Chapter 109
When all of my senses were blocked; it was the emotions I felt. They were at their rawest; churning seas of rage and disgust,
boiling lakes of hatred and desperation. Those festering, poisonous emotions bubbled beneath my skin, picking and scratching
as they fought past my control.
Floating in that darkness, with nothing but those carnal emotions guiding my thoughts; I couldn’t remember why I was holding
them back in the first place; why I shied away from what I could do.
My powers weren’t beautiful or inspiring, they were blunt and vicious. Unashamed of the d***h and destruction they could cause.
No matter how dark my abilities were, there was this voice in the back of my head that told me only brutality would win this war;
only rage would end Marcus Novak’s life.
As those last shreds of fear and shame left my mind, I unleashed the hail storm of emotions on the guards that had invoked
them. I wished more than anything I could give them the full scope of my anger, my desperation to help these wolves; but I could
not. That kind of anger could split the world, could crack it wide open. That kind of anger was already reserved for someone
special.
I could see their faces in my mind, mixed in with those of Marcus’s men. The white wolves; the men, women, and children that
were used for their power. Lives deemed less than and tossed aside in the pursuit for more power. They begged for help, for
someone with enough power and control to rival Marcus; to care enough to force change.
I wasn’t sure when I had begun feeding from the life forces of Marcus’s men, but their strength washed over me in waves of
electrifying energy. They sharpened my vision until everything seemed almost too clear, too saturated.
My vision came back in pieces, flashes of images purely driven by this feral rage. It rippled over my skin, almost shimmering like
heatwaves as I darted through the brush and trees, right into the center of the men’s camp.
“Don’t touch her.” Alec’s snarl was a mere afterthought, background chatter as I flung myself at the men. “She has no control
over what she’s doing right now. It’s better we stay out of her way and let her finish. We’ll step in if need be.”
“Something tells me it won’t be necessary.” Kade murmured, and if I had been paying attention, I would have heard the awe in
his voice. “Feel how enraged she is? They won’t be able to lay a finger on her.”
There were six in total, four of which had been rolling around in agony the moment I sent those festering emotions loose. The
two that had managed to remain on their feet, they were as rotten as Marcus was. Truly devoid of any humanity that might make
them cower at the devastation wrought.
I charged at the two first, noting how any surprise only lasted a fraction of a second as it crossed their faces. Only to be replaced
by cruel anticipation and excitement.
The one on the left, lanky with thick ribbons of muscle along his arms and shoulders, pulled a pistol from his waist band. I could
hear the click and see the flicker of metal as the moonlight caught its surface.
Not only could I see the confidence brimming in his eyes, I could feel it.
He was expecting me to hesitate, to cower as he pointed a gun between my eyes. Trusting my instincts was something I had
done countless times as a human. It was what kept me from being harassed by Frank or manipulated by Melissa. Following it
now was easier than ever.
Even with the gun pointed at my head, I charged. I watched as the vein in his neck bulged, and his emotions shifted from
confident to unsure. It was then that I ducked, just as an explosion of heat and gunpowder rang out. Despite it being so close to
me, the sound had as much impact as an insufferable fly would.
Before I could get my hands on the man that had nearly shot my head off, I felt the grimy touch of the second. His rough
fingertips met the skin of my shoulder for mere seconds, and the revulsion that blasted through me seemed to have more of an
impact than I thought.
For whatever reason, my arms flew out at my sides. An instinctual movement that felt righter than anything else. The warmth and
unbridled energy I had been stealing from the men, it rushed through me. It crackled and snapped, like lightning beneath my
skin.
I knew in that moment; I had a choice. I could let the energy out, let it escape into the world under my command. Or, I could snuff
it out. There was no hesitation on my end, the weakness burned away by the truth of what Marcus was doing.
The two men who had managed to withstand the vile emotions I sent their way were blasted back in opposite directions,
swallowed by the darkness of the forest.
I could hear branches snapping, some larger and louder than others as they both were shoved back through the forest. Only
when they both landed, and the sounds of insects and animals returned, did I blink and back away from the damage.
I felt Alec behind me before I turned to meet his eyes. He didn’t bother pulling me into his arms, knowing that I currently felt like a
d**n live wire. My skin was tingling, electrified by the energy I had consumed. I rubbed at my arms, trying to chase away the odd
sensation.
