"It's alright," Damian whispers as he crouches beside me.
He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close against his chest. He then runs his fingers through my hair while pressing a kiss on the top of my head.
I sink into him, feeling the steady thump of his heart. His presence alone chases away a huge chunk of my anxiety and fear. I feel somehow safe.
"I'll never let anyone hurt you," he murmurs. "Do you still remember what I asked from you before? It's our chance to leave now and go to a place where nobody can bother us, while everyone is still…"
"Damian."
A low, menacing growl echoes. It's Alpha Torrin, who stands a few steps behind us. The air around him crackles with barely restrained fury.
He manages to follow me here too. Which means, he's not affected by the Shadow Bind either. Is it because of our fated bonds?
The two of them lock eyes in an oppressive silence. I can almost feel their wolves straining beneath their skins, ready to tear into each other.
I push against Damian's chest, trying to stand, but he rises too and tightens his arms around me again.
Alpha Torrin's growl deepens.
"Please, I don't need another problem right now," I beg.
But Damian doesn't listen. His voice hardens as he lifts his chin. "Harleigh and I will leave. I'm relinquishing my position as Beta of the Frost…"
Suddenly,...
Footsteps echo, interrupting him.
Then,...
Alpha Philip and his cronies emerge from the trees and bushes.
My breath hitches in shock.
They, too, aren't affected by my last command? It only means that my Shadow Bind is still unstable.
The elders of the Shadowfang Pack once said that mastering it takes years of training, guided by another Shadowfang wolf who has obtained and mastered it. But there's no one left to teach me. All of them are gone, m.urdered.
Alpha Philip's smug face is illuminated by the moonlight as he steps forward. "Shall we go home now? Harper is waiting."
Deliberately mentioning Harper is a threat, obviously.
"Back off!" I scream, hoping that the Shadow Bind will work again.
Unfortunately,...
It doesn't, prompting the Dunebourne werewolves to mockingly laugh at me.
One even says, "Good. It's an advantage that she can't fully use her gift yet against us."
Another chimes in, "She and Alpha Lance must marry and have heirs soon before she can use it again."
Alpha Torrin walks towards me. His anger is gone, and replaced with worry. "It's best if you make a decision that you truly want this time. Don't be pressured by anyone here."
"I want to leave with my sister safe and sound, away from all of you," I reply.
The last part of my statement stings. My wolf also growls at me for saying it when in reality, I don't think I can survive the next time I'm to be separated from either him or Damian again.
"If it's your sister you want, I'll save her," Alpha Torrin adds.
"But… that may start a war between your pack and the Dunebourne."
"I can and will go to war if it's for you," he replies without hesitation.
"Your council may not like it. They might betray you…"
Before I can finish, he cups my face and slams his lips onto mine.
I gasp in disbelief, while my wolf howls with joy.
Meanwhile, growls and murmurs from others ripple.
Then,..
There's Damian, collapsing to his knees, clutching his chest, and choking for air.
"Damian!" I scream.
Before I can run to Damian's side, a Dunebourne wolf lunges forward and blocks my way.
"Let's not waste any more time, Harleigh. My patience is already wearing thin," Alpha Philip hisses behind his crony.
My heart twists with guilt and desperation as I glance at Damian. I want nothing more than to reach him.
But then,...
My attention is diverted from him when the instant Alpha Torrin wolfs out, two Dunebourne wolves lunge at him at the same time without a warning.
Their claws slash through fur and their canines pierce through flesh. Pained howls fill the air as the ground becomes slick with blood.
Alpha Torrin bites into one of their shoulders, but another tears into his leg.
Meanwhile, four Dunebourne wolves close in on me, snarling, provoking me to finally wolf out too.
"Leave Alpha Torrin and Damian alone, then I'll come with you!" I hiss in an attempt to simmer down the situation.
"No!" Damian's voice rumbles through the noise. He then forces the next words out. "I won't let you go back to them, especially now that it's confirmed you're a Shadowfang wolf with the Shadow Bind gift."
