"Dad?" I whispered, causing the Alpha to flick his ear in response. He was watching me with a steady gaze, his yellow eyes nothing but slits of inhumanity. I only stared, ignoring the sound of cries and the clang of metal surrounding us. All that mattered was the wolf in front of me, and all that mattered was that he showed me who he was. But he didn't make a move, his nose twitching slightly as he caught my scent.
Out of nowhere an arrow struck his side, causing him to let out a snarl of pain. He turned to the side, snapping his jaws at the culprit. I also spun around to see Miss Anderson lower her bow, a smile spreading across her lips.
"You didn't think I would let both of you leave alive did you?" She called with a cackle, oblivious to the white wolf creeping up behind her. The Alpha only let out another growl, couching down to take a flying leap towards her. Her eyes brightened with delight but not before Isaac raked his claws down her armour, however it didn't even leave a mark, and she was left to turn and glare at him angrily. She unsheathed Parazonium from her belt and brought it to her chest, poised to strike at Isaac, but the Alpha had reached her. Isaac and The Alpha circled her, black and white fusing together to pin their shared enemy. Miss Anderson stood at the ready, her eyes flickering between the two, her fingers tightening around her sword.
"Stop playing games Shawn," She hissed, twirling the sword in a well-practised movement so it flashed like a streak of silver. "Kill me, slaughter me. It wouldn't be the first time you've done it."
He growled at this, licking his pointed canines as he circled her, looking incredibly large in comparison to Isaac opposite him. Isaac had his eyes on Miss Anderson, his gaze repeatedly flicking to the Parazonium. His ears were flattened to his head as he let out a shredded howl, snapping his jaws towards her direction. She only cackled in response, raising her sword to twirl it in the air. "Oh please," She scoffed, her tone loose and carefree despite the situation. "You really aren't as scary as you think you are."
Isaac only let out a strangled growl in response, his fur standing on end. The Alpha matched his expression, gnashing his teeth in a way that made my legs shake from its ferocity. However, Miss Anderson seemed unnerved, her pupils narrowed with excitement, a sly smirk slipping onto her lips.
"I loved you the moment I met you," Miss Anderson commented, pointing the Parazonium towards the Alpha, however her gaze kept flickering to Isaac. "And instead you used me to get what you wanted."
The Alpha only continued to snarl, with Isaac looking slightly confused, his growl faltering.
"I knew as soon as you went missing you had ventured back to the world you belonged in. When Jeremy confirmed your body was never found I knew you had left your humanity behind, dwelling in the woods until you had a sound enough mind to create the pack you always wanted to rule." In one swift movement she jabbed at the Alpha, the tip barely scathing his skin as he took a side step away, leaving himself unharmed. He let out a vicious growl, but didn't try to attack her, instead remaining defensive as he continued to circle her. Isaac never glanced in my direction, his attention solely focused on the crazed woman who carried the very weapon that could destroy them all.
"I only ever saw glimpses of you over the years, but I was never called to destroy you," She waved her sword, clenching it with tight fingers. "And then Amber disappeared, and the Parade began to regather." Her eyes narrowed into slits, her smirk falling. "I knew it was you the moment she was taken."
The Alpha uttered a low rumble deep from his chest, slinking like a shadow against Isaac. They formed almost a ying and yang, bound by the prospect of their own disease, both seeking unity in the killing of the very mythical leader that swore to murder them all. Although Isaac looked incredibly smaller in comparison to him, I could still see the muscles rippling underneath his pelt, distinguished by the density of his fur.
But then the Alpha swiped out a paw, barely missing Miss Anderson as she narrowly dodged the attack. At the same moment she swung the sword, clipping off tiny individual hairs on the Alpha's paw, but never breaking the skin. Isaac took this distraction as an opportunity to break his circle and pounce forward, his jaws agap in a vicious howl. Miss Anderson didn't have the time to dodge him as he crashed into her, his body weight alone snapping her ribcage but I knew it wouldn't phase someone as heavily armoured as her. She did however roll from the impact, tumbling against Isaac so they both came to a hasty halt. She managed to hold her sword, and now her being under him, had the perfect opportunity to strike the tip up into his heart. He seemed to sense this weakness as well because he made a move to jump away from her but not before the Alpha had regained his composure and had raked his claws down her chest, but her armour never broke. The claw marks seemed to drill itself the armour, sending out a cracked and eerie noise that made all the wolves in the clearing flinch. Miss Anderson only laughed, moving to drive her sword towards Isaac but he leapt away, only just managing to avoid her action.