“Let me guess, you’re going to ask me what I was thinking running in there like that.” I mumbled, taking in the carnage that was
their campsite.
Beer cans littered the ground along with burnt chunks of wood. Embers still burned in various places, scattered from the blast
that sent both men careening backwards. Backpacks with clothes and other various items were all over the ground, along with
the unconscious bodies of Marcus’s men.
“Actually, I was going to ask if you’re alright.” He smirked, and despite how shaken and amped up I felt, he managed to take
some of the weight from my shoulders.
Halfway through my feral take down of these men, I decided that I would no longer fear what I could do. I would use it
responsibly and never to shove my power down the throats of others. Not only that, but I would no longer hesitate to use it if it
meant freeing the white wolves and taking down Marcus.
“Honestly, I feel incredible.” I admitted, letting out a whoosh of breath. It was horrible to admit considering I had almost k****d six
men, but it was the truth. Their energy filled my cells with strength, pouring adrenaline and life into my veins. “I guess–I guess I
just surprised myself.”
I stumbled into Alec as Kade and Dex emerged from the forest, followed by Carson and Tori. Tori propped Carson against a tree
and brushed herself off. Carson glanced around at the damage, forced to sit on the side lines since she was still healing. I didn’t
miss the look of respect in her eyes, nor what happened when Alec and I touched.
The small gasp that left his lips, too quiet and insignificant for anyone other than myself to hear, was followed by the crackle of
energy as it danced from my skin to his.
“One of the men you sent flying into the forest is d**d, impaled on a broken tree limb.” Dex huffed, and I swore there was just a
hint of smugness to his voice. I couldn’t blame the emotion considering there were so many others who had lost much more to
Marcus. “The rest are fucked up, but they’ll live.”
“Didn’t pick up any other scents nearby. This must have been the first batch of men sent out. ” Kade said to the five of us.
“Should be safe to head out now.”
“You could have saved us a lot of time just doing that from the beginning, kid.” Dex shook his head, not at all angry with how
things had turned out. He ran a hand over his head and glanced around at the fallen men. When his eyes met mine, they weren’t
wary or afraid, but hopeful. “There’s not an army that wouldn’t fall should you go up against them.”
“Let’s hope I can manage it on a larger scale.” I cleared my throat, shifting uncomfortably under the attention. “I didn’t exactly
have control over myself just now.”
“You just need to figure out how to trigger it–which it seems you just did.” Dex responded gruffly, “Now you gotta see how far you
can extend it without hurting yourself. Something tells me with an ability like that, you wouldn’t want to over use it. Let’s get the
h**l out of here, I have to work harder to cover our scents now that we’ve been here so long.”
I trailed between the twin’s, beside Tori, who looked a bit worse for wear. Her clothes and hair were covered in dried mud, and I
knew she’d need help brushing out those tangles. Even in the midst of my rage, I hadn’t forgotten what the men said about
Zayne. I don’t think I’d ever forget a word they had said.
“He finally decided to stand up to Marcus.”‘ I told Tori, keeping my voice low. The others could hear easily, but it at least gave us
the illusion of privacy. “I’m guessing something you said finally worked its way through his thick skull.”
“He finally listens to me, and takes it as the go ahead to run back to Marcus.” Tori snorted, my comment breaking up some of the
tension in her emotions. “It’s not like it changes anything, anyway. Even if he manages to survive all of this, he’ll never accept
me.”
“I can’t understand why, though.” I sighed, unable to help myself as Tori’s emotions flitted over me one by one. It seemed taking
the energy from so many people amplified my other abilities. I couldn’t ignore her emotions, or the toll they had on my own. I
found myself frustrated for her, at my wits over a man who isn’t even my mate. “I’ve never been able to get a read on his
emotions, or Marcus’s.”
“Do you think it’s another white wolf blocking your powers?” She asked curiously, but it was something I had already thought of
before.
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head, “I think it’s because neither one actually feel much of anything. They have such a tight grip on
their emotions, especially Marcus. Just recently, Zayne’s hold on his emotions cracked. You were the one who caused it,
actually.”
Tori hesitated, wide eyed as she stared ahead. I wondered if my gift truly gave me the upper hand, or if Tori truly was oblivious to
how affected Zayne was by her.
