Zelena. Gunner’s deep growl rumbled through the village. I turned back around to see that he had stepped forward and the half-man was smiling wickedly back at him. Gunner barked an order and the pack fighters closed in around them tighter, preparing for attack. They all seem so alert and cautious, which is good, they should be cautious. But why is there so much fear in the air, the smell of it is hard to ignore. As I looked around at our fighters and Gunner, I noticed the way they watched the half-man closely, like they were expecting him to do something. The half-man smirked at Gunner, and it hit me. It’s so obvious now, I don’t know how I could not have seen it before. Gunner, and this man, they know each other, somehow. The man held out his hands in surrender and chuckled. I watched as the hair slowly disappeared into his skin. His human frame got shorter and smaller as his limbs shrunk. I watched in amazement as his face reverted back to that of a normal human. He was a little
Zelena. “Who are you?” Doyle asked in a half whisper, almost like he wasn’t sure of the question. “What?” I blanked. He was so sure that I was Whiskey, basically cocky about his assuredness. What changed? “You’re not the same she-wolf I...” he began, speaking slowly and softly, but he was quickly silenced by a rumbling growl from Gunner. “Stop deflecting, where is the survivor?” he demanded as he stood in front of me. His voice echoed through the village, but then it hung in the air like a dark cloud instead of dissipating, pressing down on all of us. Gunner is different, I could feel it from the moment he returned. But it’s so clear now, and I can’t be the only one that can see and feel it. His power, the Alpha aura, everything about him and his energy feels so much bigger, stronger, more potent now. I leaned to the side to see around Gunner’s body, just as Doyle growled and waved his hand above his head. He looked over his shoulder to the tree line, just as three human figur
Zelena. Once back at the house, I bounded up the stairs to the nursery. This whole situation has me feeling all kinds of paranoid. I know Smith would flash if something was wrong, but that doesn’t settle my overactive imagination. I rushed to push open the door and stepped into the darkness of the babies room. I paused in the doorway and listened for their gentle little snores filling the silence. I flicked on the lamp by the door and both Venus and Smith stared at me with wide surprised and fearful eyes. They were sitting side by side on the floor, the both of them leaning against the wall. They each pulled a weird look of desperation and silently waved their hands in front of them, motioning for me to turn the light off again. But it was too late. Little G. stirred awake and her soft cries filled the room. I chuckled at the exhausted look on both Smith and Venus’s faces as they slumped back against the wall in unison. “We just got her back to sleep” Smith grumbled as he pushed him
Zelena. “Are you leaving?”. I stared into his deep dark eyes, waiting for an answer that didn’t come. The longer he sat quietly, the more fear built up inside me, until I was at the point that quivers were rolling down my arms and legs. “Tobias?” I asked with a squeak. He leaned forward and wrapped his hand around mine. “You and I will never be apart, not truly” he said gently. A tear ran down my cheek and he lifted his hand to wipe it away with his thumb. “You’re just, you’re my rock, you know. I don’t know what I'd do without you” I sniffled as more tears started to fall. I don't even know why I'm crying. I was feeling so energetic one second ago, now I'm overflowing with emotions. I think I need to rest. Tobias smiled and held his arms open. I chuckled softly and crawled into his lap, just like a child would with their parent. He wrapped his giant arms around my small frame, cocooning me against him. I sniffed and pressed my face into his chest. I love the way he smells. It
Whiskey. Night fell quickly, once the sun was gone from the sky, the air turned. It was getting cold, winter was fast approaching. With any luck these beasts won't live long enough to see the first snow hit the ground. In the few hours I've been out here, no one has come. I don’t even know if I'm still on pack land. I caught sight of some patrol wolves through the trees, but they were up wind from my tree and didn’t catch my scent. These guys either have some serious security concerns, or they were looking for something. Maybe they were looking for me. I did lash out and expose my power, a dumb move on my part. But why would they care if I left, they’ve clearly never cared about me before, why start now. I’m such a fool. All the lies and all the bullshit. Everything I thought I knew. It was all a lie. And I fell for it, hook line and sinker. I’m so dumb. I'm not fucking special, I'm just like every other mangy mutt out there. The annoyance crawled over my skin, making me itch with n
Whiskey. I kept going, stopping every third or fourth leap to pause and listen for the sounds of the visitors. Their footsteps slowed and eventually came to a stop. I could now see them, not too far ahead of me. It was a large group, I count twenty-two, six of which are human. I continued my approach, moving much slower and with far more caution. I made sure not to make a sound as I tiptoed across the branch through the treetops. The wolves were standing in a tight circle, growling and huffing at each other. As I made my way to the tree a few feet to their right, I was able to see the scene more clearly. One of the humans was tied to the back of one of the wolves. From a distance, I thought he was injured and just catching a ride. Now that I was on top of them and could see them all clearly, it was obvious that he was a captive. Ropes were tied to his ankles, with the length of it going under the wolfs belly and connecting to his other ankle. More ropes were around his hands, with the
Whiskey. I kept running until I could see the lights of the village through the trees. I slowed down and kept low as I got closer to the edge of the tree line. I can hear the commotion echoing around the area, the barking and the growling all coming from Gunner’s house. I kept my body behind a large tree trunk and peered around it into the clearing. Gunner’s warriors had the half-breed and his pack surrounded and were ushering them to the middle of the clearing. I haven’t picked a good vantage point to watch the chaos unfold. My view is obstructed by the little houses lining the centre of the village. They stopped and held the half-breed a safe distance from the house. Gunner’s large silver wolf stood in front of the group. I was too far away to hear anything, unfortunately. I could only just see the half-breed and three of his wolves, the rest of them were blocked from my line of sight by a cabin. The half-breed stepped forward and held his arms up. His arms and chest started to shri
Whiskey. I watched on as Gunner’s mother continued to converse with the man. My mind was running a million miles a minute. If he tells them that it was me that killed his pack, everything will be fucked. It will mess up all my plans of waiting and watching. I need to observe this place, and these idiots, for a longer period. I need to know more before I attack. I've already seen a small part of their defences when Doyle entered onto their land. I have no doubt that there would be more than just a couple of warriors hidden around the place. I need the time to work out what they are. I can’t go in blind this time. Especially seeing as Gunner has powers of his own. They're too strong and I can’t risk failing. That's a weird concept to swallow. Failure. It's not something I am used to. I don’t fail, I never have, and I don’t ever plan to. Which is why I have to plan this attack out, prepare for it properly. If this stupid beast spills his guts before then, I may not have that opportunity.
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