Exposed Secrets Lead to New Secrets

Part 7

Warning: Self depreciating thoughts and some indications of self harm
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"I can't keep my barrier up for much longer!" Arlo's voice sounded clear as day in John's ears as he continued sprinting through the alleyways, trying to find the trio who were most definitely caught in an ambush.

The force of someone's fists slamming into what the ravenette could only guess was Arlo's barrier, echoed throughout his mind and he quickened his pace, running on his toes as a force of habit from being part wolf.

He was running out of time. He needed to make sure those people didn't hurt Seraphina again. He couldn't believe he was still trying to protect her.

His heart clenched as he heard the blonde's voice once again, a sense of urgency to protect a certain magenta-haired female washing over him in waves at the sentence Arlo yelled out, making sure the two females were ready to fight.

"I'm taking my barrier down!"

John growled, pupils narrowing to slits in his focused determination. Just one more turn and he should finally catch up with the trio.

'Arlo, you coward. You better not let her get hurt just because you can't keep your weak-a*s barrier up!' He thought while gritting his teeth, his black hair flying behind him and his tail streaming outwards as he ran at inhuman speeds as his eyes narrowed against the wind.

The teen arrived not a moment too soon, skidding to a halt after he finally rounded the last corner of a brick wall as his narrowed glowing eyes widened at the scene before him.

Arlo had a nasty stab wound on his right shoulder, crimson blood darkening his burgundy shirt as he continued throwing punches and fending off attackers while his eyes blazed a vibrant blue, Seraphina was doing her best to hold off a woman who was ganging up on her with her fists raised defensively and eyes narrowed in concentration, and Leilah was struggling to knock out anyone who got in her way. Her speed had been reduced to half making her a lot slower than she liked.

Suddenly, an opening in the ground caught John's attention. He clenched his fists together in frustration as he couldn't sense any aura at all, but he didn't miss the tall, slender man step out of the orange portal-like hole.

The man slowly came up behind Arlo, who was distracted with another shorter man in front of him, and raised a needle above the blonde's neck which held a strange glowing blue liquid.

Realization dawned on John as flashbacks of an injection wound he found on Seraphina's neck flashed across his mind, and he realized what the man with the portal ability intended to do.

He was going to disable Arlo's ability, just like what had happened with Seraphina.

Seraphina also seemed to realize this too, as her blue gaze landed on the curly-haired blonde across from her
and her eyes widened in alarm before she ducked under a man who had thrown a punch at her, and sprinted towards the unsuspecting teen.

No.

John could not let her near that substance again.

It had caused her too much pain already.

Acting on impulse, the golden-eyed male surged forward, shifting into his wolf form with his jaws open wide in a snarl of rage.

People immediately turned to him, ducking and letting out shrieks of terror at the giant white-fanged beast barreling toward them, but John paid them no mind in favor of getting to where Seraphina and Arlo were towards the middle of the crowd.

He pushed off his paws, leaping high into the air and sailing over the heads of the terrified gaping adults as he came crashing down onto his target with insane speeds and incredible force.