There was no sign of Craig and the other two wolves when the doors finally rolled open. I searched the chaos for flashes of his grey fur, anything that could indicate that he was alright, but found nothing.
Not knowing where Craig went or whether he was okay, made focusing on the task at hand considerably harder. I had to remind myself that the lives of all the packs of Scotland were at risk here, not just the wolves of Craven Pride's. They were all depending on me to break Lucine's curse, and it's already escalated too far.
I spotted wolves limping, whining as they licked at their wounds before being attacked once again. Wolves that oddly resembled the packs I met over the past few days. We were losing, and time was running out.
Taking a few steps forward, I aimed my camera at the raging battle and snapped a shot. "Candid!"
The flash drew the attention of three wolves at the edge of the battlefield. I waited with an upheld breath for their reactions. If they shield me from the fight, they're good. If they approach me with frothing maws, they're bad.
My theory was proved correct when they bared their fangs at me, giving me a clear view of the saliva and froth that accumulated around their mouths. Even if they didn't snarl at me, I'd be able to recognize their intentions by looking at their eyes. They had an odd red tint to it as they prowled towards the lights outside of the garage, a color that very much resonated with Lucine's magic.
Scraping together my courage, I backed up toward the garage. "That came out a bit blurry. Care to step into my studio for a redo?" They crouched lower, seconds away from attacking. "That's it, come and get me."
Spinning on my heel, I made for the garage the second they pounced. I could feel the ground tremble as they chased after me, and I forced my legs to move faster.
The moment I'm inside the garage, I placed the camera on the workbench and pressed the button with the preselected settings. Stealing a look over my shoulder, I'm just in time to see the wolves entering the room. The one at the front lowered its hind legs to jump...just as the first flash on the camera went off.
All at once, the LEDs, reflectors, and strobe lights lit up and blinded my three attackers. They wined and cowered backwards, paws coming up to cover their eyes.
But the camera wasn't done. Another flash went off as it took another picture, and then another, and another, keeping the wolves blinded while I pressed the button on the remote for the roller doors to close.
While the flashes were going off, I retreated to the backdoor and picked up the flamethrower. Now to wait...
At last, the camera ran out of shots just as the doors fully closed. Waiting for the wolves' vision to return was the most nerve-wrecking feat to far. My heart hammered everywhere at once as the first one's sinister eyes locked on me. Letting out a deep, throaty growl, it stalked forward with the other two flanking it.
'Hold your ground,' I repeated in my head, 'Hold it...just a little further...'
Once they reached the center of the garage and stepped into the puddle of gasoline at their paws, I lifted the flamethrower and aimed. "Say cheese."
I squeezed the handle on the flamethrower and watched as a cloud of fire consumed them. A series of blood-curdling howls shook the walls of the garage as they writhed and thrashed against the flames devouring their fur, making its way to their skin and flesh.
When one of them dropped to the ground to roll, it set the puddle of gasoline ablaze for more fire to burn them alive from the legs up. They howled in agony as the flames reached their faces, their eyes disintegrating in their sockets. Finally, the fire reached their brains, leaving them to drop to the floor, dead.
My body had gone completely numb as I beheld the three wolves turn back into men, lying in a puddle of gasoline as the fire kept eating at their flesh. The smell of charred skin clung to the air, reminding me of when Lucine tortured me in that cave.
I killed them.
A sickening feeling settled in my stomach as I tried convincing myself it was the right thing to do. They would've killed me first if I didn't.
But the sight of their bodies burning in the middle of the room, the stench in the air, the scar it left in my thoughts, it all became too much.
I coughed thickly before leaning over, a heave wrecking through my body as I threw up the little contents I had left in my stomach.
Every part of me felt wrong about what I did. Burning someone alive was one of the worst forms of torture ever invented. I wouldn't even wish that upon my greatest enemies, and yet, I did that to three people.
Another heave jolted my body, and I held onto the doorframe to keep myself balanced. It was while I was catching my breath, that the chaos of the battle came into focus, reminding me why I was here to begin with.
"You're good, you're alright," I muttered, delving into my emotions to find the courage to go on.
What I didn't expect to find was a dormant anger that boiled in the pit of my stomach. All of this just because one person wanted more power to play with. Lucine was willing to take what she wanted by force, uncaring of the blood she shed on the way. In some manner, it reminded me of my father who was so keen on merging his business with Matt's father's, he was willing to sacrifice my dreams and happiness to get what he wants.
I'm done being someone's sacrifice.
My father wanted a daughter who's responsible – I'm responsible for breaking Lucine's curse and saving the werewolf packs of Scotland. He thinks my 'hobby' is a means to an end – I just killed three men in a flaming photoshoot.
