Fear trickles down my spine and settles in my gut, churning my stomach and threatening to have me wrenching over my knees. But I can’t lose focus on the demon. I have to protect myself, even if I’m entranced by my fearful, mesmerized state.
Gulping hard, a low rumble in the pit of my belly erupts, heating that spot between my thighs that first signaled the onset of my heat. Even as the demon’s wide eyes train on me, its slow movements putting doubt in my mind, I get an idea.
Despite the pack wanting to sacrifice me to appease the malign being and protect themselves, it doesn’t seem to make any attempt to kill me. It could if it wanted to. I’ve heard all about a demon’s unmatched speed and how it’s able to swiftly tear off limbs from its prey. But this one doesn’t make any attempt to rush, watching me keenly with a silver glint in its eyes as if it’s taken some interest in me.
Whatever it is, it gives me enough time to think fast, to use the heat of my reproductive system and focus it elsewhere—on my palms, where I should be using the powers of my maternal bloodline. Tearing my gaze from the demon, my face contorts with concentration as I stare at my palms and feel the first stirrings of my heat vibrating through my veins.
I gasp in shock and awe when the lines mapping my palms light up in a soft shade of lilac, the power of my heat climbing into my hands. My latent witch ability seems to be stirring, and my temples pulse as I focus on that power that gives me a sudden jolt of intuition.
The demon dog hasn’t found me as a sacrifice for the Snehvolk Pack. It’s sauntering forward with keen interest in my dormant witch powers.
That’s what it wants.
And that’s what it’s going to get.
A gust of courage spreads through my veins, and I look up just as the demon steps over the stony threshold of the cave’s entrance. A sense of fearlessness compels me to lift my hands asI harness my wolf’s heat into bursts of lightning bolts directed at the demon.
“Goddess!” I exclaim in surprise at my own sudden ability, watching as the demon dog nimbly dodges the attack by swaying backward, but not without a thin bolt of forked lilac lightning striking a cheek. It whimpers in protest, the sound bordering on anguish and anger when black, slimy liquid oozes from the gash.
So, the demon bleeds.
Somehow, that information amplifies my courage, allowing me to stand up on my feet as another round of energy works its way into my palms. This time, it’s stronger, setting my heart alight with determination as I take a bold step forward and aim my palms at the demon.
“Take this, you ugly beast!” Even my voice is more imposing, stronger now that I’ve unearthed my hidden witch gift that allows me to shoot purple fire from the core of my wolf’s feminine heat. I’m about to mentally send a bolt its way when a sound enters my right eardrum, and my concentration becomes scattered.
Impulsively turning toward the crunching sound, I’m taken aback by the pair of glowing hazel eyes that stare back at me, equally as shocked by what he must have witnessed just now. Elias McGruff’s jaw drops, and he stands unmoving near a snow-capped fern bush.
“Elias…”
“Aurora…”
We breathe each other’s names in tandem, but all I see is his mouth moving on the three syllables. Momentarily startled,I couldn’t believe that he caught up to me in the valley or found me in the first place.
Unfortunately for me, the distraction of seeing Alpha Elias here is to my detriment, but to the demon’s advantage. A sharp, metallic snap of its teeth zaps my head in its direction just as it lifts onto its hind legs that float on the ground, distending gruesome black, whetted talons from its front paws as it prepares to attack.
The demon lunges for me, claws slicing through the air as acrid saliva shoots from between its teeth. My heart stops beating, and there’s a tiny part of me that remains only mildly aware that Alpha Elias is close by. He’s about to witness my demise, but it’s exactly what he wanted—to sacrifice me to the demon.
I close my eyes defeatedly, the weight of the surrender to my fate dimming my powers. It’s not like I have much control over them since it’s my first time using the gift of my witch heritage. I don’t know how to throw lightning bolts again, and truthfully, knowing the Alpha is here to see the sacrifice through is what dampens my spirit.
It’s for the greater good of the Snehvolk Pack, I think, as a last-ditch attempt to accept my fate. It’s not much of a consolation when I never fit in with that very same pack, treated with hostility as if I was at fault for even being born; it was never a pack I truly belonged in.
What difference does it make that I’m about to die? No one will care, and life will continue as before, with the pack safe now that I’ll be sacrificed to the demon. Taking one final breath, I feel the heaviness of the malignant being envelop me, keeping me pinned to the spot without a flicker of willingness to fight.
“Aurora! Watch out!” Elias’s voice bleats through the air unexpectedly, prompting me to snap my eyes open just in time to witness his shift into wolf form.
I gasp when the white alpha wolf stands in full form, his eyes radiating dominance as they glow and narrow at the demon. I don’t expect him to come rushing forward, but when he does, it’s clear that he’s about to save me from the malevolent spirit.
Chapter 5 - Elias
Standing frozen with my mouth agape, I can hardly believe what I’m seeing.
Flashes of lilac light erupt from Aurora’s palms, shooting across the air, aimed at the demon.
Not only was the demon’s arrival in the valley a shock to my system, but the double-whammy of witnessing Aurora harness a strange sort of power from her hands has me reeling.
I must not have been careful enough in my step forward, still reeling from my shock, when the crunching of snow beneath my foot draws Aurora’s attention to me. Our eyes lock, and what comes out from my lips is the faint murmur of her name just as she whispers mine.
I have so many questions, but the horror of the situation is reiterated when the demon dog makes a screeching growl, and Aurora’s attention is snapped back to her attacker. All I can do is stand there and watch as she closes her eyes, seemingly giving up and surrendering to the evil being.
