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“I think I might have some broken ribs, but I’m fine.” I wave him off as though broken ribs are nothing, my gaze snagging on Atlas who seems to be struggling with containing a wolf behind a wall of ice. “Go, Atlas needs you.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he appears torn as he looks at me again. Although I can feel his uncertainty through the bond, I don’t need the connection to read what he’s thinking, as it’s written all over his face.
I slowly climb to my feet, ignoring the ache in my ribs. My werewolf genetics are coming in handy as the injury heals, becoming more of a discomfort than the blinding pain it was before. Even so, I wouldn’t let it stop me from what I have to do next, even if it was agonising.
That determination must show on my face, because Nicolai stands beside me, frowning with trepidation. “What are you going to do?” He seems nervous, but the fact that he’s not trying to stop me or suggest I hold back makes me love him all the more. This is an attack and our reality, we don’t have time for them to coddle me.
“It’s time to end this. Grove has to die.” Although my voice is quiet, it’s strong and unwavering, much like my determination. I’ve never gone into a fight knowing that I’m going to kill someone. In fact, I’ve always gone to great lengths to avoid that at all costs, and that should shock me. However, Grove is not just a danger to myself, my mates, or the witches he readily attacked, but his own kind too. I haven’t forgotten the poor cowering females from his pack I met at the trials.
“Cover me?” I ask, knowing I’ll need to focus on Grove if I want to survive this. Nicolai’s face clears, and with a jerk of his head, he runs over to Atlas, telling him the plan.
Taking a deep breath, I send a quick prayer for protection, then I stalk towards Grove. He’s still in human form and is fighting Syn who’s in wolf form. Blood rolls down his arms, but the wounds have already healed over, leaving shiny pink scars that will be gone in minutes. For a moment, I admire my mate in action. He’s lethal. Each bite is deep, and if Grove wasn’t a werewolf, he already would have bled out. Star is attacking from the other side, but their efforts don’t seem to be having the effect they should be. Something is wrong here.
“Syn,” I call, giving a gentle tug on the bond to coax him back to me. “Grove is mine.”
It doesn’t take much, and with a final growl at his opponent, Syn turns and runs to my side, nudging my leg affectionately with his head. Star does the same, standing at my other side so I’m flanked by two wolves. For a moment, Grove’s gaze falls upon us, and I see a wary look in his eyes, but it’s gone in a flash.
“So the princess has finally decided to fight,” Grove taunts, but I let it wash over me. I’ve been taking out his wolves while he’s been fighting, but I won’t stoop to his level. It’ll make him think he’s won, and that’s not about to happen.
I summon my magic, my right hand tingling as a shining dagger forms there, lighter and easier to use than my previous choice of weapon. Not giving him time to react, I leap towards him, Syn and Star doing the same, circling him so he can’t retreat from my attack. I slash towards his neck, and he narrowly dodges the attack, blocking with his forearm. A curse spits from his lips at the long cut I carve into his skin, but he retaliates, throwing out his half shifted hands, his long claws dangerously close to my face.
He’s both faster and stronger than me, not to mention he has ten razor-sharp claws. I need a shield to protect myself, as there’s no way I can avoid every attack, but I don’t have the control to create one that moulds around my body so I can still fight while I’m moving—that will take years to master. However, as Grove blocks another attack with his arm, an idea comes to mind.
Starlight appears in my left palm, and instead of it forming a weapon, I will it to become a shield. A circular disk the size of my torso extends at the back and wraps itself around my wrist so I’m easily able to move without the risk of dropping it. This takes a lot more concentration, but it could be what saves my life. When he attacks me again, I use the shield, and his claws bounce off with a shower of sparks. The force of it knocks me back, but I’m unharmed. An added bonus is his shout of frustration as yet another attack fails.
The sound of fighting is all around me, but I stay focused on Grove, blocking his now constant barrage of attacks. He’s worked out my weaknesses, and I think he’s decided to just pummel my shield until I run out of magic. What he doesn’t know is that I’ve got more than enough magic to keep my shield up. The last time he saw me, I had no control over my power at all, and it used to escape me only in times of great danger, but I’m a completely different person now.
