Chapter 91
-Ignatius-
Something was very wrong. I felt it in the core of my being and I cried out at the sudden pain that
stabbed through my heart. Angle rushed to my side and gripped my face between her hands as I
struggled to think clearly through the ache.
I had felt this ache before. It couldn’t be, it had to be something else. I was babbling, speaking in
tongues, and shaking my head as I tried to deny the inevitable.
“Ignatius, what is it?” Angie’s voice was stricken as she clung to me and tried to pull me to my feet from
where I had suddenly fallen to my knees. “What happened?”
“Dorothy,” I gasped her name like it was the air that I needed to breathe. “Something’s happened to
Dorothy”
“What? Where is she?!” Angie looked left and right amidst the surrounding chaos. to’s backup was
making light work of the remaining Tally soldiers and the odds had been significantly tipped in the
Bielke’s favor. However, Dorothy was nowhere To be seen.
I had burst out of the forest with the rest of our newfound backup and immediately went on the hunt to
find my mate. It was only after catching up with Angie to ask her to help that I became aware of the
growing feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Tor was sensing something that I couldn’t and it
scared me to my core.
1 looked around frantically, but I knew she wasn’t out there in the scramble of shifters. She was
somewhere else. Her presence was deep within the woods, her energy radiated from the darkness of
the trees, louder than and more powerful than I had ever felt it before. But it was dwindling fast. I felt
my mate’s life force flickering and fading with every second that passed
Something was very very wrong.
“It’s Johan,” I rasped, mbering to my feet and looking around me in an attempt to get my bearings.
Johan is here. Dorothy is hurt. We need to find her,” I spoke in short bursts.
It was all I could manage with the hump in my chest and the sickening knot in my stomach. Angie
looked from me to the tangle of shifters colliding around us. Fae was among them, fighting tooth and
nail to avenge the death of their friend.
Angie looked torn, caught between her need to protect Dorothy and her urge to have Fae’s back. It was
a bond that I don’t think even she was aware of at the time. I couldn’t ask Angie to abandon her
teammate. Not so soon after losing the other
“Go,” I said to lier, and Angie opened her mouth to protest. I cut her off and pulled her into a quick
embrace. “It’s alright,” I said close to her ear. “I’ll be back soon. With Dorothy”
I pulled away and Angie teared up, thanking me with her eyes. It seemned it was the thrill of battle that
had finally awakened her to just how strong the depths of the rtionship between her and Fae really
was.
“Go help her. I’ll be back,” I said and then turned quickly, shifting to a half-wolf state and sprinting into
the darkness of the forest beyond.
I called out for Dorothy with my mind, searching for her amongst the chaos and noise that clouded my
head. She had to be okay. I promised her I woulde back alive and I did. She had to hold up her
end of the bargain.
When I got no response to my desperate cries and Dorothy’s mind stayed closed to my begging, I let
out a loud howl that echoed through the trees and d amn near shook the tallest branches as I ran. I
hoped with all of my heart that she was able to hear it. She had to know that I was on my way. That she
wasn’t alone. She just had to hold on a little bit longer.
I felt my mate’s energy waning as I followed her scent through the trees. Along with Dorothy’s sweet
summer scent, there was also the putrid odor that could only belong to Johan. The thought sickened
me as I pressed on. Praying to the moon goddess, with every glimpse I could get of that shimmering or
through the treetops, that my mate would be okay.
“Please,” I pleaded silently as the dappled moonlight waned with the thickening of the brush, leaving
me to tread a dark
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world that those shimmering beams could not follow. “Please. Protect my mate. Protect my children.
I’ve lost too much already.”
-Dorothy-
I let out a scream that burned my throat as Johan’s ws shed across my stomach. My back hit the
ground with a loud thud and the wind was knocked from my chest. My head spun and the world around
me dipped and swayed like I was caught in a whirlpool that was threatening to pull me under.
Pain exploded through my b*dy as sharp ws dug into my flesh I could only hope that the energy
around my children. held fast and protected them from those ws that mowed into me.
Blood poured from the sh in my stomach as I wailed like a banshee in the dark. Johan stood above
me, victory contorting his features into a cruel look of pride. He raised his ws to strike again, ws
that were tipped with red liquid.
My blood dripped down his forearm and sprayed crimson droplets in the air as he swiped down at me
again. I rolled away at thest second and scrambled away from him, attempting to get to my feel
My efforts were futile, however, and I watched the soil turn red as blood poured from my new wound.
Already, my b*dy was working to heal itself but the injury was a deep one and I was struggling to stay
conscious. Johan’s ws nced off the iron on my back and knocked me to the ground again.
