I n d o м ι т a в l e

(33)

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"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."

― Oscar Wilde

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{Chapter: 33}

Unedited ✖

{ A S P E N M O N T G O M E R Y }

A few seconds after Athena's chanting commences, a dark figure darts out from behind a large timber.

Relief floods through me, my prayers having been answered as our diversion rushes to our rescue. The werewolf ally lunges at Sam, knocking him off his feet and Athena pauses mid-chant to assess the commotion, staggeringly nonchalant.

I'm momentarily struck by how impassive she is even though she's moments away from being shredded to strips of flesh and bone, until I realize something.

Three more wolves jump out of the bushes to assist the first aide who then turns his attention to its next target, who turns out to be Athena, and its mouth parts to reveal razor sharp teeth. It lunges, but at the last second, an invisible force tosses the wolf backwards.

It flies a few feet before landing roughly on its back. It wiggles on the ground for a moments before getting to its feet and after shaking off its shock, tries again, but only to have the same thing happen twice. The circle Athena is perched inside seems to be protected by something which allows her to enter but no one else. Fabulous. 

Athena must be thinking the same, because she smirks.

My eyes widen whenever my wrists are freed. I retrieve them from their uncomfortable position and I'm relieved to be able to rub away the nasty soreness. I glance across from me and see that Nicholai has already been released, his body stood to its full height as he emerges into the fight, lunging directly for the angry Samuel, black fur sprouting from his roots.

I jump whenever Julius appears out from behind the small tree I was tied to, flashing me an infamous grin.

"Come on, lets get you out of here." He says, grabbing hold of my arm and hauling me to my feet.

My eyes land on Athena and they widen whenever I notice her continuation of chanting, muttering indistinguishable sentences and waving her fingers majestically in the air.

"Wait," I tell Julius who abides, but only reluctantly. "I can't leave."

"It's dangerous, Aspen." Julius insists. "You cant fight a full grown werewolf let alone a party of them. Nicholai can handle this."

I turn my neck in the direction of Nicholai, watching as he fearlessly battles against Sam who looks furious. Sam shouts something at Athena, who sends him a disgruntled look.

A plan forms inside my head and a pain begins growing in my chest. Its a strange feeling, like needles pricking my skin. Enough to hurt but not enough to cause real damage.

It's odd, but as the pain intensifies I realize the reason why.

I shake my head. "I know he can."

Before Julius can respond or expect my next take of action, I jerk my arm free and run toward Athena, hoping that I'm not making the wrong calculation as the pain in my chest continues to expand.

I spring forward and with a burst of adrenaline, I jump toward the circle where Athena stands protected. I close my eyes for only a brief second, wincing in preparation if my judgement had been incorrect. But to my relief, I land inside the circle unharmed.