by Cara Wylde
“A wise decision?” Sabine gave a short, high-pitched laugh that sent a shudder through Christine’s old bones. Then, in a fraction of a second, her dark brown eyes hardened with hate. “For an Elder, you are proving to be quite unwise. Do you really think I am going to stand here for half an hour, listen to your pathetic nonsense, then hang my head in shame, apologize and promise I’ll never do it again?”
Christine held the girl’s gaze, but kept silent.
“You do! Oh my God, I can’t believe how delusional you are!”
“Child…”
“Don’t call me that! Don’t you dare call me that!” Sabine took a defensive position, hands squeezed into fists at her sides, as if she was trying to hold back from lunging at Christine and clawing her eyes out. Max and Jocelyn took a step forward, letting her know they would never give her the slightest chance to attack the woman, but Sabine wasn’t afraid of them. She wasn’t afraid of anyone.
Christine didn’t even flinch. She stood her ground, calm and determined.
“I’ve always seen you as a daughter. Don’t you remember the first time you came at the Schloss, scared and disoriented, unsure of what was going to happen the next full moon? I told you everything you needed to know, I answered your questions, I prepared you for the transformation. Even though you were so afraid of your new life, you were such a curious young woman. You were the daughter I never had, Sabine! So enthusiastic, full of life, ready to accept a huge challenge and make the best of it… Please remember the person you were then, because the person you are now is not you, my child… It’s not you…”
Sabine took a deep breath, trying to keep her anger at bay. There was time to rip the old woman’s throat off. There was time. She was so sick of talking, so sick of listening to all this embarrassing blabber. Avelyn claimed she was her friend, Christine saw her as her daughter. What was next? She clenched and unclenched her fists.
“Enough talking…” she hissed.
Max watched the two women face each other, one old and frail, the other a powerful, naked goddess driven by revenge. He hadn’t seen Sabine in months, having felt too guilty and too miserable to visit her in her luxurious cell underneath the Schloss. What he had done was wrong. Running away from reality, avoiding the truth, postponing a final decision… And it all led to this. He was the only one to blame, the only one who had put everyone he loved in danger. He stepped next to Christine, his tall, muscular frame towering over her.
“Sabine, what exactly do you think you’re doing?” he asked. His voice was calm, deep, and determined. “What do you think you’re accomplishing?”
The she-wolf straightened her back, her gaze suddenly lost in his bright green eyes. They glowed eerily in the moonlight, and the weak wind blew strands of his black hair over his forehead. He was as gorgeous as ever, that soft beard highlighting his jaw perfectly, the white shirt hugging his chest and abs in all the right places. Oh, how much she had enjoyed his body when they had been together. It was all gone now. All of it. Just like that, in a blink of an eye, for reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend. All she ever wanted was to make him happy, give him everything he wanted. Now, he didn’t belong to her anymore. Her heart clenched in pain, and tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked them away.
“I haven’t seen you in such a long time,” she said. “You stopped visiting. Every morning, when I got out of bed, I hoped that would be the day you’d come down to see me. Just to talk and sit with me for an hour. You never did.”
Max swallowed heavily. He had nothing to say. He could have told her how much it had hurt him to banish her like that, but what would have been the point?
Sabine waited for an answer that never came. She smiled, disappointment and betrayal shining in her eyes.
“You know what? If I am to be honest with you, I have no clue about what the fuck I’m doing.”
She relaxed her muscles, preparing for the impending transformation. She had no intention of letting this pointless conversation go on for any longer. She turned right and took a couple of steps in front of the wolves and foxes lined up behind her. They all tensed, ready to attack at their Alpha’s first sign. She could hear her pack mates’ thoughts, and she knew she could count on them. The dragon had killed three of her wolves and two fox-shifters, which had only made them angrier and more eager to fight. As mighty and deadly as they were, dragons could be killed too. She couldn’t know what the werefoxes were thinking, as their species didn’t possess the gift of telepathy, but she trusted them. Their three-tailed Inari was somewhere among them, and she knew he was devoted to her. To her and her alone. He would never betray her like Max did, toss her away when he got bored. Her fox-shifter would follow her in death if it came to that.
