The Wolf

Ch. 44: The Fall

~Nico~

The pain is excruciating. I finally got the chain off after hours of relentless pulling and tugging. There's no way to describe what if feels like to rip off a chunk of your soul. I can feel the part of me missing like an amputated arm or leg, and golden light won't stop pouring from the wound. I can sense that my life force is waning.

Luca didn't even try and stop me from leaving once I got the chain off. All he did was say that it was already too late, and with those ominous words, I set off to find myself. Luckily, I can still feel the pull from my body, leading me up the mountain toward Nyx.

Halfway up, I come across the battlefield. Bodies lay scattered across the rocky surface haphazardly in pools of blood. Vampires, wolves, and druids alike. All fighting for a cause. Light versus dark. Either way, they're all dead now. With the fighting still going on, I feel a spark of hope-- maybe Alex is still here. Maybe he hasn't gone after Nyx yet. But a sinking feeling in my gut tells me he has.

I look down at the corpse closest to my feet and gasp, jumping away. It's a member of the Omega cabin. I may not have been buddy-buddy with the other members in the cabin except Dominic and Blake, but seeing them dead is hard. My lips tremble in grief and rage. This is Nyx's doing. This is my doing. I need to stop her before it's too late. Before I can't fix the damage.

I stumble up the mountain steps that lead me further and further up. Our numbers are large, but they seem to be dwindling from up here. I wonder how many men have died already because of this nonsense war. Because of my foolishness. My steps grow faster at the prospect.

The run up the steps would have been nothing before, but with a hole in my chest, it's harder to walk straight and keep my head on right. My thoughts are solely on Nyx and Alex. I can't let Nyx get Alex's body just to get revenge on the moon goddess. She'll use him up and then toss him to the side like a rag doll.

Darkness begins to seep into my vision. The stairs I'm climbing disappear underneath my feet and the horizon along with it. Time seems to hold its breath for a minute. What's happening to me? When my sight comes back, I'm at the top of the mountain. What? How did I get up here so fast? Or maybe I blacked out for a second there. I swallow nervously. That might be a side effect of ripping my soul.

A large temple stands at the top of the mountain, but I ignore the specifics as I run toward the magnetic pull. I jump over rubble and debris as I round the corner of the building. My feet freeze to a stop. My body lays discarded on the floor while Nyx stands a yard away from Alex. Nyx raises her eyes to meet mine and smirks. My eyes widen in realization. No. It's already started. I dash for my body.  There's still time to stop Nyx's plan from bearing fruit.

Nyx's eyes and mine meet for a second as she flashes me a smug smile. I grit my teeth and carry on, slipping roughly back into myself. Everything burns like hellfire as soul and flesh bind together once again. Unconsciousness is crowding in, but I fight it off.

"Yes, I do." 

My spirits sink at the sound of those words I almost lose control of myself and give in to unconsciousness. "A...lex," I mutter, pushing myself up from off of the ground painfully slow.

Kat wasn't kidding when she said that the weight would be unbearable. I can barely hold myself up right now. My arms shake under me as I try to get a better look at Alex. Our eyes meet. They clash together like two bolts of electricity. He gives me a sad smile and says, "Sorry, Nico."

Nyx grabs his chin and forces him to look at her. She puts her wicked lips against his before she disappears into Alex's body. He seizes up like he's being shocked with lightning. I stagger to my feet, holding onto a section of crumbled wall for dear life. My legs feel like two water balloons that are about to pop. Hand over hand, step by step, I pull myself over to Alex. I can't let him be taken away. Not again.