Awaken | ✔️

33. Wolf

The sound of warm, crackling fire made my eyes flutter open. I lifted my hands, pressure building on my wrists from the rough rope tied around them. My head pounded, an invisible hammer making its way against my skull.

"You're awake," sounded an exasperated, soft voice. I looked up, attempting to pinpoint where the voice had come from. As my vision slowly began to clear, Cecilia sat with her hands bound behind her.

I choked out a cry. "You shouldn't be here." I frowned, wet tears tingling at the corners of my eyes. "This shouldn't be happening."

She was sitting up straight, and her chin held high. Despite the circumstances, she appeared to be completely at ease. "What will happen will happen. You should be the one not here. I should have protected you more thoroughly, as your mother had wished me to."

Small bits of flame crawled across the floor, igniting the furniture. My home was burning once again, and this time I would be stuck in it.

"What do you mean?" I watched her quietly. At least in my death I would have the truth.

"I know of your mother and your heritage, of the hunters and fae. I know of it all. Your mother trusted me to protect you. I thought hiding the world from you would do the job, but the world found you instead." She turned her head to face me, pieces of her hair falling into her face. "You are stronger than you know. You will get out of this."

My cheeks grew warm, my skin ebbing with anger. "If anyone gets out of this, we both will." Somehow, I didn't find myself angry with the fact she had known and hidden it from me. She had did her best to protect me, and I was finally realizing it.

A clearing of a throat snapped both of our heads to the side in attention. Alexander stood near the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulder leaning against the wall. "Sorry to interrupt such a lovely reunion." He chuckled. "Actually, both of you will not get out of this."

I narrowed my eyes at him, bile forming in the back of my throat. I thrashed against the rope around my wrists. "You are a terrible, terrible person," I spat. I lifted my chin defiantly at him. "You'll regret ever crossing me."

He smirked. "This isn't all about you, Elizabeth. Before the night is over a different person will be leading the council."

I sucked in a breath. "You won't touch Clark. You won't hurt him!"

Alexander sauntered forward, standing directly in front of me and breaking my view of Cecilia. He crouched, meeting my eyes. "Clark will be dead before the night is over. Isn't it comforting to know you both will part from this earth at the same time?"

I spat on his shirt, which made him stagger a few steps back. He clicked his tongue. I gritted my teeth. "You will not touch him."

He looked me over, his gaze bored. "You seem to not be in the position to be issuing threats."

I balled my hands into fists behind my back and went silent.

He came closer to me, and I turned my head to the side as not to look at him. "Clark should have kept this pendant with himself," he murmured. He reached for my neck, his cold hand caressing the bare skin on my chest as he lifted the necklace.

"Don't touch it." My voice came out barely above a whisper.

With an easy motion, he yanked it from my neck, holding it in his hand. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes."

"Good." Alexander paced to where the fire was growing, and I sucked in a breath as he tossed the pendant into the flames.

"No!" I screamed, tears welling at the edges of my eyes. I struggled against the ropes, fighting to free my hands and body. I would destroy him. "Get it out!" My voice rose high.

He turned to face me. "He should be writhing in pain now, feeling the gusts of the flames against his back. Pity how one small thing can bring so much pain."

On my back, I could feel a warmth. The remnants of the imprint between Clark and I. Whatever he felt, I assumed, must be much worse.

My stomach flipped as I became nauseated at the thought. "You will not hurt anyone," I growled. Earth, help me, I thought. I mustered whatever strength I could to try to free myself again.

Somehow, it worked. The rope snapped between my hands, and I immediately jumped to my feet and flung myself in Alexander's direction. Sorrow filled me at the thought of Clark, but I could only do what I could here. I tackled Alexander, and we fell in a flurry to the ground.

His hands attempted to wrap around my neck, rage and insanity filling his gaze as his eyes widened. "You stupid girl!"

"The only stupid one is you!" I clenched my jaw, imagining my parallel and summoning the power within myself. My body rippled and pulsed, my clothes ripping at the seams as I shifted for the first time. Aches pulsed against my bones as they shifted in place and my head pounded as my lips morphed into that of the beast within me. My skin itched as fur burst from it, black and shining against the flames.

Words did not come from my wolf lips, only a loud, ferocious growl. I leapt at him again, my claws digging into his chest. His eyes widened, and from my new, acute vision I thought I saw shock.

"Y-You shifted." He barely whispered. He reached up, attempting to push me off of him, but I wouldn't budge. I tensed my new fingers, the claws pressing deeper into his skin.

I didn't have time to be shocked at my transition. The beast overcame me, and without another thought I opened my mouth and snapped his neck, blood coating my teeth and tongue. He went still, no longer fighting as I knocked him out. It was over.

Cecilia sat stoic in her chair. She did not move. She didn't appear frightened or shocked. Instead, she stared at me, giving a singular nod of approval.

I meandered toward her, my thoughts only part human. Reaching her back, I tugged the rope between my teeth until it snapped. She freed her hands, rolling them and then rubbing them into place. My eyes shifted to the door as it burst open.

His wings were of flame and his eyes had never shone brighter. His chest was bare, and his pants hung low against his hips. His black hair was pressed back. His eyes immediately met mine, and as he gazed at Alexander's still frame, he smiled grimly. He took two steps toward the flame, and pulled the pendant from it, unburnt.

He is warmth and fire, why did I ever think the flames would hurt him?