"Get all the women and children into refuge!" I heard Theresa yell.
There was commotion all around as people ran in different directions trying to get away from something.
"Alpha, what should we do?"
I struggled to stay conscious, my head felt heavy and my mind was drifting in and out.
Ornyx still stood above me. He paid no mind to the wound against his stomach. He was eerily still in the midst of the chaos.
His eyes drifted to me then they looked back to the person who had asked the question.
He stuck the spear hard in the ground.
"We fight." He spoke easily. "Meet the Silvercrest's with as much force as they're bringing to us."
His eyes glazed over me.
My eyes felt heavier. The pain that shot through where he had stabbed me on my foot had started to fade, which made me even more worried.
But everything else in my body was starting to fade too.
I struggled to regain consciousness.
I tried to turn to see if Meggy was still beside me but at that moment a shadow loomed over me as Ornyx got closer.
My eye sight was getting so bad, he appeared as a blurry blob and nothing else.
"I'll take care of you later."
That's the last thing I heard before something hard hit my head.
I gasped as my eyes shot open.
"Luna?" Joan rushed to where I was sitting on a log, kneeling down beside me.
Nia and Raphael looked up as well as Andrew and Kurt.
"Well?" Raphael asked.
We were in the woods not too far from where the Shadow pack was supposed to be camped.
We had already received word that Silvercrest had managed to launch a surprise attack. We didn't know how it was going yet but the good news is that Tristan's in tell had helped significantly.
Now we were just hoping the chaos had been enough to give Tristan some kind of opening to escape.
Hence me trying to create a mindlink with me just now.
"Nothing." I muttered.
I could see the looks of disappointments right now. If Tristan was being kept here like he said and I couldn't establish a mindlink... then that only pointed to the worst.
But I refused to accept that. I would know if he was... gone. Or at least I think I would feel it.
I stood to my feet. "Maybe if we're closer to the camp."
Nia and Raphael shared a look.
Raphael then nodded. "Okay. We get close enough but the point is to be covert. So for now, we work in our human forms which we're all skilled in..."
He trailed off when he looked at me. He let out a breath before walking towards me.
"Maybe you should stay behind, Luna."
My eyes widened.
"What? No!"
They weren't going to back track me now. This was my idea. It was my operation.
Nia also stepped forward. "I think what Raphael is trying to say is that it could get really dangerous for you in there."
"I know what I signed up for." I spoke.
Raphael let out an exhausted sigh. "We don't need you getting in the way incase of anything-"
"You don't want to have to protect me." I spoke bluntly looking him straight in the eye.
I knew I wasn't the most experienced going in. That, I was well aware of.
I took a step towards him. "And this is me saying that you don't have to. I meant what I said about knowing what I signed up for."
I looked around at everyone. "And the rest of you do too. The goal was always to save Tristan. Not to keep me safe. So let's all do what we came here to do, shall we?"
Nia and Raphael shared a look and I could tell neither of them agreed either.
I knew the only true reason they wanted me tucked away while they worked was because they didn't want me - 'the luna's' blood on their hands.
Was I even technically still Luna if Josh and Mikey were the alphas now? I didn't know.
But I knew Raphael had never liked me and I doubted his opinions of me had changed significantly overnight for him to want to prioritise my safety.
It was just something he felt was his duty.
As Nana Francesca said, if Tristan was their king and they were loyal to him. They had no choice but to treat me as their rightful queen.
"Okay, fine." Raphael spoke begrudgingly.
He reached into his pocket and took out a walkie-talkie and handed it to me.
"For communication." He explained.
He turned to the rest. "As I said, we operate in human form for now. Our wolf forms will strengthen our scents and as much as the surprise attack is already in motion, ours is a covert operation. An extraction. We do what we came to do and we get out. Remember our duty is to our alpha."
Everyone nodded along.
"Okay." Raphael nodded before turning to walk to the banker. He took out a case that looked really heavy and set it down.
When he kicked it open I edged closer like everyone was doing.
I gulped when I saw the guns.
Pardon me for being so naive but I didn't even think werewolves needed to own guns.
Sure they had an army and law enforcement but as I said, crime in Woodfell was almost nonexistent.
Raphael reached in and grabbed one.
He straightened and handed it to Joan first.
He held onto it looking her right in the eye. "I know we have a bad history with guns and humans but... this isn't a fair fight." He looked around at everyone including me. "We'll all do well to remember that."
