by Hawke Oakley
“He’s not a demon!” I snapped. “He’s a dragon.”
Shock ran through the crowd. People started muttering. Grunting, someone pushed his way out from the crowd. I recognized him as one of the alpha elders who had tried to talk me into mating before my escape. I narrowed my eyes.
“Everyone quiet!” the elder commanded angrily. The noise died down.
Finally, I thought. If anyone knew what a dragon was, it was probably the elders.
“You!” the elder spat, pointing a narrow finger at me. “Why have you brought this cursed creature to our pack?”
“What?” I said, shocked.
“Oh, dear,” Lorenzo murmured behind me. “Gabriel, be careful.”
“It’s talking to Gabriel!” Jared shouted. “They’re working together, we can’t trust him!”
Everyone’s eyes snapped to me. People who were my packmates - people I lived with - stared at me like I was a monster. What the hell was wrong with them?
“Everyone, calm down!” I yelled. “Please, just let me explain.”
Nobody lowered their weapons, or stopped glaring at us.
“We’re waiting,” the alpha elder growled unpleasantly.
Cold dread snaked down my spine. I cleared my throat and stepped forward, only able to pray that they would hear me out. “The night I left the pack, I was caught by human raiders. But a dragon saved me - not this dragon. A different one.”
Nobody spoke, not even a whisper. The mob was silent and hung on to my every word. I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. I didn’t like all the attention, especially with all the weapons still pointing at me.
“Anyway, um… I ended up mating with that dragon, and - “
Outrage exploded among the mob. The noise was almost deafening. Shouts of anger and disgust, rage and horror. It assaulted my ears. Everyone seemed to take a collective step backwards, as if trying to get away from me and my poisonous aura.
“Traitor!”
“He mated with a dragon!”
“He’s carrying a demon’s spawn!”
At the last comment, I became furious. My hands curled into fists and I snapped, “Shut up! Don’t talk about my baby like that!”
Lorenzo tensed, ready to spring into action if things took a worse turn. But I held out my hand for him to wait.
“Please,” I murmured. “I know they’re being awful, but this is the only chance I have to try and get through to them.”
Lorenzo hummed in acknowledgment and held back, saying nothing. I was embarrassed and saddened that he had to witness their behavior. Maybe Dante was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have come back here at all.
So far, my pack was doing a piss-poor job of listening to anything I said. Both angry and frustrated, I forced myself to breathe.
If words didn’t work, then maybe a little magic would get their attention.
Above the roar of their contemptuous voices, I concentrated hard and raised my hands. When the stalagmites jutted slowly upwards out of the soil, everyone went dead silent. They stared at me with a mixture of amazement and horror.
“Did that get your attention?” I yelled sarcastically. “Everyone, please listen to me. I can help you. We don’t have to live like this anymore. We don’t need these concrete walls! There’s another way!”
“He wants to get rid of our walls?” Jared said loudly, furious. “He’s possessed by the demon! He’s trying to kill all of us!”
“Shut the fuck up, Jared,” I snapped, unable to control my temper any longer. “Just listen to me for two seconds.”
But the alpha elder and the rest of the mob had begun muttering again and spoke over me. They had clearly lost their patience and didn’t want to hear the rest of my suggestions.
“I don’t know what you want with us, or why you returned here,” the elder snarled, “but I suggest you leave now.”
The rusted weapon pointed in my direction didn’t breed confidence. I sighed in frustration. I knew I wasn’t in any real danger with Lorenzo by my side - not unless they stopped bluffing and really started attacking us.
I shouted, “I can help you - “
“Go away, demon!”
“He’s not Gabriel anymore,” Jared snarled. “Kill him!”
Then, like a ray of sun bursting through storm clouds, another familiar voice cried out. “Wait!”
Stumbling through to the front of the crowd came Otis. I gasped when I saw his belly. He was pregnant, too. His mate Dustin wasn’t too far behind him, holding his shoulders protectively and shooting me a cautious glare.
“Gabriel!” Otis cried in relief. “You’re alive!”
