19. Wolf Moon
nineteen
RYLAND
After a restless night and a day that’s far too calm, we’re as ready as we can be for Amber’s attack. I would feel better about it if I knew where it was supposed to happen, but we can’t know that. Orym suggests an early dinner, and I insist that it be something light. We can’t risk being in a food coma when Amber makes her move.
The family eats in silence, knowing that what’s coming is going to be rough. There’s no way to know how many lives will be lost. I’ve sent the families with children away for the day. They’ll return tomorrow as long as I let them know it’s safe. Otherwise, they’ll wait for Kayden to reach out.
When we finish eating, Trevan and Grammy show up. “I’m sorry, daughter, but I must go home now. This is your battle, and I’ve remained here longer than I should have.”
They embrace, and I see the tears she’s fighting. I know that Red feels conflicted about her father. She’s not sure if she should be sad or relieved that he’s leaving. In the Fae realm, he’ll be safe from Amber, but it’s hard to let someone you care about leave.
If we could win this without her, I would insist that she go with him. Instead, we all hug Grammy when she announces that she’s returning with Trevan. “You’ll always have a place here,” I tell her before letting go.
“I know, Ryland, but there’s not much here for me now. My son and grandson are dead. Red has you boys, and I think I could be happy with Trevan.” Her sad smile shows that she’s not as ready to say goodbye as she wants us to believe.
They walk across the clearing, and Trevan starts to create a portal. Before his magic has a chance to take hold, a blast of blue light hits him in the back. Both he and Grammy are thrown forward as the magic seems to detonate.
“What the fuck?” Luca asks, rushing to jump in front of Red.
She pushes against him, racing toward her father. I stay by her side, unable to let her do this alone. I know what we’re going to see before we reach them. Grammy’s eyes are open, but unseeing. Blood pours from her head where it banged against the trunk of a tree.
Trevan is lying face down, but he’s not moving. Red drops to her knees next to him. She turns him over and gasps, covering her face with both hands. His skull is crushed and he’s nearly unrecognizable. And like Grammy, he’s dead.
Red’s head falls back and she screams at the sky. Her magic swirls around, surrounding us. It’s a violent storm that mirrors her emotions. I feel James, Luca, and Orym join us in the center of it, even though I can’t see them. This loss just might cripple our mate. Amber has to die. Today.
ORYM
Garnet’s pain tears through me, joining my own. Grammy was the one constant through all of our lives. She was the territory matriarch, and we all love her dearly. Watching her die breaks my heart. I can’t imagine what it does to Garnet. Of course, with our bond, I don’t have to imagine it. I feel it. She’s not holding back anymore.
Her emotions pour into me, and I feel her devastation. We should have been prepared for this. We should have known that Amber would attack when we were least expecting it. The sun is setting, and Garnet is still screaming. Her magic swirls around us—it didn’t hurt rushing through it to get to her. Even if it had, Luca, James, and I would have done it.
Garnet needs us right now, and we will not let her do this alone. I feel my wolf tugging at me. He wants to break free and tear someone in half over this. I can’t see the enemy, though. I can’t see anything right now, because of the multi-colored magic surrounding us. I’m not sure if it’s a shield or a tornado.
It doesn’t matter, because I don’t have time to think about it. Her magic swirls around us, then slams out away from the center, taking down everything in its path. Trees are uprooted and fall. The cabin shakes, and I wonder if it will remain standing when she’s done. I’ve never seen Garnet do this much with her magic and still be conscious.
She looks stronger than ever, though, dragging herself to her feet and looking around as if she’s searching for something. “This way,” she growls, marching off into the forest with us jogging to keep up.
“Red, wait,” Ryland says, trying to keep her from walking into a trap. She doesn’t even slow down, forcing him to keep pace with her.
We step into the trees and hear rustling. A moment later, Garnet holds out an arm and I hear choking sounds as a body is dragged toward us. “You killed my father. And Grammy. Give me one good reason not to end you.”
Her words are cold, and before the witch even has a chance to respond, Garnet twists her hand. The crunch of that witch’s neck snapping will stay with me forever. I shudder at how easily she took this person’s life. I understand the desire for revenge, but I never expected Garnet to give in to it.
I refuse to think less of her, though. She’s doing what she has to, and I will support her any way I can. “We can’t stay here,” Ryland says, trying to usher us back to the cabin.
“We have to. Amber’s coming,” Garnet responds, her voice even colder than when she spoke to the witch who murdered her family.
“All the more reason to get back where we have cover,” he argues.
“I don’t need cover. I need her to die,” Garnet replies, turning away from him.
