We burst out of the castle, our suspicions confirmed as an arrow whizzes through the air, aimed directly at Nickolas. He snatches it out of the air before it can pierce his flesh, but the contact burns his skin, the telltale sign of Oak Tree venom. Lord Easterlin is really here, and the battle has begun.
Nickolas tosses the arrow aside, his eyes flashing with rage as he moves toward the lycan who fired it, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. With a snarl, he plunges his hand into the attacker’s chest, ripping out his still-beating heart. Blood drips from Nickolas’s fingers as he watches the light fade from the lycan’s eyes, a grim smile playing on his lips. In an instant, he’s back at my side, his hand grasping mine tightly.
“Let’s get you to safety,” he urges, his voice laced with concern.
Despite allowing me to train, Nickolas is still reluctant to let me fight. I understand his worries, but he needs to realize that this battle is as much mine as it is his.
“I want to fight,” I tell him, pulling him to a stop. He turns to face me, ready to argue, when another arrow streaks toward him. He catches it effortlessly, snapping the neck of the assailant before they can draw their last breath. I seize the opportunity to slip away from Nickolas, determined to find her. If Lord Easterlin is here, She must be too, and we have a score to settle.
I inhale deeply, catching her scent on the wind, mingled with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid smoke of battle. My brother’s scent is heavy in the same area, and I pray he doesn’t kill her before I have the chance. I unmask my own scent, feeling it’s more fitting to fight Ember in the same form, and the presence of so many lycans will make it less obvious. With my heart pounding in anticipation, I race toward the source of her scent, my blood singing with the thrill of the impending confrontation.
As I weave through the chaos, arrows whistle past me, but I don’t waste time engaging the shooters. Someone else always takes them down, and I smile, knowing it’s Nickolas protecting me. I push myself to run faster, but a sudden blow to my face sends me stumbling backward, my vision blurring. I shake off the disorientation, focusing on the lycan who grins at me, licking his lips in anticipation.
He lashes out again, but I dodge, my own claws extending as I slash across his chest. A hiss of pain escapes him, his eyes burning with fury.
“To think I thought you would be an easy kill,” he snarls, glancing down at the gaping wound, blood pouring from the deep gashes.
“You thought wrong,” I retort, sweeping his legs out from under him. I pounce on his prone form, my fist connecting with his face, driving his head into the ground with a sickening crunch. Grabbing his hair, I wrench his head from his shoulders, his blood splattering my face and chest. I toss the severed head aside, taking a shuddering breath. It’s my first kill, but the horror I expected to feel doesn’t come.
A scream of agony pierces the air, and I whip my head around, my eyes widening in shock. I don’t hesitate, sprinting toward the source of the cry. There, I find a lycan pinning down another lycan on our side. I seize the attacker by the collar, hurling him to the ground before stomping on his throat and ripping his head off. The thrill of fighting in lycan form is intoxicating, the power coursing through my veins as I’m once again drenched in blood.
“Why?” the woman I saved asks, her voice trembling.
“Because you came,” I reply, a smile tugging at my lips. The woman is the one from the refuge cave who accused me of poisoning them. I am so happy she came and joined us. She must have arrived this morning and encountered the war. Such perfect timing.
I turn to continue my pursuit of ‘her,’ but the woman grabs my hand, stopping me.
“I wouldn’t have done the same for you,” she admits, her eyes filled with a mixture of awe and confusion.
“It doesn’t matter,” I assure her before I take off running in the direction I’m picking up her scent.
Suddenly, a hand fists in my hair, yanking me backward as a fist slams into my face, sending me crashing to the ground. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I roll to the side and struggle to my feet as the lycan aims another blow at my belly.
“Come for me, but not my baby, asshole,” I growl, swinging my claws at the attacker. She dodges, and I aim for her stomach, but she twists away, my claws slicing through empty air.
“It won’t be so easy for you again, werewolf,” she taunts, and I freeze mid-kick, confusion washing over me. My scent is unmasked, so how could she know what I am? Before I can ponder further, a searing pain explodes in my back as an arrow buries itself deep in my flesh.
“Amelia!” Nickolas screams, his voice raw with terror as I stagger forward, the agony radiating through my body.
Through the haze of pain, I watch as Nickolas dispatches the lycan I was fighting earlier. I take a deep breath before moving my hand behind my back, fingers brushing against the blood-slicked arrow. Not allowing myself a moment’s hesitation, I grit my teeth and yank, the barbed arrowhead tearing through muscle and sinew.
White-hot agony lances through me, the world tilting violently as a strangled cry escapes my lips. Warm wetness blooms across my back, rapidly soaking through the fabric of my shirt as my lifeblood begins to pour forth. Nickolas moves toward me after tossing the lycan’s heart to the ground, his face etched with worry as he looks at me.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, even as the Oak Tree venom seeps into my bloodstream, weakening me. I reach out with my mind, checking on our baby, relief flooding me when I sense she’s unharmed.
“Mask your scent now!” Nickolas commands, scooping me into his arms. I comply without hesitation, feeling the effects of the venom lessen as my lycan nature is concealed once more. Nickolas takes off running, his grip on me unyielding.
“No, I haven’t found her,” I protest, trying to make him stop, but he ignores my pleas, heading toward the castle and the underground safe room where the children and non-combatants are sheltered.
Nickolas lowers his mental walls, and I’m overwhelmed by the depth of his emotions. The fear of losing me consumes him, a terror so profound it steals my breath.
“I couldn’t live if you were gone, little one, or if something happened to both of you. I’m sorry, but I have to get you to safety,” he says, his voice cracking with emotion.
Suddenly, he skids to a halt, his body tensing as a figure emerges from the shadows ahead.
“Hello, Nickolas. We finally meet,” Lord Easterlin says, a cruel smile twisting his lips.
“Callum,” Nickolas snarls, his body vibrating with barely contained rage.
“I’m so sorry you had to lose your only remaining family during our last encounter,” Lord Easterlin taunts, his voice dripping with mock sympathy.
“I will keep my promise,” Nickolas vows, his arms tightening around me.
“We shall see about that. Shoot him down!” Lord Easterlin commands and my eyes widen in horror as a hail of arrows streaks toward us.
Nickolas spins around, shielding me with his body as I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the impact. But instead of the sickening thud of arrows finding their mark, I hear the crackling of flames. My eyes fly open to see Alissa standing nearby, a fierce grin on her face as she incinerates the arrows mid-flight.
“What are family for?” she quips, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Thank you,” I breathe before turning to Nickolas. “Go after him,” I urge, holding his gaze. He starts to argue, but I place my hands on his chest, cutting him off.
“I promise to be safe,” I assure him, my voice steady despite the chaos raging around us.
“Amelia,” he whispers, his eyes softening with love and concern.
“Don’t worry about me. I will be safe. Go after him,” I insist, knowing how much Nickolas needs to end this, to avenge his family and protect our future.
“I love you,” he says, capturing my lips in a kiss.
“I love you too,” I reply as we break apart, and he sets me down gently before taking off in pursuit of Lord Easterlin.
The sound of clapping reaches my ears from behind. I spin around, fury erupting inside me like a volcano at the sight of her.
“You two make such a wonderful couple,” Ember says, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
“Ember,” I growl, my body tensing for the fight to come.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” she taunts, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she charges toward me.
I meet her head-on, shifting into my wolf form as I leap at her, my jaws snapping and my claws extended. Today, only one of us will walk away from this battle, and I’m determined to be the one left standing.