“It’s not Gabriel anymore,” Jared growled. “He’s been possessed by that demon.”
Lorenzo sighed and muttered something under his breath I couldn’t catch.
“I’m not possessed, okay? Gods,” I groaned. “I’m me - Gabriel Brooks. Escaped omega.”
People exchanged glances, unsure of what to think anymore. Otis wasted no time in running up the grassy hill and stumbling towards me.
“Otis, be careful!” Dustin called behind him.
Thankfully, Otis ignored him. He threw himself into my arms in a quick hug. “I’m so glad you’re alive! I was afraid you died!”
“Nope,” I said. “Alive, and pregnant just like you. Except my alpha’s a dragon.” I paused as Otis’s eyes darted to Lorenzo. “Not that one. Sorry, it’s confusing.”
“No, it’s okay! But what are you doing here?” Otis asked, wide eyed and breathless.
The elder and Dustin were screaming at Otis to get away from me. He paid them no mind as I quickly explained.
“I learned magic in Cinderhollow tribe - that’s where I live now, where my mate’s from - and they have this magical barrier there, so outsiders can’t get in, and if you guys had one here, there’d be no need for the walls - “
Something sharp whistled through the air, and a ferocious roar tore from Lorenzo’s maw. I whipped around. Someone had thrown a spear at him. I gasped in shock. Blood trickled down from his wing membrane.
The first stone had been thrown. Multiple people in the crowd raised their weapons, ready to attack now.
“Stop!” I cried, waving my arms. “Stop it!”
“Gabriel, we have to go,” Lorenzo growled.
“Gabe, wait! Don’t go again!” Otis cried, grabbing me. “Tell me more about the barrier!”
The sound of steel hitting hardened scales reverberated in my ears. I saw Jared swinging his sword from the corner of my eye. Lorenzo snarled, letting out a roar that staggered the mob backwards.
“Gabriel!” Lorenzo snapped.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Everyone, just stop - “
They weren’t going to stop. Spears flew past my head. People were throwing literal stones now, and I winced as a few pelted me in the side. “Ow!”
Otis wasn’t spared anymore, either. He cried out in pain. Instantly, Dustin ran to his side and covered his mate’s body with his own, acting like a shield. Guilt flooded me. Otis and Lorenzo were both being hurt, and it was my fault. I shouldn’t have even come down here. I had to get away from this.
“Lorenzo, I’m sorry,” I shouted over the noise. “Let’s go.”
In a lightning-fast swipe of his claws, Lorenzo picked me up and launched himself into the air. But the mob didn’t stop. In the time it took for Lorenzo to gain momentum and lift off properly, people threw stones and weapons - and not all of them missed. Lorenzo hissed in pain. His flapping became more haggard. I gasped when I saw the wound in his wing membrane, a two-inch gash that was openly bleeding.
“Lorenzo, you’re hurt!” I cried.
He gritted his teeth and pushed his muscles harder.
A spear flew towards him. There was nothing I could do. I shut my eyes and winced in sympathy.
When I opened my eyes again, there was a shimmering silver bubble around us. A barrier.
But one that Lorenzo couldn’t hold for very long - not while flying away from a
mob, bleeding, and carrying me at the same time.
I held my breath until Lorenzo was high enough to clear the wall. He sailed over it easily, then banked towards the ground. There were no human raiders in sight, but my stomach still clenched with tension.
Lorenzo grunted as he touched down. He put me down, then took his wing in hand. The gash was still bleeding.
“Lorenzo, I’m so sorry,” I cried. “This is all my fault. Dante was right, I never should have come back.”
To my surprise, Lorenzo growled at me and bared his teeth. “You came here for a purpose. Don’t let a single setback stop you. If you have something to do, then do it now.”
I was taken aback by his stern command, but it brought me back down to reality. I couldn’t lose my focus just because things hadn’t gone perfectly. Turning, I faced the imposing stone walls.
Right - the barrier.
Stoneheart pack was going to get one if they wanted it or not.
