Howls of Apollo

Quattour

Skaia woke up feeling less groggy than she did before, but a splitting headache lingered at the back of her head and she reckons it’ll only get worse based on the throbbing.

She struggled to open her eyes as her eyelids felt heavy but she was forced to open them half-lidded when a hand tapped not so lightly on her cheek. She let out a pained groan at the action and forcibly opened her eyes fully, immediately wishing she didn’t.

She staggered back as black, soulless eyes met her own. The man looked demonic with the whites of his eyes completely enveloped by blackness. His expression was stoic as he looked back at her, almost like he was studying her.

Skaia recognized the man as one of the men who took her. The last warlock she fought before he bested her and made her drink that awful tasting vial. But the man she fought off didn’t have eyes like this.

This man was a shell, like a puppet on strings.

Her gaze shifted to his mouth when it suddenly opened and a sinister voice came out.

“It’s good to finally see you awake my dear. I was afraid, you might have died before I could have seen the look on Apollo’s face when he loses his miracle mate.” He said in mocked disappointment.

The voice echoed within the crevice of the cavity as the man’s mouth barely moved and just remained open.

Skaia didn’t reply, she just looked back at the man while she’s trying with her might to calm her racing heartbeat.

“No words?” The voice taunted, chuckling darkly. “Well then, I look forward to meeting you in person my dear. Hopefully with Apollo present. Watching, as I take away everything from him.”

Skaia couldn’t fight the shiver that washed on her at the mention of her mate. Not of pleasure but of fear.

“The time is nigh for the alpha heredis to fall.” The voice said lastly, then the man’s mouth shut and the dark pool of his eyes turned back to their normal form.

“Hello again” The man in front of her said in his normal voice this time. He had a wicked glint in his eyes and it irked her how he’s looking at her like she’s so easy to destroy.  

Skaia furrowed her brows at him but he only chuckled.

“So this is the miracle mate huh?” A second voice said from behind the man. Skaia eyed the other warlock who just came in and immediately recognized him as the first one who attacked her.

The warlock met her gaze and smirked, giving her a once over. “She’s easy on the eyes that’s for sure but quite frankly, I don’t see anything special for her to be the heredis’ mate.”

Again, ‘why are they calling Apollo heredis?’ She asked mentally, but unable to help herself, she couldn’t let another warlock get away with belittling her.

“Nothing special knocked you out.” Her voice was raspy and breathy as she said the words. Speaking burned her throat but seeing the anger on the warlock’s face was worth it and she couldn’t help the smug smile that graced her face.

However, it seemed her comment hit harder than she thought because the warlock didn’t even bother to hold back at all. He marched right up to them and grabbed the back of her head. He fisted her hair at the back, forcing her to lift her face.

A hand grabbed at his wrist but didn’t bother to remove it from his hold on her, like false hope for help and Skaia’s chest burned with anger at the warlocks in front of her.

“We’re not authorized to kill her. He has plans for her.” The other warlock reminded.

“I know” The one holding her growled, tightening his hold on her hair. Tilting her face even higher, causing a strain on her neck. She let out a pained grimace but she held back her scream.

“It doesn’t mean we can’t make her wish she was dying.” He said through clenched teeth before he backhanded her.

Her face stung, the iron taste of her blood filling her mouth. Her hair was yanked again, making her hand fly to grip the hand that was pulling on it. Skaia couldn’t hide her pained scream this time. The warlock pulled her to her feet by her hair and her scream intensified.

She was still wobbly on her feet due to the effects of whatever was in that vial but she wasn’t on her feet long because she was flung to the other side of the room. Her body making hard contact with the cold, cobblestone wall. She wheezed as the air left her lungs, every breath coming in and out was painful, and she reckons her ribs must have broken from the impact. Not only that, she can’t feel her left arm anymore. So she looked to the side to glance at it, and saw that it was bent at an awkward angle so no doubt, it’s dislocated from its socket.

She could hear footsteps approaching and she hastily tried to move away with the little strength she had left but a foot collided with her already broken ribs. Blood spurt from her mouth from the impact and Skaia barely even had time to register the pain before it hit her again and again.

Her breaths were coming in pants now and she can barely see anything as darkness started crawling into the back of her eyes. She saw the oncoming boot to her face and she braced herself but it never reached her as a force burst through the wall opposite them. Rubble fell everywhere and all hell broke loose.

However, Skaia was long gone and once again lost the battle with darkness, slipping into unconsciousness once more.