He distributed the guns to everyone but me.
I didn't know whether to protest or not. Truth was I didn't think I even wanted one.
But Raphael was right. We were going into Ornyx's territory and the horror stories I had heard about him should have been enough to get me running to pick up a weapon.
I patted my pocket feeling for the vial that he had given me. Then again, I already had a weapon.
"You stay behind us, Luna." Nia told me. "Any sign of trouble, you make yourself scarce. Ornyx still wants you. Letting him have you would be another loss."
I nodded. Stay back and let the experienced soldiers work everything out. Right.
Except if I had the chance to grab Tristan, I was definitely going for it.
"Also, we think you should be the one to shift." Raphael added. You're the only Van Cliffe here. You'll be the most inconspicuous."
"And you'd be able to get away faster. Find a Silvercrest army commander and get put in their protection."
I nodded.
Anything I could do to help.
The others turned away to allow me to shift.
Except Nia.
She walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder before leaning in to whisper in my ear.
"Don't give up hope. Your wolf senses will be sharper so if Tristan is close by, you will be the one to find him."
I swallowed hard and nodded.
She then turned to give me some space.
I slowly stripped off my attire and before I knew it I was in my wolf form, ready and geared.
Joan carried my clothes in a backpack and we started our trek.
I wasn't expecting the trek to go on for so long until we found activity.
But the woods seemed to go on forever.
When Raphael said we would be stopping a safe distance away, I didn't expect it to be this far.
I thought the idea was to be able to make a safe get away with Tristan.
But at this rate we would have to trek at the very least an hour when we found him.
And we needed to make the assumption that he wasn't in any state to turn.
As resourceful as Tristan could be, even he couldn't have managed to keep fit as a prisoner of Ornyx's for this long.
At first I felt like I was leading everyone blindly, but I figured that if I just kept moving I would pick up something.
And after about thirty minutes, I did. I could hear the battle in the distance, wolves snarling and growling.
But for some reason I couldn't quite pick up Tristan.
Raphael told me to stay away from the battlefield even though my instincts wanted to go right there.
But then, I did pick something up.
An all too familiar scent.
I immediately perked up and started rushing in the direction.
The others wasted no time in following me.
We were heading opposite the battle field which still obeyed Raphael's instructions.
I only became more sure of what I was following as I started to edge closer and closer.
I wanted to warn the others but there was no way of communicating.
So instead I stopped briefly and tapped my snout at Raphael's weapon.
He nodded in understanding and whipped it out standing on guard. He signalled for everyone else to be on standby.
I edged closer moving way slower in case of any surprises. Everyone creeped up behind me.
It's only when I stepped on a branch and almost gave myself a heart attack that I realised I wasn't being as stealthy as I should have.
I turned to the others trying to tell them it was a false alarm when I heard a; 'Luna watch out!'
Raphael jumped forward and I turned around in time to see him swipe away a knife directed at me. He knocked down the person in black and quickly pressed a gun to their head.
"I wouldn't if I were you." He spoke in a growl.
Nia was immediately by my side.
"Luna, are you okay?"
I whimpered. But not because I was in any pain or because I was hurt in any way.
It's because I immediately recognised the person on the ground.
I turned and rushed to Joan and started tugging on her backpack with my teeth.
Joan looked at Raphael in confusion.
He furrowed his brows.
"I think she wants to change." He spoke.
I whimpered louder hoping that would suffice for a yes.
Joan nodded.
She walked over to the back behind a bush and set my clothes down for me.
I shifted back and quickly got dressed.
The minute I re-emerged I rushed back to the scene finding Raphael still pointing the gun.
"Don't get too close." Nia warned.
I ignored her and pushed past.
"Crystal." Raphael warned.
"Relax." I spoke leaning down to remove the person's mask exposing a face very similar to mine. I sucked in a breath. "It's my mother."
A few minutes later they had my mother's arms tied behind her back.
"Try to shift and we shoot on site." Raphael told her.
He nodded at Andrew and Joan to remain with her on guard.
Raphael walked back to where Nia and I stood.
"What's the game plan?" Nia asked in a low voice as he approached us.
He looked at me warily.
"Protocol is we take her as a hostage. Make her show us where Ornyx and Tristan are. We use her as leverage to get him back."
