Aurora.
The passenger door swung open and Gunner sat back upright in the driver's seat,
“You coming, or what?” he asked with a smile. I carefully climbed into the seat and shut the door. I looked at Gunner as he started up the engine and backed out of the shrub and trees that the car had been half hidden amongst.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked him. He turned to look at me quickly before looking back at the darkening road.
Aurora. What the fuck, he had it, he won, why would he let it go? “I apologise friend, we did not mean to trespass on your land. My companion became lost” Gunner said to the other beast. The wolf struggle to its feet and tilted its head back, then howled into the sky. Great, now every fucking wolf in a five kilometre radius will be coming for us. The small beast stepped back, and then it too stood up on two human legs. “State your business” the man demanded. He was on the older side, maybe early fifties. Though he was still in good shape, he had lived a rough life. His skin was painted with battle scars. The older man was grasping at his side, fresh blood was slowly seeping through his fingers.
Aurora. I tightened my grip on Gunner’s side, digging my fingernails into his flesh. Gunner stared at Doyle, and Doyle stared back at Gunner. I looked around us, we were still surrounded. At a quick glance I counted nine, ten including the Alpha. Should be easy to take them. I've taken down more than this on my own before. But Gunner doesn’t seem like the type to get scared at just anyone. He called these ones mercenaries. I've never heard of Werewolf mercenaries. I wonder if the hunters knew about them. Probably not, or else they would have extinguished them by now. Human mercenaries earn their reputation, similar to that of a hunter clan. I can only assume that wolf mercenaries work the same way. And by the look of Gunner, this pack have built themselves one hell of a reputation.
Aurora. I watched as they retreated into the trees, leaving Gunner and I alone, his naked body still holding me to him. I could feel his heart thundering in his chest, his heated skin was warm against mine. I leaned back into him, pushing out my backside like a horny cat. Gunner hissed and pushed me away. I whirled around and frowned at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snapped harshly. I didn’t answer, just stared at him wide eyed. What's ruffled his feathers? “Excuse me?” I asked annoyed,
Aurora. “I didn’t want to fucking do it this way” he mumbled to himself. It was like he forgot I was even there, or that I could see and hear him. “Why can’t you let anything be even just a small bit easy” he growled into the sky. “Are you talking to me”? I asked him after swallowing down my chuckle. “No!” he snapped and glared at me.
Zelena. As soon as the name left Daniel’s mouth, I flew from the room in lightning speed. My feet barely touched the ground as I ran through the house. A stampede of footsteps thundered closely after me. I ran out the front door and all the way around the building to the driveway, not stopping or pausing for anything. I saw the SUV parked in the middle of the drive, bugs were splattered across the front grill and up along the wheel arch and fenders. He must have been driving through the night. I strained my eyes to peer through the dark tinted glass. My heart tightened and I gasped. There he is. His hair had grown, and he had a short beard now, but it was definitely Gunner. Tears fell from my eyes as I looked over his figure in the car. He was looking down at the passenger seat, but slowly lifted his head. His eyes connected with mine, and a whimper burst from my lips. He's here, he’s really here. He came back to me. He didn’t move from his seat, not at first, he jus
Zelena. “Holy Mother” Roe exclaimed shocked. I whipped my head to her, and she was looking over at the SUV. I stepped around Gunner to see what everyone was gawking at. I didn’t understand what I was looking at, not at first. It took a minute for the realisation to hit me. And when it did, it was like a building had fallen on top of me. Holy shit. She stood just in front of the car, staring at me with the same kind of expression I imagine I was wearing. Her eyes were wide and her thick brows were lifted high on her forehead. Her mouth hung open and her pale skin looked basically translucent. Without paying attention to what I was doing, I walked forward. She too walked towards me. We both stopped not two steps away from each other. Her face was my face, her eyes were my eyes, her hair was my hair. She was me, in every way. I roamed my eyes down her body, taking note of the many dark pink scars that marred her skin. She has lived a brutal upbringing, just like I did.
