156.Chaos

156.Chaos
ALLISON.
Quinn lunged, his massive paws slamming into Sullivan’s chest, forcing him to the ground. The impact shook the earth, but Sullivan barely reacted. He was stunned for a moment as he stared at his mate’s eyes.
Quinn snarled, fangs bared, but I could feel the sorrow beneath his aggression. He didn’t want to fight Sullivan—his mate—but he had no choice.
Sullivan let out a guttural growl and shoved Quinn off him with brute force. The sheer power of it sent Quinn skidding across the dirt, his claws digging into the earth to stop himself. But before he could recover, Sullivan was already back on his feet, his blazing eyes locking onto me.
Then he charged.
Faster than I’d ever seen him move before.
But this time, he wasn’t alone.
A blur of silver, black, and gold streaked across my vision as Mason, Liam, River, and Wesley—still in their wolf forms—slammed into Sullivan. Their combined force sent him crashing into a tree, the impact splintering the trunk with a deafening crack.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Wesley darted around Sullivan with lightning speed, his golden fur a streak of motion as he slashed at Sullivan’s side. Sullivan hissed in pain but barely staggered. River lunged next, his massive black wolf form snapping his jaws around Sullivan’s arm, but with terrifying ease, Sullivan twisted and hurled him aside like he weighed nothing.
Mason and Liam struck next, moving in perfect sync. Mason’s fangs sank deep into Sullivan’s shoulder while Liam raked his claws down his back. A normal opponent would have crumbled beneath their combined attacks.
But Sullivan was no normal opponent.
With a furious roar, he threw them both off him. Mason crashed hard onto his side, silver eyes flashing with rage as he struggled to get up. Liam flipped midair, landing on all fours, his green eyes blazing with determination.
Sullivan turned to attack again, but Wesley was faster. He struck from behind, his claws ripping across Sullivan’s arm. Blood splattered against the dirt.
My heart clenched.
They were trying to protect me—me and Amaris. I knew that.
But watching my brother bleed in front of me made something inside me snap.
“No—STOP!” I screamed, jumping off Daniel’s back and sprinting forward.
Wesley flinched, just for a second, just enough for Sullivan to react.
With terrifying speed, Sullivan’s hand shot out, closing around Wesley’s throat. Before anyone could stop him, he whipped out a silver dagger and drove it deep into Wesley’s stomach.
Wesley let out a strangled howl. His body convulsed before crumpling to the ground, shifting back into his human form.
A scream ripped from my throat.
Sullivan staggered, his breaths ragged, his expression twisted in something between pain and regret. Then, before my eyes, his body began to change.
Scales—obsidian black and glistening like polished armor—spread up his arms, swallowing his skin. His nails elongated into razor-sharp talons. Flames crackled to life along his body, licking at his limbs, setting the ground ablaze wherever he stepped.
My breath caught in my throat.
My brother—he didn’t just look like a dragon.
He was one.
A terrible, unstoppable force.
Liam, Mason, River, and Daniel charged again, but Sullivan was no longer the same opponent they had fought before.
Liam struck first, his powerful jaws clamping onto Sullivan’s leg, but Sullivan didn’t even flinch. With one brutal kick, he sent Liam flying. The impact sent him rolling across the burning ground, smoke rising from his singed fur.
River followed, his claws glowing with enchanted energy, but when he slashed at Sullivan’s chest, the scales repelled the attack like steel. Sullivan grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hurled him into Mason, sending them both crashing into a boulder.
Daniel leaped at Sullivan from behind, his platinum hair a blur, but Sullivan spun at the last second and backhanded him so hard he was sent skidding across the ground, blood trickling from his lips.
The four Alphas groaned, struggling to rise, but Sullivan didn’t give them the chance.
A ring of fire erupted around them, caging them inside.
I gasped as Sullivan turned toward me. His glowing red eyes locked onto mine, his talons stretching out, ready to tear me apart.
I bolted.
Amaris wailed in my arms as I ran, but the heat behind me grew unbearable. I barely made it three steps before a blast of fire struck my back.
The pain was instant. Searing.
I hit the ground hard, groaning in agony, but I forced myself to move. Laying Amaris carefully on a bed of leaves, I whirled around, my hand reaching for the silver gun.
I fired.
One, two, three, four, five shots.
Sullivan caught every single bullet. Then, with a sickening crunch, he crushed them in his palm.
His steps slowed now, almost hesitant. His face twisted with pain, but his body moved against his will.
He had been ordered to kill me. Kill us.
My grip on the gun tightened. Then, I tossed it aside.
I didn’t need it.
With a furious cry, I launched myself at Sullivan, barehanded.
I threw every ounce of power I had into my attacks, but it wasn’t enough. Sullivan caught my fist mid-swing, his talons closing around my throat.
Pain exploded through my body as his scalding touch burned my flesh.
I gasped, clawing at his arm, kicking against him, but he didn’t let go.
Amaris’ cries echoed through the forest, sharp and terrified.
The world blurred.
The pain was unbearable.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t—
“STOP THIS, SULLIVAN! DON’T KILL YOUR SISTER!”
Quinn’s voice sliced through the chaos, raw and desperate.
Sullivan’s grip trembled.
For a fraction of a second, I saw something flicker in his blood-red eyes. Something human.
Then, he froze.

Sullivan froze. For a moment, I saw something flicker in his blood-red eyes. Hesitation? Maybe even recognition. But it was fleeting. His body, enslaved by Celestine’s magic, took over again. Without warning, he tore himself from Quinn’s hold and shoved her away. She hit the ground with a painful grunt, rolling across the dirt. My heart dropped.

“No!” My voice barely came out, strangled by the crushing force around my throat.

I clawed at Sullivan’s arm, smacking his searing flesh with all the strength I had left. But his grip was unyielding, his talons digging into my skin, burning through me. I tried to speak, to plead with him, but no sound escaped.

Pain wrapped around my body like a suffocating flame. The world blurred, my vision darkening at the edges. Then Quinn was there again, staggering forward despite her limping legs. She didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around Sullivan from behind, even if it meant scalding her skin from the burning scales that covered his body.

“Stop! Sullivan, you have to stop! You can fight this! You do not want to hurt her!” she begged, her voice cracking.

He did not answer. His jaw remained clenched, his body trembling beneath her touch. But I saw the tears trailing down his face. His chest rose and fall with ragged breaths.

“Please, I know have spent your whole life trying to protect this family. Do not let them take that away from you,” Quinn whispered, pressing her forehead against his back.

Sullivan’s grip trembled. And then, slowly, it loosened. Air rushed into my lungs as I gasped, my body sagging against him in relief. He was backing away. He was coming back to us.

But before he could release me completely, he crumpled to the ground. A strangled cry tore from his lips as he clutched his chest, his body convulsing in agony. It was as if something invisible was ripping him apart from the inside.

I barely caught my breath before I saw her. Celestine stood a few meters away, her crimson cloak billowing, her golden eyes glowing with fury. She wasn’t watching me. She was glaring at Sullivan.

“What a waste. You have been utterly useless these past few days, Sullivan,” she spat, her voice sharp with disdain.

I forced my shaking body forward, falling to my knees beside him.

“What are you doing to him?!” I bellowed in anger.