GARNET
When I caught the witch who killed Trevan and Grammy, I went cold. I snapped her neck without a second thought. Now I let the numbness spread through me. I’m not sure I can do this, but I have to. Amber has to die, or we’re all doomed. If being numb is the only way to make sure I win, that’s what I’ll do.
I understand that Ry wants an advantage, but there’s no way to get one. Amber sent this woman to kill whoever she could, so that Amber could get to me easier. It could easily have been one of my mates who’d been blown up. And I will not give her a chance to do that again.
I’m not sure how, but I can sense her. I know that she’s coming closer, and that she’s not alone. I won’t let my mates try to shield me or protect me. I’ll be the one doing that for them. Almost as an afterthought, I create a dome shaped shield around us. It will alert me if anyone tries to attack and will keep anything magic from hitting my mates.
“She’s close,” I whisper. Then I turn in the direction I feel her and yell, “Amber! I know you’re there. Show yourself.”
Her laughter echoes through the trees, and for a moment, I think I’ve mistaken the direction she’s coming from. I turn to see magic hit my shield. It’s not Amber’s, though. How can I tell that? It’s almost as if my power is growing with every step I take. That’s not possible, is it? I would ask my father, but I can’t. That reminder sends a pain through my heart, and I double over for a moment.
Maybe I should just give up. I’ve lost so much already. It’s going to hurt so badly when I watch my mates die because I’m not strong enough to protect them. The words are in my head, in my voice, but they aren’t my words. I see what Amber is trying to do, and I refuse to let it happen. I shake her words away, pushing those doubts aside.
“She’s trying to get in our heads. Don’t listen to anything she says, even if it sounds like your own voice,” I warn my mates. We have to stay strong or she’ll win. I can’t let that happen. There’s too much at stake. Trevan and Grammy didn’t give their lives for me to give up now.
I can’t help thinking we should have had an army of our own, but it was safer for Ry to send everyone away. I know there are still wolves guarding the village, but most of them are somewhere else, safe with their families. And that’s my comfort. If I fail here, it will take her longer to find them. Hopefully she won’t.
No. She won’t find them, because I’m not going to let her win this. I will defeat her. Do you hear me, Amber? I will take you out.
I hear her laugh echo through the trees again, and I know that she can hear me. “Are you scared, Amber? Is that why you’re staying so far away?” I don’t yell this time, instead, I lower my voice to nearly a whisper. I want her to strain to hear me. I need her to come closer.
“Do you really think your false bravado will defeat me?” she asks, and I know that she’s taken the bait. Amber is closer now, and I know exactly which direction she’s moving in. As long as I can keep her moving toward us, I’ll be able to attack her before she can reach us.
“It can’t hurt. Besides, who says it’s false? I have every reason to feel confident in my ability to defeat you. I have more power than you do. And you’ll never get my power, so there’s no way you can win.”
A wave of freezing cold washes over us, and I wonder how she got past my shield. Then I realize that I let myself get distracted when I started taunting her. I dropped the shield. Fuck. I curse in my head.
Another laugh echoes. “You can’t even hold a simple spell while you have a conversation. Tell me again why I should be so scared of you,” she taunts me. I mentally kick myself and put my shield back in place.
Then I warm our bubble up enough so that no one ends up with frostbite. “Are you okay?” Luca asks quietly.
I nod. “Are you sure we shouldn’t move into the clearing?” Orym asks next.
“I’m sure,” I reply. I don’t wait for anyone else to distract me further. I start walking toward the direction Amber is coming from. “Come on.”
I don’t look back to see if they’re following; I know they are. They want to take Amber down as much as I do. The moment I have a visual on her, I throw a lightning bolt. It hits next to her feet and she jumps. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” I ask with a chuckle.
“How did you do that?” she answers my question with a question of her own.
“I’m half Fae, remember?” I shouldn’t justify her words with any response, but I do. I need to catch her off guard, and I think this is the only way.
I don’t expect her to fight fair, so I’m not surprised when her minions surround us. They can’t get past my dome with their magical attacks, so I think we’re safe. I know it won’t last, and I have to maintain concentration or we’ll be vulnerable again.
What I failed to consider was that the witches would attack with physical weapons. When arrows start to fly, I realize that my magical shield isn’t going to protect us from that. “Guys, watch out,” I warn as I feel another arrow fly past my face.
The tide is turning, and I’m worried.
JAMES
When the arrows start to fly past us, my fangs snap into place. There’s no magic protecting Amber or her followers from me. Perhaps I can use this blood lust to my advantage. I can smell the witches who surround us. All I need is for one of them to get too close. As far as we know, Amber isn’t aware of my change. As long as that’s true, we have an advantage. But how do I use it to defeat her?
