Chapter 172 CHAPTER 172

Chapter 172 CHAPTER 172

"Baby get up! You can't give up now, you need to get up!"

"And do what Hunter? She's stronger! And now she's in my head to," I cried, weakening further as she kept firing dark, painful light at me.

Her laughter hurt me more than I cared to admit, that feeling of victory strong in her voice.

"You think you can win?" She called out, "Besides the obscene amount of time I have on you, I'm also not a willing slave to Selene. I question the rules and the limits. Everywhere my power was supposed to stop, I have pulled it further ahead. You're just a weakling following a weakling. If she were to come down right now, I'd still beat the shit out of –"

Her prideful speech and the pain she was sending to my body were cut off abruptly.

"Go and meet Stephan baby, let him protect you until you heal!"

I saw Ace jumping on Zyrell, and he was so close.

He would have gotten in and done real damage but Angus was right there, loyal to his mistress and defending her bullshit.

I wanted to go and help but my wolf was having a hard time healing me.

"Red?"

"Working on it," she yelled back with a strained grunt.

So I looked for Stephan amidst the madness.

I flinched as another of my wolves died and I cursed the tears that were coming out already.

Stephan wasn't hard to find but so was the pain coming from him.

The person I needed healing from also needed healing from me.

I turned back to Hunter and he was in an equally terrible condition, Angus and five half turned were on him with Zyrell using her darkness on him.

"Come on Red," I pressed, firing little light darts at the half turned that were thinking about attacking me.

"Just a bit more time."

"You think we have time?"

She didn't answer and I felt a little guilty for being so harsh on her. This was my fault not hers and yet, she, who was doing most of the work in keeping me alive was getting attitude from me too.

But I was feeling everything and the pain just made me more cranky.

As though she suddenly remembered me again, Zyrell sent another shard of shadow to my stomach and Red screamed before I did.

I didn't wait for the healing I knew wasn't coming so I limped back into active battle, firing at her.

But the light was getting weaker now, fading with each defensive move I made.

"You know we can do this all – ahhh!" She screamed aggressively, turning around to fight Stephan and Hunter who were on her now.

I saw Angus' wolf sprawled on the grass afar off.

"Can we get healed now?"

"Something is wrong Cassie," she whimpered.

"Oh shit, okay, I'll try to avoid getting hit more okay?"

"But how do we fight her? I'm feeling weak too. Maybe we should get away from here."

"But –"

"We'll die Cassie, and they'll die too and all of this would be for nothing!"

I was pondering it when a voice shocked me by calling my name.

"Edwina? You're not in the safe house?"

"I've never been in a real war before, it's exciting," she chuckled, and I watched as she wove her hand in the air and three normal wolves began choking until they died. "See? Fucking amazing!"

I sighed, not really in the mood for all that excitement. My body was screaming at me to lie down, and I still felt every pain Zyrell was putting my two mates through, especially Stephan, whom she had a vendetta against.

"Cassie!" Edwina called again, "Catch!"

I nearly shot a beam at the stuff she was throwing before realising it was my miracle in a bottle.

"Where did you hide that!"

"In my pocket. It won't do much for your energy but you look like you need some repairing."

"You're a freaking angel!"

"I know," she chuckled, giggling away into the battle, killing people.

I think we broke her.

I was almost done drinking the elixir bottle when I felt the darkness hit me square in the chest.

Of course, goddess forbid if she lets me have any upper hand against her.

"What do you think this is? A parlour game?"

"Are you scared Zyrell?" I snapped, irritation clawing at my throat.

"I don't Cassandra, aren't you?"

But she wasn't firing at me, she was sending shards at my mates.

Both of whom were being held by strong, Council wolves, each digging their fangs into my mate's hands, legs, shoulders and ribs.

"You're gonna kill them!"

"You know, I never realised that! What else do you think I want to do idiot? I came here to take out the only problem with my mission. And this little resistance you all have put up is quite cute but it's time to end it."

"You don't have to do this, Zyrell. We can surrender, we'll do whatever you want!"

"Naa, too late," she giggled like a mad woman, "that's how you little kids say it these isn't it?"

I was barely concentrating, the pain of my mates made it impossible for me to think.

Fucking hell.

"Luna, I just had another idea!" Caleb yelled.

"Please tell me, I'm desperate," I nearly begged, I was already on my knees anyway.

"Disconnect from the two of them."

"Are you mad?"

"No Luna but I know it doesn't make any sense but it just feels like you're suffering instead of thinking or planning because they're in a constant loop of pain. But once you let them go, then you can concentrate on figuring out what else to do."

"Besides surrendering?"

"As if she'll accept that," Red scoffed.

"So we should... Soften the mate bond? How's that even possible?"

"The place where the power is, just disconnect everything."

"Don't be silly Red, I should disconnect the power too?"

"What difference is it making? I'm tired of feeling their pain and ours, at least let's focus on one problem."

Zyrell was still hurting them and talking her shit but I saw the sense in what everyone was saying.

Each shard of dark shadow she sent to them was hurting me and she knew it.

It's why she hadn't killed them yet.

"I'm sorry my loves," I whispered in our link, knowing this would hurt them more, "but I need my mind intact if we're to survive this. Come on Red, let's do it."

And she helped me.

Together, we pulled ourselves out of the six-direction bond, wolf and human, the bond wasn't broken, just not connected.

We'll reconnect later, but for now, the silence was serving a bigger purpose.

"Wait a minute, you disconnected from them?" Her voice was clearer in my ears now. "You're as dumb as you're weak."

"Leave us alone Zyrell," I said, my voice weak, as I felt.

"I won't. In fact, I want to make this fun. Since you have taken away the white boring light, it's only unfair to keep firing at you with my powerful dark one. So I'll even the playground. While I fuck with your mind, let your wolf come out to play."

"Are you ready Red?"

"More than I'll ever be," she breathed, ready to do whatever it takes to save us.

Because let's face it, we're beaten down and defeated.

This is just the miracle run, the point where the goddess shows herself or things go sour quickly.

Red is our only option.