A War inside me

Evelyn’s POV Growls as loud as thunder ignite beneath the blanket of night. What was once a peaceful evening has erupted into destruction and chaos. The forest, usually filled with the soothing sounds of crickets and rustling leaves, is now consumed by bloodcurdling howls, snapping branches, and the deafening sounds of battle. “RUN! EVIE, RUN!” Kaden roars behind me. I push off the balls of my feet, forcing my legs to move faster than I ever thought possible. My lungs burn, and every breath feels like I’m inhaling shards of glass. Why us? I ask myself, desperately trying to keep up. “EVIE! THEY’RE GETTING CLOSER!” Kaden shouts, his voice strained through heavy breaths. He’s right behind me, making sure I stay ahead of him. I know this isn’t where he wants to be. He’d rather turn around and rip every last rogue apart with his bare teeth than run from a fight. But he can’t. Not with me slowing him down. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up!” I scream, stumbling over a thick tree root. “YOU CAN DO THIS!” he roars back. “Evie, please! Just keep going!” But it’s too late. My legs finally give out beneath me, and I hit the damp forest floor with a hard thud. “I CAN’T!” I scream, slamming my palms against the dirt. “I can’t do this anymore!” “Stop talking nonsense!” Kaden snaps, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me up. “We have to keep moving. I’m going to shift, and you’re going to climb onto my back. Do you understand me?” His voice is stern, leaving no room for argument. His eyes flash with the familiar glow of his wolf, and fur begins to erupt from his skin. But before he can finish shifting, a thunderous growl rolls through the pack territory. I freeze. My heart suddenly feels as though someone has reached inside my chest and squeezed it with an iron fist. “Dad…” I breathe, clutching my chest as an agonizing wave of pain ripples through me. All around us, howls erupt from our pack members. The sound is deafening, filled with grief and despair. Kaden doubles over, clutching his chest before releasing an ear-piercing howl toward the full moon above us. I stare at him, my own tears beginning to blur my vision. He knows. I know he feels it, too. That unbearable, constricting pain in our chests. The sudden emptiness. The unmistakable feeling of losing someone we love. Our father is gone. “FATHER!” Kaden roars, his voice cracking beneath the weight of his grief. “Daddy…” I whisper, barely able to get the word out. My knees threaten to give way again. “Dad, I’m so sorry!” I cry, throwing my head back as a broken howl tears from my throat. Tears stream freely down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry!” Our father, Alpha Daniel of Stone Brook, is officially dead. Killed at the hands of the rogues. Kaden straightens, his expression suddenly changing. The grief is still there, but something colder takes its place. His jaw tightens, and his eyes remain fixed on the moon. “He’s dead, Evie,” he says quietly. I shake my head, refusing to accept the words. “No…” “I have to get back to the front lines. Mira is coming for you. She’ll take you somewhere safe.” His voice is emotionless, almost frighteningly so. “There’s nothing to fight for anymore, Kaden!” I scream, pushing myself to my feet. “They killed him! They killed our father!” Kaden whips his head toward me. “There’s plenty left to fight for!” he growls. His eyes flash with the fury of his wolf. “Our pack! Our people! Our family! Now get the f**k up!” I flinch at the force of his command. Before I can respond, another howl erupts from the woods. One we both recognize. Mira. Kaden grabs my shoulders, making me squeak in surprise, and turns toward the sound just as her brown wolf bursts through the thick forest bushes. “TAKE HER TO SAFETY!” he commands, lifting me onto Mira’s back. “NORTH. Take her to the safe house. Do not stop for anyone!” Mira’s brown wolf eyes meet mine, and I immediately see the sadness reflected in them. Kaden is her mate. And he’s going back to the very front lines that took our father. “Kaden…” Mira whimpers through the mind-link. He looks at her, his expression softening for the briefest moment. “Go,” he tells her. “Please. Get her out of here.” They exchange one last look, silently communicating things I’ll never understand. Then Kaden shifts into his massive black wolf. His eyes meet mine for a final second before he turns and takes off toward the battlefield, his wolf running at full speed. And just like that, my brother disappears into the darkness. “Hold on, Evie,” Mira links gently. I wrap my arms around her neck, fighting back another wave of tears. We head north, toward the safe house our father had prepared in case our territory was ever invaded. It was supposed to be our last resort, a place where his children could seek shelter if everything else fell apart. I never imagined we’d actually need it. We make it roughly half a mile through the forest when Mira’s ears suddenly perk up. A low growl rumbles from deep within her chest. Then another howl echoes behind us. My stomach drops. “s**t! They found us!” I curse through the mind-link. “Hold on tight, Evie. I’m going to try to lose them,” Mira responds. She takes off at full speed, weaving between trees and thick brush. Branches whip against my arms and face, scratching my skin as she maneuvers through the forest. Behind us, the rogues howl again. Their glowing red eyes pierce through the darkness like those of possessed demons. “Come on, Mira!” I urge her. “They’re getting closer!” “I know! I’m trying!” She suddenly makes a sharp