Chapter 3

Azalea quickly front flipped right into the middle of her enemy’s army leaving Sybl to fight at the front. She did not know though that Sybl had disappeared to the back of her own army. A wolf came lunging towards Azalea. Azalea effortlessly walked by him, her blade slashing into his throat. She started hitting and attacking every wolf she saw left and right, all while still in her human form. The people around her marveled at her speed and precision. Then one warlock actually hit her with a spell in the stomach. It was not as strong a spell and that's why it was barely discerned by Azalea's magical radar. Azalea felt a pain in her abdomen but Azalea quickly snarled and jumped on the man, disarming him and knocking him unconscious. The dust rose around her but she still walked determinedly, going forward trying to knock out and disarm as many warriors as she could on the way. The thing she did not notice though was that a dark-brown haired, blue eyed youth was crouched behind a bush on the hill above watching the whole ordeal. Terrence was clad in a dark green cloak for camouflage purposes, his face obscured thanks to the hood over his head. Terrence caught his father’s eye from the hill and he pointed towards the girl that was bringing down seasoned warriors as if it was the easiest thing in the world. His father nodded to him and mind-linked him to confirm Terrence's suspicions. She was the one. The one that was supposed to be Sybl’s secret weapon. 

Terrence mind-linked the group under his command and jumped down from the hill easily landing in front of his target.

"Sorry but I can't let you go any further," he grunted in a half-teasing voice and decided not to take his hood off. 

"Oh and who are you to try to stop me?" Azalea rasped out In an amusing voice, her breathing labored from all the fighting she'd done. Her eyes honed in on the brooch he wore pinned to his shoulder. This was the Alpha of Aberdeen’s son. He seemed so familiar, but his scent was not discernible to her. Probably some spell on him. 

"And who are you to think you can get past me?" Terrence replied with a hard edge to his voice. 

Azalea didn’t reply, instead charging at him with her blade in hand to slice into him but Terrence expertly dodged her. Then he shot out a punch her way which Azalea ducked and slid her leg over to Terrence’s feet making him fall. He quickly jumped back up.

"Hey you're pretty good…for a girl," Terrence said while dodging another slash of her deadly blade she aimed at him. "…and for a warrior."

Terrence gave her a punch in the stomach which hit Azalea hard. Azalea hit another kick at him which nearly made him lose his balance.

"And you're pretty good for a self-centered stuck up alpha’s son," Azalea retorted breathlesly. She back-flipped to avoid a kick aimed for her. "But I tire of this. I could've wiped you out in two seconds if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to check your pitiful skills first," Azalea hissed out lethally. 

"Save your pity for someone who needs it! Give me your best shot," he replied.

Azalea started concentrating hard. A white light started vibrating around her. Then everyone around her was knocked off their feet. Even Terrence. 

Terrence stayed down, wheezing as the wind had been knocked out of him. Luckily, some of the witches his father had enlisted had put protective spells on him to save him from magical attacks. Still that had been pretty intense. He stayed down, waiting for Azalea to approach him. When she did, thinking he'd been knocked out, he quickly slid his legs and hit the back of her knees. 

Azalea fell back and Terrence did not hesitate to let out his claws and slash them across her torso. Azalea let out a gasp as pain ripped through her abdomen. 

“You were hit with a spell to slow you down earlier,” Terrence grunted out, getting up with great effort. “The pain in your stomach was just a distraction to make you think it wasn't a slow-moving spell.” Terrence moved forward and tried to lean over her but found himself flying backwards and landing hard on his back.

Apparently the woman had had enough power left in her to use some of her magic. 

"You asked for it," he said gritting his teeth.

 He shifted into his wolf and bounded towards her with his teeth bared. She didn't know when to give up and would keep coming for him until she was thoroughly defeated. 

Azalea was in so much pain and knew she was losing a lot of blood. But she also sensed that her opponent had shifted and was about to come in for the kill. She had to get up. She opened her eyes and slowly started to lift her head, focusing on gathering enough magical energy for another attack. She gasped as her eyes landed on the wolf aiming for her jugular. 

"Terrence..." she whispered in shock, standing completely frozen from surprise. 

The dark brown wolf with a white streak running across it’s back in the shape of a lightning bolt was unmistakable. She’d seen him shift numerous times at the Academy. 

Terrence’s wolf reached her and took her down with all his might, both sliding across the dirt. Everyone heard a sickening crunch telling them that Azalea had probably broken her arm. Her hood fell off revealing her face as she was knocked unconscious from the pain and loss of blood. Terrence’s wolf, expecting some sort of resistance found itself rolling over and away from his opponent until he gained some traction and was able to stand upright again.

"Let’s see who this badass babe really is," he thought to himself, moving back to Azalea and shifting into his human form. 

 He had almost reached the place where Azalea was laying when his heart nearly stuttered to a stop. He only needed to see the puddle of fiery red hair around Azaleas head to know who it was.

"Oh goddess no," he whispered shaking his head. "Please no," he beseeched the goddess above and quickened his pace. He hadn't even smelled her, though he knew her scent like the back of his hand. But it was probably because of a spell to mask her scent. He reached Azalea who was lying on the ground, her body bloody and battered. Her breath was shallow as if it was an effort to breath. Terrence was stunned.

He sat down next to her and took her in his arms. The locket that he always wore hung down from his neck in full view. Azalea opened her eyes.

"Azalea!" he exclaimed as tears silently slipped down his cheeks. Azalea just looked at the locket he was wearing. She tried to say something but blood gurgled from her lips and she became unconscious.

"Attack!" Sybl yelled frantically from the back of her army. She'd been watching everything in her ball of fire. "They have killed our champion! Make them pay! Young Alpha, I'll deal with you!" Sybl exclaimed angrily. Terrence picked Azalea up in his arms bridal style and mind-linked his men. A witch scurried over and opened a portal for him into which he disappeared before Sybl could reach him.