I shut my eyes and focused my energy into my fingertips, imagining my power flowing into them. My mind’s image was black, but I imagined the slight glimmer of a barrier breaking through the darkness. There. I just had to chase that image…
I bit my lip absentmindedly as my whole body tensed with concentration. I needed this to work. It had to work. There was no other option.
Energy flickered. I opened my eyes. In front of me was the vague shimmering tell-tale light of a barrier. I was filled with hope, but I needed more. I shut my eyes again, hard, and focused all my energy. Slowly, I felt the magic spreading.
It wasn’t enough. I gasped, panting hard. Even with the pregnancy strengthening my magic ability, I wasn’t strong enough to create a barrier around the entirety of Stoneheart pack. I fell to my knees and cried out in exasperation.
“It’s not working!”
Lorenzo lumbered beside me, sunk his claws into the ground and growled. “Keep going.”
I wasted no time. I tried again, pulling the thread of clear magic out from within me, channeling it all into the shape I wanted…
This time, the barrier was bigger. It was a half-dome in front of Stoneheart pack’s walls. I gasped in excitement. Maybe with Lorenzo’s help, we could really do this.
But Lorenzo didn’t look so good. His face was screwed up in both concentration and pain. His blood dripped onto the earth. Once again, I was overcome by guilt.
“Don’t stop!” Lorenzo snapped at me.
I concentrated, hard. But my strength was waning. Soon it was clear that I couldn’t do this, even with Lorenzo’s help. Despair flooded me. All traces of my magic disappeared as hope slipped away. I gasped from exertion.
“Lorenzo,” I muttered. “Please, stop… It’s not going to work.”
He paused.
“Let’s just go back to Cinderhollow,” I said. “I’m sorry I dragged you out here for nothing.”
Lorenzo sighed, then dropped the half-dome barrier. “I’m sorry. Maybe if I wasn’t injured…”
“No!” I cried. “Don’t blame yourself. This is all my fault. Dante was right. I should have listened to him - “
Something snapped behind us. A twig breaking. Instantly, every hair on my body stood on end. Lorenzo tensed, lifting his head and squaring his shoulders. A deep growl rose up from his throat.
“Something’s coming,” he growled.
He didn’t have to tell me. This time, I saw them.
Inside the dark thicket, dozens of pairs of eyes. Human eyes.
My blood ran cold.
No, I thought. I can’t do this again.
“Lorenzo, fly!” I shouted, slapping his scales. “You have to get out of here!”
“Oh, please,” he muttered. “I’m an alpha dragon, for gods’ sake, Gabriel!”
He braced himself on all fours and dug his claws into the earth. In the next breath, he shot out a white-hot stream of fire. I flinched away from the heat as embers flew from his mouth. The humans yelled in surprise, trying to dodge the flames. The fire scorched the front of the tree-line and flushed the humans out. They came into the open with their faces scowling and furious.
Lorenzo reared back and let out another air-rending roar. Even though he was injured, he wasn’t playing around. I underestimated his power as an alpha dragon - and not just any dragon, but Dante’s older brother.
“Get behind me,” Lorenzo said.
I did, and a moment later he created a half-barrier between us and the humans. It gave us enough time to talk - fast.
“What are we gonna do?” I said breathlessly. “The barrier around Stoneheart isn’t working!”
“I’m sorry,” Lorenzo growled. “I can’t concentrate enough to be of assistance. I cannot use magic, protect you, and hold off attacks from either side at the same time.”
I wanted to yell at him to stop apologizing, but it wasn’t the time for that. We needed solutions, not this back-and-forth.
“I have an idea,” I said. “But you’re not going to like it.”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “Tell me.”
I spoke quickly. “I can be a distraction. I’ll run towards the humans and taunt them from behind the barrier, while you create one around Stoneheart. That way you won’t be distracted.”
“Gabriel,” Lorenzo growled.
“You can put that one down,” I said, pointing to the clear magic wall between us and the raiders. “I’ll take over from here. Please. My pack doesn’t know how much they need this protection.”