Zelena.I looked up and was surprised to see Selene.“Mother?” I whispered,“Hello, daughter of mine” she said back. Her gentle ethereal voice echoed around the room. Even in the darkness, her skin glowed. The silk of her white dress fluttered in the non-existent breeze, and her pure white hair hung in a straight curtain down her back.“Is this the Ethereal Plane?” I asked her and looked back down at Aurora’s broken body.“No” she answered,“A dream then?” I questioned,“Not a dream, child, a memory” she sung quietly,“Who’s memory?” I asked, looking up to her beautiful face.“Mine” she answered sadly. She’s showing me her memories, but why. But if she was here, with Aurora, that means she was visiting her too. Just like she did with me when I was this age. If I’m right, why didn’t she say anythin
Zelena. “Dad” I sobbed and stepped forward. Selene’s hands laid softly on my shoulders and she gently pulled me back. “We have to help him” I cried and looked back at her, “The past is set, sweet daughter. You cannot change what has already been done” she told me as she brushed her fingers over my cheek. “Then why are we here?” I asked shakily, “Because, in order to understand, first you must see” she answered cryptically. I turned back around and watched what was unfolding. The soldier that brought in Aurora snapped something around her neck, then the other guard did the same to Micha. I recognised what they were immediately. Shock collars. The exact same ones that Hank used on me the night Gunner rescued me. That answered one of my many questions. If they’re using the same gear that Hank used, and he was a hunter, that means these guys are hunters too. Dad and Aurora were captured by the hunters, not killed by them. A clicking sound echoed t
Zelena. Gunner’s arms came around my stomach and he leaned his chin on my shoulder. “You okay?” he asked softly. “I’m good” I answered and reached up to tap his cheek. He turned his face and kissed the palm of my hand. “You were crying again” he said, like I hadn’t already known that. “Well, pregnant ladies cry, Mighty Alpha” I quipped and turned to face him with a smirk. He didn’t answer me right away, just gazed down at me. “You sure you’re alright?” he asked more gently. He cupped my cheek and I leaned into his touch. “I’m fine. Thinking of Cole and Tobias just makes me sad sometimes”. Gunner smiled sadly and ran his thumb over the corner of my mouth. “Me too” he said softly before leaning in to press a soft kiss to my waiting lips. “I love you” I said looking up into his beautiful blue eyes. “I love you more” he smiled back. “It’s not a competition” I grumbled and pinched his peck. He laughed and rubbed at the spot. “It’s not. There's just more of
Zelena. Grief is difficult. It's a hard feeling to navigate. With the addition of my bouts of guilt and regret, I wasn’t sure I was ever going to find my way through it. If I’m honest, I’m still working my way through it. Every new day is different from the last. It's strange really. One day I will be fine, filled with happiness and joy, enjoying my family and my life. The next, something as simple as hearing the term ‘Little One’ will set me off on hours of crying and wishing for things to be different. Grief is weird. It's true when people say that you never actually get over the pain, you just learn to live with it. Not being alone with my pain is a huge help. Gunner and I are both working through our grief. Everyone is really. Losing Cole, Tobias, and Aurora. Plus, Cleo and all the other fighters that sacrificed their lives. Those losses hit us all really hard. Even with all that loss, we’ve gained a lot as well. Thanks to Aurora, the hunters are basically extinct. A special t
Whiskey. “I know” Zelena whispered with a slight nod of her head. She pushed her other arm forward with her palm facing me. A wave of energy hit me, like a truck hitting a mountain at top speed. My entire body jolted with the force, down to the tiniest atom. The air was stolen from my lungs and my vision went black. I felt like a giant hand was inside my body, pulling it apart piece by piece. The pain was incredible. I could feel every part of myself being torn to shreds. I tried to scream, but no sound came. I tried to fight, but my body was no longer under my control. This must be what death feels like. I can’t imagine it being anything else. There was a pressure inside my chest, like something was pulling it open. It built and built, tearing and ripping at my essence. It was almost too much, I was ready to give in to it. After all that I have endured, and all the pain that has been inflicted on my body over my lifetime, I still kept fighting. I was never worn down to the point of
Whiskey.It was a fucking dragon. The glowing light dimmed, just enough for me to find a small human frame within the dragon's glow. It was Zelena. The dragon was with Zelena. How could this be possible? “Whiskey” a voice called out. I took a step back as I looked up at the beast. Dragons aren’t real, I told myself. Plus, this dragon was odd. It wasn’t a physical being. Its face, its wings, its body, it was all made out of light. I could see the electrical currents tethering all the pieces together. Almost like it was made of pure energy. “Whiskey” the voice called again. It came from both Zelena and the dragon, almost like they spoke at the same time, in the same voice. I stumbled back a few more steps, but Zelena and the dragon just kept coming. “You’re reign of death is over” the dragon called. This is unexpected. But I’ve never quit before, and I sure as shit won’t be starting today. I steadied my feet and squared my shoulders. I summoned another icicle sword, now holding