turn to the left. My eyes widen as I recognize the terrain. “No! Mira, stop! That’s a dead end!” But it’s too late. She skids to a sudden halt, throwing me forward. I lose my grip and tumble off her back, crashing against a hard rock. “AHH!” I grunt, clutching my side. Pain shoots through me as I scramble to sit up. The hunt is over. The rogues have caught us. A victorious howl erupts from their throats as they emerge from the trees, their mouths foaming and their teeth bared. Mira steps in front of me, lowering her body into a defensive stance. “I’m sorry, Evie,” she whimpers through the mind-link. “I’m so sorry. Kaden is going to be so disappointed in me.” “Don’t you dare say that!” I snap. “We’re going to get out of this. Do you hear me? We’re going to fight them off!” Mira bares her teeth as the rogues slowly stalk closer. “Stay behind me,” she warns. I scramble to my feet, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my side. “WE’RE SURROUNDED, KADEN!” I scream through the mind-link. “We’re on the north side, by the mountain!” “f**k!” he roars back. “I’m sending warriors! Hang in there both of you!” But there are too many. Far too many for Mira to fight alone. The rogues circle us, snapping their jaws and growling hungrily. Their eyes are fixed on us, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. One lunges forward. Mira dodges, twisting her body before launching herself at him. Her jaws clamp around his neck, and with one brutal movement, she tears it open. The rogue drops to the ground. A furious growl erupts from the others. Two more lunge at her simultaneously, one from each side. Their teeth sink into her flanks, drawing a painful whimper from her throat. “MIRA!” I scream. She digs her paws into the dirt and throws her weight hard to the left, forcing both rogues to lose their grip. They tumble away from her. “Mira is hurt, Kaden!” I shout through the mind-link. “WHERE ARE YOU?!” “EVIE, SHIFT!” Kaden roars. My entire body freezes. What? “Shift now!” he commands again. My hands begin to tremble. I haven’t been allowed to shift since I was ten years old. “I… I can’t,” I whisper. “EVIE! SHIFT NOW! THERE’S NO OTHER WAY!” His Alpha command rushes through me, sending a violent tremor down my spine. A low growl begins to rumble deep inside my chest. Then another. My dormant wolf is awake. And she’s furious. She’s been under Alpha command to remain dormant for years, and there is a reason our father never allowed me to shift. It wasn’t because he wanted to be cruel. It was because he was afraid of what would happen if I did. My wolf is unstable. Vicious. Unpredictable. We never fully merged into one. She’s an angry, uncontrollable mess, and the smallest provocation is enough to make her want to tear the world apart. Let me out. Her voice slithers through my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut. No. Not now. LET ME SHIFT! Her growl is so powerful that I feel it vibrating through my bones. I stumble backward, clutching my head. “Please…” I whisper. YOU’RE GOING TO DIE IF YOU KEEP HOLDING ME BACK! I look at the rogues closing in around us. Then at Mira, who’s barely managing to stay on her feet. I have no choice. “Fine,” I whisper. “Take over.” My eyes flash, and I feel the familiar warning signs begin to take hold. I don’t fight her. I can’t. A monstrous growl tears from my throat as my body begins to contort. Bones crack and shift at a frightening pace, but my wolf doesn’t hesitate. She pushes through the pain as if she’s been waiting years for this exact moment. And then… She emerges. My wolf lands on all four paws with a thunderous thud. She’s lean, confident, and beautiful. But her size is what father was concerned about. Shes anything but ordinary. She’s nearly three times the size of a normal wolf. Her striking white fur ripples as she shakes out her coat, and her glowing eyes sweep across the rogues. Silence falls over the clearing. Every rogue turns to stare. Even Mira stands frozen, her brown eyes wide with disbelief. She’s never seen my wolf before. I can practically feel her shock through the bond. My wolf slowly lowers her head, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. A warning. One final chance for them to run. But the rogues don’t move. Instead, they shake off their initial disbelief and take their fighting positions. Move out of the way, Mira, I link desperately, struggling to keep my wolf’s attention from the rogues. I can’t control her. Mira hesitates. Evie, what the hell is that? PLEASE! JUST MOVE! But before she can react, my wolf lunges toward her. Her massive jaws grab Mira by the scruff, and with a powerful thrust, she sends her flying backward. Mira crashes against the mountain wall with a sickening thud. “MIRA!” I scream inside my head. But my wolf doesn’t acknowledge me. She turns her attention back to the rogues. It’s just her now. Alone. Surrounded by the remaining three rogues. Her lips curl into a sinister snarl, exposing every one of her teeth. No… no, no, no. I can feel it happening. That familiar veil beginning to descend over my consciousness. My wolf is taking over completely. I’m losing control. “Whatever you do, stay out of her way, Mira,” I beg through the mind-link, desperately trying to reach her. “Please. Don’t come near her. I don’t know what she’ll do.” My vision begins to blur. The sounds of growling and snapping fade into the distance. Evie? Mira’s voice sounds faint. Evie, what’s happening? I try to answer, but my words never make it out. The darkness creeps in, swallowing everything around me. And then… The world goes black.