06| BLAZE.

“Their eyes, they are spellbound!” Saffron growls through our mind-link as he sinks his teeth into the large wolf he continues to battle.

I take two cautious steps back as two of the four wolves begin to circle me, snarling and baring their teeth.

The sound rattles the bones of the human nurses running to their cars with their eyes wide and full of unadulterated fear.

“If you value your life, I suggest you leave… now,” I growl viciously, widening my stance as I focus on my sense of hearing.

Abruptly, but predicted, both wolves lunge at me from either side and I push off the ground, running to the tree that is straight ahead of me. 

I run up the thick trunk and execute a backflip. The first wolf crashes into the trunk head-on, and the second wolf releases a vicious howl that almost has a hidden message in it.

I shift into my wolf as I notice the eyes of the wolf that is preparing to charge at me has a deep hue of purple lining them. 

These wolves are spellbound, and it’s as if the powerful witch has cast a spell upon them, bending them to her will, like mere puppets on a string.

 The big question: Where is this witch?

In a fierce encounter, the wolf and I rush toward each other, grappling and clawing in an attempt to evade each other's razor-sharp fangs. 

Suddenly, the wolf slashes my ear with his sharp claws catching me off guard. 

My reflexes take over and I viciously sink my teeth into the wolf's unguarded shoulder with little regard for the pain searing across my ear.

With a piercing howl, he attempts to dislodge me while I hold on tightly, refusing to let go. 

As soon as I pull my teeth out of his shoulder, I skid backward on all fours and bump into the wolf that had crashed into the tree. 

Rising unsteadily, the spellbound wolf bares its teeth and snarls, urging its pack member to deliver the final blow.

The second wolf fumbles to his paws, his ears flat on his head, smearing blood across his brown fur coat.

Standing on my back paws, I bark at the second wolf, “What makes you think you can defeat me?” I snap, launching myself at the brown werewolf.

The wolf leaps over me and snags my tail. I yelp as the wolf jerks his head backward and throws me into a parked car, cracking my ribs.

With a heavy thud, I collapse onto the ground, gasping for air and grimacing at my futile attempts to stand up. 

The wolf ambles towards me with a sly grin on his face. 

In a matter of moments, he looms above me, his features radiating with a sense of victory.

“Turns out it isn’t so hard to defeat you after all, and I’m just getting started,” The wolf growls in a cocky tone that rubs me the wrong way.

With all my might, I strive to heal my wounds and rise, surrendering to the overwhelming fury that consumes me. 

As I ponder my next move, a fierce howl pierces the silence, causing Saffron and me to writhe in agony as we shift back into our human form.

“You were not our target, you filthy mutt.” The wolf circles me, laughing. “Your Alpha is dead!”

“No…” I roar, breaking past the compulsion of misery and death that paralyzes me. “You may have killed my Alpha as he lay helpless on the operating table, but you will not kill me without a fight!” I slowly rise to my feet as the power of an Alpha seeps into my soul and pulses through my hungry veins.

Glancing at the car window I was hurled into, I notice that my fresh pair of bright crimson eyes are shining in the dimness.

The large brown wolf slowly starts to retreat with his head slightly bowed, and before he pivots to make a clean getaway, “SHIFT…” I command in my Alpha voice.

Almost instantly, the wolf begins to shift, his bones clicking loudly through the still night as he whimpers in agony.

I have heard stories of how gruelling the pain is for a shifter who has been forced to shift back into their human form by an Alpha. 

And watching it unfold before me causes me to shudder.

I turn my head and look at Saffron, who savagely sweeps his tongue across his protruding canines. “Go and find the mutt that has just turned my sisters’ world upside down and left my nephews fatherless.” I snarl in a homicidal tone. “Deal with him accordingly.”

Saffron nods his head, slowly walks up to the brown wolf who is now lying on the cold ground in a fetal position in his human form, and bares his teeth at him. 

His teeth snap at the shifter, and I can sense Saffron slowly losing control.

“He’s mine, Saffron,” I growl, slowly approaching the shifter, and I activate my Serpent shield.

Dragging the trembling shifter to his feet as he begs and cries for mercy, I force his head to the side and sink my teeth into the crook of his neck, contaminating his blood with enough venom to paralyze him.

I pull back when his body falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes, “I’m not going to take pleasure in killing you,” dragging his body to a nearby tree, I lean him against the thick trunk and release a shuddering breath. “I’m going to give Lily the honours in dealing with you. But first, there is someone I need to visit, and you’re not invited, so don’t go anywhere.”

With the amount of venom I have just released into his bloodstream and the amount of time it takes for his wolf healing abilities to kick in… he should be paralyzed for a good six hours.

Rolling my shoulders back, I stalk towards the hospital to where my brother-in-law’s body rests; my sisters’ mate and the father to my nephews. 

I need to bring his body home with us and make things right. My sister has believed for many years that Azra has abandoned her on many occasions to seek his fated mate, but that is not the case.

All this time, Azra has been hunting down the Moon witch single-handedly, trying to restore our pack to its prime with female pups gracing our presence.

People rush past me as I walk into the building butt naked, both humans and shifters all fighting to make an escape unscathed. 

Entering the vacant waiting room, I make my way to the room where I left Azra to rest and try to heal the wounds Luna failed to, as she was unconsciously healing some of them while she brushed her fingertips over his feverish flesh.

Bursting through the doors as the smell of blood and death engulfs me, I come to a sudden halt with my gaze trained on Azras’ stiff and cold body. 

Blood. There is some much blood covering the once-pristine walls and floor.

“Th.they… they ripped his heart out right in front of me.” A soft voice stutters, and I snap my head to the side to find Jayme huddled in the corner of the room.

I rush to her aid, crouching in front of her, and I place my hands on the balls of her shoulders to check if she has been hurt. “Are you injured? Did they touch you?” I mutter, cupping her face in my hands as she squeezes her eyes shut.

Jayme shakes her head, blindly pointing at Azra, “They left a message for your pack on his chest.” She whispers.

I rise to my feet and approach the operating table with the sensation of loss and wrath consuming me. 

My eyes scan Azras’ body and a fierce growl emits through the room.

The words:

WE WANT THE HEART OF THE MOON-KISSED WITCH, OR WE WILL KEEP COLLECTING THE HEARTS OF AN ALPHA.

Have been carved into Azras’ chest. I begin to back away from the table as the letters float around his chest and eventually disappear into his skin.