I tried again to stand up but Johan pulled at my back leg, sending my face into the dirt as I wailed and
growled, turning to thrash at him with my own sharp ws. Without my de, there was no hope of
taking him down
All I could do was fight as best as I could to protect my stomach. Johan stepped back, toying with me
when he realized that I was unable to get up. I curled up on my side as heughed maniacally,
standing over me and casting a shadow that blocked out the moonlight.
With myst remaining energy. I set my glowing palms to my stomach, healing the four w marks that
had cut into my skin and feeling out desperately for any movement from my children. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
Thankfully, I felt two strong kicks from under my skin and was relieved to find that the shield had
worked its magic. They were alright, for now. But my situation was dire and help was nowhere to be
seen.
“Did you really think you could fight me alone?” Johan’s voice boomed as he stepped back, examining
his cruel work. “You’re a fool. Dorothy. Or maybe you just have a death wish. Think of the life we could
have had.
“You could have carried my children. We could have been a family. You’ve brought ruin to these people
with your selfish actions. You sealed your own fate the day you chose him over me
I didn’t respond. I wouldn’t give him the gratification of sering me cry, hearing the shiver in my voice. I
concentrated instead on locating exactly where the iron de had fallen when he knocked it out of my
hand. If I could keep him gloating, 1 may be able to find it.
I got to my knees and crawled in the direction where the knife had fallen. Johan wasn’t having this
though and he aimed at kick at my healing stomach
1 curled up again just in time and his kicknded on the iron guards on my forearms and knees and
send me skidding backward into the dirt. Dust and dead leaves swirled around me as I struggled to
think my way out of the situation.
The iron gauntlets were still attached to my hands. Useless as they may be,pared to the beefy
shifter, it was a weapon nheless and better than nothing. I waited as Johan circled me again,
spewing insults and irritations.
He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me, though. His speech be
something of a sermon as he spouted lines about defying nature and putting an end to those that had
wronged him.
“You were supposed to love me!” he shouted again and he leaned over to bring his ws down again.
That was my moment to strike. I waited until the veryst second before his ws were upon me,
spitting blood from my mouth and staring at
him
I summoned all the energy and power I could muster and brought my iron-d fist up like a
jackhammer. It collides with
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the bottom of his paw and supped his teeth shut swer his lolling tongue, snapping it clean off.
Jehan bowlest in Tory as blond poured from his mouth and the vered tongue dropped onto myp
followed by a waterfall of ck, zing blood. I wasted no time in pushing myself to my feet and taking off
into the trees towards where the knifey hikden somewher
Johan was distracted momentarily by his severed tongue and he inability to speak. His voice was
garbled and choked when he hondled and his growls sounded gurgled as his throat was flooded with
blood.
I struggled to pick up the pace and darted through the forest, scanning the ground desperately for the
tiny ironlade that matched the color of the d
Finally, as Johan began to follow me, I saw a small glint of something refra ting the single beam of
moonlight hidden among the leaves on the ground and love for the kite just as Johan rampaged
towards me, battering down smaller trees and roaring in hury.
I gripped the knife and attempted to chili to my feet only to be knocked to the side by Johan’s lumbering
b*dy. I hissed and saarled as he put a wed haml around my that, squeezing tightly and cutting off my
oxygen.
His yellow eyes were deranged and frenzied as he squeezed his hand tighter. Hifted the de and
sliced at his forearm. meking the skin and deawing a line of dark blood across his flesh).
Johan screamed as he pulled his hand away, gripping his forearm as the poison began to spread. I
dropped to the floor, gasping and gagging as my bangs fought for air.
I looked up just in time to see Johan’s knee swinging towards my head. It nced against the side of
my face and I was thrown backward against the bark of the thick tree that stood behind me. Johan lifted
his ws to go for the killing blow, aiming straight for my heart like he intended to rip it out..
It was at that momen when our battle was interrupted by a furious bowl and arge gray wolftched
angry fangs on Johan’s shoulder. He was wrenched away from me, throw to the ground by Ignatius
who stood over me like a guard angel, silhouetted in the silver moonlight.
His eyes were wrathful as he took in my injuries and he turned to face Johan with a b*dy poised to
strike. Johan his old friend immediately and his eyes widened. I noticed a sh of fear in his dark pupils
before Johan’s face co rage and he bowled a gargled warning at the gray woll
Ignatius didn’t even flinch and he attacked the shilier head-on,iting and tearing like a man gone mad,
ovee wi at the inan who was attempting to take that which was most precious to him.
I had seen Ignatius angry before but never to this extent. He was livid, powerful, his wolf lookedrger
in size as if the powe of the Alpha was finallying into full effect. He tore at johan’s b*dy.
Johan in turn attempted to swipe and bite at the attacking wolf but he was beaten to the ground over
and over again. Ignatiustched his teeth into Johan’s arm and ripped with all of his might, tearing
Jolian’s hand clean from his b*dy. It fell away with a trail of bl oody tendrils and a spray of murky blood.
