What Now?

What Now?
ARIA
There's very little time to figure out what's happening but I know for a fact that the mob isn't trying to attack me. 
They go for every guard standing in their path. I turn my attention to Yarina and see her looking around in shock, mouth wide open. She lowered her hand, and I don't allow myself to even think about what I have to do next. 
I race toward her and she turns her head to face me again right before I lunge at her. She crashes into the ground, the gun going off before the collision, and I sink my teeth into her shoulder. 
Yarina cries out in pain and I sink my teeth even deeper. However, before I can finish what I started, someone hits me on the back and I release her. I whirl around to see one of the guards holding a metal bat high above his head, prepared to strike me down again. 
Zach appears in wolf form and takes him down. 
I turn my attention back to Yarina but in the handful of seconds that I got distracted, she shifted and is now heading away from the farm. I jump over the pile of her shredded clothes and the discarded gun and chase after her. 
She's leaving a trail of blood behind, so following her is easy. 
She's headed toward the packhouse. 
I quicken my pace because I know that once she gets there, it'll be harder for me to fight her. After all, there will be more guards and more people who are on her side. I can see her far ahead, running surprisingly fast for someone who's injured. 
I force myself to go even faster. I don't think I've ever run like this. I'm gaining on her, and moments later, I crash right into her. We tumble in the dirt but I recover my footing fast while she remains in the dirt, panting. 
Growling, I approach her limp body. Her eyes meet mine and I see hatred burning in her eyes. I place my front paw against her neck, pushing down, but pain explodes in my hind leg and I yelp. 
Someone shot me. 
I look over my shoulder and see Ray approaching me, holding a gun in his hand. The sight of him makes my blood boil. I start toward him, ignoring the pain, and he cries out in warning. "Step any closer and I'll shoot you dead right here. Stay put!"
The baby. My instinct to protect him clouds my desperate need to kill this man. The sight of him deeply repulses me. He steps toward me and I back away, ignoring the pain in my hind leg. Behind me, I hear movement. Yarina is trying to get back up, but the pain must be too intense for her because she falls back down. 
"We meet again," he remarks, grinning at me. The vacant look in his eyes gives me the creeps. I want nothing more than to finish what Ryder and I started that day, but the gun he's holding is a firm warning that any misstep will cost me my life. "Aria Murdock. No matter how hard I try, I can't quit you. Every step I take leads me right to you. You sure have made a mess of things, haven't you? I bet you're so proud."
We circle each other and he stops only when he's standing beside Yarina. He nudges her with his foot but she doesn't budge. I think she might be dead. 
Ray clicks his tongue against his teeth distastefully. "What a fucking mess."
I look around desperately. There isn't anyone around, and I can't run anywhere without making myself an easy target. The bullet wound will slow me down, too, so I have that to think about. 
What do I do?
I can't be trapped by Ray once again. Just the thought of it makes my stomach churn. 
Please, goddess. Save me. 
Save my baby. 
"Here's what we're gonna do," he claims. You're gonna be a good girl and follow me to my car parked in the back, and then you'll shift back and let me tie you up in the backseat. If you resist for any bullet, I'll empty this gun on you. Do you understand?"
I look around desperately for a way out, and then it hits me all at once. 
I'm not bound by silver. 
The bullet wasn't made of silver, either. 
I look at him and narrow my eyes. Panic fills his eyes for a second, and then he fires the gun at me. I dodge it and focus all my energy on him. 
Drop it. 
His entire arm begins trembling before he drops the gun. Once that happens, I lunge at him with everything I have. I can't believe that I was almost tricked into going somewhere else with him. 
If I had more experience with my powers, I would've thought of this much sooner. 
Ray is still an Alpha. 
I sink my teeth into his throat, wounding him, but something stops me from ripping his throat out and I don't know what it is. I step back and watch him struggling to breathe, eyes wide as he peers back at me. 
Die, I think. Just die. Stop tormenting us and just—
"Aria?"
I still completely and look over my shoulder at Ryder, who's standing a few feet behind us, peering at me wide-eyed. I start toward him without thinking twice and he shifts. We meet halfway, bumping our heads. He licks my face and buries his nose in my neck. I smell him, making sure that he's not hurt in any way. 
When he spots the bullet wound, he starts licking the blood away. Behind us, Ray is still coughing and blood continues oozing out of the bite wounds on his neck. Ryder notices him and we exchange a look. 
It's over. 
At last, we can put this behind us and try to move on with our lives. Sure, there's still the war to look forward to, but right now, things seem so much easier. I don't know how he managed to get here, but I'm grateful. 
It'll be alright. 
I have to believe that.