Chapter 47
*Saturday, 2nd July*
War was a void that flashed in her mind. It was unrealistic yet part of reality. It was dangerous yet thrilling. It was unusual yet it made sense. It was understandable and that was the worst part. Thing were happening too fast, she hadn't had time to stop and comprehend. She just wanted things to stop, to pause and they did.
She felt the earth move and then all of a sudden it stopped. She reached the top and everything became slow–like a 3D picture, she could reach out and touch, review the dimensions of all the still things she saw but every thing was still and her wolf could undersand what she was seeing–but her mind was in a daze. She had to combine with her wolf and herself. Ara needed to understand. She needed to be there and to protect, it was becoming her nature.
And slowly she understood her wolf as it understand her human. Two in one, they were combined, body and soul.
Arabella. Arabella. Arabella. That was her name, that was all she could hear. Arabella. Arabella. Arabella. Where are you, Xander?
The amulet on her neck glowed a vibrant azure, it reminded her greatly of the nail polish she bought when she was fourteen at the local mall, and it had been the most beautiful colour she had seen. Now on her neck, glowed the same colour, and it was powerful. It stopped everything she saw.
Wolves attacking wolves, humans with guns, shooting from behind the scenes with their faces full of fury and blood, glaring at their prey. Everything was gory and she wanted to throw up.
What was happening? Where is Xander? She knew Caleb was safe, downstairs. All she could hope for was everybody she loved was okay.
Okay. They needed to be okay. Where were they? Slowly, everything came back to scene and she couldn't figure out where Xander was, sticking to the smell of blood and fear, cowering wolves howling to the breaking of the dusk in the sky, the sun falling to allow the moon to confront those fighting, using the natural light as a guidance.
Sebastian, her best friend's mate, he fought hard like anything she hadn't seen before, with knives in his hands, he attacked every beast coming his way and then she saw him. Xander, or so she assumed, the wolf with the midnight black fur, blending into the darkness and she could definitely catch those glowing violet eyes penetrating the darkness.
He was violent, sinking his jaws into his attackers, defending himself as well as his pack. And his smell–he smelled so intoxicating, invading Ara's oxygen supply and filling her with euphoria, something she could only now sense, being a wolf.
"XANDER!" She tried yelling, but all she had in her was a howl, the loudest howl of them all, the air filled with her siren.
Nobody stopped. The war continued and the stumbled over trees and leaves, hiding herself away.
She couldn't do this. She couldn't fight. But there were men lurking in trees, and wolves shifting amongst the leaves, their dark fur blending with the lack of light surrounding them and she hid behind them, watching people with familiar faces from around the castle defend the pack.
The night sky looked red, the sun was bleeding over the light. It felt like everything was becoming reversed. The sun was still representing it's horizon but it was no where in sight, leaving behind blood red trails along the sky.
Ara hears a growl behind her, and turning around she avoids the snip of a rabid dog latching on her tail, watchign as he growls, circling her. She hardly trained as a wolf. She had no experience at all.
Her mind in abyss and they continued circling, fear taking over. What does she do?
He wants the amulet. She needed to protect the amulet. This was her amulet. He couldn't have it! But his eyes glowed red like the blood red floating in the sky and his teeth were bathed with saliva, drool slipping from the side of his snout, wrinkles forming in scruffy dark fur and he lunged and Ara, forcing her back to hit against the ground and he went in for the kill, aiming her neck in attempt to get the amulet but she twisted her neck, using her hind legs to push him off her for the moment.
But that only riled him up and with her new sudden boost of energy, she felt ready to take the random wolf on, circling him, taunting him with false lunges. She trained as a human, but Xander forgot to teach her how to survive as a wolf and she wasn't about to go back to human only to end up fighting butt naked.
Ara found herself lunging at the wolf and successfully grabbing his neck, sinking her teeth in as she feels claws attack her sides, but she doesn't loosen her hold until the wolf beneath her stops wiggling and falls to the ground, limp and dead.
It was quick. She was guilty. She just killed a man. Not innocent, but a man nonetheless.
It was a war. This is what war does to you.
A battle for power, for greed and selfishness. She spat at the dead wolf, sprinting to find her shifted mate lying beside a tree, naked and wounded. His hair shown black with the moonlight and his eyes glowed in surprise, watching his mate's wolf saunter slowly towards him, watching blood seep from his neck and his chest.
She did want to become a doctor, but there were no supplies she could use to heal him! No bandages, or alcohol, she just had her wolf and her comfort.
"Lick him!" Sebastian yelled from afar, right before he shifted into his wolf, growling to his attacker and stomping over him, squashing him until you couldn't identify the man. Ara stood back in fear.
Did he just say Lick him? Ara turned her gaze back to her bleeding mate, covering his man parts with a couple of clearly uncomfortable leaves and then she focused on his wounds.
Lick him, her instinct told her and immediately her wolf began obliging, darting her tongue out to cover his wounds, licking the metallic taste of blood away and Xander could feel the sensation of his skin closing up, his mate cleaning him up like all mates do. Energy was converted between them, small scars still healing once she finished bathing her mate with her tongue–which seemed completely weird and out of question once she saw how better he looked than before.
