Marked by the Moon, Bound by Blood

Chapter 13

.

Juro roared and charged out of the cave. I heard Juro shout followed by the sickening thud of a blunt hit.

"Juro!" Luna cried.

Luna bolted out to help him. Now I was alone in the darkness. My fear hit its peak. I felt so goddamn useless. Why was I always a burden to everyone? Why couldn't I control this power without becoming a monster?

I closed my eyes and tried to focus. I went looking for that purple energy inside me. This time, I didn't seek it with rage, but with a desperate need to protect my friends.

"Please... give me a little strength... but don't let me lose it," I whispered to myself.

I felt a warmth spread from my heart to my fingertips. A faint purple glow appeared. Unlike before, when it felt like it was burning me alive, this time it felt softer, yet incredibly dense.

I walked out of the cave. I saw Luna and Juro being cornered by four hunters. Juro was already wounded in the thigh, while Luna was barely holding on with her daggers.

"Let them go!" I shouted, my voice ringing out.

The hunters turned to me. Their leader, the one who’d been chasing us, gave a smug sneer from under his hood.

"Finally, the anomaly shows herself. Surrender now, and we’ll give your friends a quick death," the hunter said.

"Don't listen to him, Misha! Run!" Luna screamed.

I didn't listen. I stepped forward. Each step I took made the snow beneath my feet evaporate from the heat I was radiating. I raised my hand and pointed it at the hunters.

"I said... let them go!"

I slammed my foot onto the ground. A purple shockwave blasted out of my body. The force was enough to send all four hunters flying back several meters.

"Ugh! What the hell is this power?" one of the hunters muttered, struggling to stand.

I didn't give them a chance to recover. I ran to Luna and Juro, pulling them away from the group.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"Misha... your eyes... they’re glowing bright purple," Juro whispered, sounding both amazed and terrified.

I didn't give a damn about how I looked. My focus was on getting them out. But as I went to pull them away, a net made of silver rope glowing with blue light was suddenly dropped from above the cave.

Sret!

The net fell over me. The moment it touched my skin, an agonizing pain like thousands of electric needles stabbing my nerves hit me all at once.

"AAARRGGHH!" I screamed in agony.

My body hit the snow instantly. The purple energy I’d called upon was snuffed out completely. This silver net was literally sucking my power out and locking it down.

"Hahaha! The Spirit Purifying Net never fails to catch creatures like you," said the lead hunter, appearing from the ledge above the cave.

He jumped down and landed right in front of me, kicking me in the stomach until I choked.

"Huek!" I spat out a bit of clear fluid.

"Misha!" Luna tried to reach me, but another hunter held her back with a spear to her throat.

The lead hunter grabbed my hair and forced my head up. He looked at me with eyes that were ice-cold and full of contempt.

"Do you know how long we've been looking for a specimen like you? An ancient hybrid with a werewolf mate bond mark. You are a historical mistake that needs to be erased," he said.

He pulled out a very long silver dagger. It was etched with strange symbols that glowed a dull blue.

"But before that, I’m taking some of your blood for our central temple's research," he added, bringing the tip of the blade to my throat.

I could only give up. My body felt totally paralyzed by the silver net. I looked toward the lower trail, hoping for Anderson, but there was no sign of him. The pain in my chest was fading to a dull ache, which meant Anderson was either in critical condition or unconscious.

"Please... just don't..." I whimpered.

"Quiet, filthy thing. This is part of the world’s cleansing," the hunter said calmly, as if he were performing a religious rite.

The tip of the dagger started to break the skin of my neck. I could feel the cold metal ready to rip my jugular. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end.

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive explosion went off right beside us. Snow flew everywhere. A huge black shadow lunged at the lead hunter with incredible speed.

"What the hell is that?" another hunter screamed.

I opened my eyes. I saw a giant black wolf pinning the lead hunter’s shoulder with its fangs. This wolf was way bigger than any werewolf I’d ever seen. Its fur was thick, and its eyes glowed with a brilliant, almost white-gold light.

Grawrrr!

The wolf hurled the lead hunter against the cave wall with sickening force. The man went limp instantly. The wolf then stood in front of me, its back to me, shielding me from the other hunters.

"Alpha?" Luna whispered, her voice shaking.