Iris: Child of prophecy

Chapter Twenty-three

“Get up, Iris! Get up!” His wolf yelled and for the first time, I obeyed. I shifted and lunged at him. I made it look as if I was going for his neck, but I dodged his block and slid under his massive paw that rose to strike me. As I slid, I dug my claws into his belly. By the time I was on the other side, my whole white fur was covered in blood. He dropped to the floor for a bit and I shifted back, grabbing pieces of my torn clothes. I tied a bit around my waist and boobs. Sue me, I hate naked fighting.
It barely covered me, but it would have to do. Thank goodness I was wearing a baggy top. Can’t rely on the Jeans. He was just about recovered by the time I was done tying my rags. Come on, he almost healed as fast as I did. He came at me again and I dodged, rolling over to the other end.
The pack was tense, but nobody dared make a move to stop us. Who would dare, anyway?

When you have a crazed wolf on the loose. He ran towards me and made a move to scratch my hands, so I backed away swiftly so that the tips barely grazed me, but I fell right into his trap. He used the other paw to smack me away while I was still air bound. I tumbled a bit before coming to a halt. Ouch! Whatever ribs just healed, I could forget about. I moved as far away from him as I could. It was useless to fight him without magic. No way I’ll win.

“What is wrong Iris, use magic, there are no rules, you know?”

But all these people, and the hell! Stay out of my head.

“Oh, you're afraid of what they’ll think of you? What I’ll think of you? Just do it show us your true colours, huh? Prove all the rumours right, why don’t you? Or kneel now and submit”

“Why are you doing this?” I asked all my life I have been running from my past, my nature. Fighting the lure of my magic because it only attracted evil. Not to mention the stigma that follows when wolves find out am a west witch, yet this arrogant bastard is here unwrapping years of hiding effort.

“Why am I doing what? It’s who you are, is it not? Why did you fall five storeys and you’re still fighting, or how did you miraculously save a pup that had disappeared? Tell me, Iris, no, tell us what the hell are you? Fight me the only way you know how because so help me, Goddess, I will beat it out of you and you know I can.”
I know Malik already knows all this because he is in my head. That means he knows why am hiding, he feels my pain so why the hell is he doing this? Why is he being heartless? What have I done to deserve this?

“Screw you,” I spat at him. He growled, “okay then Iris, let’s do this the hard way then.”

In a flash, a skull shattering blow landed on the side of my face and I hit the floor with a force that knocked me out in an instant, but just like my healing, the blackout lasted about a second. I laid on the floor, in the sand that soaked up my blood and probably some brain fluid in a daze.
Soon I was weightless and hanging like a sandbag in his arm, his electric eyes mirroring the hurt he felt but this wasn’t Malik I was staring at, it was the crazed revenge hungry version of him, lifting the other paw he clawed into me leaving marks all over my body. Some deeper than others. In summary, my body was battered and bloody. But just as the wounds healed, he made new ones. Until I couldn’t take it anymore. But the wounds didn’t hurt as much as my heart. How could he do something so despicable and horrible to me, his mate? Did I not matter? I was sobbing and crying, and I did nothing to stop myself. That was it, I lost it and this time I left no restrains.

He landed on the ground after I pushed him away. I was furious. Since the white in my eyes would have disappeared, I knew my eyes had gone black. I moved towards him, the magic no longer a ball in the pit of my belly but gushing out of my body with the strength of a waterfall. The intensity of it suspended me in the air and when I saw he was getting up and I pushed him further to the ground.

“You want magic? Then here it is.” My voice amplified as everything around me and the earth trembled in my wake and it cracked everywhere until everything crumbled. I heard the other pack members screaming, and some approached us, so I made a circle of fire around Malik and me. I stepped onto the ground in front of him, grabbed his throat, and lifted him off the ground. He hadn’t shifted back yet. That was probably for the best. I slammed him back into the ground, I did it again and again. Then I stepped back and went up in the air again, swirling chunks of the earth that had come undone in the chaos. I was spurting out dozens of spells to keep up with all the chaos around me. Everything depended on the right words. I picked him up with a spell and smacked him with an enormous piece of rock.

“This is what you want, huh?” I screamed at him. “You made the worst mistake of your life just now, for making me do this, I hate you!”

My wolf cried out in pain. She was not enjoying this, well neither was I, but it’s what he wanted, right? I heard screaming. Some wolves were trying to get in the circle of fire, idiots. Their desperate screams got louder as I pumped the fire full of energy, making it thicker and hotter. Anyone within a few feet of it would burn so badly they would be set on fire. Never mess with a witch of the west. We are myths, but nothing said about us is false. Wicked, heartless, powerful, and extremely dangerous, it was all true.

“Is this what you want?” I screamed at the pack, tears and blood dripping from my face. It was overwhelming. I felt broken and exposed, ashamed as I saw the look of terror on the packs’ faces. It broke my heart. Why would he make me do this?
“Ah!!” a shrill scream burst out of my chest as I fell because of a heavyweight pushing me down. It was Malik. He used the little opportunity I was distracted to bring me down. I struggled to move under him, but his weight was crushing into me. The next thing I felt was a sharp pain in my neck, and suddenly everything stopped. I felt weak for a before energy surged and I pushed him off. He shifted, and we both lay down, breathing and focusing on not passing out.

We both staggered and were covered in blood. This was it, that bite, this bond, his mark would be the death of me. No way in a million years could a werewolf ever be able to beat a witch. But this power he had over me now, since I’ve been marked it prevented me from going further. He also looked beat, but he wore pants. Someone must have given them to him while I was still on the floor. The fire had even gone out already. He looked like he was struggling to stay awake. We stayed like that, sagged and watching each other, panting. It was a tie. We could go in forever and nothing will change.

“You think I would hate you if I knew who you were? Iris, you are my mate. I couldn’t hate you even if I wanted to,” he said, each word coated with a heavy gasp.

“You fool! Why can’t you understand? Let me go. I am a plague, I bring evil everywhere I go. Just please let this go,” I cried.

“Even if I wanted to, it’s too late. You’ve been marked, but don’t think I didn’t know before I marked you. I know you might not believe me, but I love you, Iris. Please just trust me, the moon goddess makes no mistakes. We’re mates and whatever you go through I do too,” his stare was so intense it felt too hot. The liquid kept dripping from my face. I wasn’t sure anymore if it was tears of blood.

“You don’t understand, I’m cursed! Listen to me, please,” I sobbed into my palms. By the time I lifted my head, he had captured me in a warm embrace. Resting his chin on my head so I cried into his chest.

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t tell me to let you go, I won’t do that. If you’re cursed, then I am too,” he stroked my hair and released me from the hug. Staring straight into my eyes.

“How can you be so confident? I’m a threat to your pack. Besides, my kind has always been mortal enemies of the Lycan. How is your pack ever going to accept me?”

“You are my pack, Iris, you.” He looked up to the rest of the pack. “This my mate and your Luna. You may have heard of her before, but I am proclaiming it. I’m sure you already know what she is. It doesn’t matter to anyone that opposes her or the fact that she is the Luna? You can challenge her for the rank if you have the balls. If not, bow to your Queen.”

At that moment, the silence that fell after Malik finished talking was broken by the cracking bones. The whole pack shifted and bowed to us. Next thing, Malik started howling beside me, and the rest of the pack followed.

Okay, what the hell is happening?