He looked stronger, standing up so he could shift into his wolf, rubbing Ara's neck affectionately before darting off to help his best friend.
War. War. War. War. How was she going to stop this war? It felt like so long has passed and the battle has only just begun. They needed to resolve this simply. They should've all resolved this simply but people were driven by anger and jealousy–all because of the path fate chose to behold.
Out of the corner in Ara's eye, she saw a knotty wolf sneak up behind Xander's blind spot, his hind raised up in stance of attack. Just as he pounced, Ara did, tackling the wolf as they rolled side to side, hitting themselves amongst a tree, almost breaking Ara's back.
She let out a yelp of pain as it happened, the wolf she attacked still in shock, but he got up, pining her white fur down, a large meaty paw pressing on her neck, holding in her breath.
With chokes taking part of her breathing routine, she struggled to reach the wolf towering her, feeling panic sustain her as she finds it hard to breathe. It was almost like drowning, or trying to hold your breath underwater. A sense of panic fills you and you struggle for air, trying to swim to the surface to get you breath but it doesn't help, a wolfy sort of laugh escapes the man as he enjoys trying to drain to life out of Ara, until a girl with fiery red hair and a face as fierce as the moon tackled the wolf over, using knives from her back to cut him in the neck.
Ara stood, watching the wolf who tried to choke her bleed to death, dying once again as a wolf.
Two dead. Two were dead on her behalf. The first one she killed the second–Heather!
Ara sighed in relief, jumping around like an excited dog when she recognized one of her best friend's from New York, wiping her face clear from blood with a towel strapped to her belt. She hadn't seen Heather since she left for this trip, and she knew Heather had been planning her wedding with her mate, Daniel, and they were planning to spend the entire summer in Hawaii.
Ara felt sick to stomach when she realised that–Heather was supposed to be on her honey moon but instead here she was, defending her best friend with silver knives that burned to touch.
Gosh, another thing to worry about. Her parents love using silverware and she can't touch those bloody cutlery all because she's now a wolf–a werewolf.
"Lovely to see you, Arabella. But right now we better hurry. They've found some ways to the tunnels where many of the elderly and children are hiding." Heather mumbled and immediately took off, her fast human legs speeding across the forest in the backyard surround Xander's home. Ara was right on her heels, astound with how fast she could run in her wolf form, even more surprised that she had the urge to sprint fast to where Heather was leading them.
Caleb was down there. So was Faith. Sebastian refused to allow his mate fight along by his side–especially since there was a high chance she could be carrying his pup.
There was a passage through the forest, a back-door covered with bushes that was built centuries ago that led to the tunnels running underground. Though Heather quickly grabbed clothes for Ara, and Ara soared when she shifted and quickly slipped on the undergarments then track pants as well as a large shirt. At least she could run now, her barefeet slipping over the cold concrete stairs where Heather handed her a weapon.
"We need to get them out. I don't have much of a plan, but I heard something about bombs and eliminating all those you might love." All the blood drained down Ara's face, and she pushed herself faster, turning on instinct.
She trusted her instinct, because it was leading her through the tunnels like a map laid out in front of her. There were so many tunnels–a great creation created by the first wolf king as an escape route. But over the centuries, people found out about it and they knew what was hiding beneath the renovated mansion.
"I don't know what's happening, Heather, I just–" Ara pauses for a second catching her breath before running after Heather who slowed her jog to let Ara catch up.
"Shhh...hide the amulet beneath your shirt. I was expecting something like this..." Her voice cracked and Ara couldn't predict what when they turned right.
"We just...we have to get everybody out. They're in a hidden room." And right then Heather stops, trailing her hand across the stone wall then reaching halfway through, she pushes the stone effortlessly, and that's when the wall shifted and slowly opened. How Heather knew how to do this was beyond what Ara knew.
Inside was dark, but she could still slightly see Heather, going down a small set of stairs. At that very moment, Ara wished she had met up with her best friend on better circumstances than this, but when they were attacked by a vicious blonde-headed she-wolf, all things went down in confusion.
"Oh!" Faith exclaims, looking down at her best friends sprawled on the ground below. Ara groans in slight pain and Heather whacks her head.
"Good job, smartass, attack the good guys." Heather mutters sarcastically, wiping off dust from her pants as she stands up. Faith all but squealed and giggled, attacking Heather once again but with a hug.
"Sorry! I just heard noise and I was just preparing...but why are you guys here? Over-possessive mates?" Faith asked and then helped Ara to stand up. She was a little dizzy at first, but found her balance.
Heather sadly smiled, looking at the group huddling together behind Faith's shoulder, and shook her head. "No..." Ara knew there was something going on, but she couldn't place it.
"They're going to bomb this place so we need to...we need to get out of here! Everything will blow!" Heather began yelling the last part and Ara rushed, finding her baby boy huddled with one of his aunts; Xander's younger sister Maia.
