in a half circle, his power as an alpha rising in response to the threat.

With a fierce battle cry, they unleashed their combined strength, a dazzling display of supernatural power that repelled the witch's dark magic and sent her reeling back into the shadows.

As the dust settled and the rival werewolf pack retreated into the night, I, Declan, and the rest of the pack who were still alive stood victorious, their chests heaving with exertion and triumph. The town was safe in the meantime, the threat vanquished by their courage and determination.

But as we caught our breath and surveyed the aftermath of the battle, something in me knew that this was only the beginning. The shadows held more secrets, more dangers that lurked just beyond the edge of our perception.

"Lydia", Declan's voice reverberated through the silence, cutting through the silence after the battle and my heart lurched on hearing the voice that plagued my dreams at night and echoed through my ears all day.

I turned to him, "Declan, what is going on? Why is your brother leading an attack against you?". His eyes darkened and turned to slits when he heard the word brother.

"Ainar is no longer my brother Lydia, don't address him as such. You arrived right in the middle of chaos and you should be exhausted, give me a minute to speak to the others I'll show you to where you can rest". Declan said and walked away from me towards the rest of the pack where they were trying to salvage what was salvageable from the remains of the battle.

My legs gave way and I sat on a rock, away from the bodies and parts littered on the ground. I watched as Declan gave orders, instructing different sets of people at the same time. He had not changed at all, not even the slightest bit.

His hair was still wavy, falling at the sides of his face just as I remembered. I had always thought his hair was his most prominent feature but watching him carry out the duties of the leader that he was, I knew I was mistaken.

His eyes, the color of a clear pool still could turn dark when he heard or saw something that didn't sit well with him. It was still the same way I left it, beautiful as always.

My eyes caught a change in his body structure when he lifted his hands, the muscles on his shoulders were broadened more than how it was years ago. Either he had been working out more or the consistent fighting did that to him.

Declan turned to find my eyes on him, perusing him from head to toe and he smiled inwardly. I was probably looking for something to criticize about him, typical Lydia.

I had changed a lot; my once blonde long hair was now cropped too short you could barely grasp it and its tips were coated in a deep shade of green. I was still breathtaking, even more beautiful than he remembered. The sight of me sitting there and locking eyes with him stirred a deep longing he never thought he would ever be capable of feeling again.

Locking eyes with one another, we stared at each other for a while, one waiting for the other to back down and break eye contact. Declan shook his head and smiled, at least I was still fearless, never backing down from a challenge.

He walked back to where I sat and sat down beside me, looking straight ahead. "Everything has fallen apart Lydia, everything. Since you left, there have been constant attacks on the town, when we recover from the last, another attack springs upon us".

I looked around at the heart of the town I once called home, I could barely recognize anything. The cover of the night and the scars from the constant battles had marred the town without repair.

"I still find it hard to believe that even after all these years, they still wage war against you because of me, because of the fleeting romance that we put a stop to". I said and hurled a stone I was holding across the road.

Declan turned to me, his eyes filled with questions, "fleeting? You call what we share fleeting?".

"Shared Declan, what we shared. It's in the past now".

"What we did broke the truce that had been set in place for centuries. A love affair between the supernatural and a natural is forbidden and the last one before ours led to the death of many of my kind. So a law was instituted that we mate with our kind and no other".

"Don't you think I'm aware of that? You don't need to get into the reason why I had to run away, I'm well aware of that". I interrupted, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"I know you're aware of that but you should let me finish". He paused, waiting for me to say another thing but when I didn't, he continued.

"At first it was just other packs that began to revolt against us but soon someone began to turn people against me from inside my pack. Ainar, my stepbrother betrayed me and left the pack claiming I was not fit to be an alpha and the head of the pack. He got a few wolves from my pack and allied with the other rival packs to fight against me. We've been trying to hold the city, protecting the few humans who are left but it's not been easy".

There was silence between us when he finished talking. From the way he spoke and from what I saw, I could understand the burden and pains of being a leader in such a situation.

With a heavy heart, I knew that my return to the town would uncover long-buried truths and unleash a chain of events that would forever alter the course of our lives. But I was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, knowing that there was a chance to help my son and get the answers I desperately needed.