Chapter 162

Chapter 162
Calla

Terror flooded through me as Blake turned those glowing red-and-gold eyes in my direction. The mixture of vampire crimson and werewolf amber swirled together like flames that belonged in nightmares, not in the face of the man I'd once called husband.

"Come here, Calla," he said, his voice carrying new depths of authority that made my skin crawl. "It's time to come home."

Every instinct screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go. Vampire and werewolf armies surrounded us on all sides, and Blake stood between me and any possible escape route.

Axel's growl cut through the evening air like a blade. My mate stepped forward, his gray eyes blazing with protective fury that I'd seen him turn on anyone who threatened his pack.

"Stay away from her," Axel snarled, his hands already shifting into claws.

Blake didn't even turn to look at him. His strange dual-colored eyes simply glowed a little brighter.

Axel stopped mid-step like he'd hit an invisible wall. His hands flew to his head, and the scream that tore from his throat was unlike anything I'd ever heard from him. Pure agony. Raw and desperate.

He dropped to his knees, his whole body convulsing as blood began streaming from his nose. More blood leaked from the corners of his eyes, running down his face in crimson tracks.

"Axel!" I tried to move toward him, but my legs felt like they were made of lead.

Behind him, the entire Vanguard pack was reacting to their Alpha's pain. Zara screamed her brother's name, her face twisted with anguish. The others were snarling and cursing, their protective instincts going haywire.

Malachai was the first to charge. The massive enforcer launched himself at Blake with a roar of fury, followed immediately by Jace and Marcus. Within seconds, the entire Vanguard pack was moving - not with any plan or coordination, just desperate need to protect their Alpha.

Blake's smile widened as he watched them come.

His eyes flared brighter, and every single one of my pack members collapsed.

The sound they made was horrible. Grown warriors reduced to writhing, screaming masses on the rocky ground. Jace was curled in a ball, blood streaming from his ears. Marcus was clawing at his own face like something was crawling inside his skull. Even Rikka, who'd survived months of vampire torture, was sobbing with pain.

"Stop!" The word tore from my throat. "Please, Blake, stop hurting them!"

He turned toward me with that politician's smile I remembered from campaign events, like he was greeting voters instead of torturing the people I loved.

"They brought this on themselves," he said reasonably. "I gave a simple instruction, and they chose violence instead of cooperation."

Blake raised his voice, addressing the supernatural armies gathered around us. Vampires and werewolves alike watched with varying degrees of fear and fascination.

"This is what I offer," Blake announced, his voice carrying that practiced authority he'd perfected during years of public speaking. "Join me willingly, and prosper. Oppose me, and suffer the consequences."

He paused, seeming to reconsider his words.

"Actually, let me be more specific. The invitation to join me as equals is extended only to vampires. Werewolves will serve as soldiers in my new order. Nothing more."

Growls erupted from the werewolf packs at the insult, but none of them moved. They'd all seen what happened to anyone who tried to fight Blake directly.

Some of the vampires were nodding, their red eyes gleaming with interest. The idea of supernatural supremacy under a leader who could match ancient vampire power clearly appealed to them.

Blake walked leisurely among my suffering pack members, stepping over Zara's convulsing form like she was debris in his path. When he reached Axel, he drew back his foot and kicked my mate in the ribs.

The sound Axel made was barely human. He tried to curl around the injury, but Blake's psychic attack was still tearing through his mind.

That's when something inside me snapped.

I took a deep breath and reached for something I'd never consciously tried to access before.

My wolf.

To my amazement, she was right there waiting for me. The binding that had blocked my transformation for years was truly gone, destroyed by Raven's blood magic. For the first time in my life, I could feel my wolf's presence clearly - not as some distant, locked-away part of myself, but as a partner ready to fight beside me.

Power flowed through my body like liquid silver. My hands shifted, silver claws extending from my fingertips. My eyes blazed with moonlight as my wolf's strength merged with my human determination.

Blake turned toward me, his dual-colored eyes lighting up with pleasure.

"There she is," he said with satisfaction. "My beautiful wife, finally showing her true nature."

His eyes flared with that terrible red-gold light as he launched a psychic attack directly at my mind.

I felt it coming like a freight train made of pure malice, designed to shatter my consciousness and leave me helpless. But somehow, instinctively, I knew how to defend myself.

My abilities rose to meet his attack, silver light clashing with his hybrid power in ways that had nothing to do with the physical world. It was a battle fought entirely in the realm of mind and spirit.

Blake was stronger. Much stronger. His triple transformation had given him power I couldn't match directly. But I had something he didn't.

Love.

I pushed back against Blake's attack with everything I had.

Blood began streaming from my nose as the psychic battle took its toll. My head felt like it was going to split open, but I could feel Blake's hold on my pack starting to weaken.

Through the pain, I heard Axel's voice.

"Calla, stop!" His words were slurred with agony, but the desperation was clear. "You're killing yourself!"

I was. I could feel my strength bleeding away with each second I maintained my resistance. My vision was starting to blur, and there was a strange ringing in my ears that might have been my brain shutting down from the strain.

But my pack was starting to move again. Jace pushed himself to his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it. Marcus rolled over and managed to sit up. Even Axel was able to lift his head and focus his gray eyes on my face.

Blake's smile faltered for the first time since his transformation. He was pouring more power into his attack, but my abilities were somehow holding him back.

I couldn't maintain this much longer. Already, my legs were shaking, and black spots were dancing at the edges of my vision. But if I could just hold on a little longer, maybe my pack could recover enough to run.

"Get them out of here," I gasped, my words directed at Jace even though I wasn't sure he could hear me over the psychic storm.

Everything was fading now. The sound of Blake cursing as his attack failed to break through my defenses. The sight of my pack struggling to their feet. Even the feeling of my own body as consciousness slipped away from me.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Blake's face twisted with fury as he realized his perfect wife had just chosen her found family over him.

Again.