His Alpha took off at a dead run, heading straight for the veil. Dalton was right behind him. He shed his worries, pain, and fear as he let the wind flow through his fur. His claws dug into the ground as each paw hit the ground, propelling him forward. Faster and faster he pushedhimself.
They passed through the veil and were hit by the scents of the human realm: moist dirt, dead leaves carpeting the forest floor, and animals hiding in their holes. There was the faint smell of rain on the air, and Dalton found himself hoping they would be caught in a torrential downpour. Hunting large prey would be challenging, but it would be even more challenging if they were nearly blinded by athunderstorm.
They’d been running less than fifteen minutes when he got his wish. His lips spread into a wolfish smile as the thunder rolled across the sky and the clouds moved in. The sun was covered, turning day into night. Periodically, the sky and forest around them would be lit by flashes of lightning. The ground would shake as the bolts made contact, and he could feel the jolt up through his legs. The rain came down in sheets as the huge drops pelted his fur. Most of the water ran off, but some penetrated the thick coat and made contact withhisskin.
He reveled in the violence of the storm as it seemed to grow more volatile with his own mood. The wind picked up, and the trees danced to the violent music as their branches swayed. The leaves that rustled only added to the eerie sound, as if they were applauding nature’s rage. Dalton threw his head back and let out a loud howl as he ran, his voice joining with thedisplay.
They ran harder, and Dalton could tell the storm was pushing his Alpha as well, almost challenging them to try and survive all that nature could throw at them. Suddenly, a bolt struck only fifty yards in front of them, and a huge tree began to fall. They picked up their pace and shifted, hopped, and ducked, as the branches closed in on them. They’d barely made it through the last branch when the tree hit the ground with a deafening crash. The giant trunk would have crushed a small house, much less two running wolves. Something inside of Dalton laughed that they’d just beaten death. He recognized it as the morbid part of him that was willing to play chicken with the grim reaper and knew he wouldn’t have been so eager had Jewel beennearby.
Dillon stuck his nose in the air and took in a deep breath. Turning his head in all directions, he continued to sniff the air until he whipped to the right and took off at a dead run. Dalton followed, picking up the scent as well—wolves, natural wolves. What was Dillondoing?
Surely, they weren’t going to attack their own cousins? He continued to follow until they came to a ridge that overlooked a valley. Dalton stopped beside Dillon. They stared down at the pack of wolves, which had recently brought down a large elk. Dalton couldn’t help but be a littlejealous.
The wolves, having caught the werewolves’ scent, turned their own heads up toward the sky. One by one they each tilted their heads, showing their necks. Dillon let out a loud howl, and the packjoinedin.
They sat and watched as the few pups in the pack played and the Alpha pair watched over them. It all seemed so simple. Why couldn’t their lives be that simple? Why couldn’t they just live, hunt, love, and play? It was not their lot in life. They were meant to be protectors, to help those weaker than themselves. And many times, that meant significant sacrifices ontheirpart.
The rain still hadn’t let up and they still hadn’t killed anything, yet Dalton felt a small measure of peace. Maybe it was the run or being a part of the storm. He wasn’t sure, but he felt clearer headed than when they’dsetout.
They ran back, this time at a slower pace. Dalton thought about Jewel and about the day he would play in the valley with his own pups. He dreamed of the day when he would hold her as they slept and would wake her with a kiss. He would make many sacrifices in order to keep others safe, but letting go off Jewel and the future he wanted with her was not something he was willing togiveup.
The next time he saw her, when she came back to him as she promised, he would tell her. He was willing to help her, support her, fight for her and with her, but he wasn’t willing toloseher.
* * *
Elle pacedthe length of the living room. She felt stuck. She knew Peri wanted her to keep an eye on the new wolves, but she felt useless babysitting a bunch of fur balls that acted like boredtoddlers.
“Are you alright?” Sorin’s voice came from the entryway into thekitchen.
“We shouldn’t have left the pixie realm. We should have stayedwiththem.”
“If we sit around and think of all the things we should have done, then we are nousenow.”
She felt her ire rise. “What good are we now anyways? I’m sitting here doing nothing. I’ve never felt useless, Sorin, in my very long life. I’ve never felt like there was nothing I could dotohelp.”
“Sometimes the best way to help is simply by being ready when it is time to act,” he saidgently.
She didn’t know what to say to that. It sounded reasonable, but she wasn’t in areasonablemood.
“Have you tried flashing to the pixierealm?”
She nodded. She’d tried a hundred times, and each time she was met with an invisible wall. “I feel like he’s winning and there’s no way to defeat him. He’s so much more powerful than what we’ve faced inthepast.”
“But he’s not immortal,” Sorin reminded her. “He has weaknesses. He can be killed. We just have to bepatient.”
“But in being patient, how many will suffer at his hands? Jewel, Anna, and any others they manage to change into witches. Must we sacrifice them in themeantime?”
“You know the answer to thatquestion.”
“That’s not good enough, Sorin. It’s time we come up with a differentanswer.”
Chapter4
“I killed a person. Well, not me exactly—Jewel and me. We killed a woman. Even in my worst nightmares, I never thought I’d say something likethat.” ~Anna
Dead.She’s dead. Jewel couldn’t stop staring at the woman.Amy. The woman has a name. But still,she’sdead.
“What the hell just happened?” Sly’s voice rose in the background as Jewel stared down at the woman who’d fallen to the ground. She was lying on her back, staring up blankly. She looked anything butpeaceful.