Lorenzo didn’t look pleased with my suggestion, but he also didn’t turn it down. His tail lashed in frustration. Finally, he said, “Fine. But stay behind the wall at all times. If they get through it somehow, run.”
I gasped in relief. “Thank you.”
“I’ll try to be as fast as I can with Stoneheart’s barrier,” he promised. “Go.”
I didn’t waste any time in taking off. I ran towards the silver glittering wall - the only thing keeping the raiders from getting their hands on me once again. I suppressed a fearful shudder. This wasn’t like last time. I was stronger now.
“I’m letting go of it!” Lorenzo said.
“I’m ready.”
All my leftover energy pooled and burst out of my fingertips. Lorenzo’s barrier wall flickered out of existence for a split second before mine took up its place. The humans took the barrier’s disappearance - even for just a moment - as invitation to rush ahead. My heart raced. All I could imagine was my magic failing and the humans getting past the barrier.
It’s not going to happen, I reassured myself. It will work. For Stoneheart’s sake. For my baby’s sake.
It happened fast. If you blinked, you might have missed Lorenzo’s barrier falling. But the humans took their chance. They ran ahead - and at the same time, my own barrier stood strong in its place.
One human was unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire.
I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Right in front of me, caught within the snare of my barrier’s magic, the human raider turned to stone.
It almost shocked me enough to drop my magic. But I didn’t. I stared at my own hands. Was this the power of my earth magic? Lorenzo had said Halo Fire-Eater’s barrier burned its victims because he was skilled in fire magic, but I was not. Instead, my barrier flowed with the power of earth and rock.
The other humans cried out in shock and horror. Grumbling in frustration, they stepped back. Excitement raced in my blood. Maybe this would work long enough for Lorenzo to finish Stoneheart’s barrier after all.
I stood square and firm, never letting my concentration drop. I would hold my magic as long as I needed to. I couldn’t fail.
“Keep going!” Lorenzo called. His voice sounded distant over the thrumming hum of my own barrier.
I grinned, despite the situation. “I am!”
The raiders grunted and spat at my feet. One of them made eye contact with me and I almost shuddered. His eyes were pure, cold hatred.
“We’ll g
et you, wolf,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.
So, we understand each other, I thought. Maybe this didn’t have to end in a fight.
A different raider tested the barrier, throwing a weapon into it. The same thing happened. The spear turned to stone and snapped from its own weight, shattering into pieces as it hit the ground. The spear’s owner scowled.
“Please stop this!” I commanded, shouting over the sound of the barrier’s thrum. “Why are you attacking us?”
My question seemed to piss them off even more. They rushed forward with snarls, weapons swinging and thrown. Every weapon that touched my barrier turned to rock and crumbled away. I couldn’t deny my relief. Because of my magic, I was safe.
I swallowed hard, thinking about Dante. He was the one who urged me to learn magic, even when I didn’t want to - when I didn’t think there was a point. Guilt swept over me. I learned magic because of him, and now I’d gotten myself into a situation he didn’t want me to be in. I’d betrayed his trust.
And now I was here without him.
A spear flew past my face. A sharp pain stung my cheek. I gasped, stumbling back.
In my moment of weakness - thinking about Dante - my magic had slipped and created a hole. I quickly patched it back up, but blood was already trickling down to my jaw.
These humans didn’t want to talk. They only wanted blood.
I grunted in frustration. No matter what, I couldn’t let that slip happen again. My life - my child’s life - depended on it.
“Stop fighting!” I shouted, more due to my anger than thinking they would actually listen. “Why do you hate wolf shifters so much, anyway? What the hell did we ever do to you?”
A few paused, holding their weapons. I embraced the momentum.
“Why did you rip Loni’s limbs off and hurt him? Why did you hurt me!? Answer me!”
The man who had spoken earlier growled, “You have what we don’t. We deserve the gifts of shapeshifting more than you!”
“Well, sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that,” I spat. “Tearing us apart and studying us isn’t going to help you become shifters.”
“It’s not just that,” another man added. “We want to know why you people can breed.”