CHAPTER 5
1160 Words
The world blurred around me. The struggle between Caleb and the pack had devolved into mayhem, but all I could think about was Caleb's still corpse. He lay there, encircled by the swirling mass of wolves, blood stains on the soil underneath him. A cold surge of terror washed over me as I attempted to push myself to move, but my legs seemed glued to the ground.
Damon's voice cut through the air, nasty and taunting. "What did you expect to happen, Lyla?" Could you defy me? That you could play hero and yet survive?"
I ignored him, my gaze locked on Caleb's motionless body. The wolves surrounded him, their teeth gleaming in the dim moonlight, but none of them appeared eager to make a move. Damon stood to the side, arms folded, observing with a strange sensation of satisfaction. He was waiting for me to c***k and give in.
But I would not. I could not. Not now. Not when Caleb needed me.
A deep growl from the pack returned me to reality. One of the wolves leaped at Caleb, clamping its huge jaws tight. The sound of its teeth snapping resonated through the night, and that was all it needed to shake me out of my trance. My body moved faster than I could think.
With a ferocious howl, I ran forward, my claws extending and my heart thumping in my breast. The wolves hissed at me, their eyes flashing like coals in the darkness, but I didn't mind. I just had one aim in mind: Caleb.
I battled with all I had. My claws sliced through fur, and my teeth clamped down on anything that got too close. The wolves howled in anguish but did not flee. They did not stop. They kept coming, their appetite unquenchable.
But I was not alone. I could feel it: the energy of the pack around me, as well as the weight of Caleb's presence, which still held me here. His life energy was flickering, feeble but still present. It was like a rope connected to my soul, and I couldn't let it go.
I fought harder.
One of the wolves sprang at me from the side, its claws slashing over my arm, and I yelled in pain, but I didn't back down. My blood streamed into the dirt under me, staining the ground, but I struggled through it. I needed to go to Caleb.
Suddenly, a shadow swept over me, hiding the moonlight. I didn't have to glance up to recognize who it was. Damon stood in front of me, his steely eyes gleaming in the dark lighting. His power flowed off of him like an aura, smothering and unrelenting.
"Is this what you want, Lyla?" Damon spoke in a low, menacing whisper. "To be eaten by the very wolves you are attempting to save? To die for someone who isn't even worth your efforts?"
My heart tightened as he said, but I did not flinch. "I would die for him. "Every damn day."
Damon curved his lips into a grin as he felt challenged by the remarks. "Do you truly believe you have what it takes to defeat me? I have been alive for millennia. I am the king, Lyla. "You're just a kid pretending to be a superhero."
He lifted his hand, and I felt it instantly: the weight of his strength bearing down on me, strangling me. The wolves paused, their eyes fixed on him, waiting for his instruction. But I didn't care. I couldn't care. Not while Caleb's life was hanging by a thread.
With a frustrated snarl, I pushed myself at Damon, but before I could get near enough, a burst of energy blasted me back, smashing me to the ground. I gasped for oxygen, the wind left me, and I could feel blood streaming from my lip. Damon's chuckle boomed around me, both contemptuous and victorious.
"You're nothing," he remarked, his voice full of disgust. "You can't even save yourself, let alone him."
As I attempted to rise to my feet, I found myself breathing rapidly and my chest heaving. The pain from my wounds was tremendous, but nothing compared to the emptiness I felt as I glanced at Caleb, who remained unmoving on the floor.
"Why?" I gasped, my voice barely audible. "Why did you do this?" "What have I ever done to you?"
Damon's smile faded for a second, then returned, colder than before. "You weren't meant to abandon me, Lyla. You were always intended to be at my side. You never grasped the plan, did you? You were never intended to escape."
I shook my head as tears welled up in my eyes. I could not believe it. This was not the man I had previously adored. He was no longer the same person I knew. He wasn't simply a monster; he was a natural force, destroying everything in its path.
"I'm not coming back to you," I replied through gritted teeth, forcing myself up against the overpowering weight of tiredness that threatened to bring me down.
"You will," Damon answered, his voice cold. "You will come back. You will see the truth. I am the future, and Lyla is a part of it. You always were."
His words wrapped around me like shackles, tugging on something deep within me, but I couldn't let him win. I would not.
I returned my attention to Caleb, feeling the last ounce of my power pour through me. "No," I muttered. "I won't give up. Not now. "Not ever."
Damon's face contorted in fury. With a flick of his wrist, the wolves resumed their march, their hunger tangible. But this time, I was not alone. I could sense the change in the air—the tie between Caleb and me was still there, frail but irrefutable.
And suddenly something inside me cracked. The raw strength that had been buried deep within me for so long sprang to the surface. I had no idea where it came from, but it was raging inside of me, wanting to be let out. With a primal scream, I hurled myself at the nearest wolf, my claws tearing into its skin with an intensity I didn't realize I had.
The wolves backed away, briefly shocked, but swiftly regrouped and circled again. Damon's face contorted with amazement as he observed me.
"You're strong," he continued, his voice full of hate. "But not strong enough."
The earth underneath us trembled.
A powerful, guttural growl reverberated through the forest, shaking the trees and scattering the wolves in fright. I turned, my heart beating, and saw the most unexpected thing: a big, dark figure advancing from the trees. The figure was massive, its eyes shining like molten gold, and its body vibrating with muscles that appeared to stretch for miles.
I froze.
It was a wolf. But not any wolf. It was the Alpha—the actual Alpha. It wasn't on Damon's side.
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