In the midst of her rants, I began to make my own plans.
I hadn’t thought past severing the bond to prevent her from destroying my pack, but now I felt there was a chance to take her out. I was not onlyvery muchalive, I had so much energy racing through me that it might even be a match for her.
All along a part of me had been waiting for my alphas to save me today, as they had done so many times before. But maybe for once, I would get to be the one to save them. To fight for my pack, and hope that in the end, we could all live and re-form our quintet.
Jewels focused her full attention on me. “I won’t be able to destroy them through you any longer, but there’s no way they didn’t feel that fracturing of the quintet. They’ll come for you. You went from the weak link to the bait. Fitting for an abomination.”
It was as if she’d completely forgotten her fear of the dragon twins and now believed she could take them on. “I do have a little of their essence left,” she pondered, tapping her finger against her lips. “If I focus on the dragons, lock them down one by one, I might have a chance.”
There was no way to miss the thread of desperation in her tone as she grasped at the very limited advantages she still possessed.
I attempted to push myself higher, my bound hands making it difficult. She dropped her boot on my shoulder. “No, abomination. You’re not going anywhere.”
When she slapped out with her magic once more, I smirked up at her, and she screamed before landing a much more potent hit. It knocked the air from my lungs, and all amusement fled along with my ability to breathe. Deciding I’d wasted enough time letting her tire herself out, I drew on the magic that felt like it was a storm in my chest, and was about to release it when two wolves leapt into the bedroom.
Jewels turned to deal with the intruders, but she was too slow. The beasts landed against her, and their claws found traction as they tore into the witch. Neither did a ton of damage against her shields, but they did manage to crack through a few places to make her bleed.
Cora and Warrick’s attack gave me enough time to burn off the magical ties on my wrists and get to my feet. Jewels knocked them both down as I stood before her.
“Bitch!” I shouted. “Why don’t you take on someone your own size!”
The wolves weren’t moving, but they still breathed, which was a relief.
Jewels crossed closer to me, looking disheveled and manic. The whites of her eyes were shattered with red lines, and for once her outside reflected the evil within.
“No shifter is my size,” she huffed, taking another step forward. “Not in any way that matters. Youaremine to control though, and I’ve decided that none of you will even breathe without my permission. I intend to finish this how I started—as the strongest being alive, one step under the goddess.”
“Easy to do when you’ve destroyed all witches and caged shifters,” I said, pointing out that essentially she’d cheated her way to the top.
Jewels’ slow smile was fractured too. “None of them will be missed. Did I ever tell you that my family kicked me out when I first came into my powers? My mom had an affair, and when my father found out, they disposed of me like I was trash.”
I no longer gave a shit about her tragic backstory. All of us had them, and it hadn’t set us on this sort of path of destruction and death. I gathered up my power, knowing I’d only get one shot at destroying her.
“You wouldn’t know this, but a young witch on her own often meets a violent end. It’s a deplorable world out there for us. I experienced things that I wouldn’t even wish on you, and I consider you to be a stain on both races.”
Blah blah, whatever.
For the first time, real emotion shone in her eyes, and I still didn’t care. “I survived. I grew stronger. I reinvented myself and came back to claim my coven, killing my mother and her mate in the process, which allowed me to take over her pact with Fletcher. Step one of my plan to destabilize the entire magical and shifter world. I have plans for everything. Plans on top of plans on top of plans. Hence why I’m still alive, while every other disloyal and fucked-up witch is dead. All in the plan.”
“You hate witches more than you hate shifters.” It wasn’t a question.
Jewels released a deep, husky laugh. “Despite the evidence to the contrary, I don’t hate shifters. They treated me far better than witches, and your pack are a real favorite of mine. It will hurt to destroy them,but sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Rest assured, I will rule the packs fairly, and as long as they don’t betray me, they’ll retain some freedoms.”
Right, and her littleThey won’t breathe without my permissiontwo minutes ago was all just a slip of the tongue. We all knew the truth: if she eliminated our pack here today, she’d be the ultimate power, and she’d destroy everything.
Not even humans would be safe from her need for power and control.
My wolf swelled in my chest, standing alone, but filled with the essences of our pack and magic. Feeling my alpha’s energy inside was no doubt all that kept me sane, but I couldn’t hold on to them any longer.
I opened my hands and released the hold I had on my beast. The force of her slammed against Jewels, knocking the witch to the floor. Even free, my rage didn’t abate, growing until it swelled against my skin. By instinct, I fell into my usual fight position, hands flexing as I wished for my blades.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a superhero movie, and I couldn’t call my weapons to me, but that was okay… I had inbuilt weapons. A wolf and magic.
Jewels bounced back to her feet, hands held in a clawed position as she released another spell. This one felt heavier, with a strong sulfur scent, but my wolf was with me, and she prevented the attack from landing. We shot back pure, unfiltered energy, and while I didn’t know many spells yet, my wolf’s instincts gave weight to our attack. Jewels’ shielding didn’t stop my beast as she hit the witch’s shoulder, tearing through skin, muscle, and bone.
“How are you so strong?” she screamed, holding her arm close. “How does your wolf work with the magic? It’s impossible.”
I was the monster of her own creation at this point. “I’m an abomination, remember?” I taunted. “I have the magic of witches and shifters behind me.” As I took her in, I shook my head. “You’re looking a little tired there, Jewels. Did you expel too much power to shield this house and then attack me? Whoopsie.”
