“Are you saying we should bring Yvonne’s powers to its attention?” I ask with a concerned frown.
Elias nods. “If that’s how we draw it in, then we go that route, much like the last time. But we’ll be better preparedwhen it comes. We have two witches to fight against it, and the moment Aurora or Yvonne strikes with magic and snaps it out of its spirit, we’ll have a window of opportunity to impair its physical form.”
“Yeah. I’ve studied everything I can about the demon. Our powers are what make it materialize more into its physical form, even momentarily. But it’s long enough to do damage. The demon can be killed if its head is severed, much like a vampire. But you would need to get close enough.”
“That’s why we’ll have to work closely with the resident witches,” Thane comments, nodding at both Aurora and Yvonne. “We can’t be separated.”
While the rest of the Alphas discuss their plans to use the electronic gadget to harness the witches’ powers to be used to lure the demon dog to the pack grounds, all I can think about is how dangerous this mission is.
I can’t let Yvonne get involved. My inner wolf simply won’t allow it, becoming more protective than ever.
Yvonne does the unthinkable when she joins the conversation, throwing around her own ideas about how to fight the demon. Up until now, she hasn’t seen the demon in the flesh of its mutated, eerily black dog-like figure with equally vile serrated teeth and a purple tongue.
My body tenses as I sit in the meeting and listen to them make plans to trap the demon, saying nothing about my concerns, even though they’re growing inside me.
When the meeting is adjourned, and the elders have agreed to the plan, even becoming more accepting of Yvonne when they notice the mark on her neck where I’d claimed her, I don’t get up. I wait until everyone has left the pack, then, and it’s just me and Yvonne left.
“Yvonne…” I begin, but she places a hand on my thigh as if to console me, as if she already knows what I’m about to say.
Confirming this, she says gently, “I know what you’re gonna say, Dawson, that this is too dangerous, but—”
“That’s just the thing, baby. It is too dangerous, and you’ve only recently gotten the hang of your powers. So much can go wrong.” I shake my head sedately. “I can’t risk losing you.”
“You won’t, Dawson,” Yvonne assures me as she reaches out and cups my cheek with her dainty hand. “I know I am stronger now. I know that I can do this, and it’s all because you’re here with me.”
Though I’m moved by her reasoning, and knowing that she finds strength in me, I can’t help but feel like this isn’t the right time to fight the demon. But even through my worries and stress, Yvonne’s touch seems to not only comfort me, but it also gives me the strength, too, to keep fighting for the safety of this pack and for the safety of my family.
“I can’t stop you from doing this, I know,” I sigh, hanging my head. “But you have to promise me that you’ll take care of yourself out there. We only have a few days to prepare for the fight, and it’s gonna be daunting when the demon comes.” I take Yvonne’s hand in mine and squeeze gently. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Yvonne smiles wistfully as she stares with conviction into my eyes. “I don’t want you getting hurt, either. I wasn’t here the last time you fought the demon, and it will kill me if anything happens to you. We only just got our second chance together….”
I shake my head as I move in to press a promising kiss on Yvonne’s lips. “Nothing will happen as long as we have each other. We’re gonna keep Gio in the magic room with Emile, andRissa can watch them when the fight takes place.” Yvonne nods when I say this. “But I have to warn you, the demon doesn’t play fair. The last time we lured it to Girdwood, it created an illusion that it was attacking the main area of the village, and Aurora was tricked into leaving her post. Whatever you hear, don’t believe it.”
Yvonne’s nodding becomes slower as she takes a deep breath. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I still have a few days to practice, so I’ll make the most of it.”
Witnessing Yvonne’s fighting spirit drives the force that keeps me bound to her, and I know that whatever we face, we’ll overcome it as long as we have each other.
“Let’s go home,” I say as I lean in to press a chaste kiss on her lips. “Gio will be back any time now.”
***
The next few days are spent preparing for battle, with each of the alphas taking groups of werewolves to train them on how to fight the demon dog.
Unlike before, when the four of us fought the demon alone, we’ve prepared our soldiers this time. More wolves means there’s a better chance of defeating the creature, and we’ve decided to set up camp behind the pack den, close to the forest in an isolated area far from the main village.
The demon no longer abides by the rule that we thought kept it away from groups of werewolves. For a long time, we believed it only attacked lone travelers in the forest, but after the massacre of the Moonshine Pack, we’ve had to take extra precautions.
Yvonne and I join the others behind the pack den after bidding goodbye to Gio, who’s being taken care of by Rissa in Alpha Elias’s house, hidden in the bunker room where they practice their magic.
I turn to her and kiss her lips gently, then pull back to give him a firm nod. We’d been over what we need to do and be aware of every night before this one, and now that the time has come for us to face the demon, I have to put on the bravest face for my powerful mate, knowing that’s all she needs right now.
“I’ve cast a binding spell over the main residential area so it’s protected from the demon finding it, like the spell used on the hut in the woods,” Aurora says with a firm nod as she stands beside Elias. “We have to remember not to fall for any of the demon’s tricks. It creates illusions to try to separate us, but none of it is real.”
“We will power up the device to draw the demon out, and wait in our designated spots in the woods,” Elias instructs everyone who has come out here to fight. “Once it shows itself, we’ll come out and ambush it. Aurora and Yvonne will use their magic to immobilize it long enough for the wolves to do as much damage as possible. Remember to get to safety once anyone reports that their attacks aren’t working. The demon phases between its physical form and its celestial one. If attacks aren’t working, it means it's in spirit form, and only magic can deter it.”
We proceed to our places in the forest, then, and Thane powers up the device that’s been charged with both Yvonne’s and Aurora’s magic. The demon will think they’re practicing out in the open, and will be lured here that way.
Standing beside Yvonne in wolf form, I turn my beady eyes just as an eerie darkness settles in front of the clouds, a cold shiver of alertness rolling through my spine. I turn my furryhead to Yvonne, and she places a hand between my perky ears. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but then suddenly frowns.
