Always And Forever | ENG ✓

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Calm Before the Battle

The preparations had reached their final stages. Every wolf was on edge, the weight of what we were about to face settling heavily on all our shoulders. The scouts had returned with enough information to confirm our fears-the entity was growing in power. Its influence over the creatures was undeniable, and it had gathered an army unlike any we had seen before.

The plan was simple: we would strike at the heart of the dark energy, disrupt its power, and destroy whatever was feeding the entity. But even with a plan, the uncertainty of what we would face made my heart heavy. No matter how prepared we were, we were stepping into the unknown.

The war room was filled with wolves-the leaders, the warriors, the strategists-all gathered to finalize our attack. The energy in the room was thick with tension. No one spoke much; it wasn't needed. Every wolf knew what was at stake.

I stood at the front of the room, my eyes scanning the faces of the pack, my mind racing with strategies and possibilities. Dean, Ace, and I had already gone over the plan a dozen times, each time refining it, adjusting it based on what we knew about the entity and its forces. But every time we finished, I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't fully prepared for what lay ahead.

"We hit fast," I said, my voice steady but filled with urgency. "Our advantage is speed and surprise. We can't afford to be slowed down by anything."

Dean stepped forward, his expression hard, the weight of leadership heavy on him. "We'll take the eastern side," he said. "Ace's group will cover the west. The rest of us will go straight for the source-the heart of the energy. Once we're in, we disrupt the flow. No hesitation."

Ace nodded, his eyes sharp as he assessed the plan. "We'll need to keep the creatures distracted while the rest of us move in. The creatures are the least of our worries. The real danger is the entity."

"Agreed," I said, my voice cutting through the tension. "We focus on breaking its control. Once the power source is gone, we deal with the rest. No survivors."

The pack shifted in place, their movements sharp, their focus unwavering. They weren't just ready-they were driven. Every one of them knew that this was the final fight. The fight for their lives, for our home, for the future of everything we had worked for.

As the sun set, the pack gathered near the edge of our territory, just beyond the training grounds. The forest ahead was dense, the trees casting long shadows in the dimming light. The air was thick with the same sense of urgency that had filled the strategy room, and every wolf knew the time had come.

We were going to face something worse than we had ever known. But the pack was ready.

"Tonight, we fight to protect everything we've ever loved," I said, my voice carrying over the group. "We fight not just for survival, but for each other."

The howls of the pack that followed echoed through the forest, the sound ringing out with a strength that could shatter the night. For the first time, I felt the full weight of my role as Alpha. It wasn't just about leading them-it was about holding onto the bond that made us who we were. Wolves, yes, but more importantly, a family.

The battle began with the stealth of a shadow.

We moved swiftly through the forest, our pace quick but measured. The air was thick with the anticipation of the fight, the tension building as we neared the clearing where the entity's forces were gathering. The creatures we had fought before were everywhere, their eyes glowing with the dark energy that had been feeding them. But now, they were different. They weren't acting on instinct-they were being controlled.

As we reached the edge of the clearing, Ace gave a hand signal. The flanking teams moved into position, taking out the outer sentries before they could raise the alarm. The pack was working like a well-oiled machine, each wolf moving in perfect synchronization with the others. No hesitation. No mistakes.

I could feel the energy in the air-the dark power radiating from the entity. It was growing stronger, its influence over the creatures expanding, but we were closer than ever to the source. We could feel the weight of its presence, a looming shadow that threatened to swallow everything in its path.

Dean moved up beside me as we approached the heart of the clearing, his eyes scanning the area. "It's just ahead," he said, his voice steady, though his muscles were taut with the anticipation of the fight. I could feel the same energy vibrating through me, the tension growing in my bones.

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. The time had come. The entity was waiting for us, its power building like a storm ready to break. And I could already feel the storm's fury on the horizon.

We broke into the heart of the clearing, and that's when we saw it. The entity.

It stood taller than anything we had ever faced, its body elongated and covered in dark, shimmering skin. Its eyes burned with an unnatural glow, and the air around it seemed to warp with power. It was more than just a creature-it was an ancient force, something beyond our understanding. And it was feeding off the energy it had gathered from the creatures, from the very land itself.

As we moved toward it, the ground trembled, and the air crackled with energy. The entity's power pushed at us like an invisible wave, trying to knock us back, to overwhelm us with its strength. But we weren't backing down. Not now.

The creatures that had once been our enemies now stood in formation around the entity, their eyes glowing with the dark energy that controlled them. They moved as one, their bodies pulsing with power. But even as they moved to protect their leader, I could feel it-their connection to the entity was weak, strained. If we could sever that, we could break the power it held over them.

Dean, Ace, and I advanced, the pack fanning out behind us, keeping the creatures distracted as we moved toward the entity. The dark energy that radiated from it pressed against my skin like a weight, suffocating in its intensity. But we fought through it, every step bringing us closer to the entity. We couldn't let up now.

The entity let out a low, growling hiss, and its glowing eyes turned to me. Its voice echoed through the clearing, dark and heavy. "You cannot stop me," it hissed, the words laced with power. "You are nothing compared to the power I wield."

I met its gaze, my claws digging into the earth as I prepared for what was coming. I could feel the wolf inside me, urging me forward, every fiber of my being screaming to end this fight. "We'll see about that," I growled.

The final battle was a blur of power and motion. The entity's power was overwhelming, its energy crashing against us like waves, each blast shaking the ground beneath our feet. But we fought through it, drawing on every bit of strength, every bit of unity we had. The creatures around us fell one by one, their minds no longer controlled by the entity. We were cutting through them, but the entity itself wasn't so easily defeated.

Dean's voice rang out in the chaos. "We need to disrupt its power! Take out the source!"

Ace nodded, signaling to the other wolves as they advanced toward the dark energy radiating from the entity. Together, we fought to break the control it held over the land and the creatures.

The entity let out a scream, its form flickering as we closed in on the source of its power. The ground beneath us rumbled, the energy in the air escalating as if the very earth was rebelling against us. But we didn't stop. We couldn't stop.

I could feel the dark energy beginning to unravel, its grip on the creatures slipping as we tore through its defenses. With one final, devastating strike, I struck at the heart of the entity's power. My claws hit their mark, and the energy shattered in a blinding burst of light. The world seemed to stop, time itself holding its breath as the dark power disintegrated around us.

The entity's form flickered one last time before it crumbled into nothingness, its body dissipating into the air like ash, the dark energy that had once held it together evaporating into the void. The creatures, freed from its control, began to scatter, their connection to the entity severed.

The battle was over. The entity was defeated. But as we stood among the wreckage, battered and bruised, I knew that the victory came with its own scars. The pack had been tested, and we had survived. But there was no real time to rest. We were standing on the edge of something much larger, something that had yet to fully reveal itself.

We had won this battle, but the war-the fight to protect everything we loved-was far from over. The victory was ours, but we had only just begun to understand the true cost of what we had faced.