"What I don't understand is how a man so devoted to his daughter could still manage to slaughter and turn dozens of children," Miss Anderson breathed, her voice risen with criticism, causing the Alpha to snarl and move to take a bite of the only exposed bit of skin on her. Her neck.
But she rolled to the side, dodging the attack entirely, leaving the Alpha with a mouthful of snow. This, she found, extremely amusing as she twisted her sword so it whirled in a wide arc. She reached down with one hand to retrieve a throwing knife looped in a belt.
Isaac saw the flash of the knife and dove to stop her attack but he didn't reach her in time before she swung it, its blade shining in the moonlight before it struck the Alpha in the haunches. He howled with anger, his eyes almost darkening into a shady yellow as a snarl tore from his chest.
I couldn't sit here and do nothing. The Alpha and Isaac couldn't kill her without breaking her neck or completely tearing off her head, and that was too close of a contact without being stabbed by her sword.
I spun in my spot, desperately searching for a weapon of some sort. From afar I saw a wolf pounce on a warrior, digging its claws into the man's back as it snapped its jaws around his neck. The warrior attempted to shoot towards its attacker but the wolf jerked its head in one twist, snapping the neck of the warrior within seconds, leaving him to drop the gun. The wolf discarded the body and turned to hound upon two more warriors.
I burst forward, dodging through various warriors and wolves, barely managing to duck under a swinging axe. I nearly reached the discarded gun before a piercing pain went up my leg, causing me to stumble enough to crash into the snow. I rolled to a stop, conscious of the snow that clung to my exposed skin and began to sting my face. The smell of blood instantly hit my nose and I turned to see a knife wedged into my lower leg, digging deep into my flesh just above my ankle. I let out a grunt of pain as a fire seemed to seep up my leg, tiny needle like pricks attacking my flesh so it felt like poisonous ants were crawling up my leg. But then I saw I saw the shadow who had thrown the dagger.
A warrior walked towards me, their identity unfamiliar to me, although they shared the same manic smile that Miss Anderson possessed. He had a ginger hair and blazing blue eyes that reminded me of Fins, however they weren't lit with curiosity, instead they were dark with melancholy, embedded with the emotion of madness so I was left to stare at two dark pits of death.
I gritted my teeth against the pain in my leg, attempting to scramble away as he advanced but he reached me in one swift movement. He let out a deep cackle, his voice like knives against my ears as I cringed.
"So this must be the precious Renee everyone is talking about," He chuckled, watching as I feebly tried to move away from him but every time he would just close the distance. "The First Descendant as The Huntress likes to say."
"I am not one of them." I spat back, holding back the tears that began to cloud my vision.
He rose an eyebrow in response, his expression one of joy. "But aren't you? We all know who you are, in fact the entire supernatural world does. The girl who escaped The Huntress, the girl who runs wild with the wolves, the girl who is tainted with the disease of the Forsaken but lives in the tunid world." He eyed me in greed, his smile broadening. "And I'll be the one to kill you."
I could almost touch the gun nearly hidden from view in the snow as I moved away, conscious of his eyes that followed my every move. "You know, basically everyone has said that to me and I'm still alive. I think one of your friends Lola used those as her dying words."
I hated myself for taunting him over the death of my own nurse, but I had to force some reaction out of him or at least distract him in a way that let me reach the gun.
But his eyes flashed in response and he pressed his foot down against my chest, pushing all the breath out of my lungs so I wheezed. "You'll regret what you did to The Parade."
"And what have I done?" I croaked, struggling for breath as his armoured boots dug into the soft skin of my neck. "Killed the very people that killed turned children? Isn't that a bit unfair?"
"What's unfair is the fact you haven't been killed yet," He hissed back, his heel digging further into my throat. "For months we have tracked each and every Forsaken, when we should have focused on the reason we are all in this mess." He reached down to retrieve a dagger from his weapons belt, raising it above his head. His smile returned, bright and luminous as ever. "You."
As he brought the dagger down I twisted out from under him, rolling in a way that left his foot to slip awkwardly from my chest to collapse underneath him. He cursed as he stumbled but I had risen to my feet, having retrieved the gun as I rose to a stand. I lifted my finger to rest it against the trigger as I pointed it directly at his forehead. His eyes widened in surprise but then he only let out a half-hearted chuckle.