Apollo wasted no time phoning his men to meet him on a land near his mate’s location. It took every ounce of strength he had not to march in there himself, but he needed to be smart about Skaia’s rescue. A whiff of his presence and they could move her to a different location.

His men and surprisingly, Atlas and a few of his own men, met him where he’d instructed them to meet him. Apollo had already devised a plan of attack and as soon as they arrived, he quickly dispersed the plan to his men. They chose to run to the location instead of taking the cars to provide the element of surprise for their arrival.

Apollo pushed himself further in wolf form as he felt pain strike him in multiple parts of his body. They were from Skaia, each one stung even if he’s only feeling a portion of it. His body shook in agony and rage at the thought of what she must be going through.

They skid to a halt in a wrecked watchtower. He tilted his nose in the air and immediately caught scent of the warlocks that took her. He shifted back into man and the rest followed suit. They were a few steps away when a pained scream halted him in his steps. He could recognize that voice even in his sleep.

A red haze overtook him and he all but launched himself towards the part of the tower where he heard the scream was coming from.

The rubble flew everywhere, dust pooled like smoke, but he wasn’t the least bit bothered by it as he took in the scene in front of him. His mate was laying a bloody, broken mass of body in front of a man. The image was enough to have his wolf surge forward in unfiltered rage as his hands half-shifted into claws, and his chest rumbled with a threatening growl.

He was in front of the warlock in a heartbeat, clutching his throat and throwing him down, digging his body into the stone floor. The strength of the impact sent the man unconscious. He’s not done with this one yet, a quick death would be too merciful.

He shifted his attention to the other warlock in the room, attempting to get away after seeing what happened to the other one. The warlock had the gall to be afraid, shaking and holding his hands up in surrender but Apollo wasn’t going to show mercy. Not when it wasn’t given to his mate.  

He flung the warlock into the nearest wall, not giving him time to recover before smashing his face in one too many times. He was occupied in his red haze of rage that he barely registered the people pooling into the room.

“Apollo, enough!” Atlas yelled to get his attention. Apollo turned his head to look at the alpha, but he didn’t let the warlock out of his grasp.

“We have her.” Atlas added, making Apollo turn his head to his mate who was now in the hands of one of his guards. The sight of her beaten body fueled the already present rage in his body, and he turned to face the bloody mess of what’s left of the warlock.

“I’ll leave your body as food for the crows.” He whispered darkly, letting his wolf relish in the look of fear in the warlock’s eyes before he snapped his neck. He severed the head from the body to prevent any necromancy and tossed it to one of his men.

They would have to burn it before leaving.

His steps felt heavy as he approached his unconscious mate. He was itching to take her into his arms but he needed to deal with the warlock he left laying close to dead in the shattered stone floor.

“We’ll take her outside alpha, the cars have already arrived. We’ll be waiting there.” His beta said, knowing fully well what’s running through his head.

Apollo gave him a sharp nod and the men began filing out of the room, creating a circle around his mate as protection.

As soon as they were out, he pulled the unconscious warlock by the neck and shook him awake. The man strained to open his eyes, coughing out in pain of what Apollo could reckon are multiple broken ribs and a shattered spine.

“Where is he?” He asked in a grave tone.

The man had the audacity to smirk at the face of the man that would soon bring him to his death. “What makes you think I can tell you alpha?” He asked mockingly. “He will find you when the time has come and you will fall heredis. You and that miracle mate of yours.” He said, chuckling amidst the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

Apollo let out a thundering growl at the mention of his mate, the force of it shutting the man up and for a moment, a shiver of fear ran through him but that wasn’t enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

“He has plans for her and when he’s done, you’ll watch as her life drains in front of –“ He didn’t get to finish that sentence, the words ceased in his throat as Apollo snapped his neck to the side with more force than necessary, completely severing the head.

Apollo let the warlock’s body drop to the ground. His chest heaved up and down as he huffed angrily. His blood boiled at the man’s words.

He was no stranger to threats. It came with his bloodline. Throughout the history of their line, many have tried to take them down and many have failed. However, only one person has been consistent with his threats against the line destined to lead Forti Polaris. The only one persistent than any other to get what he wants. Apollo has faced him before and is confident he’ll best him again. Claws and canines at the ready.

Yet, for the first time, he’s gripped with crippling fear.

Things have changed. He has something to lose now. His mate, his Skaia, his miracle is being threatened to be taken away and he’ll be damned if he lets it happen again.