Chapter 109
Chloe's POV
The thorns unleashed by the witch called Morena struck from all directions.
I raised my dagger and severed one vine, barely catching my breath before three more coiled around my ankles.
Damn it!
I rolled aside as the tendrils swept past my calves.
"On your left!" Derek's roar cut through the chaos.
I whipped my head around to see a young warrior being dragged by the thorns, his nails clawing bloody trails in the dirt as he fought desperately. I lunged forward to grab his hand, but the vines were too fast—in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the depths of the forest.
Then came the screaming.
Sharp, brief, then abruptly silenced.
My fingers trembled.
What was that warrior's name? Matthew? Mickey? I couldn't even remember, but he'd been alive just moments ago, and now...
"Fall back! Everyone to the center of the clearing!" I heard myself shouting, my voice shrill with fear.
Another scream. This time from the right.
I saw a figure lifted high by the vines, then slammed violently into the undergrowth. The sickening crack of breaking bones rang clear.
From deep within the forest came a wet, bone-chilling sound of chewing.
"God..." Jordan's face went chalk-white, barely able to stand. "What the hell is in there?"
No one answered. Because no one knew.
All we knew was that everyone dragged into those shadows never came back out.
Connor stood not far from me, covered in blood but frozen in place. His eyes were wide, fixed on the forest's edge, his lips quivering slightly.
I'd never seen my brother wear that expression before.
"Connor!" I roared at him. "Snap the fuck out of it! Organize a defense!"
No response.
Another thorn lashed out, aimed straight for his ankle. I threw myself forward and shoved him aside, only to have the vine wrap around my own calf. The moment it tightened, pain seared through me—not ordinary pain, but a burning that reached down to the bone.
I gritted my teeth and hacked downward with my dagger. The thorn split in two, black ichor spraying across my hand. Blisters erupted instantly on my skin.
"Chloe!" Connor finally snapped back, grabbing my arm to haul me up. "You—"
"Shut up." I shook off his grip. "If you don't want to die here, get your shit together!"
He froze for a moment, then took a deep breath.
I watched the fear in his eyes gradually give way to something else—not courage, but rage.
"Everyone, listen up!" Connor's voice finally rang out, carrying the authority inherent to Alpha blood. "Form a circle, backs together! Wounded in the center! Derek, take the left flank! Jordan, you've got the right!"
The warriors began to move. Slowly, because the thorns kept attacking, but at least they were moving.
I fell back to Connor's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"You were terrified just now," I said quietly.
"Shut up!" he said through clenched teeth.
"Admit it—you get scared too."
"I said shut up, Chloe!"
A thorn shot toward us. Connor's claws flashed out, severing it at the middle. But more vines surged from every direction like a tide.
We were retreating. One step, two steps, three.
The circle kept shrinking.
"Hold the line!" Derek was shouting. "Don't let the formation break!"
But I knew we couldn't hold out much longer.
A thunderous roar echoed in the distance.
I looked up to see the massive black wolf Ivan had become, fighting alongside Lightning against the thorns. They were fast and powerful, but there were simply too many vines.
Lightning released a bolt that severed a dozen thorns. But they regrew almost immediately, thicker and more numerous than before.
"Damn witch..." I muttered.
Just then, I spotted an especially thick thorn silently circling behind Lightning. It coiled like a snake, gathering power, then shot forward.
"Look out!"
My warning was swallowed by the chaos.
Lightning couldn't dodge in time. The thorn wrapped around its hind leg and yanked hard. The lightning beast lost its balance and crashed to the ground in a shower of sparks.
More vines surged forward like starving wolves.
I saw Zeus desperately trying to reach Lightning, but he too was entangled. He roared and bit at the thorns, but they only wound tighter.
Lightning was struggling. It released bolt after bolt, but there were too many thorns. I watched its glow begin to dim, its body start to tremble.
It was going to be dragged away.
Dragged into the depths of that forest.
My heart hammered.
No! I couldn't let that happen.
I didn't know what I was thinking. Maybe I wasn't thinking at all.
I just started running.
"Chloe!" Connor roared behind me. "Are you insane?!"
I didn't answer.
I burst from the circle, dodging past struggling warriors, heading straight for Lightning. The thorns sensed my approach and immediately redirected their attack.
I weaved and dodged, but there were too many.
I felt my calf get caught, then my arm, then my shoulder. Pain crashed over me in waves, nearly robbing me of consciousness.
But I didn't stop.
I gritted my teeth, threw myself forward with every ounce of strength, raised my dagger high, and brought it down hard.
The blade sliced through the thorns binding Lightning. Black ichor sprayed across my face.
"Go!" I shouted at Lightning.
It broke free, staggering to its feet.
I breathed a sigh of relief—then realized my dagger had fallen.
It had slipped from my grip when I severed that last thorn, now lying several meters away.
And my hands were thoroughly bound by thorns.
"Shit."
I felt myself being dragged, my heels carving deep furrows in the ground. I fought desperately, but it was useless.
The thorns were too strong.
I was being pulled toward the forest.
Closer and closer.
That wet, nauseating chewing sound grew louder.
Terror flooded through me like ice water. I wanted to scream, but my throat seemed blocked.
Then I was hurled into the air.
Wind roared in my ears as I tumbled through space, catching sight of the forest below.
Then I saw it.
A massive, blood-red carnivorous flower.
Its petals were lined with saw-toothed spikes. At the center was a bottomless black maw, something writhing slowly inside.
I saw severed limbs.
Arms, legs, even half a torso.
They were still being slowly, methodically chewed and swallowed by that enormous mouth.
My stomach heaved.
I was going to die.
I was going to be swallowed by that monstrosity, ground up and digested like those warriors.
I closed my eyes.
Then I heard a voice.
Chloe! Chloe!
The voice didn't come from outside.
It rang inside my mind—clear, loud, carrying a power I'd never felt before.
I've only just arrived. Are you willing to die like this?
You're an Alpha's daughter!