I'm done being defined by his ideals.
It's time to end this. Find Rheon, stop Lucine, don't die.
I pushed myself off the doorframe and exited the garage. Giving my makeshift flamethrower a light shake, I set off to find Rheon amongst the chaos.
Going back felt crazy, especially after I was nearly crushed under two wolves and had one attempt to bite my head off. But there I was, running among werewolves with nothing but a torn dress, and a flamethrower I crafted from a fire extinguisher. My life has become the definition of mad irony.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted a feral wolf lunging itself at me. Lifting the flamethrower, I blasted it midair, watching it fall to the ground as the flames devoured its fur. When another of Lucine's pack saw what happened to its fellow packmate, it snarled at me and made a move to attack.
I blasted at it but missed, muffling a scream when it snapped its jaws at my arms. Throwing myself back, I risk losing my hand by inches as the wolf's head bolted past me, leaving it within arm's reach.
Bringing up the flamethrower, I bashed in the wolf's head, grinding my teeth as the impact tore and pulled at my wounds. But I didn't stop. I bashed its head again, and again, and again, until I heard the mushy crack of skull and brain combining. Only when the wolf remained on the ground, did I step back.
My hands and arms were covered in its blood, my dress stained beyond its original color. This time, I didn't stay to see it transform back into a human – the last thing I wanted to see was a man with his head cracked open and his brain pouring out.
Continuing my search for Rheon, I stopped somewhere in the middle of the chaos, and frantically searched the grounds for his dark fur and blue eyes. I told myself I would know him if I saw him, we had a bond, that must count for something. But there were too many wolves with dark fur to pinpoint a certain one and not enough time to see their eyes.
Cupping one hand over my mouth, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Rheon!"
Instantly, I regretted it. Not only did I risk him getting distracted and perhaps even killed, but I also drew the attention of four werewolves to myself.
"Shit..." I cursed when all four of them stalked towards me.
Fumbling with the flamethrower, I gripped the handle and aimed it at the closest one, all while Grandma Selene's words rang in my head.
'And once they have you surrounded, you're as good as dead.'
Judging by the way they're circling me; my hopes of making it out of this battle alive, faltered. Even my flamethrower lost its purpose.
Four pairs of blood-thirsty eyes locked on me. The wolves spread out in a circle, leaving me no gap to escape. I was surrounded.
Even if Craig or someone did manage to get to me in time, they wouldn't be able to take out four wolves on their own. I'd be dead while they're fighting off the first one.
Bracing myself for the impact of the first strike, I closed my eyes, not wanting to catch a glimpse of their fangs before they could tear my head off.
A deep growl rumbled through the air, making the earth quake and vibrate through me.
Opening one eye, a sudden onset of euphoria left me in tears when spotting a dark-furred wolf standing between me and the others. Without even getting a glimpse of its eyes, I knew it was Rheon. I felt it.
He moved with grace, circling me while snarling at the other four. The very earth quaked with each step he took, and even while silent, he projected more danger than those four wolves combined. One of the wolves cowered back in fear, whining as Rheon's gaze tore through its head and into its thoughts until it submitted.
After seeing what he did to their packmate, the other three didn't waste another second to attack. They lunged at him all at once, going straight for the kill. However, Rheon was quicker and dodged their jaws and fangs with ease. He answered by aiming for the left one's throat. It howled in pain as Rheon ripped out its windpipe before dropping to the ground, dead.
One of the remaining two tried sidestepping him to get to me. It would've succeeded if Rheon didn't leap onto its back to lock his jaws around its neck. A sickening crunch left me feeling nauseated as he crushed every bone in the wolf's neck, leaving it paralyzed on the grass. The third wolf soon joined his fallen pack members after Rheon had his way with it.
Only when all the threats were disposed of, did he turn to me with eyes swimming with emotions. At that moment, I didn't care if he was covered in blood, I didn't care about the raging war around us. The flamethrower hit the ground and I shot forward to threw my arms around his neck, burying myself in his fur until I could feel his heartbeat against mine. A low rumble vibrated through him and into me as he nuzzled me closer with his head.
My emotions were all over the place as I laughed and cried at once. Pulling back, I pressed my forehead against his furry one, "You have no clue how glad I am you're okay."
He huffed, but met my gaze with blazing intensity, telling me what I already knew. He was worried, close to losing his mind after Lucine kidnapped us. I nodded, silently telling him I understood everything he felt. Pressing my lips to his head, I kissed him softly, hoping it would be enough to put his mind at ease for now.
"If it isn't Rheon and his human mate." Ourheads jerked to the side to spot Lucine standing amid the chaos, grinningdarkly at us. "Hope you don't mind if I... cut in."