“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” I chanted in my head like a mantra, using it to stave off the overwhelming terror. As I raced through the forest, the snarls and snaps of nearby wolves echoed around me. The thick coppery scent in the air needed no explanation.
Fear gripped me so tightly I wanted to flee this town and never look back. But Ethan and Kieran kept me here, driving me toward danger instead of away from it.
Pain radiated through my torso, so intense it felt like a wound. The thought of one of the twins being hurt spurred me on, pushing me forward despite the aching, gnawing pain in my limbs and muscles. The fleeting sense of freedom from shifting was gone, crushed by terror and desperation.
In that moment, I realized a mate-bond was as much a weakness as a strength. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to end this and have the twins safe with me. It was a horrifying thought-I was willing to risk innocent lives, even those of my friends, just to protect Ethan and Kieran. I would set the world on fire for them, and that realization terrified me.
The snapping and snarling behind me signaled Jake and Justin’s approach. Ethan and Kieran had explained a ceremony that would connect my mind to the pack, allowing me to communicate with anyone at any time. They had delayed it to give me more time to adjust, a decision I now regretted.
I couldn’t call out to them or hear their voices. I needed to hear them, to know they were safe. Without that reassurance, I wasn’t thinking about consequences, only about Ethan and Kieran.
I didn’t care about being a white wolf or having abilities. What good were they if I couldn’t protect those I loved most?
A dull pain shot up my hind leg as Jake lunged at me. I could sense their emotions as if they were my own, knowing they weren’t trying to harm me but were terrified for my safety. They were fiercely protective, and I silently apologized for what I was about to do.
I gathered my strength, thankful that Silver was on board with my plan. She shared my blood-curdling desperation, my horrifying willingness to do whatever it took to keep Ethan and Kieran safe. Desperation and fear can drive people to unspeakable or incredible acts.
Just as Jake lunged again, I darted to the side, sending him crashing into a tree. Justin, gaining speed, tried to flank me, but I skidded to a near-stop, causing him to roll and nearly take out a telephone pole. It wasn’t much, but it gave me enough time to get ahead.
I was close to the twins’ house, just minutes down the main road. Charging down Main Street, I passed the shops I once wandered through, now deserted. Cars were abandoned everywhere, some stopped at red lights.
Soon the shops gave way to houses. I thought I saw lights in a few, but I couldn’t be sure. Ethan and Kieran must have had a safety plan in place. They had mentioned rogue attacks happened occasionally, and I hoped this was one of those times.
Fear twisted in my gut as the sounds of battle grew louder. This was nothing like the movies where heroes clearly stood out. Here, wolves snapped and snarled, blood and fur littered the ground, and I couldn’t tell friend from foe.
As I darted toward the end of the road, turning into a less populated area under construction, I glanced back to see Jake and Justin trailing behind. Ahead, the battle raged, a chaotic mess of wolves, blood, and destruction.
I had no clue how to defend myself, yet I didn’t hesitate. The emotions around me-anger, hatred, fear, desperation, agony, longing, loss, love-assaulted my mind, stripping me to my core. Physical pain was nothing compared to this soul-deep agony.
My breaths came in wheezing pants, my gait faltering. “Control it, Sophia,” Silver snapped, more demanding and forceful than ever. “Do it for Ethan and Kieran. Use their emotions to make you stronger.”
Easier said than done, but I let Silver take control, shoving those overwhelming emotions deep down. It gave me a few minutes of clarity, but too late, I realized my mistake.
“Sophia, get back here,” Silver’s voice was low, warning of danger.
As I returned to my senses, I realized we had been noticed. Not by a few, but by everyone. Hundreds of eyes turned our way, halting the fight. They waited for me to act, expecting some power from a white wolf. If only they knew how useless I felt.
Five long seconds passed before the fighting resumed, the snapping and snarling like war cannons in my ears.
This was different. The fighting had changed. Now, I could pinpoint the rogues among the pack. Their eyes burned with a crazed light, and their fur looked dirty and unkempt, longer and shaggier than that of the other wolves. Many of those crazed eyes were fixed on me, making me their target. My white fur, glowing in the moonlight, was a beacon, drawing both the good and the bad. Everyone wanted a piece.
I was no longer the rescuer; I was the one in need of rescue. Everywhere I turned, a rogue charged at me. They didn’t harm me, but they were relentless in trying to bring me down. I thanked whatever higher power might be listening for my speed and stealth as I maneuvered through the battlefield, dodging and weaving through the chaos.
