Chapter 40
It was chaos. Screams filled the air, and fear gripped my heart.
——
It was a normal Wednesday afternoon. I was with
Jaxon and Adrian on the training field when I started hearing screams. People rushed in through the gates, mostly women and girls.
Sarah who was outside the gates came bustling in to meet us.
“What happened?” Jaxon asked.
“G…d.. He…vam…vampires…they’re attacking our men outside…”
Our ears stood on alert. Jaxon and Adrian rushed to inform my father and I took Sarah in. The day we finally feared had come. My father’s diplomacy was futile and I knew Rex would be saying ‘I told you so’ if he could see what was happening right now.
My father ordered all the warriors to arm themselves for battle as the vampires threatened to take down our home. Jaxon was the head of a fleet and they were already sent out into the battleground, outside the gates. The gates were barricaded and all the women and kids were instructed by my mother to stay in an underground safe room. Sarah and I tried to lessen their panic even though Sarah was panicking herself. I remembered Adrian was to be sent too and I told Sarah I’d be back. I sneaked out and went through the tunnels back up, making sure my father wouldn’t see me.
Theo saw me entering the weapons room, “Lily! What are you doing here? ”
“I need to see Adrian. Where is he?”
“He’s in there, but you need to go the safe room.”
“I will, thanks.”
He ran off and I entered. Thank God we were alone so I closed the door behind me. I saw Adrian suiting up and I could feel his nervousness. He was going to be fighting his own people and surely, his identity would be revealed in battle.
He noticed me before I ran to hug him. He hugged me back and pulled me away, “You need to go to somewhere safe, Lily.”
“I know how you’re feeling now. They’d find out you’re a vampire in the battle…father would know, everyone would know…” I said, sadly, whimpering with tears in my eyelids.
A sad look came to his face, “I feel this attack is also my fault so I have to go, no matter what happens. I need to go.” He said and picked up some daggers.
“Adrian, do you really have to?” I held his shoulders.
“You know I have to. Your father is starting to hate me less these days,” he joked grimly, “if I don’t go, his suspicion about me will only grow more.”
I stood, looking into his eyes. He held me by my waist and pulled me into a kiss. A tear fell on my cheek. I wasn’t scared of losing him, I was scared he’d no longer be able to come back if his identity was revealed. He wanted to pull away but I pushed myself into him more, kissing him like as if it was our last.
Then I pulled away, our foreheads touching, “I love you, Adrian. I’ll always love you.”
“I love you too, Lily. ” He held my cheek, “I’ll be back, I promise. Just stay safe…”
He said and held my hand. I didn’t want to let him go, but his hand fell out of mine as he walked out of the room.
I brought my hands to my mouth and sobbed quietly. I really hoped I could be beside him, fighting alongside him. I wished I was there to see the battle and my wish was granted. From the weapon room, I was immediately transported to the battlefield.
What just happened? Since when did I start wishing my thoughts into existence?
I could smell dead bodies around me. My people, a considerable number, had been killed.
I wanted to fight alongside my pack and was determined to defend our home. This triggered my wolf. A strong surge of power flowed rapidly through my body. I could sense an ancient force awakening inside me, waking up my basic instincts. And then, the change began. My bones moved, my muscles twisted, and my human shape disappeared. I became covered in fur, a shiny gray coat. Suddenly, my senses became magnified, and everything around me looked different. With a loud howl, I fully embraced my wolf power. In this primal form, I felt invincible and ready to take on these vampires who were threatening my people and home.
The rush of energy made me faster and stronger, relying on my wolf instincts. But the vampires kept coming, outnumbering us.
In the midst of the battle, I saw Adrian. His face showed both pain and determination. Our eyes met briefly, and he immediately recognised me. He was shocked to see me and communicated with me telepathically,
“Lily, what are you doing here? You should go back.”
“No, I need to fight beside you.”
I fought my way to him, avoiding the vampire’s attacks. Finally, we stood back-to-back, a small island of strength in the chaos. Sweat and blood ran down our faces as we fought.
Once again, it happened.
All of sudden.
Swoosh and bam!
My spirit was transported to somewhere else, but this time, it was another battle and I was in my human form. This time, I wasn’t viewing it as a third person. I was actually in my own body, experiencing it.
“Adrian, we can’t let them pass the gates!” I shouted as the noise of the battle engulfed us.
“They won’t!” Adrian replied with a strong voice.
Side by side, we charged forward, pushing back against the relentless attackers. Our moves were quick and accurate, aiming to disable rather than kill. We wanted to protect, not to cause more harm.
