Mistress of Blood and Fur

Chapter 30 - Executioner

Onyx

My heart is in my throat as I see the shapeshifter get too close to Sarah. Then, the transformation happens. It’s so quick and graceful that I can’t help but admire Dennington’s girl. I hear the creaking of bones, signifying the pain she must be in but she does it as if it’s nothing. No whimper escapes her lips. No growl emits from her muzzle as she embraces her wolf. She’s only slightly bigger than the natural wolf, with a patch of white shaped like a star on her left cheek.

Beyond them, I can barely see Grace and Fox, hidden behind the bushes. All I see are flashes of white as Grace seems to be performing her famous scent spell, a Grant power. My nose barely catches the scents that may be swapping right before our eyes, when the shapeshifter gets too close.

Dash and I move a little further from the growing chaos, as the shapeshifter takes on the form of one of the smaller wolves. My heart thunders. Which form has she taken? I hear soft growls, as Fox runs to the newly-transformed shapeshifter and places a chain of gold around her. I see a flash of white on the captive wolf’s cheek. My heart sinks into my throat as I consider the possibility of failure, but I don’t say anything even after we transform back to our human forms.

As it moves again, trying to buck against Fox, I see that it’s only a trick of lighting. The white spot on its cheek again. It’s taken the natural wolf’s form. I heave a sigh of relief. It’s a signal for Dash and I to run toward the scene. Dash grabs a knife we hid earlier in the bushes and we approach the trapped shapeshifter. It’s not her we are supposed to stab, though. It’s not that easy to kill one. Grace also leaves her hiding place, rushing to the crying Sarah, who’s back to her human form.

We feel more than see Grace covering Sarah with her own clothes. My girl must have been quick enough to grab Dennington’s daughter’s clothes. Dash and I have no time to put on our shirts and pants, though. We need to finish the natural wolf now.

With such savagery, Dash jumps over the wolf. He looks up at me, though, while kneeling on the ground next to the wild animal. I’ve never seen this look in his eyes before. It’s submission. He recognizes me as his leader, as his chief, even though I don’t deserve it right now. I’ve lost powers to the shapeshifter and I’ve lost my reason because of my fear of losing Grace.

I’m not ready.

I need to grow up.

Dash throws the knife at me and I grab the hilt readily. I grip it hard, accepting the role of executioner. Chiefs take responsibility for their people, and that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m going to kills the natural wolf while Fox still has control over the shapeshifter. I see his hands bleed as he holds on to the gold and the enemy’s neck. He makes it looks so easy, but the blood dripping down from his palms say otherwise.

“Do it,” Dash says, but his voice is softer than I expected. It’s not an order. It’s a reminder.

So, I raise my hand and though my heart is breaking at the thought of killing such a beautiful, majestic animal, I use the knife to s***h its neck. Blood spurts out readily, feeding the ground. The animal groans its last breaths, the sounds killing us all. I hear crying from Sarah and Grace, grunts of pain from Dash and Fox.

The wolf dies. With it, we’ve all damned ourselves. On a positive note, though, I hear Fox yells in triumph as the shapeshifter he holds shrinks within itself. We’ve bought ourselves some time until we’re ready to kill it for good. Grace runs towards Fox with a box to collect and trap the ashes the shapeshifter has turned into.

The way home seems a lot longer than it should be. Now all fully-dressed, dirty, and sweaty, we form a mournful procession.

“Thanks for sparing me,” Sarah says, breaking the silence. Her sobs have also abated. Now, I wonder if Dash was right and we should have just let her die.

“Our eyes are still on you, Sarah,” I warn. I don’t want to point fingers at her for starting the wildfire of stupidity that we all had to go through. Chiefs don’t do that. We solve problems.

“So, now you want to be the next Alpha of Opium Hills?” Blaze asks.

“Everyone calls me, Dash, and Fox Alpha, anyway,” I remind him. Hierarchies here are nothing. There are only two things that matter. First, there’s the unity of the pack. Second, there’s the choice of a chief. The chief rules. Now, we’re about to head for his office and get the yelling we deserve.

“How long does the shapeshifter slumber?” Dash asks. He may be playing things off as cool, but I can feel his apprehension. I feel the same. Not only are we in danger of the shapeshifter and its possible family members, but Dennington also has his eyes on us. The human thinks that we are responsible for the missing people.

“Six months,” Fox says, but his brows are furrowed. I mean, it’s not that long, but it’s still a lot of time to prepare for another fight.

“What’s bothering you?” I ask.

“Six months, unless someone comes and breaks its container and the spell.”

“Who can do that?”

“Witches,” Fox says, eyeing Sarah. Then, he exchanges a nod with Grace as if the two of them are taking a vow to protect the box together as much as they can. For a moment, I’m jealous of the bond they have as warlock and witch hybrids. Then, she turns to me with soft, reassuring smile on her face. She’s still shy about walking side by side with me. So, I have to endure watching her walk with Fox and Sarah.

“I won’t do any such thing!” she cries. “I’m telling you that I’m just a bait. I bet my father won’t shed a tear if I die here, from wolf bite or from getting devoured by a shapeshifter.”

I mull it over. She seems sincere, but here’s the same girl who claimed me through deception. She has seemed too confident for a girl whose father openly hates her. We have to tread carefully with her.

“Will your father come to try to kills us?” Dash asks.

“He may. I don’t know when but he’ll attempt to do just that. We may have a little bit of quiet for the next six months, though. So, maybe, he’ll think you all are harmless,” she says, but I can tell she doesn’t believe everything she’s saying.

“You know he can come anytime,” I say in a low voice, a growl escaping my throat. Blaze is raring to go and bite her on the throat. My fangs elongate and I taste my own blood as the tips graze my lower lip.

“Y-yes, he can.”

“You need to prove to us that you are on our side now. We will tell Elaine and Josie who you are so that they’ll be ready for you, too.”

“I understand.”

We fall into silence again, our steps dragging on the forest floor. When we pass through the edge of the forest, I can feel everyone stiffen. It’s almost like we expect the worst each time now. What do we really expect? Flashing headlights? Guns? We expect just about anything except the strange silence. Everyone’s in their cabins or in the mansion, asleep.

“Let’s wait for tomorrow to tell your dad,” Grace speaks for the rest of us. She says what everyone is thinking anyway.

“You girls can go back to your cabins. We will be locking up the box somewhere in our cabin,” Fox says, the slight tilt of his chin showing the growing confidence he has on his magic. He may be a quiet guy, but he knows who he is and what he can do.

We walk Sarah to her cabin. Then, we do the same for Grace. Carlotta’s lights are off, but that doesn’t mean anything. Yet, after all we have gone through, we know that Grace will be safe. I can’t wait for the time I can take her inside the main house as my mate and wife.

“The moon is waxing full,” Grace says, bridging the gap between us. Her words feel like a code for anyone who doesn’t know what we have been pining for.

“Yes, Grace. I know.”

“Tomorrow, if all goes well, I’ll -.” She falters and looks up at me shyly, as if she thinks I’ll oppose her. Why the hell would I when she’s telling me that she wants to claim me?

“Please do. I can’t wait to be with you.”

Her cheeks flush. She reaches for my cheek with the palm of her hand and I lean toward it. Her soft palms against my stubble feel like the most natural thing in the world.

“Tomorrow,” Dash and Fox say almost ominously.