“But there’s one thing I do know,” she continued. “You don’t deserve to be happy. No one in your wretched clan deserves it.” She looked over Max’s head. “None of you has ever stood up for me!”
“You killed innocent people!” shouted Jocelyn.
“And you would have hurt many more,” added Karl.
Sabine looked at him, her intense gaze taking in his rough features and heavy body, then she started laughing maniacally. “You’re the one to talk, Karl. You murdered my family! You tore them apart when they had done nothing to you. You turned my little brother into a mass of flesh and blood.”
Snap.
Max flinched at the sound of Sabine’s bones breaking and molding into a different shape. He reached for the buttons of his shirt.
“They were farmers, Karl. They were just trying to make it through the war without starving to death after the dragon-shifters had burned almost all their crops. Then you came with your Dark Wolves and pillaged what was left of that small, godforsaken village.”
Snap.
Max pushed Christine away. “Go back inside. Find Avelyn and make sure she stays there no matter what happens here.”
“She’s safe,” said the old she-wolf. “Viggo will never let her come out. I’m not going anywhere.”
Snap.
“We never did anything to you!” Sabine fell on all fours, her body already covered in black fur. She shouted her last words before her jaw started elongating, taking the form of a wolf’s snout. “You will pay for everything you took from me!”
What happened next was complete chaos. Max’s three packs turned in a matter of seconds and lunged forward, meeting the enemy halfway. Cries, growls, and whimpers filled the night air. Heavy bodies crashed against each other, fangs snapped, trying to latch onto the other’s throat, and soon the ground was stained in blood. The werefoxes, with their lithe, elegant bodies moved faster than the werewolves, administering strategic blows, then retreating before the wolves even realized what hit them.
Max and Sabine faced each other, two huge black werewolves who were moving in a circle, trying to decide who would strike first. Max had no intention of hurting Sabine, so when she lunged at him, he blocked her without even trying to bite. All he wanted was to keep her as far as possible from the school and Avelyn. She attacked again and growled in frustration seeing she wasn’t getting a real fight. Max’s body was slightly bigger and heavier than hers, which meant she had no chance of knocking him down. When she caught his shoulder unprotected, she bit him fiercely, enjoying the grunt of pain he gave.
Karl had already taken out two werewolves and a fox, and he was working his way through a large group of attackers who had banded together to put him down. He had no qualms about ripping off huge chunks of flesh and fur, digging his fangs into soft throats, and throwing his dead preys to the side. His Beta, Matt, had his back, making sure no one took him by surprise.
Jocelyn and Ryan were guarding the gate. When a werewolf or a werefox tried to lure them away, they never took the bait. Val and Rosanna were right by their side.
Kevin, Max’s Beta, had left his Alpha to deal with Sabine while he took on the three-tailed Inari. The fox-shifter was tall and strong. Kevin kept an eye on his three tails, even though he h
ad no idea what he would do if the fox did some weird trick and started shooting bolts of electricity. What had Avelyn said about the foxes? That few of them knew how to use their tails to create lightning. He hoped with all his heart this Inari was not one of those few.
Max was slowly losing ground. He was bleeding from so many places, that he was sure he would soon feel dizzy because of the blood loss. He couldn’t have that, but he couldn’t hurt the she-wolf either. He pushed her away, growled at her, stared deep into her eyes, urging her to stop. She attacked again, with all her might, this time her fangs digging dangerously close to his jugular vein. Max struggled to break free, used his shoulder to knock her off him, then bit the side of her face lightly. He could have aimed for her left eye, but decided against it. This wasn’t going anywhere. He tried to put some distance between them. A fox-shifter pounced on him, but Max turned around on time, caught the shifter’s throat, and let his fangs taste flesh and pumping blood. He pinned the fox to the ground and held it there until it stopped struggling. He hoped this display of cruelty would make Sabine reconsider her next attack, but he was wrong. She lunged with all her force, angrier than ever. Max knew that if he didn’t start fighting back, she would soon stomp him to the ground and go for Avelyn. He saw her run towards him and jump, and he braced himself for the impact. It never came. A smaller, gray werewolf had jumped between them and was now rolling in the blood soaked grass with the huge she-wolf. It was Christine. For a moment, it seemed like she had the upper hand, but then Sabine pinned her down. Max wanted to break them apart when a rogue wolf blocked his path. Next thing he knew, he was driven away from the two she-wolves, and the only thing he could focus on was hitting his attackers as hard as he could and staying alive.