In the midst of the chaos, I saw my dad locked in a fierce fight with one of the vampire leaders. Their claws clashed with a loud sound making sparks fly in the air. If my dad lost, our pack would be in serious trouble.
We were filled with strong determination as Adrian and I fought our way to where they were. Our fallen friends were lying on the ground, and their bravery inspired us to keep going and face the enemies who continued to troop in.
After a tough effort, we finally made it to my dad’s side. He seemed tired but resolute. When our eyes met, I could see the love and worry in his gaze. He cautioned me, “Lily, be careful,” expressing his concern as any father would.
I nodded, holding my weapon tightly. The three of us fought together, moving as one. The battle felt like it went on forever. Every moment tested our strength and resilience. But little by little, we started gaining the advantage. The vampires stumbled, and their numbers decreased as we fought harder.
Finally, the tables turned. The remaining vampires retreated, fear and defeat evident on their faces. We stood victorious, but the cost was high. The grove was in ruins, and we had lost many of our pack members.
We took a moment to catch our breath and look around. Our slain friends were scattered across the grove, their sacrifice weighing heavily on our hearts. Tears filled my eyes as I honored their bravery.
My dad came up to me, a mix of pride and concern in his eyes. “You fought bravely, but we can’t let our guard down,” he said, “The vampires may have retreated, but we must stay alert.”
I nodded, feeling the heaviness of the battle in every part of me. I used the back of my hand to wipe my tears off my cheeks. “We can’t let them gather again and attack,” I said firmly, trying my best not to let my dad hear the hurt in my voice. “We need to strengthen our defenses, gather more allies, and fight back. I need to talk to Xavier.”
Upon the mention of that name, Adrian casted a disconcerting gaze at me. With a treble in his voice, he spoke while walking up to us, “There’s no need for you to go meet him.” He looked like he was still filled with the energy from the battle, “I’ll gather my kinsmen’ allies,” he offered, more solemnly this time. “We can’t let this attack go unanswered. We have to show them that we won’t give up.”
My dad looked at him, unsure but willing to hear him out. “You can contact your allies,” he said after a moment. “But remember, Adrian, they might not be as loyal as you are.”
Adrian nodded, “I understand,” he said. “But we all have a common enemy. If we work together, we have a better chance of protecting our families and stopping the violence.”
We stood there looking at each other in resounding silence as the dust around us slowly dissipated. After the chaos settled and the wounded were cared for, we started the work of clearing out all the destroyed properties and other casualties.
I saw Sarah from a distance, her face dirty and tears streaming down her cheeks, running up to me. When she stopped a feet from where I stood, I could see her face clearly. She looked as battered and beaten up like we all did but hers was different…I knew her heart was also beat up. “Lily, I’m really sorry for not believing you,” she said, sounding full of regret. “You were right all along. I should’ve never trusted him…”
Understanding her stance and what she could’ve been feeling at that moment, I hugged her tightly, feeling the weight of our shared experiences and the strength of our friendship come crashing down on us. “It’s okay, Sarah,” I whispered, forgiving her. “We all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn from them and become stronger as a team. We only have eachother now… And we’re besties after all.”
Jaxon, who had fought bravely beside us, also joined us. His face was bruised, and he seemed filled with guilt. “I’m sorry, Lily,” he said in a regretful tone, “I lied to you, and I put our pack in danger. I never wanted things to get this bad.”
I looked at him, torn between anger and understanding. “Jaxon, we’ve been through a lot together,” I said, “But trust is fragile, and it will take time to rebuild. Right now, we need to focus on healing and protecting our pack.” I placed a shoulder on his and then squeezed it softly, our eyes connecting in an unmistakable moment of understanding. He knew what I was trying to tell him, so also did I know what he was trying to tell me.
As the sun rose and illuminated the damaged grove, we all stood together, shoulder to shoulder, determined to rise up and rebuild.
Suddenly, it all went white then black then a full swirl until… I was back in my werewolf body. Before I could even catch a breath, I saw a vampire about to pounce on me when Adrian speared him to the ground.
The vampires teeth was fueled with blood as it said some words, “Your.. Highn…” before Adrian cut his head off. I could see the raw emotions in his eyes as he stared at the corpse. He was killing his own, his people…for who? For himself? For my father? For us? Or for me? I didn’t care still. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair. I could only imagine what he would’ve been feeling at that moment. It was too brutal for him.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
He glanced in my direction and rushed to me. Quickly kneeling down, he took a hold of my leg and gently stroke it as he examined it. Then, he looked up at me,
“Go home, Lily. The grove is safe. They’re outnumbered now. Go home.”