This is exactly what the pack wanted, right?
To sacrifice Aurora Sinclair to the demon to appease the dark forces behind its presence and keep the pack safe.
Then why do my fists curl at my sides, my pulse racing when the demon flashes a horrifying set of onyx talons that glisten with menace under the moonlight?
It’s about to kill her, but this is what we wanted.
Deep within my being, a nagging sense of protection and possession that feels almost ridiculous washes over me, my inner wolf clawing in the confines of my subconscious to be letout. When I permit it to come to the surface, I yell out Aurora’s name in warning.
“Aurora! Watch out!” I roar, my inner wolf springing out from the confines of my being to crack my human bones into its mightier structure. When I’m in wolf form, I charge toward the demon, acting only on impulse, throwing logic to the wind to fight the creature and save Aurora’s life.
It’s a life that should have been sacrificed for the safety of the Snehvolk Pack—a life that was worthless as the lowly omega of the pack. Discardable, disposable omega, Aurora Sinclair, is about to be killed by the demon. But something deep within my being won’t allow it to happen, and my inner wolf is furious.
Distending my claws from my front paws, I kick my weight onto my heels, springing forward and leaping for the demon. My agile wolf skillfully swipes a set of sharp talons at the demon’s contorted face, but my paw flies through a cloud of black smoke when it barks in retaliation. The strange distortion of its face takes me aback momentarily as I try to figure out how to take it down.
It isn’t just a physical being, but one that’s able to switch between its physical mutt-like body and tap into an apparitional spirit.
I quickly glance at Aurora, who is already spreading out her fingers as lilac light beams from her palms. She’s preparing to do what she did just now, gathering some ethereal power into her hands. Even my inner wolf is left dumbfounded when the celestial light spreads to her fingertips. She looks up and meets my wolf eyes, equally as perplexed, with furrowed brows.
I have no idea what’s going on, but there’s an innate knowing that whatever she’s about to do, it’s going to work. Only that chromatic lilac light shimmering in her palms touched thedemon’s physical form and left a mark—something my wolf can’t do.
Nodding my wolf head as if to encourage her, Aurora’s caramel-brown eyes lighten with flecks of purple circling her irises before her nostrils flare when she inhales sharply. The strength she draws from meeting my encouraging nod is enough for her to raise her hands and send shots of luminescent light at the demon.
It whimpers and squeals, eyes radiating chagrin in their catastrophic chasms of endless black with a murderous glint as its reflexes send it rapidly swaying and reeling back. The strange light in Aurora’s palms fizzles out, and I hear her sigh with exhaustion. My wolf’s instinct kicks into gear again, this time to slide across the snow just in time to catch her body on my furry back.
“Grab on to me!”I yell out through the mind link, making a brief mental note that this is the first time my wolf has spoken to her telepathically. Her fingers thread through the fur on my nape, and a biting tug on the roots signals that she’s holding on tightly.
Glancing at the demon, which gathers its composure, spitting out a burst of gray mucus to the side as its nose leaks with black blood, I know I have to be quick. I kick my hind legs against the snow, aiming for the northwest direction of the valley.
It’s the fastest way toward Hope, the small mining town on the opposite side of the hiking trail. With Aurora secured on my back, I race through the forest, heading toward safety while the demon screeches and growls behind us.
I have to be fast, relying on my instincts to weave through the forest and navigate the hidden pathways in the hope thatI can outrun the demon. My ears thump with the adrenaline coursing through my veins, my wolf intuitively cutting through the closely knitted arrangement of trees until we’re at the northern border of the stream that flows into the river.
Without looking back, I leap over the river, far from the bridge we usually use when we’re traveling from Girdwood to Hope. There’s no time for a pause, and my wolf desperately wants to get us to safety.
On my back, I can feel every inch of Aurora’s body spread out across me, her natural heat igniting every blade of soft, white fur and fueling the aching need to keep her safe, to protect her. I can hear the demon whooshing forward as it floats with speed across the snow-covered ground, but I know I can’t lead it back to Girdwood, where my pack awaits the impending sacrifice of the omega.
Apart from the dangers of leading the demon to the pack amid an attack, it’s the pack itself I’m more concerned about. The elders are awaiting my return with the chosen sacrifice, and my people are riding on the hope that the sacrifice will maintain their safety.
My wolf won’t allow me to see the sacrifice through. That’s why I’m sprinting toward Hope, my wolf wanting nothing more than to protect the she-wolf who rides my back through the night. I’d just impulsively saved her, my wolf taking the reins to protect her at all costs.
It must be because she’s a Snehvolk wolf, and I swore to protect every member of the pack when I took the mantle of alpha and leader on my eighteenth birthday. I am an honorable alpha, consoling my logical mind with the knowledge that I would have done the same if anyone else were in her shoes.
Pushing the intrusive thoughts aside, we round the mountains, and the small mining town of Hope brings hope along with it. I can sense the evil chase of the demon retreating to the shadows when the heavy scent of humans fills the air.
The distinct odor of a variety of body oils and bacteria is usually repulsive, perceptible to assist in recognizing the presence of the measly beings and telling them apart from werewolves and other supernatural beings. Because of their lowered body temperatures and laughable metabolisms, they’re unable to combat bacteria that sets them apart from the shifters. Right now, the suffocating smell signals safety, and once we’re in the clearing of the forest adjoining Hope, I slow down my steps and glance over my shoulder.
The demon is nowhere to be seen, but we’re not entirely out of danger. Heading back to Girdwood just before the onset of dawn is perilous. It’s still out there in the forest, hiding, waiting for the she-wolf who would have been its next meal.
I set my sights on the closest building—a brick-faced structure with thick varnished logs holding up a thatched roof—and trot toward it. When we’re at the back, I stop and sink onto the heels of my hind legs to nudge Aurora to climb off. She lands on her feet, and I can shift into human form.
Turning to her, I notice the malicious glint in her narrowed eyes, the usually soft, warm depths of caramel dark and slightly unnerving. By the way her chest heaves uncontrollably, I can tell that she’s still running on the fumes of the adrenaline that had her wielding the strange power from her hands.
I have so many questions, like how she was able to do that when werewolves do not possess such mystic powers. It’s unheard of. Our power lies in our ability to shift, our heightenedsenses in wolf form, our speed and agility, or our magnificent size against most other creatures.
Could it be that her grandmother was right? Were the old woman’s ramblings correct all along?
No one believed her. Not when Aurora’s mother died in childbirth when she gave birth to Aurora. Is the omega really a descendant of an ancient tribe with mystic pagan powers?