"Is that all you got?" He laughed, twirling his dagger as if his miss meant nothing to him. He seemed unfazed by my dodge but I could tell beneath his gaze that he was slightly unsettled at the fact I held a lethal weapon to his head. "Go ahead, shoot me."
"What made you who you are?" I asked, ignoring his question. My leg felt like I had placed it on top of a heating stove, so the surface burned away my flesh and sizzled my insides.
"We are born into the Parade," He lashed, his eyes flickering down to the knife still embedded into my leg. "It is not a choice."
"Why kill The Night Children?" I inquired, clenching my jaw against my leg. I willed it not to give way beneath me as I shifted my weight to my other leg. The warrior seemed to notice this too because a smirk began to slither onto his thin lips. If I didn't know any better he would've looked just over my age, with his cheeks still rounded with youth and his skin smoothened with childhood. "Why kill something that was once you?"
"I changed for the better when I became a Parade member," He argued back, taking a step towards me. "They changed for the worst. They aren't deserving of this world."
"Then give me a chance to speak for them." I insisted but he only let out a low laugh instead.
"And why would I do that?" He said icily, watching me almost with catlike eyes.
I lowered the gun carefully, my hands tight against its hilt. His gaze shifted to it, surprise coursing through his eyes but he quickly blinked it away. "We don't have to kill each other to live in the tunid world. Let me show you."
He looked at me as if I was delirious and then let out a booming cackle, bending down to clasp his stomach as he laughed. I felt my cheeks flush but he soon regathered himself, raising to stare at me with a look of amusement.
"How cute, the little wolf wants to live in harmony." He cooed, struggling to control his laughter.
"It's possible." I hissed but he was beginning to glance around him, watching as a pair of wolves eyed us from afar and began to gallop to our location, their muzzles risen in a snarl.
He turned back to me, his movements one of haste as he flicked his dagger back into his open palm.
"Nice fantasy, but I'm sorry to say that your time has come to an end." He launched towards me, bringing the dagger down so its tip brushed the material of my clothes. Just as the very tip broke the first layer of my skin I pressed the trigger, feeling the kick back of the gun press against my wrist as the gun shot went off. The dagger never went further into my chest, and the warrior halted his efforts, pausing to stare at me in the eye. Blood welled from his chest, cascading down his armour in waves. He wore a dazed expression, like he wasn't sure what was happening before his eyes seemed to glass over, the blue of his irises trapped beneath a barricade of death before his legs collapsed underneath him. He fell to the ground silently, the snow cushioning his fall. I stared at him in shock, the gun slipping from my shaking fingers. I had killed another person. I had taken the life of a living being. Again.
Almost in a trance, I bent down to yank out the knife from my leg, nearly screaming from the agony that came away with it. Blood flowed from the wound but I tore my gaze away from it, hoping that if I pushed it to the back of my mind the sensation of my leg on fire would eventually go away.
I looked up to see the two wolves who were originally running towards us slide to a halt a few metres from me, knocking an injured warrior who was battling three wolves at once. They regarded me with a weary look, their eyes flickering over my bleeding body before they glanced at each other. They seemed hesitant, their ears prickling as though they were undecided but then they seemed to come to a decision. The sandy shewolf attacked first, burrowing her back legs into the snow to propel herself towards me, her face etched into a snarl. The brown male advanced on foot, his expression matching his partners. I didn't have time to reach the gun before the she wolf's front paws hit my chest, driving me backwards several metres before a pine tree trunk stilled my roll. The breath escaped me again before I felt the brown wolf's claws slice through my skin, scathing the bone so I let out a scream of pain. The sandy wolf seemed pleased with this reaction, a heightened growl erupting from her chest. Stars burst from against my vision and I struggled to move away from the two wolves but they didn't stop their attacks. The she wolf bent down to nip at my bleeding leg, sending it into another explosive wave of agony. I stilled a scream by biting my tongue, tasting the essence of blood. Still trying to fill my lungs with air, I desperately searched for a weapon to find but there was none near me. The two wolves knew they had me trapped, their eyes blazing with hunger. The brown wolf gnashed his teeth inches from my face, his breath hot against my cheek. I smelt blood and the faintest trace of snow as he growled against me, his fur bristling. I felt canines sink into the flesh of my upper thigh, scraping the bone as the shewolf growled against my skin. I let out another panicked scream, searching wildly for anything to use to hurt them in anyway. The brown wolf skipped around me to crush my wrist in between his jaws, his teeth sinking into my veins the way a rock sinks into water. I attempted to yank my arm away but this only caused him to clamp down on it harder, shaking his head vigorously so the sound of my wrist popping out of its socket filled my ears. I didn't have time to acknowledge the pain before a white figure burst from the shadows, letting out the deadliest snarl I had heard him admit. He raked his claws down the she wolfs side enough so she let go of my leg to snarl at him. The brown wolf also let my hand drop loosely to the ground, agony coming with the movement as he let out a low growl.
