Defiance: The Hybrid's Tale

Adam Wick.

Hundreds of paws thundered through the forest as we made our way to the edge of our territory. From the scout reports, Warrick and his army had made camp there. The day had finally arrived. Deep down, I shuddered at the thought of losing any of my fellow pack members. The war was going to be bloody. And if the deranged warlock had anything to say about it, he’d wipe Shadowdale off the map to prove to the magical community they needed to fear him.

“How many?” I asked Tyson who oversaw the scout reports. We were nearing the clearing where the two armies would face each other.

Tyson vaulted over a fallen tree trunk. ”Over two hundred—mostly rogues under the control of blood witches and a dozen Shadowhunters, at least.”

A growl escaped my maw just thinking about them. Undead assassins... Vampires who specialized in killing off magical creatures or, in rare cases, their clients paid them to abduct people for experimentation and slavery.

“Maisie?” I called out to her over the mind-link.

A few seconds passed before she answered with a huff. ”What is it?” I would have snapped at her for being bitchy, but I knew Tyson pissed her off by keeping her from the battlefield. She wanted to fight alongside her mate, but Tyson told her to protect her brother. Nathan was still in the clinic.

“How’s he doing?”

“The same as an hour ago,” she replied grumpily. ”Is there something else?”

I came to a stop at the end of the forest’s tree line. I watched on as hundreds of warriors and spell casters worked together in setting up a temporary camp. “I need you to stay vigilant. We have Shadowhunters on the battlefield and we can’t say for certain that they won’t try to branch off to kill Nathan while he’s not able to defend himself.”

Maisie chuckled and said, ”Don’t matt your fur over it. If they’re foolish enough to show their fangs near my face, I’ll rip them apart.”

“Don’t underestimate them.”

“We won’t,” Maisie replied. “Just focus on kicking the old fart into the dirt where he belongs. Nathan won’t be happy if you get killed because you are worried about him. Aveny and I are more than capable of dealing with them.”

We walked amongst the tents on our way toward the command post where my dad and the Supreme had gathered. Before we entered the tent, we shifted back to human form. A guard rummaged through a bag and threw us both a pair of shorts. We quickly pulled them over our bare asses before the wondering eyes of a few witches popped out of their heads.

I moved the flap aside that covered the entrance of the tent and entered. In the middle of the tent stood a group of people: my father, the Supreme, Nathaniel, Cassandra, Victoria, and Alex. They were busy planning the battle tactics they were going to use against the sick bastard and his army of fleabags.

“I want one witch, or warlock teamed up with four warriors to offer support if they run into anything more nasty than a rogue,” my dad said while scratching his scruffy beard. “I want snipers on the cliff overlooking the battlefield to pick off any fool trying to sneak through our defenses...” My father carried on like this for the next hour until he finished planning our defensive response.

“How long do we have?” I asked, glaring at the map. I doubted that the old fool would wait long before he sent in his forces.

The Supreme picked up a glass of water and gulped it down. “Until night falls, most likely. Scouts have reported increased activity to the north. They’re coming.”

***

Another full moon flooded the clearing, illuminating the field that would soon play host to a bloody and vicious battle. Deep down, I feared for my fellow pack members. They were battling a deranged asshole who wanted to exterminate them for being lower than him. I scoffed. Arrogant asshole... I turned to Tyson, who stood next to me. His eyes were firmly fixed on the tree line, waiting for the enemy to make their appearance.

“Afraid?” I asked Tyson through the mind-link.

My friend turned to me and said, “Would you think less of me if I said yes?” His hands were trembling next to his hips.

“No,” I replied honestly. “Who wouldn’t be? We’ve never faced a crazy warlock bent on ruling the supernatural world before.”

“Do you think we’ll make it out alive?” Tyson’s question hit me in the chest.

Would we? For the first time since the scouts informed us that Nathan’s crazy-ass grandfather appeared at our border, it never occurred to me it could be our last night on this earth. My mind wandered to Nathan. Would I ever be able to kiss him again? To feel his touch on my skin again?

I shook my head and glared off into the darkened forest. Fuck them. I wasn’t going to die. Not by their hands.

Too soon, our enemies emerged from the forest in their hundreds. Slowly they came to a halt a dozen yards away from us, snarling and growling up a storm that send shivers down my spine. Red-eyed and foaming at the mouth, the rogues settled their murderous eyes onto us. I’ve never seen so many rogues before. Hell, I’ve never battled so many before. We only dealt with a dozen at once before.

Before I could lose my nerve, (Yes, even I was scared to the bones for what was about to happen,) my father strutted out of the crowd and turned his back on the mauling masses as if they didn’t bother him one bit. His hardened eyes scanned our faces before he began speaking.

“I know you’re all afraid—who wouldn’t be?” My father puffed out his chest while he swung both of his hands behind his back. “But do not let the enemy get to you. You are warriors! Trained and hardened to face more than just a bunch of mindless mutts. So steel yourself.”

Several snarls rang out across the battlefield. The rogues barely held back their itch to tear us apart; their taloned paws digging up dirt as they raked the earth beneath their paws. However, my father didn’t spare them a glance.

“Fuck! Your father’s a badass!” Tyson snickered across the mind-link.

It was true. His defiance in the face of death seemed to strengthen the pack. Even Bane snarled out, eager to rip the scum apart. For once in my life, I was grateful that my dad was still in charge of the pack. I would have failed miserably if I was in his shoes and I wasn’t afraid to admit it.

“Rely on your training, your fellow pack members, and trust that the moon goddess will give us the strength to wipe these stains off the surface of the planet!”

A thunderous applause erupted from the ranks. I even joined in, whistling to my father’s speech.

“How pathetic...” a loud voice pierced the air, silencing the crowd. “A whimsical speech delivered from the mouth of a foolish Alpha who will soon lay dead at my feet.”

A tall, disfigured man stepped out of the sea of rogues. A group of warlocks and witches surrounded him. Fuck, my lunch! My stomach turned when I saw the old geezer. Half of his face was melted. He reminded me of Two Face from Batman. Half of his hair was burned off, allowing the gleam of moonlight to bounce off his reddish scalp. The grotesque man wore a black robe adorned with shrunken skulls. Most likely the skulls from his victims.

My dad turned around to face the man and said, “You must be Warrick.”

“The one and only,” He chuckled while bowing, most likely to mock my old man. “The last face you’ll see before you die tonight.” His bloodshot eyes scanned over us, and then he continued. “So where is the little runt hiding? I would have thought he’d meet his death with dignity.”

A growl escaped my lips, which drew the scumbag’s eyes. A sneer cut into his scarred face. “Oh, look at here... my grandson found himself another mutt to sully my bloodline with.” His amusement disappeared in a drop of a cough. “Don’t worry, baby Alpha. I’ll make him watch as I rip out your heart.”

A rip-splitting roar ripped from my dad’s lips as he thundered down upon his enemy. The rest of the pack followed him into battle. My legs sprung into action. I rushed up to the advancing rogues, watching as the old fucker retreated into the forest. No doubt, he thought, he didn’t need to enter the fray. We would show the fucker what happened to our enemies when they foolishly entered our territory.

The first rogue that I met, I tore their throat out. The next fool, I snapped their neck, working my way toward the forest with a couple of witches following my back. Fire and lighting flashed across the battlefield, turning the rogues to dust.

“Here we come, you foolish old man.”