Her knees finally connected with the cold hard earth, and Uma knew she couldn’t hold on much longer. Her vision started to blur and for a brief moment she thought she was hallucinating the menacing figure advancing toward her who so effortlessly forged a gap in the wall of fire and exited the battle scene. Her mother strode confidently toward her, a dark look upon her face. Uma flinched, anticipating the pain that would soon surge through her body. She knew in no uncertain terms that her own mother intended to kill her.
***
A quick spell lowered part of the wall of fire, and Lorna stepped through it, leaving the heat of battle and heading toward Uma. She saw a faint flicker of recognition in her daughter’s dark eyes but she was already too weak to respond to her. Raising a hand, Lorna let the sparks dance and ignite on her fingertips, preparing to attack.
“No!” Allegra cried and physically placed herself between her mother and sister.
Stunned, Lorna stopped, her hand still in the air, ready to deliver its deadly blow. She looked down upon not one, but both of her daughters.
“Uma, I’m here,” Allegra comforted her sister and helped her get back up on her feet, letting her use her for support.
“Stupid little girls,” Lorna scolded them both. “Thinking you could stand against the coven. You’ll both die for what you’ve done.”
The sparks in Lorna’s hand intensified and turned blue. Allegra embraced Uma, using her body as a shield for her. Just as Lorna was about to strike, Allegra turned to face her mother, her eyes pleading.
“Mother, please no. Show some mercy. I’m with child.”
Lorna’s hand immediately stilled as the sparks rescinded. Her chest tightened as her ability to speak was stolen from her with shock.
“Allegra, is that true?” Uma looked at her, equally stunned.
“Yes,” Allegra confirmed, smiling shyly. Uma smiled with joy but Lorna’s expression darkened.
“With the wolf?” she asked coldly.
“Yes, Mother, with the wolf.”
“Such a union is tainted. No good can come of it,” Lorna warned menacingly. “You are an abomination.”
The sparks returned to her hand but this time they were red and angry. The sisters could feel the heat of its power from where they were standing.
“I should have killed you both long ago for your treachery!” Lorna screamed as from within the battle ground Agatha turned to look on proudly.
The red sparks were delivered directly toward Allegra and Uma, but just as they were about to connect with Allegra she struck out her hand and a brilliant flash of white burst out, immediately destroying the red sparks. But the flash didn’t stop there. It extended out over the entire battleground, causing the fiery ring to fade away. It touched every witch and wolf who was gathered there and, for the younger witches, the power of Allegra’s blast lifted the veil spell they were under.
Her power was so extreme that it lifted every veil spell that had ever been cast within the coven. Suddenly all of the witches gathered there to fight remembered absolutely everything.
When the white flash had finished, the forest was plunged once more into darkness. The effect had only lasted a few seconds and a total silence followed it.
Allegra looked at her hand in surprise, unaware that she even held such power.
“It’s the wolf blood,” Uma whispered in awe. “It flows within you from your baby and it’s made you stronger.”
The younger members of the coven began blinking and assessing their surroundings, suddenly realizing where they were and why. And they were furious.
“You! You did this to us!” One pointed an accusatory finger directly at Agatha who stood stone still, her expression unreadable.
The gathered wolves ceased their attack and circled the witches, also assessing what was happening.
There were dozens of young witches and warlocks slain upon the ground, their lives cut far too short in Agatha’s desire to rule over the Vale.
“You killed them!” a young witch cried, staring directly at Agatha.
“No,” Agatha corrected her, her voice brittle. “The wolves killed them. I brought you here for vengeance.”
“You brought them here to die!” Lorna called out from where she was recovering from the shock of Allegra’s blast. She looked tearfully at her daughters. The veil spells placed upon her had also been lifted. She now saw the error of her ways, how she’d been blinded by the coven and even driven to kill her own children. She knew they could never forgive her for what she had done. But she could still stand against Agatha and make things right.
“I did no such thing!” Agatha said, appalled.
“Don’t lie!” a young warlock seethed. “We remember everything.”
The young members of the coven begin to advance on the gathered elders even though they were grossly outnumbered. But they weren’t alone. The wolves joined them, their teeth barred.
Uma quickly herded her own group of witches and rallied to the aid of the young witches and warlocks. United, they were an admirable adversary for the elders, who had bunched together in a circle to protect themselves.
“Our power is far greater than yours,” Agatha warned as the opposition began to advance.
“But it’s no match for hers.” Uma glanced proudly at her sister as Allegra chanted a holding spell. It rooted each elder to the ground and temporarily prohibited them from performing any magic.
“You bred with the lycan,” Agatha spat, narrowing her wicked eyes. “You are a tainted union. You must be stopped.”
“No, you must be stopped!” Allegra cried. “You’d have burned me at the stake and had me suffer a long, agonizing death. Luckily for you, I’m far more merciful.”
Some of the elders sighed with relief, anticipating that they’d be set free and able to return to her their village where they could come up with a new strategy to destroy the wolves.
“Your deaths will be swift,” Allegra told them coldly as the wolves began to growl and approach the elders, who were unable to flee.
She glanced at Theo in wolf form and nodded at him. He leapt forward, tackling an elder and ripping them to shreds, sending blood spurting high in to the air. Agatha had time to gasp before several wolves attacked her, setting their sharp fangs deep in to her old, withered skin. Within minutes, all of the elders were dead.
