Chapter 43 43
\[Rhea\]
The scratch burned like fire. I sat on the ground, holding my wrist, and watching the chaos. The red moonlight made the blood on the grass look black. The sound of the silver wolf and the black wolf snarling was the only thing I could hear. It was loud and deep, making the ground shake.
My cry of pain changed everything. Mark had been looking at the wolves, but when I screamed, his head snapped toward me. His eyes widened, looking at me for a long time. The shock on his face soon hardened, looking at me as if I were a stranger.
"Rhea?" he called. His voice was cold, carrying over the sound of the fight.
He didn't wait for me to speak and pointed his finger at me, looking at his men. "Get her," he ordered. "Don't kill her. I want her alive."
Four hunters immediately broke away from the main group. They were big men in black tactical gear. They held heavy nets and silver-lined ropes. They started toward me, their boots crunching on the dead leaves. I tried to move, but my knees felt weak. The silver scratch on my arm was making my head spin. I tried to crawl backward, away from them, but I was too slow.
But the wolves were faster.
The silver wolf noticed the men moving toward me. He let out a roar that sounded like a building collapsing. He stopped fighting the hunters in front of him and leaped across the clearing. He landed between me and the four men. He didn't hesitate and with one swipe of his massive paw, he sent two of the hunters flying into the trees. I heard their bones break against the trunks. The other two tried to use their nets, but the black wolf appeared behind them. He grabbed one hunter by the shoulder and tossed him aside like he was made of paper.
It was a brutal scene. The twins were not holding back. They were tearing apart anyone who came near me. There was blood everywhere. It was on the trees and grass. The air was soon filled with the metallic stench of blood. The hunters were screaming. They were trying to use their bows and guns, but the wolves were too fast. They moved like shadows in the red light.
I watched them, my heart beating fast. They were so focused on protecting me and killing every man who tried to reach me. But because they were so busy fighting the small fry, they didn't see what Mark moving back to the edge of the clearing. He reached into a heavy metal case and pulled out a specialized rifle. It was different from the others. It had a long barrel and a glowing scope. I knew what was in that gun. I had seen the boxes of ammunition in his apartment once. He had told me they were for "special targets." They were silver bullets. Not just silver-plated, but solid silver. They were designed to stop an Alpha's heart instantly.
"Lucien! Damian! Look out!" I tried to shout, but my voice was weak.
The wolves didn't hear me. The silver wolf was busy snapping the neck of a hunter who had tried to stab him with a silver knife. The black wolf was pinning two men to the ground. Mark raised the rifle, aiming at the back of the silver wolf's head. His finger moved to the trigger.
I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't sit there and watch my mates die.
A sudden, intense heat exploded in my chest. It was stronger than anything I had ever felt. It felt like my skin was being pulled tight and my blood was boiling. I didn't try to stop it this time. I gave Nyra everything. I let her take control.
I let out a high, piercing sound that made the hunters stop in their tracks. Everyone turned to look at me. The wolves froze, their heads turning toward me. Mark lowered his gun for a second, his eyes narrowing.
My body was changing. It wasn't a full shift like the twins. I was still in a human shape, standing on two legs, but I wasn't human anymore. Dark, thick fur was sprouting across my arms and legs. My fingernails grew long and sharp, turning into black claws. My teeth felt pointed and hard and my vision was now a bright, burning red. I was a hybrid, and for the first time, the wolf was showing.
Mark stared at me. The shock on his face was replaced by a deep confusion. Then, it turned into pure anger. He looked at my claws and the fur on my arms, his gaze filled with a mix of disappointment and hate.
"So that’s the truth," he said, his voice shaking with rage. "You’re one of them. You’ve been one of them this whole time. All those years, you lied to me. You let me touch you. You let me love you, and you were a beast the whole time."
"Mark, stop," I growled. My voice was deep and raspy.
"It’s a shame," he said, raising the rifle again. "I really did love you, Rhea. But I can't let a monster live. It’s a shame I’ll have to kill you too. But first, I have to take care of the beasts you call your mates."
He ignored me and aimed back at the silver wolf, ready to fire.
I didn't think about the pain or fear and moved. My new body was incredibly fast. I blurred across the clearing. Mark didn't even see me coming. Before he could pull the trigger, I was on him.
I slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground. The rifle flew out of his hands and skidded across the dirt. I pinned him down, my claws digging into his shoulders. I was so angry I couldn't see straight. Raising my fist, I punched him in the face with all the strength I had. I heard his jaw crack, blood spraying from his mouth.
But as soon as his blood touched my hand, I screamed.
His blood didn't feel like liquid. It felt like acid. It burned my skin instantly. It sizzled against the fur on my hand, eating into the flesh. I pulled my hand away, gasping in pain. I looked at my palm. It was red and blistering. Why did his blood burn me? It made no sense.
"You think you’ve won?" Mark choked out, coughing up more of that burning blood. He looked at me with a crazy smile. "You don't know anything about me, Rhea."
I was so distracted by the burning on my hand that I didn't hear the hunter behind me. I didn't see the man who had climbed up into the tree.
Thwack.
A sudden, sharp weight slammed into my back.
I let out a cry of agony and fell to my knees. I reached back, my hand hitting a wooden shaft. A silver arrow was buried deep in my shoulder, right between my shoulder blades. The silver was reacting to my wolf blood. It felt like a hot iron was being pressed into my spine.
The pain was overwhelming. The half-shift began to fade. The fur on my arms retracted, and my claws returned to fingernails. I was weak and human again.
I fell forward onto my hands and knees. My vision started to blur. I could see the silver wolf and the black wolf running toward me, their eyes wide with panic. They were leaving themselves open to the hunters just to get to me.
I looked at Mark. He was wiping the blood from his face, still smiling that horrible, twisted smile.
"I told you," he whispered. "I'll kill everything you love."