“You plot and you plan against me. You challenge me and then you back stab me. I have learned my lesson. The one I thought carried a traitor’s blood, was the only one who stood by me. Even if it meant losing her life.” Dominque continued, pointing towards Isabella.
He then turned towards Clinton and said, “And the ones I thought loyal, are the real traitors.” He snarled. “Today, I will prove to you my dominance. Challenge me, whoever wants to. Challenge me one by one and if you defeat me, I will concede the pack to you.”
“Does anyone dare?” Dominque shouted after a minute of silence.
Clinton stepped forward and said, “I am injured, you are injured. I think it will be a fair enough fight. You should know, it will be a fight to the death.”
Dominque nodded and both men started to shift. Dominque felt his claws elongate and his fangs erupt, his body contorting till he was down on four legs, all his senses heightened. Clinton had shifted too, and they both slowly started circling each other. Dominque felt the adrenaline rushing through his body, keeping his gaze fixed on Clinton.
Clinton lunged first, roaring as he tried to sink his claws in Dominque, who managed to dodge him just in time. Dominque jumped at him, landing on top, pinning him down. Clinton howled and gave a powerful push with his back legs, forcing Dominque off. Dominque fell back and seeing this, Clinton was instantly on him, his claws slashing Dominque’s old wound, which started to bleed again.
Dominque bit his tongue, suppressing the pain-filled howl and slashed back at Clinton’s face, ripping his eye. Clinton sprang back, his eye bleeding. He bared his teeth and lunged towards Dominque again. Dominque moved forward too, and they met in midair. Dominque managed to sink his claws into his back, only for Clinton to use the momentum to turn himself and slash Dominque’s wound again.
Dominque fell on the ground, gasping in pain. His wound was bleeding profusely, and pain clouded his mind once again. Clinton walked over to him, bleeding from his back and his eye. He leaned close to Dominque and whispered, “You are too weak. You know, the first thing I am going to do is kill that traitor’s daughter.”
Dominque saw Isabella standing in the crowd, a stunned look on her face and tears streaming down her eyes. “Please,” she mouthed. Dominque looked at her beautiful face and then he suddenly lunged again, slashing Clinton’s neck.
He forced his body up and jumped onto Clinton before he could get up. Grabbing his throat between his teeth, he snapped his jaw shut. He pulled furiously, ripping Clinton’s throat open and then flinging him on the ground. Clinton lay there, bleeding, his eyes vacant.
Exhausted and weak, Dominque turned around and roared, “Anyone else have a problem with me?” Silence followed this and Dominque nodded. Taylor rushed to him and helped him walk, as the crowd slowly dispersed.
They barely made it back to Elder Lawson’s cabin before he collapsed.
Chapter 14
Isabella
Isabella couldn’t even begin to explain how terrified she felt, watching Dominque fight. Her heart had been in her throat and she could barely breath. When Dominque had fallen and Clinton stood over him, she was sure she was going to lose him. She felt her life crash around her, and the earth disappear from under feet. She remembered looking at him, whispering, “Please. Let him be okay. Please.” Her heart broke into a thousand pieces and she felt frozen in her place.
When Dominque ripped open Clinton’s throat and stood there, strong, dominating, despite his wounds, Isabella felt such a rush of emotions she was confused. She didn’t know how she felt so strongly for him. They had barely known each other a few days, but Isabella couldn’t deny it. Even if it didn’t make sense. She couldn’t deny it. She was falling for him, hard.
Taylor helped Dominque back to the Elder’s cabin, who tended Dominque’s wounds. He said that there was a very high chance that Dominque would recover, he just needed some rest. Isabella was busy helping him mix some herbs, when he took out an envelope.
“Do you remember, on the day of the great battle, your father sent me a note?” he asked. Isabella nodded, frowning.
“He also sent a letter for you. He asked me to give it to you when you are ready. I am sorry I kept it from you so long,” he said. “I haven’t read it. I don’t know what’s in it.”
Isabella took it with shaking hands. She didn’t know how she felt about this. “Is it okay, if I go someplace alone to read it?” she asked, clenching her fist around the envelope.
“Go. I will look after Dominque and the pup,” Elder Lawson said softly. Isabella bowed in gratefulness and then ran out of there, clutching the envelope to her chest.
She had always imagined that she would somehow find some letter from her father, but she had always put it away as impossible. Now, she finally held something from her father and yet, she was scared, scared to know what it said.
She ran to her cabin and sitting in the corner on the floor, she opened it up and started to read.
“My child. If you are reading this, I am long gone from this world. I can imagine the life you would have lived, as a traitor’s daughter. I can imagine the pain and sorrow you would have to deal with. I am truly sorry, my little one. I am watching you play with your toys, as I write this. The humans will be upon us in less than half an hour.
I want you to know why I did it. Why I did something as grievous as betraying my own pack. My beautiful little child, you were born so sick. The healers said you would never heal. They said you were deformed because of the illness, that it would be kindness to kill you. To kill you. My own child.
I cannot tell you how I cried. How I wept. I stayed up at night, begging the moon spirit to save your life. I built a shelter to hide you from the rest of the pack, your deformities were getting worse. I was afraid they would call you a spawn of evil and kill you. I cannot explain how excruciatingly painful it was for me. The very idea that I would lose you tore my heart apart.
I hope someday you will have pups of your own and then you will perhaps understand what I went through. You will understand why I did what I did. She visited me one night. The Seer. In my dreams, she came, and it seemed like the moon spirit had finally answered my prayers.
She told me about the necklace, the one you wear around your neck, hopefully. It was the only thing capable of healing you. It was my only hope, but the humans, they had it. I was in despair, the answer had come, but the necklace seemed unreachable. I did the only thing I could. I tried to steal it, but they caught me.
They tortured me and then they gave me one single choice. They would give me the necklace, if I told them of our pack’s location. Betrayal! It was something I could not do. I resisted. They let me go, laughing at me, telling me that I had one day to decide, otherwise they would destroy the necklace.
I came back home to find you worse, my child. Barely breathing, lying quietly in your bed. Just like how your mother looked before her death. I knew I couldn’t lose you.
