Chapter 22.
It felt like time was getting slower as we approached the cabin, the candlelight inside flickering violently. All the warriors, wolf or human, were all approaching with determination. All the Alphas were in front, and I looked from the other side to see Lucian beside his mother and father. My father held up his hand, and all the alphas immediately told their warriors to stop as well. I looked over beside me, and saw my brother Clayton narrowing his eyes at the cabin.
I moved my way towards my dad, who was standing perfectly still. Touching his arm, he looked over at me with a look of anger and hostility. The moment he recognized me he relaxed slightly. Something was wrong, that I knew immediately. Whatever it was, I knew it was really bad.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"No one's in the cabin." He said softly. "But I have a bad feeling."
A chill ran up my spine, and I knew for a fact it wasn't from the cold. "Me too."
Everything was silent, and nothing was moving. I felt like I was standing in a graveyard, and maybe this was sort of like one. People were going to die, and after this, there would be a lot of graves to dig. People were going to die, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
There was a scream, and I turned my head to see someone on the ground in pain. I ran over as fast as I could, and the sight was disgusting. The woman had an animal trap digging into her ankle, blood pouring out of the wound violently. I looked away, feeling bile fill up at the bottom of my throat. My dad came running, his eyes crazy when he realized what had happened.
"Shit." He cursed, turning around to examine the battlefield. It was there everyone noticed all the animal trap on the ground. One that could easily take off someones foot.
Paige came running, quickly covering the wound with a white blanket and trying to get the trap out of the woman's ankle. She screamed, the pain unbearable as the trap only got tighter. Paige cursed, blood staining her fingers as she tried to yank and pull at the rusted metal. For something that looked like a piece of junk it sure was durable.
"It's spelled." I looked over at Lilura who was holding her hand up. "It won't release her unless the witch that spelled it dies. It's a life linking sort of thing."
"What if we don't kill the witch?" I asked, looking at her with worry.
"Eventually she'll die from the blood loss." Lilura said softly.
Anger boiled inside my veins and I couldn't contain my frustration anymore. I faced the cabin and ran full speed towards it, knocking people over as I did so. There had to be people in there, I wasn't going home until Ayana was dead. I would spend the rest of my years trying to kill her as long as my family was safe. She had already ruined enough lives, and it was time for hers to end.
I ran up the few steps into the cabin, but the moment I touched the cabin it was as if a bomb had exploded right in front of me. I was violently pushed back, my arms and legs trailing everywhere as I was tossed yards from the cabin. My back landed painfully on the dirt, mud sticking to my clothes and hair.
It was as if everything was blurring around me as I tried to sit up, only for me to face plant the ground once more. My ears were ringing and I was moving sluggishly as if everything was being rewind and fast forwarded. People were running in blurs, their bodies leaving a small foggy tail behind them.
Once my vision began clearing up and my ears stopped ringing I was able to get a clearer view. All the wolves were on the ground, and hundreds of witches were appearing right in front of me and attacking. This was an ambush, the cabin had been a distraction for all of us. Everyone was flash-banged and delusional, and the witches had the upper hand.
I turned to my left and looked towards the woods where there was only a lone figure. Immediately I knew it was Ayana and bolted towards her. People were calling my name, but I could hardly hear anything but my own breathing. I was stumbling into trees and tripping over my own feet. The hooded Ayana was only staring at me with her big white eyes, a blank expression on her face as she turned and walked deeper into the forest.
It took me at least ten minutes for me to chase her through the woods, and when I finally reached her I had stumbled onto a clearing. The moment I stepped into it the ground below it crackled, and I looked down to see the frozen lake below me. I took my shoes off and made my way closer to her, trying to stop my head from spinning and stumbling onto the ice. If I fell too hard I may fall through, and I don't know how to swim.
Every step the ice hissed, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I would find a weak spot and fall through. Lucian is probably too busy fighting off witches, unless he's still on the ground trying to regain feeling in his body like myself. He couldn't save me, so at this very moment it was me against this two century old witch.
Ayana stopped walking once we reached the center of the lake and turned to face me. She removed her hood and stared me dead in the eye as if she could see me. "What a meaningful place for your death don't you agree?"
"If you kill me I'll become the Moon Goddess anyway." I snapped at her, my voice echoing through the silent night. "You will gain nothing, and the wolf bloodline will continue as it should."
"If I succeed there won't be anyone to worship you as a Goddess and once again you will be alone." She concluded. "I don't care if you become the next goddess, all I care about is the end of you race. This great war is the start of that."
"We're all over the world, you won't succeed in just one night." I snarled, my body shaking with complete rage.
"All the witches around the world are at this moment killing off your kind one by one." Ayana gave an evil grin. "Even wolves that haven't been born are being terminated."
A painful and heartbreaking scream was heard in the distance and I turned around at the sound of it. Though I couldn't see what was going on, I knew what had happened. Paige had just lost her baby, a witch had killed it. An innocent unborn baby was killed as a result of this war. This was my fault, a baby had been killed, an innocent life.
My fury was indescribable. I lunged at Ayana, attempting to tackle her as best as I could, but she was already gone before I could even brush a finger over her. I landed on the ice, my voice hissing in pain as my arm landed funny. So many people died because of her, she had to pay for everything that she did.
"Don't act so surprised Penelope." Ayana gloated. "You knew the child's fate and could have easily changed it."
