The Clear Choice

{ Chapter 34 }

Clary's POV

I had become incredibly familiar with the giant forest I was currently running through. Over the course of my time here, I had adjusted to dodging trees and getting pine needles stuck in my paws. I had grown up with harsh mountains and bitter cold, not warm and welcoming forests.

Issac was running slightly behind me, his legs pumping and claws ripping through the soft dirt like mine. We looked sort of ridiculous with backpacks on, but our plans were to not run into anyone.

Almost as if my thoughts were being proven wrong, I caught a familiar scent nearby. We were almost at the border and the smell of another wolf was all around me.

Digging my paws into to ground, I quickly stooped and turned to Issac. He ran past me slightly but quickly halted and shot me a look of concern. "What is it?" His voice entered my head, worry laced into his tone.

The trees casted shadows all around us, the sun almost set in the dark blue sky. Uneasiness flooded my senses as I tried to decide if we should change our course to get away from whoever I was smelling. Whoever it was they were on our territory and super close.

"There's someone close, someone from the Purum pack-" I answered. But I was cut off when a blur of movement erupted out of a grouping of bushes. Issac yelped loudly, and fell to the ground; a white wolf tackling him and wrestling him to the ground. I quickly bursted into action as I leapt forward, landing on who ever was attacking my Mate.

I could tell she was a girl, her body sleak and fast as she tried to fight both Issac and I. Issac managed to kick her off him, and I went with her, tumbling around on the forest floor in a ball of claws and white fur. I leaped backwards, putting distance between us. She swatted at me, making me rear back to dodge her sharp claws. A blur of dark fur moved behind her and Issac had her back leg in his jaws, making her howl in pain.

My ears rang but as I looked at her, I identified who she was. Her scent was familiar to me beacuse I grew up with her. Lira. The last person I saw before I returned to Issac all those days ago.

"Stop!" I yelled into Issac's head, making him perk up his ears and let go of his death grip on Lira's leg. It was slick with dark blood, but I could tell it was already healing.

I reached out to her with my mind. "Lira?" I said slowly, her dark eyes narrowing at me. I couldn't have her howling and attracting more of her pack members. "Lira, you have to let us go."

She quickly darted away from Issac, her eyes shooting daggers at him. "You're going to kill him aren't you? Your father." Lira said through our link, her voice low and unreadable. I remembered her and Zak always being close when we were growing up and wondered if he had let her know about the plan he made with Issac and I.

"This is what you want, right?" I pleaded with her. I really had no choice here, it was either convince her to let us go or kill her. And I don't think I could muster the courage to do the second. "You told me yourself, you wish you could forget about your true Mate. But if Issac and I win this war you'll be able to be with him, whoever he is. You can leave Damon."

I remembered that she was just like me. Placed into an arraigned marriage with some she could never love. I knew deep down, like a select few of the Purum pack, that she didn't care anything for the pureblood line. She just wanted freedom. We were so similar in so many ways. I put the pieces together that she was probably a spy patrolling our borders, forced to relay information back to Alpha Kane.

"I'm sorry I attacked you." She finally said, her ears flat on her head. Issac was watching her carefully, his dark eyes flickering between her and I. "I just- I want to believe I'm one of them. A pureblood. But I'm just not, I can't be a part of this anymore."