Call of Shadows - Book 1

Chapter 25

Phoenix

I had been pacing for an hour and none of my patrols had found anything regarding Lauren. Suddenly a small voice called through my mind link.

Phoenix Help me. My body sagged in relief only to stand upright in worry the next.

Where are you? Are you okay?

I don't know please find me. Immediately I bolted out of the house and Quincy was by my side calling the pack to follow shifting as we ran through the forest. There was a huge road on the other side of our territory and too many cars to cross. Tapping into my power I slowed down the cars enough for us to race past. Eventually they'd speed back up but I had to get to my mate.

Terror continued to grip my stomach as I raced to Lauren our link was so weak I was afraid she had passed out again. I could hear my pack behind me, paws against the ground like drums. We had covered over a hundred miles before I slowed to a trot. A faint scent caught my attention.

We walk from here. I could feel my body twitch at being so close to my mate.

Derek, Artemis, Carson, Evelyn to the left. Quincy, Blaze, Jax, Axel to the right. The rest of you behind me. They slowly padded out from behind me and fanned out. A small clearing lay behind thick trees and bushes. As it came into view, I saw Lauren in the middle with her hands bound behind her and gagged. Ignoring the urge to run toward her, I slowly crept forward to get a better view. There was nothing that caused alarm...yet.

Finally I padded out toward her and bit gently on the ropes holding her hands behind her. Frantically she pulled at the gag. "IT'S A TRAP." She gasped catching her breath eyes wide. As soon as the words left her lips I heard howls. My pack had been backed into the clearing closing a circle around my mate. Wolves upon Wolves began to walk out of the woods their teeth bared. Most of them had stark black pelts and battle scars striking silver through them. I turned to Blake.

Protect her please. He nodded and sat down putting Lauren between his front legs.

Get ready for a fight. I don't believe they came to talk. We stood facing off against at a clear disadvantage. They were all larger than most so I assumed they had power. But power that was dark and unearned.

Use your power freely. I said gazing at these wolves. Quinlian breathed out producing a ball of fire from her mouth. I looked at the sky and it began to darken - Quincy bringing in rolling black clouds. Lightning struck, a deafening howl of wind came rushing through the forest ruffling the fur down everyone's backs. Artemis picked up a wolf and held him in mid air, a bolt of lightning rushing through through him and Artemis let him fall in front of his comrades. None of them moved. No emotion even flickered through their eyes.

Quinlian breathed out another fire stream setting two more on fire. Not one wolf flinched, all they did was take a step in to close ranks.
It's like we're fighting robots. They've been stripped of emotion. Apollo whimpered.

No, this is more than that. Their Alpha has used his power to take their free will away. They don't have a choice in the matter. They will die by our hand or their Alpha's. I said knowing the weight my words would carry.

There's no way to save them? Arielle asked.

Not anymore.

An unspoken word was said among the other wolves and slowly they began to advance. Two more bolts of lightning hit wolves of the other side. Ice came from Jax impaling another but they kept advancing closing ranks on those who had fallen before them. Two more paces and we'd be claws on. Hold. I said waiting. NOW! Everyone around Lauren sprung forward rushing toward the wolves. Suddenly I noticed that these big wolves were almost as big as me. That wasn't right there was no way they could be this big. Size was based on power and none could be more powerful. Before I could think more about this they were on top of me.

My jaws took out the first and my claws another. They kept coming - when one dropped two more would take their place. Fire raged around us and thunder clapped above. Howls ripped through the night.

There has to be another way, Alpha we will lose if this continues. Quincy roared through the link. Wolves were flying past as I threw myself into battle again. Lauren - still protected by the ring we had formed - looked utterly terrified and I wished I could be there to hold her. A deep growl resounded in the back of my throat as two more sprung on top of me. Their weight throwing me off balance. It took most of my strength to throw the first one off while the other spun around lunging for my stomach drawing blood. Pummeling my hind legs he stepped off balance long enough for me to get my jaws around his neck.

Blake get more wolves now. We will lose this fight alone. Apollo shouted through the link. Blake nodded and vanished in thin air. I heard a pained yelp and saw Carson pinned bleeding, more wolves were circling as she struggled to get up. Without a second thought I threw all of them off of her in a burst of telekinesis. There was only about 30 more wolves however their size and power were making it difficult to take them down. They all regrouped tightening us into an even smaller circle around Lauren our tails brushing the tip of her head. Their jaws gaped wide almost smiling at us; no light shone in their eyes. They were soldiers, expendable and they knew it.

I didn't have time at the moment to figure out how to break their connection with their Alpha, whoever it was, and though I wished I could I knew it wasn't going to happen this time. Staring around the battle I realized we were losing. We hadn't lost in hundreds of years but right now our side was looking grave. Some of my family would die if I didn't help them.

I was done with this battle. Exhaling I closed my eyes and released my most powerful weapon. Time. But this time it didn't just slow - it stopped. Eventually all the wolves including my own pack ceased to move. Quickly and efficiently I closed my jaws around the closest wolf and snapped his neck.

I made my way around to every other wolf on the battlefield and dispatched them the same way. The last wolf stood on the very end of the field. He was almost cowering in the bushes. Though his eyes were the same blackness I saw in the others my gut told me differently about this wolf. Something in his eyes flickered, a spark of something besides malice. Slowly I inspected him. Maybe it would be of use to have a wolf with information. Without much more thought I knocked him out with a quick blow to the head.

Exhaling, I breathed time back into the world. All my wolves looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing what had happened.

Take him back to our house and put him into the cells. I said and shifted next to Lauren. She began to cry and I pulled her close, her muscles relaxed and the pain in my chest from being away from her began to fade.

"Shh, it's okay Princess, I'm here." I said to her, and turned to Quincy. "Burn the bodies, they still deserve a funeral in honor of their wolf." Everyone had shifted back and began to pile bodies in the center of the clearing. Lauren buried her head in my neck and pulled me closer.

"Don't ever leave me again please." My heart broke. She blamed me. It was my fault this had happened to her; I had refused to let her stay with me due to her mom and now she had this awful memory to deal with.

"I'm not going anywhere anymore. I swear. Let's go home okay?" She just nodded.