Haven't Seen The Light In A While

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Melody

Vince moved before anyone else did.

His hand snapped out like a viper, seizing Katrina by the arm with bruising force, yanking her away from Rory's hands. She let out a startled yelp, but he didn't flinch or even look at her—his eyes were on Aremus, locked in pure hatred.

"You're not going anywhere," Vince snarled, jerking her back with enough strength to make her stumble. "You'll stay here and watch what happens when you threaten someone I love."

Katrina struggled, but it was useless. Vince's grip was steel.

Sam turned to me, the storm still in his eyes, but his touch was impossibly gentle as he passed his hand over my cheek. "I'm going to end this. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

I opened my mouth to protest—I didn't want him to leave me—but he had already turned. His hand found Odin's briefly, squeezing it once.

"Keep him safe."

"I swear it," Odin said, stepping beside me, wrapping a firm arm around my waist. His body was tense, ready to shift immediately, but he was focused entirely on me. "I've got you, sweetheart."

Sam stepped forward toward Aremus.

The forest seemed to be still around him.

"I should've killed you the first time I saw what you'd done," Sam said, his voice dangerously low.

Aremus smirked, unbothered. "You're soft, boy, just like your Luna. Always whining. No wonder Vince fits in here so well." His eyes flicked to me, and I recoiled. "I was going to fix Melody, again."

Sam let out a low growl, deep and primal. "You don't get to speak his name."

Aremus chuckled darkly. "He was mine long before he was yours. You think claiming him erases the scars I carved into him?"

That was when Rory moved, stepping to Sam's left, his claws already halfway out.

"You're not getting away this time," Rory said, his voice trembling with fury. "You will not lay a hand on him ever again."

Aremus bared his teeth. "Try me, pups."

And then Sam shifted.

His body tore forward mid-motion, fur ripping through flesh as his massive wolf form burst into the clearing, eyes gleaming with pure wrath.

Aremus shifted just as fast—his wolf darker, larger than most, but not stronger.

They clashed like thunder.

The sound of snarling and snapping filled the forest, bodies colliding with brutal force. Dirt and leaves exploded around them as they wrestled, fangs tearing for throats. Sam fought with savage precision, years of alpha training sharpened by fury and purpose.

Rory shifted a moment later, his smaller but faster form darting in to catch Aremus's flank whenever the older wolf tried to flee or outmaneuver Sam.

I clung to Odin, my heart in my throat.

"You're not going to lose him," Odin whispered into my hair. "He's fighting for you."

Vince still hadn't let go of Katrina, who watched the battle with growing panic in her eyes.

"You'll all burn for this," she spat.

But I saw it—her fear. She hadn't thought this would end with blood. She hadn't expected to see her co-conspirator losing.

The growls and snarls of the fight echoed behind me, but I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Her chest was rising and falling fast now, eyes wide, lips trembling as she tried to figure out what she'd do now.