I swallowed hard.
I knew they were both watching me waiting for a response.
I looked in her direction.
She was scarily silent. Looking straight at nothing with no expression on her face.
"Crystal." Nia spoke my name softly.
"She tried to kill me." I spoke suddenly looking at them both. "I don't trust her one bit. We do what we have to do to get Tristan back."
Has your mother ever tried to rip your throat open? I don't think so.
Raphael nodded quietly.
"We've covered enough ground. Let's take a short break and try to get some information from the hostage before we keep going." He announced for everyone to hear. He looked at me. "You don't have to watch."
I stared at her. She didn't even bother looking at me.
"I don't want to." I muttered. "I'm gonna take a walk." I mumbled.
Nia watched me unsurely.
"I have my talkie." I spoke patting my hip. "And I won't go far." I assured her.
She sighed but nodded.
The minute I was out of view from everyone, I allowed myself to sink down on an overgrown tree root.
I placed my face in my hands and let silent and hot tears flow down.
I don't know if you've ever had your own mother look at you like you're a stranger and straight up try to kill you, but let me tell you something. It leaves you in quite a bit of shock.
I tucked my knees to my chest and quickly wiped away the tears.
I couldn't let the rest of the team see me this way.
I couldn't be seen as sympathising with her or worse, as weak.
I shut my eyes tightly urging myself to get at least ten minutes to be emotional before I would have to get up and go and face her.
But that's when I heard the scream.
It was loud and piercing and tore through my whole body.
I was immediately on my feet.
I had never heard my mother scream. At least not like that but I immediately knew it was her.
I immediately spun around ready to run back in the direction I had come from but something was stopping me, keeping me glued to the spot.
They were torturing her.
That's what you did in war. She was the enemy and they needed to get her to talk.
The question was, was I strong enough to see that?
The answer came before I even knew that I was backing away, going back to cower in the safe confines of the tree root.
I wrapped myself into a hall and pressed my hands to my ears, feeling ever like the coward I was.
But what was I supposed to do?
Inspite of everything, she was still my mother.
The woman who raised me and fought for me and my father constantly.
She wasn't the best at being the conventional mum but she had always been ours. That's the woman I knew.
And now all that had been marred by all the secrets, the betrayal... the knife.
She was a walking talking version of Theresa Benson but at the same time, I didn't know who that even was anymore.
I don't know how long it had been but I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately looked up.
Nia's face came into view.
She nodded firmly. "We have to keep going."
I let out a huff and stood up.
It must have been getting closer to late afternoon.
The sun would be setting soon.
"Raph wants to cover some ground before sundown." Nia explained as she already started walking.
I didn't move.
I started to speak but my voice came out as a croak.
Nia turned around in confusion.
"Is she-" I faltered even though I formed the words.
Nia frowned. I know she could never sympathise with a Shadow Pack member. It's just how the Silvercrest wolves were wired.
But I could tell that to some extent, she did empathise with me.
"She's alive." She spoke. "She's leading us to her camp."
I furrowed my brows. "You trust her?" I asked.
How would we know that she wasn't leading us into a trap? Straight to Ornyx?
Nia sighed.
I could tell she was reluctant to say something.
"What is it?" I pressed.
"It's because of you." She finally confessed. "She said that we could trust her because she would never do anything to hurt you."
I froze. A dozen emotions ran through me at once. For a moment, I felt hope. Then anger... then just.... Nothing.
"You believe her?" I asked. "She almost just ripped my throat open."
"She said she didn't know it was you." Nia explained.
I scoffed.
Then I realised something.
All those times I wished my mother could have been around to teach me all this werewolf stuff.
She was always so strong and confident and put together - I would have fantasies of how much easier life would have been like for me in Silvercrest if she had been there.
But she wasn't.
Which brought me to the realisation.
"She's never seen me in my wolf form." I spoke in a small voice.
Nia nodded.
I looked away from her not wanting her to see me get emotional.
Why did that hurt so much?
She had given me a necklace to make my life as a werewolf that much harder yet the idea of her never getting to see me in that form... I don't know, it hurt.
I saw how proud Aunt Sarah was at Hazel's changing.
It felt selfish that she had probably seen Roman and maybe even that Meggy girl go through all that but never me.
She was my mum but chose to be theirs.
I let out a breath.
"I don't think we can trust her." I spoke with finality looking up at Nia.