Just as I evaded a rogue with long auburn fur, something hard slammed into my side. A yelp escaped my muzzle as I hit the ground, dirt and grass flying around me. I managed to flip onto my belly, staring straight into the mouth of one of the rogues. Saliva dribbled from its jaws, its rancid breath fanning over my face. Its long tongue flicked out, swiping over its snout as it stalked toward me.
They didn’t want to kill me; they wanted to capture me. Not a single rogue had tried to kill me-only to knock me down or render me unconscious. Were white wolves truly so rare that anyone would want one? Or was there a deeper purpose to this battle? Was it because of me?
My desperate prayers were answered when a rush of fierce protectiveness washed through me, shattering every barrier I had erected. The emotions of every wolf around me surged forward with full force. I was consumed by the agony and pain of my surroundings, drowning in fear and desperation. I was a rogue, bloodthirsty and desperate. I was a warrior, terrified for my life and my family. I was a friend, a sibling, an enemy, a lover. I was on both sides, yet neither, surrounded by carnage and engulfed within it.
It was the towering form of a midnight-black wolf that pulled me from my confusion. Dark eyes burned with a raging fire, making unease settle beneath my skin.
‘Oh, he’s pissed,’ Silver said tersely.
From my place on the ground, I watched Kieran knock the rogue off its feet. I felt my stomach sour and bile rise in my throat as his long teeth sank into the rogue’s flesh. Pain exploded across my neck and shoulder, and I swore I was dying along with the putrid rogue. I felt each spurt of blood as if it were my own and knew the exact moment the rogue departed this world.
Kieran gripped my scruff gently, pulling me to my feet. I wobbled for a few moments before regaining my balance. Kieran had saved me, but it wasn’t enough. We were losing this battle. So many lives were lost on the field, a painful ache settling in my chest as I hoped this fight wasn’t my fault. How could I live with myself knowing I caused this? The pain refused to budge.
The rogues were closing in, circling Kieran and me with hungry eyes. Countless wolves put themselves between us and the rogues, protecting us with their lives. Just as a golden wolf with matted fur leaped toward me, another midnight-black wolf appeared.
Relief, pure and sweet, burst through my chest. Ethan should’ve taken down the rogue with ease, but it took him a few moments to gain the upper hand. I saw why as soon as I noticed his wounds-blood matted his fur along his hip and thigh, fresh blood oozing from jagged punctures.
It didn’t surprise me that Ethan refused to retreat. Both twins were horrifically stubborn, loyal and honorable to a fault. They would never leave their pack to fend for themselves. They would fight to the bitter end, and I realized I would do the same.
I could feel the twins’ pain with each life lost, but never sensed fear from them. They weren’t afraid of violence or death. It was the twins who gave me the courage to face the ugly, disgusting emotions eating away at my soul.
I gathered every thought, every emotion-fear, desperation, anxiety, horror, hatred, anger, love. I let it all fester within me. The burst of energy that coursed through me was so intense, I let out an earth-shattering howl. My howl filled the night, echoed through the trees, and delved deep into the forest. Every inch of my body felt like it was being electrocuted.
All those ugly emotions exploded from within me, washing over the blood-soaked battlefield. Everything seemed to happen at once. Nearly every rogue dropped to the ground. Howls, whimpers, and yelps of absolute terror filled the air, sounding like an entire battlefield of dying animals, all screaming out into the night.
The feeling was intoxicating, completely consuming. The emotions poured from me, coming from a deep well that knew no end. I lashed out at every rogue, infusing my own pain and fear into the mix. I let them taste it all-the pain and terror of the warriors they killed, the mourning their families would endure, the heartbreak their mates would experience.
Many rogues writhed on the ground, while others retreated into the forest. Some lashed out at themselves, doing anything to end their own lives.
I was caught in this power-fueled haze when the sound of hundreds of wolves howling filled the air. These wolves sounded united, full of life and purpose.
“Sweetheart, can you hear us?”
“We need you to stop, doll. Stop what you’re doing and come back to us.”
It was Ethan and Kieran’s voices that pulled me from the well of emotions I had submerged myself in. It was like a wall within me had been obliterated, completely dismantled into the smallest shreds of rubble. On the other side of that wall was power, pure and unfiltered, holding the potential for incredible greatness. A power that could end wars and conquer civilizations.
As Ethan and Kieran pulled me away from the sea of power, overwhelming fatigue settled in my bones. The well of emotions within me had run dry, leaving me dazed and confused. I couldn’t pinpoint my own emotions, much less anyone else’s.
The world around me pitched and swayed, the blood-soaked earth looming uncomfortably close. The last thing I felt before the moon vanished and darkness consumed me was the comforting sparks dancing along my body.