Alexander’s POV
I gripped Emily’s limp body while I extracted my canines from her nape. I swear, I saw a brief flash of light in her dull eyes.
Was I successful?
Was she getting any better?
Is she going to be okay?
“Emily,” I whispered as I softly stroked the side of her face. “Return to me, please!”
A roar sounded behind me, then a loud rumbling noise, and in the blink of an eye, I was launched into the air and separated from Emily. I came down, crashing into a massive tree, and dropped through the branches to the ground.
Am I dead?
I let out a moan as a sharp twinge of pain shot through my arm.
“That confirms it,” Ghost yapped angrily. “We are very much alive!”
A painful hiss that sounded more like a chuckle crossed my lips as I reached for my arm.
“Sh*t!” I muttered, realizing that the bone had snapped in two and had broken through the skin. I will require medical attention-a doctor must realign my arm-before Ghost can heal the bone.
I yanked my eyes open, seeing leaves and other debris all around me; nothing nearby could be used to stop the bleeding.
Anxiety shot through me as Emily’s face flashed before my eyes.
Feeling disoriented and in severe pain, I glanced around, trying to find her.
“F*ck.” I growled, frustrated at the state of affairs.
The pain felt like a force holding me down on the ground, but I had to get back up and get to Emily.
I let out a breath, moved away from the tree, and successfully turned over onto my stomach.
A few yards from me, wolves were still fighting, and there were body parts everywhere. The thought of how many lives were lost today made me queasy.
“Emily!” I muttered, shaking my head. “Where’s Em…? I can’t see!”
F*ck! My head hurts!
The only thing on my mind was getting to Emily!
I muttered to myself as I looked around confusedly, trying to figure out where I had dropped Emily. She has to be here somewhere!
Using my strong arm, I hauled myself up and began to push my body through the long grass in the direction of the pack house.
“Bloody hell.” Ghost let out a painful whimper. He was attempting to heal us, but given the circumstances, doing so would only cause problems. He was now carrying all of my physical suffering in the hopes of relieving it. “How the hell is this person so strong that they can send us all the way up here?”
I froze at the sound of footsteps approaching, and I lowered myself in the hopes that no one would see me. I could not possibly fight in this state.
I gasp in pain as two pairs of strong hands grab hold of me and pull me to my feet. I growled out and tried to fight against their hold.
“Slow down, Alpha!” Luke’s worried voice chimed in my ears.
I looked up at him, startled to see him.
“Are you okay, son?” With a start, I looked at my father when he asked the next question.
“I am fine,” I stammered, blinking a couple of times. “Wh-where’s Emily?”
“She’s fine!” My father answered.
“She’s with me.” Sarah’s voice appeared shortly after via the link, and I found myself searching for her between the sea of bodies, kneeling a few yards beside Emily’s body. “And her cheeks appear to be getting more color!”
I was relieved for a brief moment, but only until I saw the wolf-so grotesque that they belonged only in horror films.
I noticed a burning sensation above my left eye and reached out to touch the sticky substance, which turned out to be blood.
I turned my confused eyes to the tree, assuming that I had cut myself falling through the branches. I must have bumped my head; no wonder I felt so disoriented.
“Is that?” I asked, looking back at the fight as I struggled to find the right words.
“King Xavier?” My father asked, turning his gaze toward me.
“Yeah?” I replied. It was just incomprehensible that someone would be blessed with such an ugly wolf.
“It is,” he replied. “Years of devouring innocent wolf souls and practicing dark magic. It has consumed his wolf’s soul, rendering him indestructible.”
Power seemed to be Xavier’s drug of choice, erasing the best aspects of him.
My arm was abruptly yanked, and I let out a cry of pain.
“F*ck man!” I cried out in rage, white spots appearing in my vision. “That f*cking hurt like hell!”
“Sorry, Alex,” Luke said. “However, it had to be done. Otherwise…”
“I understand,” I said, observing the skin recover. In a few minutes, Ghost will aid me back to health, and I will return to normal. “Thanks. Next time, just warn me.”
My dad put his hand on my shoulder, smiled, and winked at me. “I doubt that if you had known, you would have allowed him to assist you. I can only imagine the depth of your agony.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Now, how do we kill the mutt?” I asked, turning my attention back to Xavier’s beast. “Any ideas?”
“Yes, one,” Luke replied, and I turned to look at him. However, as soon as our eyes met, I was terrified to find out what his strategy was.
“It involves you and Emily,” my father said. “But it will not work as long as she is unconscious.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked worryingly.
“Your combined magic is the only thing that can create and destroy something,” my father explained.
My thoughts quickly sprang to the prophecy; everyone was aware that the Snow and Fire Wolf were expecting a pup and that the Lycan kingdom would rise from the ashes like a Phoenix, but nobody knew how.
At that very moment, I realized what I had to do and why Emily’s magic had been so cruel to me-rather than wanting to kill and destroy me, it was actually preparing me for today. It was aware of Xavier’s plans. It was aware that it wanted to kill us. It understood that by creating a connection between us, it could be utilized if one of us suffered harm.
At that very moment, everything made sense.
“Get me to Emily,” I said. “I know what to do!”
****