Neither the Crescents, nor the Moon Children or the Dark Wolves had time to take a break and look around them. If they had, they would have seen they were losing ground.
***
“We’re losing. It’s clear that we’re losing. Viggo, do something about it!” Avelyn was pacing the office, stopping in front of the window from time to time. Even from that distance, her keen eyesight could distinguish most of what was happening at the gate.
The dragon-shifter was leaning against the desk, arms crossed over his chest. Furrowed brows, pursed lips, every muscle in his body strained with tension. He didn’t like sitting around, doing nothing when the others were risking their lives to keep those crazy bastards away.
“Don’t even think about it,” said Miss Delacroix.
“This is insane,” said Viggo. “I could put an end to this in a matter of minutes.”
“And burn half of the forest in the process. No.”
Avelyn bit her lower lip and pressed her palms to the cool glass. She tried to reach Max telepathically for the hundredth time in the past hour, but he was still blocking her out. It drove her mad with worry that she couldn’t see, hear, or feel what he was going through. Was he hurt? She was sure he was alive, because she knew she would be the first to know if something really bad happened to him. Their connection was very strong, and her body would sense the loss, her soul would feel the void. But what about the others? Kevin, Jocelyn, Karl, Rosanna, Val… At least Caleb and Daniel were safe, in a room upstairs. Their wounds hadn’t completely healed yet, and they were too weak to fight. Claudia and Delyse were looking after them.
“What if I promise you I won’t use dragon fire?”
Avelyn turned around, hope gleaming in her eyes. The headmistress cocked a thin, dark eyebrow in curiosity.
“I’ll turn, ruffle their fur a bit, kick them around with my tail… you know, the usual stuff.”
“That could work!” said Avelyn.
“You do realize you’re taller than this building in your dragon form.”
“And you do realize it’s night and there’s no chance anyone will see me.”
“Fair enough…”
Viggo turned towards Avelyn and pointed his index finger at her, looking her straight in the eyes. “Stay here. No matter what you see or hear, I’ll take care of it, so don’t get any stupid ideas.”
“I… I wasn’t going to…”
“I don’t know you, Mrs. Blackmane, but you look to me like you’re one of those people who like playing hero.”
Avelyn huffed in annoyance. “Just cut the crap and go already.”
Miss Delacroix sighed at the choice of words, and Viggo smiled. He kind of liked this human. She was feisty and reckless. Unfortunately, she was more his type than Eric Drekinn’s, and she was also married to an Alpha werewolf. Pity. He gently pushed her away from the window and opened it.
“What are you doing?” Avelyn asked. “The door is the other way.”
Viggo simply shook his head and climbed on the windowsill. He took off his T-shirt. “Here. Hold this for me.” He jumped off the window, and his arms immediately grew into silver wings. Instead of falling, he rose over the courtyard and the building, and in two long wing beats he was on the other side of the gate.
***
When they saw the huge dragon looming over them, the rogue werewolves and the werefoxes took a couple of steps back, growling in hesitation, ready to dash if the silver furnace decided to bathe them in scorching flames.
Viggo took in the battlefield, trying to assess the damage. Jocelyn Blackmane was lying on her side near the gate, struggling to draw air into her lungs, while her Beta was protecting her with his body. When he saw his attackers were drawing back, he turned to nuzzle her cheek and ear with his cold snout.
Karl Blackmane and his Beta, Matt, were doing pretty well. The Alpha of the Dark Wolves only limped a bit, and one of his ears had been torn off.
Max Blackmane, on the other hand, could barely stand on his feet. He was struggling to keep his body upright, and blood was flowing from so many wounds that his black fur had almost turned dark red.