"I don't know what I'm capable of, it was just a feeling." I barked, looking around the area for her. I could hear her, but I couldn't see her.
"As you get older you'll be more in tune with your Moon Goddess traits, it's only a matter of time." Ayana added. "That is if I don't kill you before then."
"The only person dying here is you." I shouted, tossing my hair behind my ear so I could look around better. She was no where in sight, but I knew she was watching me. "You're a coward for using your magic to hide yourself."
"Sometimes you have to play dirty to win."
I wanted to shift, I had to so badly, but I knew once I did I wouldn't be in control of my actions. I had to think clearly, I had to know what I was doing. I would be completely blind sighted by her magic once I turned. I would only think of her as prey, an animal who can't hurt me.
The thing I was dealing with was a monster, a snake in disguise. She toyed with people and made deals with even the most innocent of people. No one deserved anything she threw at them, and everyone who had died by her hand needed to be avenged. This wasn't about justice anymore, this was about pure revenge for someone who deserved the most violent death.
Before I could expect it, I was hit from behind and thrown another few feet across the lake. The ice cried, complaining about the new weight. My head had hit a shard in the ice, and I felt blood drip from the side of my head. I was too dizzy to feel the pain, and I didn't even register it for a moment when I was thrown to the other side of the lake again.
I couldn't let her toss me around like a toy, I refuse to be a doll in her game any longer. There had to be a way to weaken her magic so I could kill her. I'm young and unfamiliar with magic. I've only been practicing on small objects, but she's a living breathing witch. How can I possibly win?
Ayana was hiding, and I wouldn't be able to find her. She can attack me from behind and I wouldn't be able to defend myself. I tried to think back to the lessons I had learned from Lilura, but nothing came up that would be helpful.
"You know." I turned around at the voice, but couldn't seem to find it. She was trying to wear me down, and I wouldn't let her get to me. There was no way I was going to let her. "I remember watching you in that prison sitting around all day and walking a little bit. It made me wonder how you learned to talk."
"Lilura was very helpful." I thought I saw Ayana present herself, but when I shot a spark of magic it hit nothing but a tree.
"Oh I'm sure she was, and she always got punished for using her little gift to speak to people." She laughed. "Of all the people in my facility she decides to help out you."
"I guess fate brought us together." I called out. I was beginning to get more and more frustrated as time went on. "You god damn coward, show yourself!"
"It's a shame that when this is all over every person who went against me will be killed." I jumped when Ayana appeared directly in front of me.
I raised my hand to attack her but all she did was grab my arm. When I went to knee her in the gut she snatched it and sent me sliding across the ice. She was humiliating me, trying to get me to submit to her completely. I wasn't going to let her, I wouldn't let her have that kind of power over me.
She stood with her hood down now, and was watching me as I withered in pain on the floor. "It's a shame really, a beautiful girl like you shouldn't have to go through such torment." She sighed. "If only you were born as the more superior."
A sudden rush of power came over me and I kicked her violently in the knees. She collapsed to the floor and I was able to take advantage of the new upper hand I had. I stood up and raised my hand to her, my hand glowing a combination of all colors.
"I am the Moon Goddess." I heard myself saying, but it wasn't me who was speaking. I felt like I was being controlled. "I protect my children, even if it means destroying an entire race."
"No." I shook my head at the orb in my hand began to grow larger and larger. "We can't kill all witches, otherwise we'll be just like her. I refuse to be a murderer just like her."
"Fine." The voice said, but it looked as if I was only talking to myself. "Then only she must perish."
At that moment I struck her with the rainbow orb and it pierced right into her heart. Ayana screamed, her hands clutching at her chest as she looked at me. She skin began to crack, and a light began to form inside of her. She was glowing and her eyes were turning a violet color, much like my own. Her face began to look more and more like glass, and her body was beginning to fade.
The cracks began to grow and grow as she started to scream an ear splintering wail. The noise wouldn't stop as she screamed louder, my ears bleeding as she continued. I threw my hand out and began to warm up the ice. I couldn't catch it on fire, but I could melt it, and that is exactly what I was doing. The ice supporting Ayana's body began to disappear, and I couldn't manage to look at her any more. Her body was almost transparent, and I could only see the cracks decorating her body.
A splash was heard as Ayana's body slipped through the ice and fell quickly into the dark lake. Her cloak fell off and floated back onto the surface, and I grabbed it. The only thing that was left of the witch was a patched up black rag. It looked as if it had been soaked in oil, and had an iridescent look to it.
The water where Ayana had disappeared into began to support the same look as the cloak. The crystal clear water began to consist of a unique glitter. The oil look began to spread across the entire lake to the point where it almost sparkled. The ice had a new look to it and resembled what I would think heaven would be. It was so peaceful, and so innocent looking.
"It's not over yet." I told myself, trying to breath as I recovered from the large blast of energy. "A war is still going on."
______________________________________________________*(A/N)*
Hello everybody and happy Saturday!
I know it's been months, but don't worry I'm alive and well!
I don't know how to explain why I haven't had time to write, but I am getting older and I have a lot more things to do and don't make up the time to write. I know it's not fair to leave in such a dramatic part of the story, but I've gotten over every kind of writers block, busy schedule and all. I want to finish this story, and I'll try my hardest. I'll never leave my work unfinished, I can guarantee that!
Let me know how you feel about this chapter please, because I'm trying to make it as thrilling as possible!
VOTE/ COMMENT/ SHARE/ FAN
Xox