***
As the sun rose the following day, it illuminated a grim scene. Body parts were scattered in the forest and a few kind-hearted witches scoured the remains for the young, innocent members of the coven who deserved a traditional burial. But they were under strict instructions from Uma and Theo to leave the elders remains where they lay. They didn’t deserve a true witches’ burial.
Theo and Uma stood side by side as they addressed the pack and the witches who had survived the battle.
“Today, the rivalry between our two kinds ends once and for all,” Theo announced happily.
“We fought for freedom, and we won!”
A cheer erupted through the crowd. Despite their wounds and fatigue, everyone was in high spirits.
“The Vale of Glendora will know peace once more!” Uma cried triumphantly. “Wolves and witches shall co-exist in harmony.”
***
From Caspian’s home, Allegra listened to events take place in the town square though she lacked the energy to join in the revelry. Her body was exhausted from both the pregnancy and the power she’d used the previous night. She lay in bed, her limbs aching as Caspian watched over her.
Tentatively, he placed one hand on her stomach and smiled fondly. “We’re having a baby.” He beamed, unable to conceal his excitement.
“Yes, we are,” Allegra smiled sleepily.
“I hope they have your hair.”
“And your eyes.”
“But will they be witch or wolf? Or both?” Caspian was euphoric that he was soon to be a father and that both his pack and Allegra were safe.
“I don’t know,” Allegra muttered, o
n the cusp of sleep.
Outside, beyond the window, Caspian heard the crowd cheer once more. It was music to his ears.
“You did this, you know.” He took Allegra’s hand in his and looked down at her admiringly.
“Did what?”
“Brought our two kinds together and saved the Vale of Glendora.”
“No I didn’t,” Allegra stated modestly, rolling over to try and sleep.
“But you did,” Caspian insisted. “When I met you in the woods that day, I knew there was something about you. I was drawn to you. You were my destiny.”
Allegra smiled. She knew exactly how he felt. It was as though the stars had aligned the day they met and they were meant to be. It was fate.
“I love you,” she told him as sleep pulled at her, luring her away from the waking world.
“I love you, too.” Caspian leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips as she drifted off to sleep.
***
“This is a new future for the Vale of Glendora,” Theo said with gravitas to Uma as the crowd began to disperse. Many witches were either cleaning up the battlegrounds or helping injured wolves to heal. Everyone had a place. Everyone had a purpose. But everyone also had the free will to choose whether or not they wanted to remain.
“I imagine some witches will return to the coven,” Uma stated as she walked alongside the alpha of the pack.
“They are always welcome to return to the wolf village whenever they like.”
“Thank you.” Uma nodded gratefully.
“And where will you go?” There was a notable interest in Theo’s voice as he spoke, which made Uma blush.
“I…I haven’t decided yet,” she admitted. Since the battle, she’d emerged as a leader for the witches. They needed her.
“You fought bravely,” Theo told her admiringly. “How you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save others.”
Uma’s cheeks reddened. Her body still ached from the power she exerted during the battle. It would be weeks until she returned to full strength.
“Uma?” a meek voice said from behind the couple. Uma turned and saw her mother looking sheepishly at her.
“I’ll let you two talk.” Theo smiled politely. “But I do hope that you decide to stay here,” he added with a slight twinkle in his eye that caused butterflies to rush around Uma’s stomach.
“Mother,” Uma said flatly, surprised that her mother had hung around after the battle. She expected her to flee the first chance she got.
“I wanted to apologize.” Lorna knew her words were too little too late but she had to say them nonetheless. “I blindly followed the elders, not caring about the cost. I see now the error of my ways. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Probably not,” Uma admitted. She wasn’t trying to be cruel, she was just being honest. “But Allegra always believed in you, always gave you opportunities to redeem yourself. Maybe one day I can, too.”
“I’d like that.” Lorna was growing tearful.
Uma turned and carried on walking on. She had nothing else to say to her mother. Bridges might potentially be mended in the future but for now the wounds were too raw.
“Do you want me to leave?” Lorna asked uncertainly. The daughter she had cast out now ruled over the remains of the coven. Fate, she realized, wasn’t without a sense of irony.
“No,” Uma said simply, turning around. “I want you to do whatever you want. If you want to stay, then stay. If you want to go, go.”
“But I don’t know what to do!” Lorna admitted helplessly.
“I’m not here to tell you what to do. You can do as you please, you can follow your own path now.”
“Spoken like a true leader,” Lorna noted proudly. “Maybe one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“One day.”
***
Caspian watched Allegra as she slept, unable to take his eyes off her, even for a second. He wanted to spend every moment protecting her and his unborn child. He was filled with love and gratitude for the position they were in.
Beyond his house, the sun shined brightly on the Vale as birdsong filled the air. Balance had returned to the magical realm and all kinds of creatures were rejoicing. And as parties commenced and celebrations were held Caspian knew that it was all thanks to beautiful woman who was carrying their child and their chance encounter that fateful day in the forest.
THE END
Wolf Tainted Union: The Complete Collection - 6-Book Bundle (Books 1-6) - A Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Page 15