Despite the fact that his attacks seem unending, I keep attempting to slash at him with my dagger and push him back with my magic when not defending myself. However, I don’t consider how far back he’s been pushing me with his blows, away from the protection of my mates. Joel calls out a warning, and I know I need to get back to them as soon as possible. Syn and Star are biting the back of Grove’s shirt, trying to pull him backwards and give me the space to attack him, but he seems to be immune to their bites. The look in his eyes is manic now, and for the first time, I wonder if I’ve gotten myself in too deep. I may be different from the last time he saw me, but Grove is a different male now too. Something about him has changed, and it’s making him harder to beat.
I’m focusing so closely on his attacks, I don’t notice that the stone slabs on the floor have become dislodged because of the fight. My foot catches on the edge of one, and I fall to the ground with a thud, my healing ribs protesting. Victory gleams in his eyes as he leaps onto me, pinning me down and kicking away my weapon so I’m completely unarmed.
This is it. I fucked up, and it’s going to get me killed. There’s so much I still want to do with my life. I’m never going to see my father again, nor my old pack, and I’ll never know if they are safe. The thing that upsets me most is the fact that I’m going to die at the hands ofGrove.
Syn is taking huge chunks out of him, but Grove doesn’t seem to notice. It’s like he’s accepted his fate, but he’s determined to take me down too—or he’s somehow immune to the pain. He reacted when I attacked him, but not from any of the other blows, so it makes me think something’s afoot.
His claws appear at my neck, and all other thoughts flee my mind. I know now that it will only be a matter of seconds until I die, and that’s a humbling thought. My life has been good, just short. Faced with the end, I can only think of the things I’ve not had the chance to do yet.
“What, no light show now?” Grove mocks, leaning close until his foul breath is in my face, making me want to retch. Something about what he said niggles my mind, but I can’t figure out what it is. I play those words back and try to work out what my thoughts are getting stuck on.
Light show… Lights… Stars…
I know what to do.
“Bates will be mad I killed you, but I’m prepared to take his anger. My one regret is that I don’t have time to stretch this out.”
Grove carries on talking, enjoying the sound of his own voice and missing my revelation. A part of me is horrified by what I’m hearing, but honestly, I’m not focused on him or his foul words any longer, not as hope builds inside me. I close my eyes so I can focus on what I need to do, and I’m sure Grove probably thinks I’m fearing my death, when really, I’m preparing for his.
Flinging a warning through the bond to all my mates, I collect magic in my hands and shape it. I call it to my skin like a thousand tiny diamonds. Grove chuckles, not knowing what’s coming next. A sharp burst of pain pierces my skin as he begins slicing my neck, but before he can get any farther, I call on my stars to do what they do best—shine.
I shine brighter and brighter until he cries out with pain, and even still, I will the stars to keep glowing. The light is blinding, even behind my closed lids, so I have no idea how he’s coping while staring directly down at me. The answer to that soon comes as he climbs off me, and I hear him scurrying back. I open my eyes. I was worried that I might blind myself with the light, and although it’s bright, it doesn’t hurt me.Of course, I think to myself with a smile,it’s my own light. The goddess wouldn’t bless me with something that would hurt me.
Glancing around, I see my mates shielding their eyes, and I feel a grim sense of satisfaction as I watch Grove back away blindly, scurrying away like the foul vermin he is, his eyes streaming with tears. Getting to my feet, I follow him, not feeling any sense of urgency now that the power balance has shifted. I grab his shoulders and pull him to a stop.
As soon as I touch him, he screams, steam rising from the contact as my glowing hands burn him. I’m not like him, though, and I hold no interest in dragging this out. I just want it to be over. Grabbing his throat, I command the stars to glow even hotter, and he stops screaming.
The effect is immediate, his expression one of horror as the light fades from his eyes. In fact, I’m burning so hot that my hand melts through skin and muscle, his head falling from his shoulders.
My body stops shining instantly, and I stare down at Grove’s decapitated body as Luna and my mates slowly gather around me. I assume the other werewolves are either dead or gone, seeing as there’s no more fighting, but I can’t seem to pull my gaze from the corpse at my feet.
