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Avelyn, Delyse, and Claudia turned around to face the black she-wolf. They were trapped.
***
Caleb used his hind legs to push away his attacker, then snapped his fangs at the white werewolf to his left, barely missing his shoulder. He watched in horror as two fox-shifters were making their way towards him, and for a second he contemplated drawing back. The moment of weakness passed, and Caleb took a step forward, ready to take on the two werefoxes. To his right, Daniel was fighting three werewolves and one werefox at the same time, trying to keep them away from the school.
Two gunshots rang in the night, followed by the shriek of a wounded animal. The guards tried to use their guns smart, firing only when they were sure they had a wolf or a fox in clear view. Unfortunately, their bullets didn’t do much because the shape-shifters moved incredibly fast and it took much more than a good aim to seriously hurt them.
A chill ran through Caleb’s bones when he heard one of the guards scream in surprise, only to listen to that terrifying scream die, covered by the sound of growls, broken bones, and gushing blood. But Caleb didn’t have time to think of what had just happened, because, a second later, he felt the powerful clutch of sharp fangs digging into his side. He let out a loud cry and pushed himself as hard as he could against his attacker. He managed to knock the wolf over, then he took a couple of steps back, trying to put some distance between him and his enemies.
Daniel wasn’t doing any better. He was badly hurt, red, hot blood flowing out of his neck and left hip. When the second Alma Venus guard fell under the heavy body of a gray werewolf, the two Deltas had to stare reality in the face: they were outnumbered and they had no chance of protecting the boarding school from the rogue pack and the werefoxes. But what could they do? They couldn’t possibly run for their lives and leave their Alpha’s wife, her friends, and all the women and girls who had taken refuge inside the school at the mercy of these wild, cruel beasts. Both Caleb and Daniel gathered their last forces and attacked again, trying to hurt the wolves and foxes who stood in their way as badly as they could.
Avelyn shrieked in pain and fear at the sound of every scream, howl, and cry coming from the gate. She looked into Sabine’s eyes, and thought of all the things she could say to convince the she-wolf to stop the bloodshed. Delyse and Claudia were still by her side, but not for long. As if listening to an order no one else could hear, the two werewolves snatched Delyse and Claudia away from her, and threw them to the ground. Avelyn screamed and tried to reach the first werewolf, who had taken Delyse. The red fox stopped her, and she was once again caught between Sabine and the beautiful, deadly fox-shifter.
“Why are you doing this? They haven’t done anything to you!”
Hot tears spilled from her eyes, and Avelyn was afraid that she was breaking, that she was turning into a crying mess. Will that convince Sabine to let them go? No, it would probably make her angrier. She wiped her tears and tried to gather her courage. She looked at the two werewolves that were keeping her friends down, and was relieved to see that neither Delyse, nor Claudia were hurt. They were just trying to keep them away from Avelyn.
“Please… Just leave them alone… If you want me, you can have me, but stop this! I’m coming with you, okay? I’m coming with you, but you have to promise me that you will order your wolves and werefoxes to leave everyone alone.”
The she-wolf’s eyes were void of any emotion. Avelyn couldn’t guess what she was thinking, and for a second she tried to establish a telepathic connection with her. She had no idea if it would work and she hadn’t tried it with anyone else besides Max. Sabine growled and pushed her huge snout in Avelyn’s face, as if to tell her to stop. Avelyn sensed the she-wolf was blocking her thoughts, so she gave up her plan, afraid that it would only upset Sabine even more if she tried again.
“How am I supposed to reach you… How am I supposed to talk to you and explain… Beg…?” She was breathing heavily, and the sound of her own heartbeat made her temples buzz and pulsate with a terrible headache. With every second, she felt like she was losing con
trol over her body. She almost fell to her knees, ready to cry and humiliate herself, as she realized she was out of options.
That was when Sabine took a couple of steps back, giving Avelyn enough space to dash. Avelyn looked at the she-wolf, a silent question in her eyes. What was she doing? Was this a trick? Avelyn stole a glance around her, but didn’t have the courage to turn around to see what was happening at the gate. Her friends were still under the two werewolves, and she knew there was nothing she could do to get them out. At least, not at that moment. It was clear that Sabine had no intention of lunging at her again, which meant she wanted Avelyn to run. She was probably playing into her trap, but what else could she do?
Avelyn took a deep breath and ran as fast as she could towards the school’s main entrance. Just as she expected, she heard the sound of Sabine’s soft paws hitting the ground, getting closer and closer. She felt like prey. A helpless, pathetic prey that was going to fall under the claws and fangs of her predator. Avelyn tensed the muscles in her legs and ran faster than ever, but even though she was a hybrid now, she couldn’t outrun the rogue she-wolf who had much more experience and training. As she was nearing the entrance, Avelyn realized she was drawing Sabine towards the innocent lives inside. Trying to take refuge inside the building was foolish, so she made a turn and started running along the left wall of the school, even though she wasn’t quite sure where she was heading. If she had to, she would run until her legs gave out and her lungs couldn’t take it anymore.
When she reached the back of the school, Avelyn made another turn to her right and ran between the small rosebushes and lime trees in the garden. Sabine was even closer now, right on her heels, and Avelyn was sure the she-wolf had gotten bored with the chase. She would soon tackle her to the ground, and Avelyn didn’t want to think of what would happen afterwards. The adrenaline rushing through her veins, making her blood pump faster, was clouding her brain and making it impossible for her to wrap her mind around what was happening. She couldn’t think about death, not yet. Avelyn tripped over a root and thanked the gods she didn’t fall. She was drenched in sweat, and the blood was pumping so fast inside her body that its hissing flow covered all other sounds around her. Maybe that was why she didn’t hear the mighty snap of wings above her head.
