The Alpha's Promise ✔️

C H A P T E R 57

The Beginning of the End

"Some old wounds never truly heal and bleed again at the slightest word." - George. R. R. Martin

ALESSANDRA ROMANO

Tragedy is sudden. It's the moment where everything goes from fine to disastrous in a matter of seconds. It's the moment that is ingrained in your memory forever and sends a wave of emotions racing through your body whenever you recall it. I haven't experienced tragedy firsthand. I've witnessed others' pain like Isabel's when her mate died or Zane's when his mom was murdered but I've never been in the forefront, until now.

Maybe that's why I don't know how to handle the situation at hand. Words are thrown at me but my mind cannot process them. There's only one thought. Why me? Why us? Why?

Captain Ramirez touches my arm and I finally jolt back to reality.

"Where did you say they are?"

"The Nightshades have breached the western border. Alpha De Luca and Beta Romano have taken some warriors and begun the fight. Captain Bacardi's teams are working on guarding the remaining borders while Captain Freeman and his teams evacuate the pack through the northern border."

"Get word to the neighboring packs and have them send over some healers. We'll need them."

"Yes, Alpha."

With that, I'm off. I immediately mind-link my friends and family to ensure they are safe. I know my parents will stay back to fight but Lila and Callie must be evacuating. I want to mind-link Zane but he could be fighting and distracting him would only cause problems. As soon as my feet hit the dirt, I'm shifting into my wolf and racing towards the western border.

The wind breezes through my fur as I track Zane's scent. It's loud as teams of warriors work on evacuating the pack so I solely rely on my eyesight to keep watch for Nightshades. Their scent is untraceable and while we worked effortlessly to track down who their master is, we were unsuccessful. No one anticipated a full-blown attack but it seems like these Nightshades are working with other people as well. I get bursts of unfamiliar scents and all I can gather is that they are human.

As I get closer to the western border, I see less and less of my pack which is reassuring. The few that remain are warriors who are also running towards the border. Just as I get close enough to hear some commotion, a Nightshade appears in front of me. Its dark body is hard, almost like tree bark, and its eyes are ones I will never forget. They're so dark I can see my wolf's reflection in them and as its lips curl back to snarl at me, I catch sight of its large yellow fangs that can pierce through the hardest of metals. Its talons dig into the dirt as it approaches me. This Nightshade isn't too big but I don't let my guard down. Nightshades are more powerful in groups and guessing by the ear-splitting shrieks filling the air, there are a lot of them.

The Nightshade's shriek reaches my ear as it lunges at me. Its hand swipes through the air in an attempt to slice me open but I'm faster. Nightshades have deadly fangs and talons, but their coordination does not compete with the swiftness of a wolf. While the Nightshade tries to regain its footing after the failed attack, I take the opportunity to jump up and latch my teeth onto its neck. It tries to shake me off, vigorously too, but I remain latched on and dig my canines in deeper. Then, I pull, ripping out a large chunk of its weird, hard flesh. I land on my feet just in time to watch the Nightshade's corpse disappear to dust.

One of the warriors struggles against a Nightshade and as I run over to help them, I'm hit from the side by a Nightshade. The blow ricochets off my bones until I can taste the pain in my mouth. The Nightshade doesn't waste time and uses the moment that I'm collapsed over on the ground to its advantage. Its talon-like fingers go for my chest but I roll away in time. Instead, it pierces my lower back.

I'm thankful for the adrenaline that keeps me from fully feeling the pain but I am not thankful for the burst of scents that are assaulting my nose. I'm able to gather that these humans are nearby but there's no time to investigate, I have to keep myself from becoming this Nightshade's lunch. Nightshades are bipedal creatures but they are able to crawl on the ground as well. The Nightshade fighting me comes down onto its hands making it not much taller than I am in wolf form. I'm assuming it wants to attack me with its fangs instead of its talons now but I cannot let that happen. A Nightshade bite can be fatal.

Just as it becomes situated in its new position, I scale the space between its torso and the ground. Its arms are long enough that its body is elevated to the point that I can run under it. I take my chance and speed past its head and run through the bridge its body has created. I know it will take the Nightshade too long to turn around so the second I'm out from under it, I jump onto its back. My claws dig into its back for traction as I struggle to hold on. I move quickly, using its protruding bones like stepping stones before I make it to the nape of its neck. I know my time is limited so I go for the kill, lodging my canines into its neck.

The Nightshade stands on its feet and brings its hand to its nape in an effort to rip me off but we both know that this is the end for the Nightshade. It won't be able to heal this injury guessing by the amount of dark blood filling my mouth.

I dislodge myself and jump down to the ground. The dark, sticky blood covers my fur like a sin I cannot wash. The Nightshade lets out one last shriek before dissolving into dust.

I run over to a tree for some coverage. Looking around, I can see that most of the Nightshades have been taken care of and the few left are smaller compared to the ones I was fighting. A small rustling meets my ears and I look up to see a pair of human eyes staring back at me. A small girl, maybe about 11 years old, brings her hand to her back and pulls out a crossbow. I know it has been dipped in wolfsbane because of the tattoo on her hand. It's a swirl-like pattern that belongs to the hunters.

I know I won't kill a child, even if they are trying to murder my ass so I run away. There's no way she'll be able to hit me with her arrow considering my speed and the harsh wind.

I slow down to a jog when I notice the lack of people and Nightshades. Then I see her.

Donata is running, I'm not sure where, but it seems like she has a destination in mind. Immediately, I'm full of worry due to Donata's age and lack of being a werewolf. Being an oracle is cool and all but it does not come with any abilities that can aid in a fight. As she disappears through the trees, a hunter races behind her. His hand goes to the knife in his pocket and the second I see it I run towards him. He disappears through the trees, most likely following Donata's footprints.

I follow after him but oddly I do not see him or any footprints past the trees. It's like they both disappeared the second they crossed over here. My adrenaline begins to decline and the sharp pain in my back amplifies.

Stupid Nightshade.

Just as I go to search for their scent, a purple powder hits my face.

My vision becomes blurry while my body feels like a 1,000-pound weight. I sway before falling to the floor.

I hear Zane calling for me.

Then it all goes dark.

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