As Viggo started descending to the ground, the werewolves scattered, leaving him just enough space to land.
The dragon’s curled talons dug into the soaked earth. The moon rays reflected on his silver scales, making his body resemble an immense mirror with a thousand facets that lit the night sky and chased the shadows away. He extended his strong, long neck towards the enemy, forcing them to hide behind the trees. A cry of pain came from his right, and Viggo turned in time to see Max gather all his strength to run towards the two she-wolves who were fighting on the ground, one black and one gray. It wasn’t much of a fight, though, since the black she-wolf had pinned the smaller, gray one down and tore a huge chunk of flesh off her neck. Viggo turned his heavy body and used his thick, long tail to grab the black she-wolf and lift her in the air.
Max stopped in his tracks, eyes wide with disbelief. “What are you doing?” he thought. “Please don’t, please don’t…” But then he heard Christine’s soft, weak whimper, and forgot about Sabine. In two strides, he was by the old she-wolf’s side. Half of her neck and shoulder was missing, blood gurgling to the surface, gathering in a pool around her upper torso. Suddenly, Max realized he didn’t care what happened to Sabine. Christine, the Elder of Clan Blackmane, the woman who had raised him and his siblings as her children, was giving her last breath, and there was nothing he could do about it. The she-wolf opened her eyes and fixed him with a kind, loving gaze. With her last powers, she opened her mind and soul, and sent Max a last thought: “You’ll have a son. Oh, how I wish I were there to see him smile…”
Max didn’t hear her. He put his paws on her broken body and closed his eyes just as she closed hers. When he opened them, he was holding the naked, bloody form of a woman who had survived a war only to perish under the ruthless fangs of one she had once loved as a daughter.
***
Avelyn heard her. From across the battleground and the cobblestone alley, Avelyn heard Christine’s last thought and fell to her knees. She screamed her pain and started crying like she had never cried in her entire life. Her body shook with sobs, her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, landing on h
er blouse. Miss Delacroix was there to hug her tightly.
***
Max stood up over the old woman’s body, stretched his neck towards the moon, and released a long, wailing howl.
Somewhere close, the dragon’s tail snapped with the force of a whip. It uncoiled and the limp body of a black she-wolf escaped its clutch, but what hit the ground was the pale figure of a dark-haired girl.
Seeing their Alpha gone, the rogue werewolves snarled, then turned around and scattered into the dark forest, running as fast as they could. But if Viggo thought he had won, he was wrong. The three-tailed Inari gave a cry of battle and attacked the towering dragon, followed by his remaining werefoxes. Viggo used his tail, sharp wings, and strong forelegs to hit right and left. As long as they didn’t find a way underneath his body, where the skin on his stomach was more vulnerable, they stood no chance against his sheer power.
The desperate, hopeless fight didn’t last long. Soon, the ground was covered in foxes that were turning into their human forms with the last breath their lungs struggled to push out, and the three-tailed Inari, whose choice of blindly following Sabine would remain a mystery, was forced to accept defeat and disappear into the forest. His shameful retreat was accompanied by Clan Blackmane’s rising howls.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tears of Sorrow
Avelyn sat in a small chair by the bed, her empty eyes fixed on the wall in front of her. She couldn’t look at Christine anymore, at the cold, still body whose chest did not rise and fall in the steady rhythm of life. She couldn’t stand up and leave the room either. She was stuck in that place, away from the world, away from the people who continued their lives between the walls of Alma Venus. Somewhere, in another room, Sabine lay on a similar bed, just as still as Christine. Then, yet in another room, Val lay cold and motionless too. Val, a Moon Child and one of Avelyn’s only friends at the Schloss. Caleb and Rosanna were probably staring at a similar white wall, refusing to accept reality. Poor Caleb. He and Val had been dating. Avelyn remembered the very first time they went to Dunkelstadt together. How Caleb had carried all their bags, and how she had thought he and Rosanna would make a great couple. What had Val said? “Don’t even think about it.” Of course, Caleb was with Val, and had no interest in the blonde Crescent. After so many mistakes and misjudgments, it was safe to say that Avelyn’s instincts sucked.