I’m only going to get one shot here, then they’ll know to stay away from me. I can’t reach Amber, so it’ll have to be one of her followers. It’s too bad I don’t know who her favorite is. That’s who I’d like to go after.
I watch as magic hits near me. Good; Garnet has a shield around us. I’ll probably have to step out of it in order to grab this witch, but with my increased speed, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll grab the witch and zip back in the shield before I drain every drop of her essence from her body and throw it at Amber’s feet.
I hate the dark urges that course through me, but I understand now why my family trusts me. I don’t have those urges toward them. And I’d expected to. Sure, they all smell delicious, and I would love a taste, but I don’t have the desire to drain them. Since that’s what I was so scared of, I’m feeling much more relaxed now.
Take your time, James. Let her think you’re getting tired and you’re still a weak human. That’s it. Oh, yes, let’s trip and stumble. Perfect. I have her attention now. I wait a moment, then dash over and snatch the witch, racing back into the protective bubble. Her scream is cut short by my fangs flashing in her eyes before they sink into her neck.
The metallic tang of her blood coats my tongue and I swallow greedily, sucking her life force out along with her blood. I drink every drop, licking my lips when I finish.
I glance over to see Garnet watching me with lust in her eyes. Who knew my girl is so kinky? I wouldn’t have expected her to be the type who likes to watch. My dick twitches as she stares at me. I lick my lips again, making sure to send her an image of exactly what I want to do to her later. She shivers and her cheeks turn pink before she finally looks away.
I raise the body in my arms over my head and throw it at Amber. The dead witch lands at her feet, just as I’d intended. Horror crosses her face for a moment before she masks her reaction. Just as I suspected; she didn’t know that I’d been turned.
Part of me feels guilty for killing a woman, but a much darker part enjoyed every second of it.
LUCA
I’m not sure which is more disturbing, watching James drain a witch as if he was dying of thirst, or Red’s reaction to it. I know she’s turned on, and he likes it.
I’ll worry about that later, since this bitch is still shooting arrows at me. I’ve managed to dodge most of them, but a couple have scraped along my arm and leg. Shoving Orym out of the way caused one of those injuries, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My wolf wants to break free and tear these witches apart. I know that we’re supposed to stay close to help boost Red’s power, but this is rough. I feel like I’m watching the fight instead of participating in it.
As if I willed it, the witches start closing in on us. If they get a little closer, I’ll be able to fight one with my fists, or my claws. Are we okay to shift, Red? Or do you need us in human form?
Do whatever you need to in order to survive. Just stay close to me.Her response makes my wolf happy. I wait until one of the witches is close enough to grab, then let the shift happen. My bones crack and reshape until I’m pouncing on the exact witch who’s been shooting at me. My teeth rip into her throat, and she’s dead faster than I’d hoped.
Am I a monster because I wanted to drag that out? I want Amber and her followers to suffer. I want them to know pain, the same way they’ve made us feel pain since all of this started.
Once that witch is dealt with, I look around to see that Orym and Ryland have shifted too. Each wolf is tearing into a witch. This is almost too easy. There has to be a catch. Something is coming.
A howl sounds in the distance, and we all turn toward it. “Oh, did you think I would only bring witches to this fight?” Amber’s laugh echoes, and she keeps talking. “Silly girl. I brought my new pets. Now, they aren’t very pretty, but they are very effective.”
A wolf standing upright on its hind legs steps into the clearing. Wait, that’s not a wolf. What the fuck is that?
A hybrid. It has to be. “Be careful. We don’t know what those things can do,” Ryland’s voice carries to me, and I realize that he’s shifted back. Orym and I are still in wolf form, and I’m glad. I feel like my animal gives me an advantage here.
The beast in front of me attacks, knocking me onto my back and trying to rip out my throat. Something throws it off me, and I manage to get out of the way. I see James dash off. Vampire speed comes in handy.
The beast zips back to me, moving as fast as James did. Now that I can see it clearly, I’m kind of disgusted. It’s deformed and looks miserable.
GARNET
When Amber sends in the hybrids, I worry that we’re not going to be able to handle this. There are only a dozen or so of them, but that’s still more than the five of us. It’s especially daunting with Amber and the witches still tossing magic attacks at us while the hybrids pounce. I know it’s all designed to distract us so my aunt can get in to position.
Before I realize what’s happening, we’re backed up against a copse of birch trees that are growing too close together for us to easily climb through. Fuck, how did I not see her maneuvering us into this trap?
