MYRA
~âKeep Leanne safe,â~ Myra said from the back of Skyeâs mind.
Skye moved their body to block Leanneâs weakened one. ~âHave faith in your vixen.â~ She giggled, focusing on Elizabethâs pacing wolf. She snarled at them but did not make a move to attack.
She moved from side to side, growling and barking at them. It was almost comical that she was all show but too scared to initiate the challenge.
After a minute or two, Skye realized that Elizabeth had slammed into the wall behind them. The room grew painfully silent as Elizabethâs wolf groaned in pain.
Skye slowly rose, looking behind her as the wolf staggered around from the head slam. Elizabeth tried to shake off her dizziness.
Skye got to her feet and placed herself, once again, between the confused wolf and Leanne. Just then, she heard the cocking of a gun, followed by the loud explosion of a weapon being fired.
Skye took a quick step to the side and in a split second, a dart full of orange liquid passed inches from her neck and just over Leanneâs head to explode on the ground.
Skye turned around and saw several creatures holding dart guns, all trained on her.
âI did say there are no rules.â Brian chuckled, signaling to another creature, and he pulled the trigger.
Skye dodged that dart as well, but two others fired after him. One missed, and the other embedded itself in the side of her calf. Skye gasped in surprise and immediately pulled the empty dart from her leg.
She winced as the chemical burned up her leg, but her new luna blood started reacting to remove the poison from her system.
~Fuck, that burns like a motherfucker!~ Skye thought as the burning sensation started to subside.
âThere you go, baby. Now kill her!â
Elizabeth barked her happiness and growled once again at them. But before Skye could react, Elizabeth pounced on them once more.
Myraâs right arm curled protectively around her stomach while her left arm shielded her face. Elizabethâs teeth sank into her left forearm, threatening to rip a chunk out of it.
Skye fell onto her back and used her legs to kick Elizabeth off and over her body. The shock from the powerful kick dislodged Elizabethâs teeth as she yelped in pain.
The wolf slammed heavily onto the ground. At the same time, two more darts were shot into Myraâs body, one in her neck and the other in her right upper arm.
The burning chemicals caused Skye to scream out in pain.
~âEnough of this bullshit. Alpha, you better hurry the fuck up,â~ Skye demanded while pulling the empty dart cartridge from her body. She groaned and slowly rose to her feet, staggering a bit.
âI donât understand. She should be weakened by now, easy prey for Elizabeth,â someone near Brian wondered in confusion.
A couple more darts were fired at her. Some missed, and three more hit her, two in the back and one in the shoulder.
~âWeâre about ten minutes away. Just hang in there,â~ Alpha replied, sounding breathless, as if he was racing toward her.
~âYou have five minutes. Not sure if I can hold off any longer than that.â~ She groaned, pulling the empty darts from her body.
The two darts in her back had the same orange liquid, but the one in her shoulder was turquoise in color.
~âSHIT!!â~
The link ended, and Skye shook their head, trying to clear it. Her vision was getting blurry, even though her blood had removed the usual poisonous chemicals from her system.
However, there was something new mixed in the drug. She struggled to stand, and her breathing started to become labored.
~âDammit, Myra. Iâm sorry, but I need all my energy,â~ Skye somberly said. She didnât have to elaborate, because in their heart, Myra already knew what she meant.
~âWe can always try again, once weâre safe and, more importantly, alive,â~ Myra whispered, hurting as she even considered it as a possibility.
But their survival depended on Skyeâs ability to keep them alive until Sloan got to them, whenever that was. Elizabeth chose that moment to snarl at them, reminding them of her presence.
~âKick her ass from here to Timbuktu.â~
Skye looked up at Elizabeth. It was the first time the wolf looked hesitant, and she stepped back in fear. Elizabeth tried to look up at Brian.
~âDonât look at him. Look at me!â~ Skye commanded, stopping her movements. ~âYou wanted to fight. Letâs fight.â~
âH-how?â Elizabeth stuttered.
~âShut up!â~ Skye barked at her, and Elizabeth bowed her head in submission.
Another dart was shot at her, but Skye caught it midair. It was the same turquoise-colored dart that took longer to leave her system.
She turned her glaring eyes to the creature whoâd shot it at her. The room quieted down as her glowing eyes took them all in. With a flick of her wrist, Skye threw the dart at Elizabeth instead.
She yelped in shock as the dart stuck out between her eyes. She whined and whimpered, trying to remove the empty dart from her body.
âThatâs impossible!â Brian gasped in shock, fumbling with something at his waist.
Skye growled lowly, and the sound echoed throughout the arena, stilling his movements. His eyes grew wide as he watched her face change before them.
Her eyes and the bridge of her nose were still human, but the end of her nose and mouth elongated into her vixen snout. She growled, displaying her upper and lower canines.
Her ears had changed as well. They were long and furry, twitching at the different sounds and whispers from the gathering.
She could hear the changes in each individualâs breathing and heart rate and several individuals fumbling as they reloaded their dart guns.
Soon, the sound of bones popping rang out in the air. The sound didnât last long, because her shift ended just as quickly as it had started. Her lower body was that of her vixen. She stood on her fur-covered hind legs.
Her pants were destroyed during the change, allowing her tail to move freely behind her. Thankfully, her torso, stomach, and upper arms were still human, so she was still decently covered.
Her arms from her elbows to her hands were also covered in fur. She looked like a hybrid mix of her human and vixen forms.
She turned angry eyes to Elizabeth, who cowered in fear. Elizabethâs tail was tucked under her body, and her ears lay flat against her head.
~âYou started the challenge, but Iâm here to end it,â~ Skye stated. At the sound of her voice, some creatures bared their necks to her in forced submission, while others swiftly left the room in fear.