“It was me?” She scoffed, pressing her lips tightly together. She was silent for a few moments, but I could feel her curiosity
building just beneath her surprise. “If I loosened his hold, does that mean you were able to get a read on him?”
I lifted an eyebrow at her, grinning as her lips widened into a genuine smile. I hadn’t erased the worry or stress, but these
moments of normalcy were all that kept us from losing ourselves to the violence and savagery of our world.
“You clearly p**s him off more than anybody else. It doesn’t take magic to see that.” I chuckled, but continued. “I wasn’t able to
get anything specific, but I can feel the bond between you two, and I know that it affects him. The more it pulls him towards you,
the bigger the a*****e he is.”
We walked unbothered for another three hours. On the second hour, buttery light began to pour through the trees. It brought
warmth and the scent of sunlight and dew.
At a seemingly random point in our hike, Dex stopped and lifted his nose to smell the air. The muscles on his chest contracted,
and he nodded, satisfied with whatever he smelled.
“This is where we leave you four.” He said with a firm nod, eyes strong and brighter than they had been.
“Wait–what?” I stammered, “I thought you two were supposed to escort us to the drop off point.”
“This is the drop off point, kid.” Dex chuckled, gesturing to the trees that surrounded us. “Where you’re going, you’ll find you got
some enemies in common. Security is tight there, so there’s some rules you got to follow before being let in.”
“What do we have to do?” I asked, more than ready to press forwards. If I had to run headfirst into this to bring change, then so
be it.
“Keep heading this way another half mile. You’ll exit the forest onto a paved road. This is the important part. Get on the road and
stay there, don’t move. Believe me, it won’t take them long to come collect you.” Dex nodded at the four of us, choosing to
approach me. He held a large hand out, nearly three times the size of my own. I felt like a child gripping his hand, but did so
anyway when he gave me a smile that held that flicker of hope. “You might have some mixed feelings about your abilities,
considering you grew up a human and all, but there are thousands of us who have been waiting for you.”
Dex shook the twin’s hands next, and even Tori’s. The most we managed from Carson was a sharp goodbye. She flashed me
the smallest of smiles before leaving, which was as odd as could be on a face as stern as hers. It made her look younger, less
burdened by whatever she carried with her. As the two of them left, heading back the way we came to divert any oncoming
trouble, I could feel her gratefulness in her emotions. It was a thank you in her own kind of way.
We arrived at a slim paved road shortly after leaving Dex and Carson. Even the twin’s felt at odds with being so exposed,
standing in the center of a deserted road. We listened with ears peeled for the sounds of cars coming. What we hadn’t expected,
were to hear dozens of tree’s shaking, their leaves rattling and branches groaning.
One by one, men and women dropped from the tree tops. On all sides they continued to fall, until we were surrounded.
“Wait–” I told the twin’s, just as I felt them ready to a****k. Dozens of emotions rushed through me, each one tethered to the
werewolves that stood around us. They were peaceful, happy, hopeful even. There was nothing dark within their emotions,
nothing that would lead me to believe they meant us harm. I looked at each one, reading the light in their eyes. “They won’t hurt
us.”
The crowd of werewolves parted to let a woman through, her skin a dark shade of ebony. Chocolate braids hung down her back,
the color matched the intensity in her eyes. I could feel the confidence radiating from her, and knew that this woman was a force
to be reckoned with.
“I am glad to see you’ve all made it in one piece. That is a relief.” She greeted the four of us like long lost friends, her smile
dazzling. “I trust that Dex and Carson made it as well?”
“They did. They actually circled back around to divert anyone else that might’ve been following.” I assured her, “Not that we don’t
appreciate refuge in your pack, but who are you?”
“My name is Athena, and this is not my pack.” She smirked softly, turning back to look further down the road. In the distance, I
could hear the hum of vehicles approaching. “Actually, that should be them now. They insisted on meeting you here themselves.”
A single SUV approached, and pulled over on the small shoulder of the road. Some part of me had hoped to see Jaspar, or even
his daughter. Any sign that their lives hadn’t been taken. Nonetheless, I was equally surprised to see the golden hair of Alpha
Isaiah and Luna Mera as they stepped out from the vehicle.