With the trees at my back, I watch Ry and Orym take one hybrid down while Luca and James kill another. I zap a third one with lightning. I can’t believe Amber managed to trap us like this. I’m pissed at myself for falling for it. She had to have baited us into thinking we were winning so that she could push us this direction.
A yellow glow surrounds us as Amber’s witches surround us with a barrier. “Don’t touch it,” I warn, realizing that it’s meant to keep us in while Amber gets into place. Even knowing this is our final stand off doesn’t prepare me for this.
I know that she has to perform some ritual in order to kill me and steal my powers, but I never found out exactly what that would look like. I guess I’m about to find out.
“We can’t give up now,” Ry insists.
“I’m not giving up; I just don’t know what to do now. I have no idea how we can get out of this,” I admit. It does feel like defeat, but I can’t admit that.
“What’s wrong, niece? Nothing overly confident to say now? Hmm,” Amber taunts. I am shocked that I let this cocky bitch best me. There has to be something I can do to get out of this.
“I honestly have nothing to say to you,” I respond. I’d rather ignore her, but I’ve seen what she does when that happens. I can’t afford to risk one of my mates that way.
Amber laughs and walks closer. “That’s fine. I’ll talk. Then you’ll die, and I’ll have your powers.” She walks closer and my guys circle me protectively. I tighten the magic dome around us, trying to figure out a way to make it physical so that she can’t get inside.
She grabs Luca’s arm and holds up a syringe. “Now, unless you want to watch your mate turn into one of those,” she gestures toward the disfigured hybrids surrounding us, “you’ll cooperate and do as you’re told.”
I can’t risk Luca, and she knows it. “Put the syringe away, and I’ll come with you. They’ll stay here and won’t cause any trouble.” Don’t fight. This is the only way. Remember that I love you all.
“That’s just as I thought. You’re too soft, niece. That’s why you’ll never defeat me,” Amber chides as she puts the syringe back into her pocket and shoves Luca away from her.
I can tell that my mates are confused by what I’m doing. If there was any other way, I would try it. But there’s nothing else I can do. Amber can’t hurt my mates. Of course, once I’m dead, she’ll torture and murder them all. But what choice do I have? I can’t let her turn Luca or any of the others into one of those horrible monsters.
Red, you can’t do this. If she gets your powers, we’re all dead anyway. We have to fight.Ry’s voice in my head is laced with terror.
Garnet, please. We can defeat her if we all fight together.James practically begs me not to give up. I don’t respond to either of them. I can’t.
Red, I love you. I trust you completely, and hope that you have a plan. But if you don’t, you know that they’re right. Giving up isn’t the answer here.Sweet Luca, if only you knew what I’m thinking right now.
I will do whatever you want, Garnet, even if I disagree. Besides, if you’re gone, I don’t want to live anyway. Orym’s silent plea nearly breaks me. Tears stream down my face as I follow Amber to the small clearing where her people have set up for the ritual.
The moon is nearly overhead now, and it’s almost time. If she’d fought any longer, Amber would have missed her window. Amber grabs my arm and pulls me close to her. “I don’t trust you. So, I’ll make this quick,” she snarls.
I wrap my arms around my waist, holding myself tightly. I need another minute or two, that’s all. She shoves me away and I drop to my knees, still holding my stomach. I let the tears fall without objection. This is the moment that I’ve been working for. The moment where two of us start the ritual, and only one can survive.
I already know exactly what’s going to happen, but I’m still terrified of the outcome. What if—? I tune out my mates as they continue to try talking me into fighting. I glance over to them, making sure to lock eyes with each of them for a moment. I want to beg them to trust me, but I can’t. I need everyone to think I’ve given up, otherwise there’s no chance for this to work.
“Aren’t you even going to beg for your life? For the lives of your mates? This is anti-climactic,” Amber huffs. I want to laugh at her annoyance, but I concentrate on keeping the tears falling.
The second she turns her back, I jump to my feet, pulling the syringe from my sleeve and plunging it into her neck. “I don’t have to beg for our lives, because we’re not the ones who are dying today,” I say, pushing the hybrid solution into her.
Amber’s eyes go wide, she opens and closes her mouth like a fish, then starts to convulse. I blast magic at the hybrids and witches who are guarding my guys, setting them free. They race over to me, watching as my aunt twitches. She falls to the ground and thrashes. Her body starts to change, and I hit her with all of my magic.
She freezes mid-transformation, her flesh melting from her bones, and her bones turning to ash. It’s finally over. We’ve won. The moon shines brightly above us, and I realize that I did it just in time.