Chapter 6

Aurora’s Pov

The shift hit me before my brain could even process the danger. My bones snapped and expanded, my burgundy clothes tearing away as my massive, broad-chested silver-grey wolf materialized in the mud. I let out a roar that definitely shook the low-hanging branches above us.

A white wolf threw itself at my throat.

I leaned into my weight, using my hips and the gravity of my body to slam my shoulder into its chest. The force of the impact sent the attacker flying backward into a boulder, the sound of its ribs.

To my left, Smith’s pitch-black wolf tore through two of the venom-enhanced attackers, his massive chisel lines snapping with harshness.

Rio fought in his human form, his twin silver blades slicing through the rain, his dark eyes entirely focused on keeping the perimeter clear around my flank.

The attackers were fast. The venom in their veins made them immune to the initial pain.

One of the white wolves managed to slip past Smith's guard, its amber eyes fixed entirely on me. It lunged, its fangs sinking deep into my left shoulder. A burning sensation entered my veins, the venom instantly targeting my system, trying to paralyze the wolf in me.

I snarled, as I refused to go down. I twisted my massive torso, dragging the attacker with me, and slammed its body hard against the iron border gate until it let go.

Marcus ran toward my silver wolf, his hands reaching for my bloody shoulder. "Aurora! Hold on!"

Before he could touch me, the ground beneath my heavy paws gave way. The heavy rain had eroded the edge of the ravine, and the mud liquefied under the intense weight of the battle.

I felt myself slipping.

I didn't have the strength to fight the slide; the venom was already making my limbs heavy and unresponsive. I tumbled backward into the dark, hearing terrified screams of Smith and Rio echoing above me before everything disappeared.

******

The sound of dripping water woke me.

I shifted back to human form automatically, gasping for air as the cold mud soaked through my skin. I lay at the bottom of the rocky ravine, surrounded by jagged limestone. The rain had slowed down a bit.

"Look what the storm washed in," a voice purred from the darkness of the cavern overhang.

I forced myself up to my knees, my whole legs trembling with the effort.

Victoria Cross stepped out of the shadows. She wore a pristine black tactical suit, her narrow waist cinched by a leather utility belt. In her right hand, she held a silver crossbow, the bolt tipped with the same glowing green venom that was currently burning through my blood.

"You're a stubborn bitch, Aurora," Victoria said, stepping closer, her eyes looking at my full figure with pure disgust. "You think because you survived Ezra Hunt, you're fit to sit on the supreme throne?”

"You talk too much, Victoria," I rasped, wiping the wet hair from my face. I secretly slid my hand down toward my boot, searching for my backup blade. It was gone. Lost in the fall.

"I talk because I've already won," Victoria laughed, raising the crossbow, aiming it straight between my eyes. "The Eastern council has already approved the lineage decree. Once you and that bastard child are erased, Smith will..

“HEY!!!” I yelled. My voice was so loud that it shook the building a bit. “You can use your silly rotten mouth to tell me anything but NEVER IN YOUR DAMN DIRTY SILLY LIFE would you EVER call my child a bastard you bastard. Am I clear??” My eyes were already filled with rage as I stared into her eyes deeply. 

I know if he were here I would see Smith’s face filled with satisfaction.

Victoria laughed. “So that’s your big speech huh?. Anyways as I was saying.” She paused before she continued.

“He’d have no choice but to marry into a pure line to secure his territory. Your ex-husband Julian was right about you. You're just a heavy, useless burden."

The mention of Julian's name didn't trigger the old panic anymore. It triggered an explosive rage within me.

"Don't you ever say my daughter's name," I growled.

I didn't try to shift. I didn't have the strength for it. Instead, I used my raw, human weight. I threw myself forward, tackling Victoria around her narrow waist before she could pull the trigger.

The crossbow fired blindly into the cavern ceiling as we hit the jagged rocks together. Victoria gasped, the air leaving her lungs as my heavy frame pinned her to the stone floor. She was fast, but she didn't have the muscle mass to break my grip. I slammed my fist into her jaw, the satisfaction of the impact radiating up my arm.

"Get off me, you monster!" Victoria screamed, her manicured nails raking across my face.

Suddenly, a massive explosion tore through the upper lip of the ravine. Rocks and debris rained down into the cavern.

Through the dust and smoke, two figures descended the steep rock face with reckless, terrifying speed.

Smith and Rio. I was super grateful they landed just in time to be honest. What a day this has been for us all.

They didn't look like leaders anymore. They looked like demons. Smith’s face was covered in blood, his grey eyes completely blown out with a feral, unhinged madness. Rio was right beside him, his silver blades already drawn, his expression so dark it looked like death itself.

They saw Victoria pinning me down, a jagged rock raised in her hand.

The roar that left Smith’s throat didn't sound human. It didn't even sound like a wolf. It was the sound of a god losing his mind.