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CHAPTER 51
RAIDEN
Although I was in human form, my fangs were out, claws elongated. I circled the mist, slowly, studying it from all sides as it gathered unnaturally grouped together in the centre of the room. I searched for weakness. Analysing; calculating. It was only the two of us. No Betas, no warriors, no Lily. Only me and my invisible enemy.
As it pulsed with life, a low rumble resonated from deep inside my chest, a menacing growl ripping from my mouth. Still, I kept stalking.
I was a predator filled with a bloodlust so deep, It stirred in my bones. Caught in such bloodthirstiness; my mouth began salivating for a taste of its metallic richness. I wanted to kill, to shred through skin and flesh, to taste death on my tongue.
When the mist slowed and hovered in an unearthly column stretching from floor to ceiling, I stopped, planted my feet firmly, legs hip-width apart and stared the entity down. I wasn’t afraid. No. I was fucking furious.
“What do you want?” I finally managed to vocalise in a feral voice.
I had no idea whether the entity could hear me or not, but if it could communicate with Lily, surely it could communicate with me too. Silence. It had spoken to her numerous times before, indicating a level of intelligence. Awareness.
“Answer. Me.” I growled, low and almost inaudible.
The mist pulsed again, like a beating heart, but didn’t move, didn’t answer. I kept staring. Waiting. Was it taunting me? Testing me for weaknesses of my own?
“You think you can take me, Wolf?” The entity finally spoke in a calm, ghostly voice. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Like multiple voices spoke together, a mixture of young and old, female and male. An eerie shudder skittered down my spine, all of the hair on my body rising at the unwelcome sensation.
I swallowed. “I’m going to ask you one more time. What. Do. You. Want?”
The entity burst with manic laughter. The harsh sound of it echoed off the walls, vibrating down my spine. Waves of shudders dominated my skin, running involuntarily up and down the length of me. I wouldn’t back down. My hands shook with restraint, the bloodlust begging me to let go, to give in to my beast and let him guide me into savagery.
The deranged laughter eventually gave way to whispers, so many of them, all around me. Different voices. Some closer than others. Some didn’t sound human. I couldn't make out what they were saying, nor what language they spoke.
“I want my body back,” a very calm, solitary voice finally said close to my ear. All other noises had silenced. The whispers had disappeared.
I turned, searching for a face, a body. There was none. Only the mist and the voice.
“Lily doesn’t belong to you,” I grit out, my jaw hurting from how hard I had to clench to keep my beast at bay. “She’s my wife and belongs to me.”
An unnatural chuckle to my right. I spun, meeting nothing but air.
“You think I care about any of that?” It was a man’s voice. Strange and warped, but definitely male. “To me, she is but an empty vessel, waiting to be filled with a worthy life form.”
Claws dug into my palms and the smell of my own blood hit my nose. I didn’t feel the pain, nor the trickle of warm liquid between my fingers. “She is a worthy life form, and you will not touch her.”
My wolf fought me for control, tugging at my mind, pushing against my restraints. He wanted to be let out to defend his mate. He wanted blood and violence. Vengeance.
“If you say so, pup,” the warped voice replied.
My eyes shifted between mine and my wolfs’ as fur began to push through my skin, running down the nape of my neck. I was losing the battle for control. My mind and resolve slowly slipped.
“Who are you?” I barked, my body shaking as I fought for control. “Why her?”
The voice went quiet. I wasn’t sure if it was assessing me or listening to something I couldn’t hear with my mortal ears. Or it was simply toying with my sanity, pushing me further until I’d lose my mind. I wasn't far from it.
“Answer me,” I yelled, my voice breaking in an unhinged growl.
Ray, we have information that might help you, Gunnar’s voice said in my head.
Speak. I felt him flinch at the sound of my voice. Even to me, it sounded borderline psychotic.
Alpha Mathew has knowledge of the entity and is requesting permission to enter, he said.
I was unsure whether I could trust this Mathew guy, but he seemed to care for Lily deeply and wanted to help her. Hell, he’d saved her life twice and flew a damn military grade chopper all the way from Blade Rock to meet with us. Fuck, I hated him.
