Paradise
Meduza
&
I Found God
By: Mainland
Pure undiluted rage blanketed my vision in a dreary haze of red, the world passing me by in a blur, a sea of faces that were lost to me. My fingers curled into claws, digging into the palms of my hands, but I relished the pain. I let it in, let it ground me as I advanced on Calista, power filling my body with every step I took and building pressure inside my chest. Blood filled my mouth as my canines descended, eager for the taste of redemption. The crowd that had gathered outside the ruins of Kore's departure parted, the clearing dead silent as power bled from my pores, saturating the ground beneath my feet and bringing the wolves to their knees. The pack bond snapped back into place in my mind, a tidal wave of fear and pain slamming into my chest. I knew what it meant, but I didn't stagger.
Calista stood with her head high, unflinching, her emissary shifting nervously behind her. At the sight of her, I could think or feel nothing but murder, and when a body stepped forward not ten feet from my target, blocking my advancement, I snapped.
Thunder rocked overhead, the sound so loud I was surprised the ground didn't shake with the force of it.
"Move." My wolf spoke, my fingers flexing, nails sharpening into lethal talons. Rain sleeted from the sky, echoing the pain inside. Our mate was gone, lost to us, banished from our mind, and the one responsible would pay.
"Adam no!" A voice cried, but I didn't remove my gaze from him. The boy shook his mop of hair, his knees bowing as he tried not to crumble under the weight of the command. His face turned red under the strain of it, his neck baring in submission against his will.
"She had no part in this." He gasped, his knees finally giving out, hitting the waterlogged ground hard. "It was me."
I assessed him, the human inside of me quaking with pain at the implicated betrayal, but my wolf still held the reins. I was powerless to stop her as she stepped up and grasped his throat in our hand, the screaming voice of his brother begging to spare him, a distant sound to our ears. I slammed his weak body into the half crumbled wall, pinning him there, his legs dangling. He choked, grasping at my arm while his face turned an unhealthy shade of purple. Regret was an emotion I no longer had the capacity to feel as I leaned in until I my mouth was a hairs breath away from his ear.
"If I were a lesser wolf, I would not allow you the luxury that is an explanation. But I am not. I am the Queen Alpha, therefore killing you would bring nothing but unnecessary strife within the pack." His eyelids fluttered and his body jerked, threatening to give in to unconsciousness. His eyes bled red from burst blood vessels. I loosened my hold on him, just enough for him to remain awake, and his bloodshot eyes flashed with renewed fear. My lips brushed the shell of his ear, the words a mere whisper, but he quaked all the same.
"If anything happens to my mate, I am holding you personally responsible. So I suggest you think very carefully about what you are going to say next, wolf."
Adam broke then, giving up. Blood welled on my skin where he'd tried to scratch himself free, but I paid the pain no mind as I released him, dropping his body to the cold ground. The storm raged around us, speaking to me in little zings of electricity rippling across the surface of my skin. My eyelids fluttered with ecstasy and without hesitation I drew the power of the storm into me, absorbing that addictive power, and around me the world raged in response and my body erupted. I'd always had some sort of connection with the woods and earth, but I'd never felt this wild sort of power that had mercilessly sucked me in. I wondered if it was due to the loss of my connection with Elizabeth, and now the bond-madness was setting in. But it didn't feel like I was going crazy, if anything I felt clearer than I had in years. Waves of energy leaked and wound around me, solidifying my blood, my veins humming and crackling like lightning.
Something inside me flickered as I looked down, annoyed at the stinging of my arm, and I balked at the sight of the actual freaking lightning in my veins, sparking merrily. I flexed my fist in awe and the sky snapped in response, white lightning erupting from the dark clouds with a deafening crack. A dissociated feeling came over me when I allowed myself a brief moment to question, to make sure that this was what I wanted to do, because I knew once I embraced this side of me that there would be no going back. But I really was okay with it, because no one fucks with my mate and gets away with it, no one except me.
Now this was power.
"Forgive me, I didn't have a choice." Adam sobbed brokenly, shaking with fear.
I bared my teeth in warning and he blubbered on, snot dribbling from his nose. "The Queen, she said she'd kill Jacob, my family, if I didn't spy for her."
