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We couldn’t see the lower and middle layers through the fence, but a large lodge stood at the top of the hill. Oversized windows filled the front of the structure so the alpha could lord over his people. There was even a balcony on the front, and I could picture him standing there, yelling venom and hate down at his people.
“I fucking loathe that this is such a gorgeous place,” Torryn ground out.
“It has potential,” Nyx said. His logical brain was likely already making plans.
“It’s beautiful but it also holds some of the most vile atrocities of our time,” I pointed out. Some of the same atrocities that my mates had endured at his hands.
“Put that anger toward this,” Callum said, gesturing his hand toward the gates that were already starting to swing open. “Our destiny is beyond these doors. And it looks like we have an open invitation. Weapons at the ready.”
ChapterEighteen
Vanya
Gunfire started the moment the gates were fully opened. The first wave of guards came out in force, automatic weapons firing. But our witches were ready, deflecting the bullets successfully. You’d think they’d have learned from past mistakes but it seemed that was too much for their small minds.
The vampires were quick, using their weapons more than their teeth to take out soldier after soldier. Most barely registered what was happening before they were dead. A few vamps paused here and there to drink blood, getting up with renewed energy each time.
It was easily a massacre, more on their side than ours. But our barriers couldn’t protect everyone. My heart broke as I watched bodies drop but I couldn’t focus on it.
“Up the hill, little wolf,” Callum growled beside me. We tried to keep moving forward but it was slow. The Grave Alpha had amassed an army and they were fighting us with everything they had. My focus was on backup, helping anyone who was overpowered. I shot a few guards down to free our pack, but it wasn’t easy to do most of the time. One stray bullet and I could hit the wrong person. That wasn’t something I could live with. It was all just so chaotic that it was hard to see who was on our side and who was not. Half of our side were strangers, if not for the Grave guards’ tactical uniforms, it would have been impossible. The fact that he wouldn’t even allow his guards to shift was so strange to me. I guess he couldn’t handle any competition at all.
As we forced our way farther into the compound, more and more guards came at us. But something was different about the new wave. They weren’t firing, just moving forward. It was strange enough to give me pause.
“What the fuck is going on?” I hissed at Torryn who was now by my side. Ice filled my veins as a guard snuck up behind Torryn, but it wasn’t my gunfire that saved him, but our supposed enemy.
“I’m sorry, we don’t want this,” he said. The fighting had fully stopped now, everyone watching this man as his body started to smoke. A scream ripped from his blistering throat, his skin melting from his body as if fire was consuming him. My mouth was gaping open in horror and I was frozen in place, powerless to look away as this man burned to death from within. The stench of dark magic filled the air, the bitter metallic tone giving it away easily. I knew right then that this was a hex, a failsafe, a warning to the others that if they turned, they would die a horrible, painful death. This didn’t happen to the guards who had turned back at the Bluffs, meaning that didn’t go unnoticed.
All around us guards were putting down their weapons. Firing on their own might kill them, but it seemed refusing to fight wouldn’t. They sat down next to their weapons in protest. It wasn’t surprising that so many of them didn’t want this war.
I cast one final glance at the man lying at our feet, whose body was charred and black now. Runes glowed along what was left of his withered skin. My bloodlust had now increased tenfold, and I stalked forward, refusing to stop now.
It took us another hour to clear the way to the second level. It looked like a recreation of the compound that we’d already decimated, which was likely why Victor’s analysis of the lands was so accurate. This pack clearly lived by ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’
As we passed the tiny sheds, I could hear the frantic screams for help inside. But we couldn’t stop for them. My people would find them and free them, right now, we were having to focus on the guards coming from every direction. They had yet to slow down. We’d severely underestimated their numbers.
They had given up on their guns and ran at us with clubs. I saw runes on them, and I knew I couldn’t let it hit me under any circumstances.
Blood soaked my hands as I slammed my dagger into a guard’s neck, the club falling before it could strike me. Screams of pain and gurgling pleas filled the air. It was haunting and I knew it was something I would never forget. Nightmares were going to claim me every night for a long fucking time.
Searing pain tore through me as someone hit me from behind, but as soon as it happened, it was gone.
“I’ve got you,” Holt promised, slamming magic into the guard’s face, leaving nothing but a charred skull behind. We fought back-to-back, using magic and silver to take down anyone stupid enough to approach.
By nature, I wasn’t a killer. Yet, here I was having to take out people who had no other fucking choice. I had a feeling that there were very few loyal people here. And I couldn’t help but ask myself… would I have done this? If he had Meira and I had no one else in my life but her, would I have fought to keep her safe? Had I been any other wolf, I likely would have been right beside her. But I was a bad wolf, one who didn’t follow orders, and that was my saving grace. Something I’d been punished for had saved our kind, had found allies, had fought back. It was just crazy to think about how much life could have changed for me, how dark it could have been. My distraction had nearly bit me in the ass, but again, my mates were there protecting me, even in this moment of weakness.
The flow of guards finally stopped and we moved forward again. Half of our number stayed behind. We’d already taken out the bulk of his army and I knew things were starting to get desperate. They had to get the survivors to safety, and we likely had elite guards to still face.
My fears were confirmed the moment we stepped onto the third tier. The lodge loomed in front of us, casting a shadow on the mossy ground at our feet. A unit of guards stood between us and our destination. Their armor was thinner, and I knew that they could shift. The moment they did, we’d be forced to join them. Accepting that fate, I threw down the bag I had strapped to my body, extra weapons and clothes. Once it hit the ground I shifted immediately, my wolf had been ready for this moment for hours.
Everyone but Holt, Victor, and his men shifted with me. More vampires walked up behind, holding weapons now. This was our final stand before we faced the two behind all this. We couldn’t fail now.
Victor spoke up since Callum couldn’t, stepping in front of us to address the guards. “You brought this war first on the witches, then on the wolves, and now upon us. We will not be leaving here without a victory and your leaders’ heads on our pikes. I suggest you stand down. Otherwise, we will slaughter youtogetherand my people will drink your blood.”
The guards’ responses were to lunge forward, and we met them with equally quick reflexes, a clash of fangs, claws, and silver. I crashed into one of the wolves before he could slam into my mates. There was no hesitation as I sank my teeth into his throat using every ounce of strength I possessed. The mate bond flared in my chest, a sign I was now borrowing extra strength from them. Copper filled my mouth as I jerked my head to the side, spitting out the tendons I’d taken with me. Movies always made things like this look so easy, but it took every bit of force I possessed and then some to achieve it.
I couldn’t even catch my breath before I saw a wolf lunging at Holt, pinning him down.
“Get the fuck off of my mate,” I said as I shifted, yanking him off and grabbing Holt’s dagger, sinking it into the man’s eye. Liquid and blood poured freely as he fell lifeless to the ground. Shifting back, I jumped back into the fray. We were swiftly winning but they were strong and putting up a hell of a fight.
