Gray Valley

f i f t y - s e v e n

IT HAPPENED BEFORE WE WERE PREPARED FOR IT. All at once, the Wolves leapt from their positions and charged at us.

"Get behind me!" Liam yelled, as he pulled a dagger from his pocket.

"But, Liam-"

"Let me fulfil my duty as your Soulmate, Weslyn..." He glanced at me. "Let me protect you."

Within seconds, Blayze had joint his side, shielding me from the approaching wolves.

"Weslyn, get back!"

I had never felt more helpless in my life, as there was nothing I could do, except watch the Brown Wolves attack Liam and Blayze.

I sunk down to the ground.

"Why is this happening, Luna? The full moon hasn't risen and yet, the Brown Wolves have..."

Before I had even finished my question, I already knew the answer. There was only one way that the Brown Wolves could have shifted...

The Blood Exchange.

"LYN!"

The moment I saw the Brown Wolf, I froze. The rest of the world became still, as it hovered over me, baring its teeth; preparing to attack.

"Weslyn!" Blayze screamed.

Liam growled in frustration and plunged his dagger into the hind leg of the Brown Wolf. It let out an unbearable cry in response.

The cry of the Brown Wolf didn't sound like a wolf. It sounded too much like a human.

And even as it moved away, the sound of its cry echoed in my ears.

"With this number of you, if we were to shift, this war would be over in an instant," Liam snarled. A series of growls arose from the Brown Wolves in response. "So, go. Go and tell your Alpha to send his worst."

As the growls died down and the Brown Wolves temporarily retreated, I could sense Liam's discomfort rise.

"What's wrong?"

"The rest of the pack is on it's way, but..."

The expression on his face was enough for me to understand what he was thinking.

"We don't stand a chance," I murmured.

"The Brown Wolves that attacked us are only a fraction of the entire pack," Blayze paused. "But since they used the Blood Exchange, they no longer just outnumber us... They also overpower us."

"Even when the rest of Luna Pack arrives, we can't win against them, Weslyn," Liam told me. "Not unless we shift."

I replied at once, without any hesitance.

"We can't."

Even if shifting would increase our attack power and lead us to victory, there was no way I could let it happen.

"Lyn...?"

"They're Brown Wolves, Liam." My voice was a mere whisper. "If we were to shift, even partly, our venom would cause a fate worse than death."

"Even if we destroy the existence of endless lives, we have to protect you, Weslyn." It was almost as if Blayze's eyes were burning, as he stared back at me. "Because you're our Alpha..."

"I am an Alpha, Blayze... But what kind of Alpha am I, if I can't protect the unguilty?"

"They may not be directly guilty, Lyn..." Liam glanced at me. "But by following the commands of Mary and attacking us, they are as equally guilty as she is."

"You say the Brown Wolves are guilty, Liam... But before you even think of accusing them, you need to remember how guilty you are."

"G-guilty?"

"With every full moon of the last five years, you turned one human into a Brown Wolf... You did so under the command of my brother. If what you claim about the Brown Wolves is true... Then, aren't you just as guilty as West is?"

Liam flinched.

"Weslyn-"

"Don't, Blayze," I snapped, turning to glare at him.

"It's not that..." His voice trailed off. "The scent-"

He was interrupted by the familiar scent of blood that filled the air... The blood of a Brown Wolf; of someone I knew.

"Bryan," I whispered.

He staggered into view at the edge of the clearing, only to immediately collapse to the ground.

"BRYAN!" Blayze screamed.

But before he could reach him, a dark-skinned woman blocked his path, a cruel smile etched onto her face.

My mark was burning; scorching my skin, as I realised exactly who she was.

"Trying to save the Brown Wolf mutt?"

Maryanne Grant.