Maia gladly handed him over and Caleb immediately clawed himself aroudn Ara's neck, holding as tight as he possibly could and Ara's heart immediately soared, kissing his forehead. "What's going on Ara? What is she saying?"
"They know you're all down here...now nobody said about moving you anywhere...but we have to get you out. You all have to prepare to run, okay? We have to get you out..." Ara was going to add that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't help all these women and children get out, but she kept herself quiet, helping Xander's sisters up.
"But the King ordered us we stay here!" A young-woman complained, and Ara snapped her head to where the voice came from, prepared to argue back but Heather got to her first.
"Well change of plans! Somebody's going to bomb us anytime now! They already know they would put you all here, it's far too obvious." Heather barked, and soon enough, many women, old, young and children were standing up.
We need to get out. We need to get out. They needed to get out and Ara could feel it deep in her stomach. In her mind, she racked ideas...the only way out she knew was the way they came in. And the underground safety bunker was going to be bombed–and being bombed underground certainly lessened your chance of surviving.
"What if they're people out there? Wolves?" Another said.
Heather glared, making both Faith and Ara shiver. "Well we better be ready to fight them off. There is a war. A battle. We're hoping it's just a battle and not a full-blown war, but if so, you need to be prepared to fend for yourselves. Our mates are up there, and they are sacrificing themselves for us and we need to be there for them!" Heather's voice sounded like it was going to break, water seeping through the bottom of her eyes.
Faith came in close and brought her under her arm. "Hevs? Are you alright?" She whispered and Heather shook her head, breathing back sobs.
"I-I'm alright...I'm alright. Just...we need to get them out, okay? We can't let them die, okay?" Ara came in close next to her friends. Something had happened and she was desperate to know. She wanted to comfort her friend.
"There's a way out to the woods. From there on...you should all run north-east, find the lake and that's where you stop. Don't go in the lake. But go to the edge. You will be safe there, you will be hidden." Heather ordered, her voice slightly shaking but clearing off from how broken it sounded before.
And then Ara climbed up the stairs, hoping there were the women and children following behind her. She stopped by the entrance, gripping Caleb who hung from her like a koala, and looked out, left and right to make sure the coast was clear, then to the person behind her, she beckoned them to follow her as she ran the course, ready to jump and shift and fight for those following behind her.
Her heart was rummaging through her chest, clearly trying to find a way to escape just as she was, trying to look past her fear and run for dear life.
Everything was happening so fast. Left, then right, then left and another left until she found the exit, handing Caleb to Faith and telling everything to run up and follow Heather's instructions.
There were a gast group of women and Children, all running and hurrying to get out. But Ara stayed. She stayed to find Heather, Heather who was all the way at the back forcing the little kids to run but she wasn't alone.
Their growls echoed off the stone walls, appearing loud and clear to Ara's sensitive hearing.
"Heather? Heather!" Ara yelled, stretching her voice. "Heather, quick!" Ara began running, she knew what lay behind Heather. The tunnels; they were already in the tunnels. It was like instinct; she hadn't heard them before but now, Ara could hear the wolves searching through the bunker the women and children hid in.
Heather's red hair was thrown back behind her, bright green eyes clear through the darkness. Worry was etched in her face, but she overtook it with a look of confidence.
"Heather! Hurry, please! We have to get going!" Ara pleaded and Heather was so far away, rushing two old women.
Then she stopped and time stood still, Ara holding onto the wall next to her.
"I–I have to hold them off, Ara. They'll get you all if I don't hold them off." She whispered but Ara could hear it even as she stood what felt like a mile away.
"What?" Ara said, "What are you talking about, come on!" She yelled, desperation lacing through her voice.
But there were tears in Heather's eyes. She shook her head in defiance, taking slow steps back. "They killed him, Ara. They killed Daniel and–and I'm already dying. I have to do this. I can't live without him and I can't live if I know I let people get hurt."
"Heather? What? That's impossible." Ara's voice was breaking and she was getting softer but it felt like Heather was next to her. But she was so far away and suddenly it was just them two in the tunnel, staring each other down with tears flowing down their faces.
"I–I, I love you, Ara. Tell Faith I love her too. I–I can't live without him, Ara."
"Don't do this Heather, you can find someone new, you can heal. Daniel wouldn't want this from you. Please!" Ara begged, her knees failing her as her throat swells with sobs, pain hitting her right in the heart but Heather shakes her head.
"I'm sorry. Tell them I'm sorry. I–I'm going to see him now. I'll be here with you. Just save them, okay? I can hear them coming, they're a few turns away. I can hold them off." Heather begged but Ara shook her head, and began running forward.
"Don't do this! They'll kill you, you hear me? They'll kill you!" She screamed, trying to run further but she felt like she was running in the same spot, and she couldn't get past a big glass wall.
"Goodbye, Arabella, I'm sorry." And those were her last words before her clothes shredded and Ara got her last glimpse of reddish-brown fur drifting through the wind.
**********
A/N: I'm too scared to even say anything
I'm sorry
I–
All will be explained I promise.