Everything Anew

Chapter Thirty-Six: Part One

Chapter Thirty-Six

Part One

Lila

There it was, staring back at me in the palm of a vampire's hand. I wanted so desperately to reach out and grab it, but I couldn't move. When an inhuman sound resonated through Orion's chest, my gaze lifted to his.

"You better hurry." His pale eyes were glossy, making it felt like he was looking through me. "Last I checked, they were heading this way, most likely to stop you from using the key."

Nathan was the first to reach out and grab it out of Orion's hand. He brought it to my neck and checked to see if the slot matched. I couldn't take my eyes off of the soulless ones in front of me, couldn't breath when Nathan sucked in a sharp breath when he slid the key into the slot.

It...worked.

When the weight was dropped from my neck, I stood frozen while my body began to shake. I always thought I would feel free and joyous the moment the collar was off of me, but when it thudded to the ground beneath me, all I felt was shock.

"Lila." Nathan took my shoulder and carefully pulled me away from Orion. "They're coming. We have to be ready."

I wanted to laugh at that. Be ready for what? There was no way we could face all of them, even if I was able to finally shift again. Wait, I was able to shift again. The shock began wearing off and my inner wolf exploded. Run! My instincts urged me. How good would it feel to have the earth beneath me as I ran and ran, never looking back.

"Lila."

I focused back on Nathan and saw that he was watching me, and when our eyes locked, it felt like I was punched in the stomach. I hunched over and gasped for breath, all the emotions and feelings that had been held back from me finally came forward. With my wolf free, I began to sense, feel, and smell everything she did.

Shift.

I was trembling now, and I knew Nathan said to resist, but I couldn't stop it from happening. I could sense the way my mate felt beside me, could feel everything I felt for him before, but stronger. I wanted to lean into his touch but also tear his clothes off at the same time. I knew the Rebel Pack was coming, and I had every ounce of me begging them to come so I could finish them off.

"Shit, she can't hold it."

"Leave, now!"

A laugh, but the sound was so distant. "I still have to hold up the last part of the bargain..." his voice went in and out of focus. "...remember, mutt?"

A snarl echoed through the night, and I held my breath when my body painfully shifted from one form to the other. Since it had been so long, it was more agonizing than usual. My muscles ached, my bones felt like they had been broken and set back into place a dozen times. I went to cough but the sound came out wrong, only realizing then that I wasn't human anymore.

I turned my body to the side, hackles raised and teeth bared to Orion. I moved closer to Nathan, naturally protecting him despite a part of me knowing all too well I would lose in seconds if I tried.

"Holy shit." Seojoon whispered beside me.

I had no idea what his reaction was toward, but I barely cared. My wolf saw the vampire as a threat, not even considering that more was to come.

"I'm not your enemy, at least not entirely." Orion said to me. "If you want me to attack me, don't come crawling back to me begging for a second lease on life when you lose."

If only I could bite him, I was so, so tempted to see if I could get away with it. Instead, Nathan spoke up, his hand reaching down between my ears. "Once this is over, we don't want to see you again. Not until we have to."

Orion grinned, showing off his perfect fangs. "It'll be sooner than you think dog."

I could almost hear Nathan grit his teeth, holding back his own remarks while his hand stayed in my fur. It felt weird, to have him touch me as a wolf. It wasn't the same as when we were in human form. Like this, it was more comforting, assuring, as if his touch made me want to curl up and fall asleep. I understood then why Nathan was so much more physical as a wolf.

I looked towards the forest then, huffing out a breath and finding myself wanting to run towards it. Not to run away, but just to feel the wind in my fur and smell the trees around me. The air was crisp and clean, winter was just around the corner, and I could almost sense it in the air itself.

"Stay with me Lila." Nathan spoke while glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

Had he sensed it, what I had planned on doing? I eyed him critically then, but perked up when suddenly I felt him answer me mentally. Not with words, but with thoughts. I could almost form the words around the mental images, making my own mind form the sentence itself.

You will be truly free soon. I promise.

My wolf whined but surprisingly stayed in place nonetheless. I had dreamed of going back outside and playing with the others, getting to feel the thrill of a hunt, and now that I was so close to getting it, it was so much harder to resist than I could have imagined.

"Keep your distance if you know what's good for you." Orion warned. "The blood is calling to me. I doubt I can hold back this time." His gaze washed over Nathan. "And yours smells delicious."

"Back off." Nathan growled. "As long as you stay away from us, we won't have a problem staying as far away from you as possible."

Orion smirked, but the expression was forced. "Then it's settled. It's been grand working with you all." He muttered sarcastically and walked backwards, only turning when a few yards separated us. He didn't disappear entirely; instead he kept to the shadows and waited. Even with the stark white hair, he somehow managed to keep himself hidden in the night.

"Lila. Do you think you can shift back?" Markus had come over, a towel wrapped around him. He looked more frantic than I'd seen him before, but he did well enough to keep his composure. Seojoon on the other hand looked petrified, and he did nothing to hide it.

It felt like I had forgotten how to change forms. My wolf didn't want me to, she had been locked away for so long that the idea of having to go back pained her, even though the collar was gone. I wasn't mad about it either, because we were two souls in one, and both of us missed this. I knew I could fight regardless of what form I was in, so I used it as a strength rather than a weakness.

I stood my ground and shook my head, my ears down. Nathan looked from me, to Markus as if to translate. "She's stuck. Imagine how your other half would feel being caged for so long?"

The others agreed silently, and the alpha called out for everyone to regroup as time ticked by. He tried his best to think of an idea, but there wasn't much we could do in such a limited amount of time. Nathan would stick by me while Eric, and a few others in the Frosted Fangs, joined us.

Some of them would stay as close to us as possible, while the other members of the pack -including Markus and Evan- would help with anyone who attempted to take advantage of our open guard. We'd stick close, and fight as hard as we could. We had no other choice.

Seojoon had been instructed to stay inside. I could see the sadness on his face, knew it was overpowering his fear, but he agreed. He'd be too vulnerable in his state, but he also must have hated the idea of the others fighting while he stayed back and watched.

Nathan sent two Frosted Fangs to guard the doors of the estate from within, knowing the bastards may attempt to attack us inside if we tried to retreat, or ambush us once the fight was over and our guard was down.

With Orion on our side, we stood a good chance. Without him, we had such a low chance of success that I hated the idea that he most likely saved us tonight, even if he was also the one responsible for their approach. 

As if the air itself shifted around us, all eyes turned to the northern forest, and Nathan took a step towards it. "They're here." he called out. "Prepare yourselves."