"We don't exactly have many options, Luna." She spoke and I knew she was right.
We couldn't keep wandering around for days hoping not to run into the actual battle.
We needed direction. And so far I was being a horrible human compass.
"Fine." I spoke. "But we're not going anywhere until I talk to her."
When I was younger and I was scared of anything, absolutely anything, I would go to my mum. Not my dad.
Not because I had a favourite parent or anything but because I knew who the fighter was. My mother had always been the fierce one.
She was the one who got things done. She was my hero.
She would take me in her arms and I knew all the time that whatever was trying to get me didn't stand a chance.
I remembered my mother with her hair unapologetically wild, her form always strong and lean and I knew I wouldn't see much of a difference now.
Her lip was busted and a bruise sat underneath her chin.
She was tied to a tree with her hands behind her back and her head held low, most of her fro covering her face.
I frowned and almost did a u turn when she looked up at me.
Someone must have hit her in the eye because it was bloodshot.
Her eyes followed me, boring into my face.
When I stopped a safe distance away, she adjusted her position so that she could sit straighter and stare directly at me.
Maybe to actually check if her knife had left a mark or to intimidate me.
Either way, I had never been so conflicted to see someone in my life.
"Mum." I let out.
Her lips tore into a small smile. "You've grown my little wolf cub."
Her voice was as smooth as ever.
Theresa Swan could persuade anyone to do her bidding, to believe what she wanted to believe. Even me.
"My daughter is here now." I knew she was talking to everyone else but her eyes were directed at me.
She spoke the words with so much compassion and love, it took all I had not to burst into her arms and untie her that second.
"The rest of you may leave us be."
Raphael, who was standing closest to her, his gun poised, scoffed.
I looked at him, a plea in my eyes.
"I need to talk to her alone, Raph."
He didn't look surprised by the request. But I knew he didn't approve.
He marched up to me, stopping right in front of me to whisper in my ear.
"You're not trained to withstand manipulation. Especially not from the likes of her." He spoke.
When I looked back at my mother, she wiggled her fingers through the ropes and smiled sweetly.
I let out a sigh. "Believe me. I know." I spoke. "But she's lied to me my entire life. I think I know how to tell the difference now. And I promise you, that whatever she told you she'll do is most definitely a lie."
I looked at her again. "She wouldn't give everything up now. There's more to it."
Nia nodded. "I believe her. Mother-daughter relationships can be messed up but... no one knows you better."
Raphael let out a sigh of frustration.
"What do you two suggest we do? We're already behind schedule." He spoke.
I stared at my mother sitting quietly and peacefully.
If you walked in on this scene right now you'd definitely think she was the victim.
"Let me have a word with her." I spoke again.
"No one's leaving you alone with her." Raphael spoke.
"Fine." I sighed. We weren't going to get anywhere if we didn't come to a compromise. "But she won't speak freely." I warned.
"She's restrained." Nia tried to tell Raph.
I could see the conflict in his face.
On one hand leaving me alone with her was as big of a risk as he could take.
But not leaving me alone could mean sending himself and his team right into a trap.
"Twenty minutes." I begged.
"Ten." He replied sternly.
He nodded at Joan, Kurt and Andrew who were by my mother's side standing at attention.
Raphael placed a handheld in my palm.
He looked me right in the eye. "Don't let her manipulate you." He spoke.
I felt the coolness and the heaviness weigh me down. That plus the knots in my stomach were a really bad combination.
But I tried to appear braver than I really was and nodded at me.
"We won't go far."
The minute they disappeared, I felt like the woods were that much more populated.
All the fighting must have scared most of the animals away but I could still hear the occasional chirp or scurrying.
My mum stared at me with an easy smile on her face. Like this was the most normal day in the world.
I stepped closer but immediately stopped myself.
I didn't know what tricks she had up her sleeves. And I really didn't want to have to use the gun.
In the end I just sat on a rock facing her.
"Hi sweetie." She smiled.
"Hey mum." I muttered.
She shifted, wincing slightly.
"These bonds are awfully tight, do you mind?" She asked innocently.
I frowned and rolled my eyes. "Mum, let's not do this. Just tell me where Ornyx is."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Ornyx? Hmm, and here I thought you'd want to know where Tristan was."
I could tell the mind games had begun.
"I know he must have him." I spoke. "I know if we find him, we find Tristan."