Alpha Philip sniggers. "Your fated mates don't love you like you think they do. They're only afraid that if you return to us, we'll be the strongest pack in the land. They want you for your gift just like I always have. So choose your poison wisely: them or us?"
I'm so sick of Philip's emotional manipulation that I'm unable to control my anger.
I leap at him. But, three of his wolves throw themselves in my path. My claws tear through skin, and warm blood splashing across my face.
One wolf yelps in pain and collapses, but another slams into my side, sending me crashing to the ground.
The impact knocks the air from my lungs for a moment.
When I blink my eyes open again, everything is in full chaos.
Damian has already regained his strength, wolfed out and joined the frail, facing down the Dunebourne wolves.
There's no way I can safely go back to the Dunebourne Pack to save Harper after this!
Finally, more wolves from other packs arrive and force the fighters apart.
Luna Lavinia rushes to Alpha Philip's side, then presses a cloth to his wound. "This fight irreparably severs our packs' alliance with each other!"
Beta Atticus snarls at Damian and briefly stares at Alpha Torrin, who both have shifted back to their human forms, while pressing their palms against their bleeding wounds.
He then turns to me with hate in his eyes. "We wiped the likes of you out long ago. Allow me to make sure it's completely finished this time."
"Dare to lay a finger on her, and I'll bury you alive!" Alpha Torrin snarls as he limps to my side.
Beta Atticus is about to counter that when Damian interrupts him.
"If you kill her, I may die due to our fated-bond. But before I die, I'll make sure to spit on your grave first."
Thud!
Beta Atticus' fist savagely connects to Damian's cheek, sending him reeling. "What do you two expect to happen?! You want other packs to come after us for protecting her?!"
All eyes turn to me, some are fearful, others are full of contempt.
I shift back into my human form and lift my chin, determined not to be blamed for being and wanting to stay alive. "If you're to be furious at someone, it should be at Alpha Philip who betrayed all of you the night of the Ambush of the Shadowfang Pack."
As I detail everything I remember from that night, plus Alpha Philip's own revelation of his greed regarding our bloodline, all eyes furiously turn towards his direction, making him anxiously step back.
"If you'd allow me and my sister to just leave, alive and unscathed, then, I promise that I won't bother any of you. We'll vanish far away," I pause to glance at both Alpha Torrin and Damian, who look very hurt and disappointed with what I said.
A ginger-haired woman asks in an accusing tone, "What about the prophecy from the multi-eyed seer?"
A rugged-looking man adds, "We can't let you go. It's safer for us to just kill you now."
Murmurs start to ripple as everyone discusses what to decide.
Suddenly,...
Alpha Torrin's voice cuts through all other voices, "Isn't it nice that after our packs teamed up to kill her entire pack out of fear and jealousy, yet she holds no grudge against any of us aside from the Dunebourne Pack? And isn't it unfair that after depriving her the company and protection of her pack, you're also gonna deprive her of her and her sister's life and freedom because of a prophecy that may or may not happen?"
Everybody turns silent, some look guilty, others seem thoughtful.
Alpha Torrin bends and whispers to my ear, "You can accept or reject me. I'll respect your choice. But this is the only way I can give them the assurance that you're not a threat to any of us."
My heart thuds as he turns back to the others in a loud and confident voice, "I, Alpha Torrin Chandler of the Frostveil Pack, claim Harleigh Hale as my mate and future Luna."
Gasps ripple, wide eyes dominate the scene.
Damian is at the corner, seething in fury as he glares openly at Alpha Torrin, which makes my blood curl in apprehension.
"From now on, Harleigh will be under my pack's protection and responsibility. If she's to be harmed by anyone, my pack will undoubtedly act and justice will be served. But if she's to harm anyone, I'll relinquish my Alpha title and take your punishment wholeheartedly," Alpha Torrin adds.
I can't just reject Alpha Torrin coz it will weaken us or worse, may kill us both. On the other hand, I can't also just accept him, coz Damian will become weak or may die.
What should I do then?!