Dusk settled on the forest, lengthening the shadows and creating pools of darkness that seemed to breathe and grow with a life of their own. Sébastien moved soundlessly under the trees, keeping in the shadows, his men fanned out on either side of him. They had been trekking through the forest for almost an hour now, waiting for nightfall before they crossed the borders into Graystorm territory.
Now as darkness fell, they crossed the borders and were moving stealthily under the trees, closing in on the Alpha's mansion. The mansion loomed before them, lit up on all sides with powerful lights that flooded the clearing, illuminating even the surrounding forest. Sébastien whistled, a low, short burst of sound, signaling his men to stop and hold their positions. He moved just outside the wide arc of light, blending into the darkness and circling around until he could see the front of the mansion.
The mansion was a hub of activity, with people coming
Outside the mansion, Sébastien and his men closed in, swiftly and silently disabling the guards, one by one and leaving them either dead or unconscious on the grass. Taking them out before they could shift, with the help of a cloaking spell to mask their scent, the guards never saw them coming. They had reached the mansion and moved to the library windows, waiting outside for Sébastien to unlock them using his magical powers when they heard the howl, stopping them dead in their tracks as their blood ran cold.Sébastien froze, as goosebumps formed on his skin and a shiver ran down his spine at the sound that came from the underground dungeons. He knew, without a doubt, that it was Zeke but something was off, he could feel it as he tried reaching out to his mind. There was something else there, something that wasn't human or werewolf, but something else entirely. Quickly unlocking the windows, they raced inside towards the kitchen, when
The mansion was in chaos, people screaming and running from the doors leading outside, while inside the sounds of bones breaking and ripping flesh, were accompanied by spine-chilling, bloodthirsty howls. A fire had broken out in one of the rooms on the ground floor and some of the guards were fighting to put it out, even as the flames leapt from the windows and smoke billowed through the mansion.Everywhere outside the mansion, the adjoining gardens and front lawn were filled with people lying, sitting or standing, their faces wearing the same look of shock and horror. Dr Lesley and Lacy led a group of men and women through the crowd, helping the injured and comforting the children and elderly. While inside the mansion, Jake and a group of warriors were searching through the rooms for any survivors left behind in the commotion.Finding the ground and upper floors empty, they made their way downstairs to the underground dungeons,
Sébastien stopped, his body rigid with shock, at the sight of Zeke, standing upright, inside the cell, and Merlin lying unconscious at his feet. Zeke had fully shifted but he was no longer the silver wolf, Alpha of the Graystorm Pack, he was now something else entirely.Zeke stood on his hind legs, his silver fur bristling, as the sinewy muscles beneath rippled and stretched and his arms hung at his sides, the nails extended into vicious-looking claws that reflected the torchlights. He was bent over to avoid his head crashing through the rugged ceiling of the dungeons, and his eyes burned the color of blood. Looking at Sébastien, standing frozen in the tunnel, he roared, the sound deafening as it reverberated through the tunnels, sending small rocks and pebbles crashing to the ground around them.Sébastien glanced down at Merlin, she was still unconscious and bleeding profusely from her neck, the bite wound from Zeke’s fangs, clea
Gilbert edged towards Sébastien, his arms outstretched, when Zeke roared again and leaped through the air, landing directly in front of him. The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the trees, as Zeke’s extended claws, ripped across Gilbert's chest and sent him flying through the air. He landed some distance away, bouncing hard off of a tree before slumping to the ground in a bloody heap, his chest split open with five diagonal gashes. Zeke bounded towards him on all fours, stopping when he reached his unconscious body, and snarling in his face."Zeke! Leave him! We don't have time!", Sébastien shouted, running back towards the mansion with Merlin, still in his arms.Only minutes later, Zeke burst through the library windows and headed straight for the mansion infirmary, with Sébastien, following close behind him. Crashing through the infirmary doors, Zeke led him to a small but state-of-the-art operating th
"What did you say?" Zeke asked, disbelief clearly written on his face."Juliette is my mate""That's impossible", Zeke said, shaking his head."Right here, assholes, I'm right here", Juliette weakly waved her hand in the air, from where she was encircled in Sébastien's arms."Shhhh......", Sébastien responded, pulling her tighter against him, "I'm a hybrid Zeke, an anomaly that isn't even supposed to exist. Everything about me is impossible""Wait. Did you just shush me?", she tried to push him away but her knees buckled and she quickly grabbed onto him while swaying unsteadily on her feet."Put Merlin in the ambulance and get her to the training grounds, we can perform the ritual there", Sébastien ordered as he lifted Juliette into his arms and strode out of the theater.*****************************Some time later, in the training grounds, Zeke and Dr Lesley, wheeled M
The raindrops drifted slowly upwards, rising higher and higher until they seemed to disappear into the night sky. The wind slowly lessened until eventually it had completely dissipated, and all around them, the air became quiet and still, as if they were suspended in some otherworldly dimension. The moon and stars, peeked out from behind the clouds, casting their luminous light down, where it was reflected in the raindrops in a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors.Zeke, was the closest to her, standing almost directly below her levitating figure, his eyes wide and filled with awe, while his mouth hung open in an almost comical fashion. To his right, stood Dr Lesley, her features almost identical to Zeke, but for her lips moving soundlessly as she muttered to herself, under her breath. Sébastien and Juliette had stopped running and stood rooted in place, staring up at Merlin, in wonder, although Sébastien's face held no surprise, he had anticip
This time when she opened her eyes, she was back in Onika's cabin in the bayou, sitting at the rickety old table across from the voodoo witch. Onika's face shone under the light from the lamp and a faint smile danced across her lips. "Tek yuh lang enuff pickney (took you long enough child)", she greeted Merlin. "Why am I here?", Merlin asked. "Hush now an listen. Yuh muss return now an decide eff yuh will pop up di trace buh kno dat eff yuh duh yuh sacrifice will bi criss (Hush now and listen. You must return now and decide if you will break the curse but know that if you do, your sacrifice will be great)" "How great?" "Enuh (You know)" Merlin bit her lip and looked away, staring out the grimy windows at the dark forest outside, her mind drifting to Zeke. The memories of the short time that they had spent together flooded her mind, all the times he had saved her and been there for her. She could smell his scent
"Merlin! Merlin stop!", Zeke’s voice broke through her thoughts, which had been focused only on killing Gilbert. She had completely forgotten about everyone else, she was so consumed by hatred and her need for revenge for her parent's deaths.He grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her, forcing her to look at him and taking her attention away from Gilbert, who stood swaying unsteadily on his feet."Stop Merlin! You don't want this, his blood on your hands. You're better than this", Zeke pleaded."He killed my parents", she said, dazed and forlorn, tears forming in her eyes."Then let me exact your vengeance", he brushed her hair from her face and squeezed her shoulders."No, it's not your fight", she shook her head determinedly."Your fight is my fight, I said that I would protect you. Let me", he pulled her against