There was a smug look on my mum's face. She smiled at me.
"He's gonna be so happy to finally meet you, you know. You have Xavier's eyes."
Those words alone made my blood boil.
I was supposed to be keeping everything together but I couldn't help it. All the betrayal came rushing out.
I fought the tears that threatened to spill out.
"So you just never loved dad? It was always this Xavier guy? You just used him!"
My mum frowned. Her features softened. "Your father was one of the kindest men I ever met. He gives humans a good name. But Crystal... he was never your father. Xavier.... He was just as good. If you got to know him -". She looked like she was fighting her own emotions.
"He let me run away when I got pregnant. Me and Victor, he helped us get away so that you wouldn't have to grow up surrounded by so much violence. He kept me and you hidden from Ornyx. But then when he stopped calling, I knew - I knew he was dead. And I knew that it was only a matter of time until Ornyx found out he had another heir. That's why I had to leave you with Victor. I knew you would be safe from him in Silvercrest territory."
I furrowed my brows. "Why would you protect me from the person you swore your allegiance to?"
She sighed. "I'm always going to be Shadow pack. Not being loyal to my people would be going against my very nature. Ornyx can't rule forever. Things were going to change when Xavier took over. He's not Ornyx. He was always kind and reasonable. And he never wanted you anywhere near your grandfather."
I looked at my mother and shook my head. "You say you're not loyal to him but here you are."
"What did you want me to do?" She asked in outrage. "Run? Sweetie, your father gave me that opportunity and I gave it to you and your uncle but once you're Shadow pack, you can never truly escape. Besides, I needed to come back. Not everyone here has the luxury of running. Someone had to protect them."
"People like Roman and Meggy?"
Her face softened.
"Yes, werewolves like Roman and Meggy."
"So you expect me to believe that you stayed for them? That you chose not to be my mother for them?"
"No." She argued. "I expect you to believe that I chose my duty. That you can't just pretend issues don't exist because you get the chance to run away. I mean look at your coat, it's beautiful. It's Shadow pack. It will always be Shadow pack. Ornyx might define us now but he won't forever. That's why I came back. Because there's still a pack to fight for."
"Mum, Ornyx is horrible, do you hear what he plans on doing?" I asked in outrage.
Her lips formed a straight like. "To bring us out of the shadows that we were forced into. Sometimes the biggest visions need the most radical minds. If it wasn't for Ornyx, our people would still be in hiding. We need someone to make the tough decisions. For now, we need Ornyx."
I stared at her in disbelief and took a step back.
"Do you hear yourself mum? You do know that if Ornyx takes over, people like dad lose their freedom."
"I realise if he doesn't, our kind stands to go extinct. Werewolves weren't meant to live in secret. The Union, they allow that."
"Oh, so we're just have to ignore the slavery part?" I asked sarcastically.
"No." She spoke calmly. "Because that's where you come in. You, my dear, you're smart and compassionate like Xavier. He too knew his father had a role to play in all this and you're his legacy. You will be the leader this world needs once Ornyx is done."
I let out a scoff of a laugh. "You are crazy."
"No. I'm a visionary, Crystal. Our people deserve a future and the only other way this ends is with us either dead or in cages. Like any parent I'm putting both your father's and my legacy on you."
"And what makes you think I would want it?" I asked angrily.
Here she was going on and on basically explaining that she hoped I would be an extension of my father. That she had a plan that involved me. The daughter she abandoned.
I didn't care if at the end of the day she thought the ends justified the means, so many people had already gotten hurt.
My father, my real father. He was home believing the worst of us.
If she thought I was the same little girl she would ask to follow her blindly and listen to everything she said, she had another thing coming for her.
She looked me straight in the eye.
"A few miles away, there's a bunch of women and children who I'm supposed to guide to safety. When I don't go back, they'll assume the worst. They'll be lost and scared and I know the girl I raised wouldn't let that happen."
I faltered.
What was she playing at?
"You could set me free and come with me to them. We'll go on to safety. And when Ornyx wins the wall, you'll get to meet him. He'll be so happy to have you. He'll listen to whatever you say. You will be his most prized possession."
I stared at her with my jaw clenched. Be Ornyx's most prized possession?
Why would I want that?
"And Tristan? What would happen to him? Because he's the man that I love. And I want to live the rest of my life with him."