Isaac licked his canines, curling his muzzle in an atrocious look of anger. He gnashed his teeth and pounced, aiming to sink his canines into the she wolfs neck. She swerved but he managed to hook her ear with his claws, slicing through it entirely so the tip was severed off. She let out a yip of pain before her partner slid forward, angered at the sight of her pain. He leapt forward, crushing his weight into Isaac so he rolled away from the shewolf several metres. Isaac yelped and spun to clamp his teeth into the other males neck but it didn't seem to do much damage. The male wolf only shook his head viciously, shaking off Isaac in one effortless movement.
Stars remained flickering across my vision, swirling around me the way the flames seemed to encase my body, burning away at my insides so it felt like my entire soul was pouring out onto the snow.
But then the Alpha joined the battle, plunging in between Isaac and the two wolves to growl at the shewolf. She immediately stilled, flattening her ears to her head in a sign of submission with a whine. However, the male wolf didn't seem to agree and he snarled at the Alpha, levelling his gaze against the Alpha. The Alpha seemed outraged by this, a rumble in his chest forming to roll in waves amongst us. Isaac glanced at the Alpha with a look I didn't recognise before turning to peer at me. Blood welled in several cuts and grazes across his white coat but apart from the minor injuries, he seemed unharmed. The Alpha continued to snarl, his growl growing impossibly louder so it sounded like thunder against my ears. The brown wolf continued to hold his gaze, however his tail twitched to travel in between his legs. His fur was bristling on end and a challenge seemed to flicker across his vision. The Alpha curled his muzzle further, flashing his deadly canines as he took a step closer to the smaller wolf, casting a shadow over him. The brown wolf cowered slightly but didn't lower his eyes, his growl faltering but still remaining. The Alpha seemed to tower over him, his black pelt casting a shadow of authority over the male. The male blinked against his gaze but still didn't lower it to the ground.
I looked back to see Isaac switch his attention to a large group of warrior's advance towards us, their eyes wild with hatred. I stared at them in horror, watching them wave their weapons stained with blood as they ran towards us. I glanced back towards my leg, conscious of the snow growing denser with crimson around me. I couldn't fight them for very much longer. Isaac seemed aware of this because he burst forward, propelling head first into the group of warriors to tear his claws down the leader, the shattering of armour echoing around the clearing.
With the last of my strength I rose to my feet only to stagger back to the ground, pain erupting through my leg so intensely that I clamped my mouth against the agony of it. The Alpha remained snarling at the brown wolf with his partner shamefully side stepping out of the scenario to pursue a blonde haired warrior. Gritting my teeth to stop from screaming, I rose shakily to a stand again, attempting to put all my weight into my good leg. I refused to acknowledge how bad my wounds were as I shuffled around the snarling wolves, seeing the brown male shift his gaze to me. He let out an appalled snarl and launched forwards to snap at me, but the Alpha leapt in his path, colliding into him with such force that it seemed like thunder seemed to roll around me. I skittered away from their fighting, ducking under a swinging paw to limp to the clearing.
Bodies seemed to line the ground, the snow painting a picture of destruction and murder. Untouched weapons scattered the centre, with some warriors still clamping their swords even when trapped in the unforgivable wrath of death. Several huge mounds of fur dotted the clearing, weapons prodding out of the wolves skin. I desperately searched for the familiar face of my mother but her face did not belong to one of the fallen.