Next thing she knew, Avelyn was lying on the ground, her back protesting against the powerful, unexpected blow which had knocked her down. Had it been Sabine? She didn’t think so. Otherwise, the she-wolf would have stood over her, snarling in her face, or digging her fangs into her soft neck. Avelyn tried to clear her mind and sit up, but her arms were too weak to hold her upright. She closed her eyes. “I have to get up. Get up, get up, get up!”
Her eyes snapped open at the strange noise that assaulted her eardrums. Was that the sound of burning fire? How was that possible? With newfound strength, she pushed herself up and rolled on her side. What she saw made her heart stop and her mouth hang open in disbelief. Maybe she should have been frightened, but she couldn’t find it within herself to feel terror anymore. The reason why Sabine wasn’t crawling over her body to rip it to pieces was that another creature, much bigger than the she-wolf, was hovering over Avelyn’s fragile frame.
The dragon’s chest and abdomen were immense. They were also the only parts of his body that weren’t covered in silver scales. Avelyn felt tiny under the impressive mass of strong muscles covered in rough skin and hard, impenetrable scales towering over her. Four strong legs that ended in sharp, curled talons were firmly placed on the ground. The earth had sunk under them, and a tall tree behind Avelyn had fallen down when the creature’s long tail had snapped it out of its way. She was right underneath the beast, and it was all she could do not to panic. However, the dragon was paying her no mind. It had already burned down half the garden, and the fire was quickly spreading towards the school building, tall, undulating golden flames with a deep red core that reminded Avelyn of molten lava. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, as the scent of singed fur and burnt flesh took over her senses.
The dragon spit another wave of dancing flames that routed the few rogue werewolves who dared try to reach the woman it was shielding with its body. The fire enveloped one of them, its crackle covering the sound of painful cries. Avelyn shrank in horror and tears started running down her cheeks, though she couldn’t tell if they were from the heavy smoke filling the air, or because she felt sorry for the poor wolf who had just suffered one of the most horrible deaths. She used her hands and heels to scurry back, away from the dragon’s long neck, which was gurgling like a furnace, and her back hit one of his strong hind legs. Terrified, she looked down only to see she was trapped between two sharp talons. If the creature had wanted, it could have curled its claw around her small body and flown up to the sky, carrying her with it. Instead, the dragon turned its head towards her, fixing her trembling frame with its golden eyes.
“Oh shit…”
CHAPTER FOUR
The Last Battle
“Alma Venus is not a battlefield!” Miss Delacroix had been silent for too long, but now it was time to speak up and let everyone know she was the one who would have the last word. “What happened last night was dreadful, and it shall not happen again. I won’t sit here and see how my school is burned to the ground.” She stared right into the dragon-shifter’s golden eyes. Yes, he might intimidate everyone else in the room, but not her. This was her boarding school.
He was tall, handsome, with dark blond hair and sharp features. In his battered jeans and loose shirt, he looked less menacing than in his dragon form. He looked almost normal, like a guy one wouldn’t be afraid to approach on the street to ask for directions. He was sitting in a leather chair, in the farthest corner of the office, not because he had chosen that spot intentionally, but because everyone had slowly put distance between them and him, discreetly dragging their chairs to the opposite part of the room. After all, he was the Annarr of Clan Drekinn, the second in command, or the Beta, as the wolves would put it, of one of the oldest dragon clans in the world. His name was Viggo, which meant “war” in the old language only dragons spoke now, and just a few hours before he had proved the origin of his name was correct. The garden had been reduced to a pile of ashes, and the back wall of the building would carry the black marks of dragon fire until the next renovation. But Avelyn was safe, and that was all that mattered.
“You’ve all been locked up in this office,” continued Miss Delacroix, “and only I know how difficult it was to convince the Fire Chief to not call the police to investigate the whole mess.”
It was true that the fire had chased away the enemy, and Sabine was now somewhere in the woods, probably licking her wounds, but the moment Miss Delacroix saw it would swallow the entire school, she had called the fire brigade. It had taken them hours to put down the flames. The headmistress did her best to sell her story: a group of students wanted to have a midnight picnic around a small bonfire, but they had never made a fire before, they had chosen the worst spot possible, so the flames caught a pile of broken twigs, and the next thing they knew, they started spreading to the nearby trees. The firemen had raised their bushy eyebrows in disbelief, but hadn’t dared contradict Miss Delacroix, whose family practically owned Myrtle Valley. Her brother was the mayor, actually. The headmistress had found the experience stressful and embarrassing, and she had no intention of repeating it.
“We completely understand and agree,” said Max. He, Jocelyn, and Karl had arrived an hour before, in two private jets. They had taken their Betas with them, a couple of Crescents, Moon Children, and Dark Wolves. They were probably still outnumbered if Sabine decided to strike again, but they did have a dragon by their side. Why? No one had a clue. Christine, the Elder of Clan Blackmane, had insisted to come with them, although everyone had told her it would be impossible to reason with Sabine. She was sitting between Jocelyn and Avelyn, eyeing Viggo wearily. She had always been suspicious of dragons, these impressive creatures that were said to be the first shape-shifters
in the world.
“Good.” Miss Delacroix didn’t even look Max’s way. He was not her main concern at the moment. “This means no more dragon fire, Mr. Viggo.”