She gave me a sympathetic look. "Oh, sweetie."
No sooner had she spoken did I hear a loud yell.
My head snapped to her. "What was that?"
I started hearing gun shots.
"Oh." She spoke casually. "Remember that group of women and children I was supposed to guide? Well there's a group of very dangerous soldiers that were waiting for us."
My eyes widened.
"Luna!"
I saw someone running in my direction.
It was Raphael with a gash down his face.
I gasped.
"Wha-"
Another loud scream filled the air and more gunshots.
Raphael was breathing heavily. "Ambush!" He let out.
He turned and gave my mother a harsh look.
He gripped my arms. "You have to get out of here."
My eyes widened. "What, no, I'm not leaving the team."
He shook his head seeming at a loss for words.
He swallowed hard. "Remember your mission, Luna, go, he can't have you too." At this point Raphael was pushing me along. I saw my mum struggling with her restraints.
"Go!" Raphael screamed at me.
I let my feet carry my as I started running.
"Crystal!" My mother screamed but I didn't slow down.
When I looked back the last thing I saw was her escaping her restraints and shifting into a large white wolf. Raphael had shifted as well.
I ducked when I heard another gun shot even though it sounded a bit distance.
I hid behind a tree breathing rapidly.
This wasn't right.
I didn't care what Raphael said. I shouldn't have been running. I should have been fighting alongside them.
That gash on his face hadn't looked pretty. But those had also been guns. Real guns. And this was a real battlefield.
And I didn't want to die. I didn't want anyone to die.
I stepped out of my hiding place.
"Ah!" I screamed when I felt myself being pulled backwards, a hand placed firmly against my mouth.
I fought against the person's hold.
I got my arm loose enough to throw it back and elbow the person hard.
They let go and I quickly escaped.
I turned around.
Roman
He placed his hand to his side.
"Ow!" He screamed at me.
I slowly stood up straight.
So many emotions played through my mind at seeing him again after last time. But I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice
"Yeah, shocked, huh? I'm much stronger since I took off the necklace." I seethed.
I noticed the gash on his cheek. Way smaller than what I had seen on Raphael but he looked.... ill. The colour has drained from his face and he seemed... slower.
"Incase you didn't notice, we're in the middle of battle! You could get hurt!" He yelled at me as he tried to step forward.
I took a quick step back and glared at him.
"Don't come close to me, Roman! Where's Tristan?"
At first Roman looked visibly hurt but then his face darkened.
"Probably dead last I checked"
I felt everything in me shatter.
I marched up to Roman, balling my fists furiously.
"Tell me the truth!" I screamed.
Roman didn't flinch. He didn't see me as threatening. That was his first mistake,
"I don't know where he is." He spat.
"But the last I checked he was hurt badly enough to not survive that."
I gripped his shirt. "What did you do to him Ro?"
He pulled my hands off him.
"He got what he deserved." He spoke darkly.
Before I could control myself my hand went across Roman's face hard.
"Tell me where he is Roman! Or I swear -"
He gripped my hands tightly.
"We're both dead if we stick around here."
I heard a yell. Roman pulled me further into the woods, hiding us both behind a tree.
I heard footsteps of someone running.
I held my breath until I couldn't hear them anymore. My back was pressed against Roman's chest.
I pulled away and looked at him realisation hitting me.
I furrowed my brows at him. "Wait, why are you running?"
He clenched his jaw.
"Ro." I spoke.
"Listen, it's a massacre over there. Going over there is suicide. We need to find your mum and get out of here."
My jaw went slack. "What did you do? Why are you on the run?" I asked.
Roman frowned. "I know you hate me but I can't leave you here. Come with me, you'll be safe. I'll keep us safe."
We heard footsteps again but this time we didn't have time to hide.
Roman pulled me behind him.
A barefoot man with a full beard and a large build appeared. Two guys came up behind him.
The biggest one's eyes narrowed on Roman.
"Where do you think you're going general?" He asked.
Roman stood in front of me and it's like the man and his friends only then noticed who I was.
"You found her." He spoke.
Before I could do anything, Roman gripped my arm tight restraining me.
He nodded firmly. "Yes I did."
I looked at him in disbelief as I struggled in his hold.
The man grinned. "Ornyx will be glad to see you young lady."
I looked at Roman. I wanted to beg him not to do this but it was clear from the look on his face that he had made up his mind.