Johan was weakening, the poison from the de taking effect and spreading through his veins as he
continued to fight the vicious gray woll. I watched from the trees, willing my b*dy to heal and mustering
all the strength I could find in an attempt to keep my children and myself alive.
“Please. I looked up at the silver moon that winked at me through the trees as the two shifters
continued to revenge each other in a sh of teeth and nails. “Take as many years off my life as
necessary. Take it all if you have to. Please just keep
them safe.
I
The glow in my belly was dulling as I quickly ran out of energy. had used everything up in my attempts
to heal myself and the protectiveyer was faltering, exposing my children to the vicious wound that
was still opened on my stomach.
I could see no way out of the problem. By healing myself, I would drain myself of life and my children
would die regardless. The energy would need toe from someone else. The only hope was to
siphon the life of another person. The moon had given me everything she could but still, it was not
enough to save DC HOW..
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Whose life was I willing to risk for the sake of my children?
Ignatius’ howl of pain had me ncing back at the two fighting shifters. Johan had managed to deal a
devastating injury to my mate. His vicious teeth had sunk into Ignatius’ chest and Johan wrenched his
head away, tearing arge chunk from the gray wolf’s b*dy in the process.
I screamed as I watched my mate fall to the floor and Johan descended upon him, ripping and tearing
the already exposed chest of Ignatius. I had to do something. I had to act immediately. I looked down at
the iron de in my hand and pulled myself to my feet, leaning against the tree for support.
Johan was too distracted by the thrashing gray wolf to notice my approach. I st aggered towards them,
my wounds streaming blood down my legs and my vision was clotted with ck spots as I fought to
keep my eyes open, to keep myself from dropping to the floor next to my mate. I forced my legs to
move faster, breaking out into a sprint and raising the knife in my right hand.
It was only at the veryst second, when it was far toote, that Johan noticed my approach.
With one final howl of defiance, I leaped at him, propelling myself into the air high enough to reach the
empty cavern where his heart resided. Johan’s jaws opened to meet me but that did not stop my
attack.
With a sickening thad and a final cry from the depths of my being, I plunged the de into Johan’s
undead heart. His teethtched onto the skin of my neck and bit down hard. He jerked his head to the
side and sent me flying.
I was thrown through the air and crumpled to the ground a few feet away, bleeding and barely
conscious. But the de had found its mark and sat buried down to the hilt in Johan’srge chest.
He looked down at it for a moment in bewilderment as if he failed to understand what had just
happened. He looked up at me and I stared back at him from where Iy on the stained soil.
Then the iron spread through his b*dy, faster than fire and ten times hotter it burned Johan alive from
the inside. He howled in agony as his b*dy revolted against him, thrashing and swiping at the air.
He stumbled into trees and collided with the branches as he grew more and more disorientated. The
pain in my own chest threatened to stop my heart. Despite the broken bond between us, Johan and I
were still connected somehow and my wolf was in agony at the murder of my old true mate by my own
hands.
Eventually, Johan fell to his knees and then toppled over onto his back, clutching at the knife in his
chest and wheezing in agony. I tried my best to crawl to my feet and Ignatius did the same, edging
towards me across the dirt.
We both resorted to our human forms as were reached for each other across the blood-soaked earth.
His fingersced with mine and I stared into the piercing blue eyes of the man I thought I would never
see again.
His chest was ripped open and bleeding profusely. Anyone aside from the Alpha would be dead at an
injury like that, Johan had torn a bl oody cavern into his chest, barely missing his still beating heart.
I pulled myself towards Ignathus and he pulled me into his arms. We didn’t speak a single word,
everything we needed to say was said in that bloodied, n*ked embrace in the small moonlight clearing
in the forest,
We both looked down at Johan whoy twitching beside us. His b*dy had ckened and his eyes were
wild and darting all over the ce as he entered his final moments. As I looked down at him, his eyes
focused on me and I was once again able to glimpse the boy that I used to know.
The gentle Beta who had once been my destined soul mate. Time had done a number on both of us
and I was baffled at the way both of our short lives had unfolded
Looking down at Johan, I felt the bittersweet twist of a knife in my own chest. We had managed to take
down the monster that had threatened to tear us apart. But killing Jn was no victory. I watched as he
fought to keep his eyes open, pain courting his features.
His eyes revealed his fear of death. Of time itself Johan was dying for a final time and this time there
would be noing bark. In a moment of mercy, Iy a hand on his check, looking down at him as his
eyes focused on me and he struggled to speak with a missing tongue and a dying breath.
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No words made it out of his mouth, although his lips moved with words I could not hear, Finally, Johan
<py still and I stared down at his yellow eyes as his dark pupils expanded and emptied of life.