Fingers wrapped around my wrist and I was yanked into the surrounding trees of the clearing, a second hand clamping over my mouth so I couldn't utter a word. Shock coursed through me as the figure dragged me into the shadows of the trees, but still in eyesight of the clearing. I attempted to kick out but they their height enabled me from doing much damage. Pain erupted through me against their grip, my chest and leg throbbing with agony. But their grip was like steel as they dragged me further into the surrounding trees, grunting with the effort to keep me in their grasp. With my heart beat roaring in my ears, I bit down hard on the hand covering my mouth, cringing as soon as the taste of blood touched my tongue. The figure immediately loosened their grip entirely, letting their hands fall to their side. I fell to the ground, collapsing onto my hand and knees. I gritted my teeth to stop from screaming in pain, forcing myself to raise and turn to the figure.
"Hello gorgeous." Aaron grinned, his teeth twisted into a smile that made the Jokers seem shameful. I only stared at him, taking in this new side of him that I couldn't identify with the genuine side I had grown to like. He chuckled at my response, rolling his eyes to stare at the moon that rose between us. As he examined it, I took him in. Scratches zig zagged over his arms and neck, twisting to scrape under his shirt. Some were still bleeding, but most of the blood had already dried. His hair was ruffled into a mess, his fringe trailing over his eyes against the wind. Under the moonlight he looked significantly paler, the veins along his arms standing out.
"How could you." I hissed, thankful my voice didn't shake. All the anger that I had acquired over the last eight months began to gather in my bones, clogging up my lungs so it felt like I couldn't breathe. But only now Aaron seemed like he was enjoying my fury. He lowered his gaze to watch me curiously, his eyes like a ravens. Cold. Dark. Malicious. I didn't want to think about the way they had hid so much from me.
"I think the most appropriate thing to say is, how couldn't I?" He blinked steadily, his beam lowering to a curved smirk. His dimples flashed but they meant nothing to me anymore. All I saw was a shadow of a person I thought I knew. "For someone cherished so highly by the Alpha, it's hard to wonder why he wasted such time on such an oblivious tunid."
I only watched him, letting his words sink in. But I knew this was his way of getting to the people he was afraid of. Isaac, the only being that knew who he truly was, was in fact the only person who could challenge him. But Aaron destroyed him by finding his weakness. Me.
And now Aaron was trying to do the same to me.
"All this time you were the very being you warned me about." I said, taking in his carefree posture but narrowed eyes. "All this time you lied to me but for what reason? Why hide who you truly are when you guided me to discover your kind?"
"That is where you are very wrong Renee," He began, shaking his head with a light smile. "It was never my plan to admit I knew of the Forsaken. Isaac proved he could meddle with my objectives more than I assumed he would." His eyes flashed at this, a shadow seeming to block his green and gold irises for a split second.
"You didn't want me to stay away from Isaac because you were jealous," I answered, putting two and two together. "You wanted me to stay away because he was giving me clues."
However, Aaron only rose an eyebrow at this, his face displaying a look of disgust. "Isaac did more than give you clues. He went against the Alpha as soon as he was accepted into the pack. He challenged the Alpha to be at peace with the tunids when the pack was informed of the plan to grow our numbers."
"That's why Isaac was exiled from the pack." I said quietly, thinking through this.
"We were under orders to kill him, and I was given the task of tracking him down. It is against the pack code to shift to our human side but some members informed us they had seen him enter Brookefield State High." Aaron watched me, taking in every reaction and expression crossing my face.
I tried my best to wipe it clear of any emotions and instead pressed my lips together. "You were given orders to kill Isaac so you came to school. Why didn't you kill him on the first day?"
Aaron seemed to hesitate at this, his mouth forming a swift frown. "The Alpha was," He paused to take a breath. "Intrigued by Isaac. He studied him over the months and watched as he grew closer to you."
I felt myself take a breath at this, conscious of the way that Aarons hands balled into fists by his side.
"I was told to not kill him until we understood the relationship you two had." He continued, his voice almost as icy as the wind. "We knew he had answers we wished to possess, and couldn't slaughter him without finding out."
"Why was the Alpha intrigued?" I questioned, flitting my eyes around us to pin point an escape but Aaron had picked an ideal location. We were blocked from view, hidden from the clearing by draping leaves and pine tree branches.
Now Aaron's smirk returned and he took a step forward, a flame seeming to ignite his irises. It was at that moment that I knew he knew something I didn't. He seemed to recognise that as well, his smirk playing at his lips.
"Why because you're the Alpha's first born daughter of course."