"I can't believe you would do this to me." I whispered.
Roman was gripping my arm as he pushed me forward.
The men weren't too far behind us.
I scoured the woods as we walked looking for any sign of Raphael or the others but they were no where to be seen.
Neither was my mum.
"It's either this or we'd both be dead right now." He hissed back.
"Why would Ornyx want to kill you?" I asked. "What did you do?"
"Ssh, no more questions, Crystal."
I turned to look at him but he stared straight ahead.
Its then that I realised what he was looking at.
I gasped at the sight of the dead wolves on the ground.
The blood splattered all over.
Without meaning too, I scurried closer to Roman.
I felt sick to my stomach at the sight.
The sun was down and the moon was now completely in view.
Torches lit up the area as we passed.
People who were moving around, some wounded, some not stopped when they saw me.
We stopped by the opening of a large cave.
And for the first time, I laid my eyes on Ornyx Van Cliffe in person.
He was menancing. His build tall and big. His facial hair was salt and pepper.
His very presence reeked of intimidation and power.
I don't know if I should have been surprised to see my mother by his side.
My stomach immediately sank.
Oh no.
Raph.
"Valencia!" He held his hand out.
The man who had found us bowed. "We found her in the woods, alpha. Well - the boy found her."
Ornyx turned to Roman who bowed as well.
Ornyx's face grew serious when his eyes landed on Roman.
"Maybe you're not a complete disgrace, boy." He spoke. He gave him a brief nod. "Go to the medics. The poison will be reaching your heart soon."
"Thank you, alpha." Roman spoke with another bow.
My mother gave him a kind smile.
He paused when he turned to look at me.
"She'll be safe, David." My mother spoke. "She's with her family now."
I glared at her. "You're not my family! Where's Tristan?" I screamed.
I felt everyone around tense up.
Ornyx stood up straighter. With his hands behind his back he started walking towards me.
Roman rushed to my side.
"Alpha -"
"Move." He spoke firmly. Only as an alpha could.
Roman frowned and bowed away.
Ornyx stopped in front of me.
My heart was thudding in my chest.
I remembered the vial and wondered if I would even get the chance to whip it out.
To my surprise, he didn't say anything.
He simply stood aside and gestured to the cave.
"Take her to see him." He ordered.
To say I was shocked was an understatement.
And judging by the looks on everyone else's faces I could tell they thought the same thing.
The big man who had found us cleared him throat.
"Come on."
He started walking towards the cave.
I eyed Ornyx skeptically but he simply nodded.
I rushed past him even though this felt like a trick, all I wanted was Tristan.
The man led the way with a lamp into the cave.
He stopped by a large rock guarded by two them.
He nodded at them to get it out of the way.
When it moved I noticed a form on the ground and I immediately rushed forward.
It almost seemed immobile until it let out a groan and turned on its side.
I gasped.
Tristan.
He lay, bloody and weak and small.
And most importantly, he had no foot.
My hand flew to my mouth.
I rushed to his side.
Tears forming in my eyes.
His eyes seemed dead as they stared at me. Like they were looking right through me and I wondered if he could see me.
"Hey." I choked out raising my hands to try and touch him.
He immediately flinched.
"Tristan. It's me." I spoke softly letting my hand lightly tuck away his dirty hair which was matted with blood.
His eyes seemed to focus.
"Crystal?" He croaked out in disbelief.
"Yes." I cried. "Yes, I'm here for you. I'm here with you."
Tristan flinched. His eyes widened as he slowly lifted his hand. He placed it on my cheek and I leaned into his hold.
He shook his head. "H-how are you here?"
I was overcome with emotion.
It was really him. He was here in my arms. I had him.
Anger took over me. What had they done to him.
I opened my mouth to say something but then I heard footsteps.
I turned and saw Ornyx appear.
He nodded at the guards.
They started advancing on us.
At first I thought they wanted to take Tristan away.
I got up standing over him protectively.
He didn't move. He didn't seem like he could.
But as I got ready to fight, I was surprised when they gripped my arms instead and lifted me away from Tristan.
I screamed. "No!"
"Crystal!"
I looked back and saw him using his minimal energy to push himself into a sitting position.
"Tristan!" I screamed.
The men were carrying my past Ornyx when I heard him say,
"Make him wish it was his last day on earth."