Whiskey. I swung my arm towards Zelena, letting fly the spear of black ice. It got her in the upper right side of her chest, sending her flying back to the ground. A proud smile filled my face as another weapon materialized in my grip. I was about to hit her again when I was sent flying back through the air. I dropped the shard of ice and used my own power to cushion the landing. Gunner was poised and ready to attack. Zelena was still laying on the ground, I knew she was going to be easy to be rid of, just one hit and she was out. I pulled on that dark feeling inside me, tugging on the string of power that was in me now. Another icy shard appeared in my hand, and I hurled it toward Gunner. He dodged to the side, missing the spear, and then charged toward me. I didn’t even need to think about it now, the weapons just came to my hands as I thought of them. I leaned on my back foot and steadied my feet, then I hurled dagger after dagger at Gunner. One hit his shoulder, but it didn’t
Whiskey. Tobias hit the deck like a sack of shit. A pulling sensation tugged at my heart. Like the shriveled piece of brown beef thumping in my chest was going to suddenly come to life and feel something for the big dumb oaf. Yeah right. Once he was down, the fighters that he waved away all charged at me in unison. Some shifted into their beasts, others tempted fate on their human legs. It didn’t really matter either way. They were all going to die by my hand one way or the other. I cut each of them down easily, and all the others that tried their luck with me. It appears these animals are just as dumb as all the other stupid dogs that I’ve fought. Never learning where they lay on the food chain. Never realising that they’re doomed from the moment they decide to fight against me. They’re all the same. Single minded, foolish animals. The fight had us slowly moving through the village, leaving a breadcrumb trail of bodies along the way. They just kept coming, one after the other. I
Zelena. I flew off to the side with so much speed. The force at which I hit Gunner’s shield made my brain wobble inside my skull. My hold dropped and Whiskey landed back on the ground on her feet. Keeping the shield in place, Gunner growled and stepped toward Whiskey with his claws ready. I quickly stood up and raced to stop him, but I was sent flying back into the shield once again. When I went to get back up again, a sharp pain shot through my chest, and I yelped out in pain. I looked down to the source of the irritation and froze. Shit. A long black jagged piece of ice was protruding from my chest. It’s the darkness. I produced the same type of weapon once. The sting of ice in my veins intensified and the cold emptiness of the darkness filled my chest. I snapped my head to Whiskey who was about to launch another in my direction. Before the fresh shard of black ice left her hand, Gunner swung his arm out in her direction. The shield around us dropped and Gunner retrained all of his
Zelena. Gunner took my hand and I turned to follow behind him. Lupus was marching at his side, the two of them whispering harshly. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying, I was too taken aback by the bodies we passed. My eyes caught on a woman lying face down on the ground with a gaping wound in her back. Another with his neck broken at an ungodly angle. Three or four wolf bodies followed quickly after. How could one person do so much damage? A rush of magic tickled across my skin and the air around us felt thinner and light. Gunner stopped walking and turned to look at me. “Do you feel it?” he asked. I nodded and lifted my head higher. “She’s literally sucking the air out of the village” I answered. “How are you supposed to fight against that?” Lupus grunted angrily. “I have powers too” I said as I lifted my hands and erected a shield around the three of us. The air immediately felt normal again, further proven by the sigh and deep breath Lupus took. “Let’s go” I c
Zelena. I swallowed the pain in my chest and stood up slowly on shaking legs. Gunner grabbed my arm, half to help me stand, and I expect half to stop me from bolting right for the door. Smith and Felix followed my movements, both of them also rising slowly. Smith’s growl rumbled lowly through the room, quickly followed by Felix, then Lupus. The symphony of growls rolled around the room, all blending into one angry song. I hadn’t realised it at first, but my own growl joined the angry tune. All of us rumbled out how worried, angry, and ready to fight we were. I pulled my arm from Gunner’s hold and stepped toward the door. My claws extended and my bones ached through my anger and the desire the change. I pulled the Goddess power into my body. It tingled across my skin, fed my soul, and filled me with energy. “Let’s get to it then” I snarled. My anger was palpable. Family be damned, if my own sister has hurt Tobias, MY Tobias, I will finish her where she stands. I will reign the pain