My other hand found his neck and I squeezed hard, bolts of lightning bursting across the veins in the back of my hands, threatening to surge into his skin. His legs jerked and kicked and the world around me faded away as I gave into the rage and pain and this strange new power that controlled me, spoke to me.
It told me to take him apart, to burrow within his skin and pull his essence from him, absorbing his soul. And I craved to. Nothing else mattered except this. Already I could taste it, the purity of his wolf's soul and the high it would give me, the power it would give me.
I licked my lips, my canines descending.
"STOP!" A voice managed to break through the haze blanketing my mind. I turned my head at the sound of Camille's scream, the look on her face so severe and so forcibly calm, that I felt curious.
I'd never seen such an uncomfortable look on her face, not since Michael had been returned to her. Sweat dotted her forehead as she seemed to strain against some invisible force. After a long moment I realized it was me, she was fighting through the waves of elemental magic pulsating off of me. I was amused for a moment, loosening my grip on Adam, his body hitting with a dull thud on the pavement. When I did that, the shield around us also dropped. A scuffle immediately ensued as Jacob fought off my father's grip and ran for his brother, but Michael was there in an instant and swooped him up, dragging him out of my line of sight kicking and screaming.
"You don't need that." Camille soothed, her eyes pinned to mine, glowing. "You don't need to do that," she repeated slowly, creeping forward. "You're safe now."
She took cautious steps towards me, the pack gathered behind her. I frowned at the look of terror on their faces, unable to comprehend at the time that it was fear of me. I stepped over the broken body at my feet and felt something akin to sadness flicker through me at the look on my father's face, his skin as white as bleached bone. Blearily, I reached my fingers toward him, light dancing at the ends of my nails. Camille stepped in front of him, a hairs breath away from my outstretched fingers. I halted, my skin twitching with the need to touch her, to absorb all that ruthless hot power writhing inside her.
I shivered as the delicious burn of her magic rubbed up against my mind. "What am I?"
"Don't worry about that love. Look at me, only me."
Her fingers reached up to brush the hair from my unfocused eyes, and something about the sweet gesture reminded me of my mother. My expression twisted and she noticed, her fingers stalling over my skin.
"Breathe." She commanded, and I did.
I blinked at her soft patient voice, the warmth in it hitting me deeply, and then I was me again. Just like that, my mind was clear and the power bled away, a not so distant memory. Stars flashed across my vision and suddenly I gasped for air, feeling every single emotion threaten to overwhelm me and damming it all back in the same second. Unable to look at my bloodied hands, I closed my fists and clenched my jaw, my eyes sharp and cold when they met Camille's, a betrayed expression. I knew I would need an explanation on how I suddenly developed elemental magic and why, but I couldn't find it in me to care as I stood there, trying to support myself under the weight of Elizabeth's absence. My legs shook with the desire to collapse, but I forbade them to.
I grasped Camille's arm for support when my body slipped, and she wrapped her other around my waist to catch me.
"Thank you." My eyes burned when I righted myself.
Seeing that I wasn't going to fall on my ass again, she inclined her head and released me, returning to Michael's side. Turning to the pack with a resigned sigh. I did not feel bad for exacting my revenge on Adam, nor would I have missed him had I followed through. It was fair and just for the crimes he had committed and although I had yet to hear the whole story, I was grateful Camille had stepped in to sure that I did. Another alpha would not have spared his life, but it was not in my nature to be inherently cruel.
I did feel bad for scaring the pack though, and for losing myself to the power so easily.
So I whispered to them, "Forgive me," and it was the only thing I could think to say at the moment, the words a plea as they left my mouth.
I nearly collapsed again when warm arms suddenly surrounded me, and then in a blink I was wrapped up in a mass of bodies, both furry and not. My wolf purred contentedly as the pack worked to soothe my injured soul. And I let them, even though my heart was thousands of miles away from me, carried on golden wings into the heart of the lion's den.
Chapter is UP!! Whoop! I know it was kind of uneventful but I am happy with the progress ;) what do y'all think about Azalea's new power?
Thanks to Vienna, of course 😜
Thank you all for your overwhelming support and love! I adore each and every one of you. I hope you enjoy this chapter! 🖤
Love, K ❤️