71

71
Alpha Aric Darkclaw.

I had told her we should check the place, see if it was safe.
But what did she do?
She didn't hear me.
Of course not.
Elowen Starfire may have inherited the serenity of the elves, but when it came to protecting those she loved, she was fire and storm. She wasn't thinking straight, as I had told her, and now, because of that... we were surrounded.
When she descended the stairs with a few guards and wolves, I followed close behind with some of my wolves.
I asked some wolves to stay there, but it was a mistake because as soon as we walked down the corridor, we heard the sound of enemies.
Orcs and human warriors emerged from the shadows as worms, were completely bitter, with eyes shining with blood promise, they wanted to destroy us. I smelled them, rotting in the dark and humid air of that underground tunnel. And I knew that was not an ordinary attack. It was a meticulously planned ambush. And we were here.
They knew Elowen was coming, that she would be reckless, that she would act on her emotions.
And sht, we were here, trapped.
And now Elowen had walked right into it.
“Damn it,” I growled through clenched teeth.
Before the first enemy could advance, I instinctively stepped in front of the princess. It didn't matter how angry I was or how much advice she had ignored. My body acted on its own when danger approached her.
I wouldn't let anyone touch her or hurt her, not with me here.
“Stay behind me,” I ordered, already feeling the heat of the transformation running down my spine. I would protect her until the end, no matter what happened.
I didn't hear her voice, only her heavy breathing and her rapid heartbeat.
I then concentrated, and the change began.
The sound of bones molding echoed in the tunnel as my skin tore, my claws replaced my hands, and my wolf took control. A fury pulsed beneath my skin, an uncontrollable need to protect what was mine, even if she wasn't completely mine.
Even if she never would be.
I lunged at the first orcs, the impact tearing flesh and armor. The wolves of my pack followed me in unison, each leaping against the enemy crowd with a voracious growl. Blood splattered against the walls, and the metallic smell mixed with the fetid dampness of the tunnel.
The fight turned into chaos.
As my wolves and I plunged into the fray, I noticed that Elowen's soldiers had surrounded her, along with wolves that I still didn't understand who they were or why they were following her.
Who were they? Why were they there? It wouldn't leave my mind; I wanted to know the truth, but now was not the time for that.
I looked ahead and focused on what was important now.
Swords clashed, and spells exploded against the ceiling, knocking down fragments of stone and dust. An orc tried to hit Elowen from behind, but one of the wolves lunged at him before I could react.
I spun around, slashing another enemy's neck with my claws, but there were more of them than we had estimated. Every time we took one down, three more appeared.
It was getting stressful, I wanted to get rid of them all at once, but there were a lot of them. And I knew it would be difficult to eliminate them all.
And then, amid the chaos, I felt pain pierce my rib.
A long, thin spear, covered in black magic.
My eyes boiled with rage at that moment.
I let out a howl of pain and staggered backward, seeing blood running down the side of my body, the world spinning for an instant.
“Aric!” I heard her voice.
Then I saw her.
Elowen stood with her eyes wide, her hands outstretched in front of her body.
She was furious.
And her magic responded.
The roots of the ground began to move, growing like hungry snakes, grabbing the ankles of orcs and humans, crushing limbs, and breaking their weapons. The earth shook beneath our feet, the cries of our enemies muffled by the trees growing there, in that cursed tunnel, as if the forest had been summoned to war.
And it didn't stop there.
When I looked at her, I saw her eyes filled with pure rage. Elowen was determined to eliminate them.
Cold water poured from her hands, thick as a tide that violently flooded the underground. Bodies were thrown against the walls like dolls. The pressure caused the enemies to slip, lose their balance, and drown right there, their eyes wide with panic.
She was nature itself in a rage.
But every time she used her power, I saw the cost. Her body trembled, her eyes lost some of their shine, as if it drained much of her energy.
And yet, she pressed on.
“For Aeloria!” she shouted.
Her voice echoed like thunder off the walls.
I wanted to call her back. To tell her to stop, that she was hurting herself. That she couldn't save her sister if she was dead. But all I could do was stay on my feet, even with the pain throbbing, even with my vision blurred.
She was a bolt of war. A storm of flesh, magic, and will.
And I... I was torn between fear and pride.
Even wounded, even bleeding, she didn't back down. I noticed when an arrow cut through the air and struck her shoulder, pushing her back, when she staggered but steadied herself, conjuring more roots to crush the archer who had wounded her.
I've never seen anyone fight like that.
I've never seen anyone I wanted to protect so badly.
I knew Elowen was giving everything she had in that fight, giving everything for her sister, and I would give everything for her too.
I didn’t want to see her hurt, even wounded, I would do my best to protect her.