Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 17 - AN APPROACHING STORM

I clung to Egon's chest, shutting out the world as best as I could. Around us, the air trembled with sobs, heavy with sorrow.

"Look, there is something on the ground!" A voice suddenly called out, slicing through the grief.

I raised my head slowly, cautiously avoiding getting a glimpse of the bodies that were sprawled before me as the sight made me terribly nauseous. Instead, I watched how a young man ran forward, grabbing a paper from the ground.

"It's a letter," he announced, his voice trembling slightly.

"Read it," someone from the crowd shouted to him. The man listened obediently and opened the paper before reading the words out loud. "Be aware, they are just the first of many. We will hunt you down, strip your pelt and eat the flesh from your bones until there's nothing left of you and the world belongs to us humans again."

The words hung in the air, followed by a chilling silence. The murderers didn't beat around the bush, their words made it clear what their goal was and what they were willing to do for it. My nausea grew stronger at the thought that there were people with such evil intentions.

While the cruel words of the letter echoed in my mind, a towering werewolf to my left abruptly shoved a human to the ground, igniting chaos in an instant. The silence was instantly shattered by the piercing cries of fear and the furious roars of anger as more humans were shoved on the ground. Some of them were held by their necks as shifters raged in their faces that they would pay for the sins of their kind.

A few shifters tried to protect the humans, getting angry themselves in the process. Their loud roars echoed above the chaos as a few of them redirected their focus towards each other, intensifying the situation.

Panic gripped the crowd and people bolted in all directions, shoving and stumbling over each other in their urgency to distance themselves from the escalated situation. Suddenly, someone collided with me, propelling me further into Egon's embrace with a hard push. In response, Egon unleashed a thunderous roar, overpowering all other sounds.

Almost the entire square froze, assuming submissive postures as they exposed their necks. Three werewolves, the largest and most muscular ones of the group, looked around in surprise. Their angry frowns intensified as they noticed Egon.

Turning away from the humans that sprawled on the ground before them, they stepped toward us.

In a quick motion, Egon pushed me behind him, releasing another furious roar directed at the three werewolves before us, demanding their submission.

Two of them yielded immediately, exposing their necks in a sign of submission. Yet, the largest among them resisted, his primal instincts challenging Egon's dominance. His human features began to gradually fade away as his inner beast surfaced. His black eyes blazed with fury, while saliva dripped from his snarling mouth. Terror coursed through me, causing my heart to pound with alarming speed as the werewolf approached. Egon propelled me even further behind him, securing my face against his broad back and blocking my view from the escalating sight. His hand was pressed securely against my back, anchoring me in place.

"Surrender now if you value your life," Egon warned the werewolf with a low, menacing growl. His body quivered with rage, his muscles tensing in anticipation.

The werewolf snarled in defiance, baring his teeth as he launched himself at Egon with fierce speed.

Reacting quickly, Egon released me and seized the werewolf as he forcefully slammed him to the ground with a powerful shove. His fingers dug into the werewolf's neck, drawing blood, as the werewolf struggled against Egon's hold.

"SUBMIT!" Egon commanded loudly, his voice booming with authority. With a defeated growl, the shifter finally relented, his body going limp in submission.