"What are you? What do you want?" I asked, my gestures large and firm.
To my surprise, the creature replied: "You."
It had a deep, scratchy voice, like the sound of a boulder crashing down the side of a cliff. Something about the quality of it unnerved me.
"It talked," Ashe murmured. He'd crept up beside me now so he could see my gestures, too. I kept a close eye on him, ready to leap in and defend him at any moment.
I was shocked to hear it speak, too. When I saw it during the cave-in, it never said a word. What was different now?
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
Its words were slow and sure, without any room for argument. "Not just you, alpha. Both of you."
Ashe shuddered. I pressed closer to him.
The beast's eyes glowed brighter, filling the black space with greenish light. I was able to see the creature better now. Whatever it was, it was no normal animal. It was massive, filling the tunnel from floor to ceiling. Rows of sharp yellow teeth lined its mouth. Its hide, a bumpy mass of brown-black, blended into the background, almost as if it was made of earth itself.
"What the...?" Ashe mumbled in shock. "What is that thing?"
The beast let out a displeased rumbling sound like cascading gravel. "I am the spirit Terranus," he said. "And this is my domain."
"Terranus?" Ashe echoed. "Is he... the spirit of earth?"
"Correct, omega."
I growled. I didn't give a shit who or what Terranus was. Nobody spoke to my mate that way.
Fortunately, Ashe was no pushover either. "My name is Ashe, thanks," he said bitterly. "Don't call me omega—"
"Silence."
Terranus's voice boomed, a shockwave of sound. It startled both of us, but Ashe looked particularly taken aback. Did he expect a different reaction?
In the following quiet, a delayed realization finally caught up with me. My eyes widened.
Terranus was a spirit. A real life spirit. The thing I'd been searching for all this time.
And now he was right in front of me, blocking my path and telling my mate to shut up.
For some reason, I wasn't upset. Disappointed? Yes. Not because he hadn't been what I was expecting, but because where did an all-powerful spirit get off on talking down to mortal shifters?
"Now you will both remain quiet," Terranus went on. He turned his green gaze on me. "I already know the alpha has no problems with that."
My lip curled in disgust and anger. But Ashe was the one to react first.
"Hey, asshole! You'd better take that back!" Ashe spat.
Despite the situation, the corner of my lip curled in amusement. I loved that my mate didn't take shit from anyone, not even a spirit.
"Be silent," Terranus commanded.
"No," Ashe said bluntly. "I don't care if you're a spirit. Let us through."
Ashe's firmness surprised me. Just a moment ago he'd been afraid, but standing up for my sake seemed to solidify his resolve. I was proud of him.
But Terranus wasn't impressed. With an angry roar, he arched his back. Spikes exploded from his spine, stabbing the tunnel ceiling. It began to crumble.
I threw my arm in front of Ashe. I didn't know what Terranus was planning, but I didn't like it. I had to keep my mate and our baby safe.
