Bastien
Blaise is still peering around my back, trying to get a good look at Selene, though it’s clear he’s already seen her eyes. “Come out, come out little wolf.” He encourages, sounding as though he’s luring a small child out to play. “Let me see you.”
Axel is clawing at the surface of my skin, desperate to put down the other Alpha before he can harm my mate and unborn pup. “Selene,” I instruct quietly. “Run.”
I feel her little fists curl more tightly into my shirt. “No!” She whispers frantically, “I’m not leaving you here.”
“And she’s brave too.” Blaise chuckles, clearly delighted. I’m not sure what to make of the man. The way he’s speaking to Selene is so altered from the way he barked at Arabella. Then again, I suppose that if he’s spent more than half his life searching for something, finally finding the object he’s so obsessed with would make him a bit overenthusiastic.
“I said run.” I grit out through clenched fangs. “That’s an order, mate.”
I can feel Selene shaking her head in defiance, even as I snarl at her more viciously than I did when I thought she was my enemy. She jolts in shock, but just holds onto me more tightly.
“Clever girl, you found your own Alpha to protect you.” Blaise croons, “but running won’t help you now.”
“I don’t understand.” Arabella announces shakily, “What’s going on?”
“Shut her up.” Blaise orders coldly. At first I think he must be talking to the man still waiting behind him, but the next thing I know a small army of guards enters the church, entering from every door around the chapel. My stomach immediately tangles into knots. It was questionable whether we could fight our way out of here with only Blaise to defeat, now it will be impossible.
As I watch, one of the guards stalks Arabella into a corner, making her cower and whimper with fear. With as little care and ceremony as if he was snapping a twig, the sentry reaches out and snaps Arabella’s neck, dropping her swiftly and letting her body crumple to the ground. Selene yelps, I suspect more in surprise than anything else.
To my shock, the sound of her cry seems to worry Blaise. “Now, now,” He cautions in that same saccharine tone, “don’t be afraid, my lovely. Your death will be much kinder.”
Unable to contain Axel for a moment longer, I shift, roaring as my body contorts and transforms. When the shift is complete, I lean my hind quarters against Selene, using my weight to herd her backwards. However the moment Selene was revealed, Blaise’s face lit up like a kid in a candy store.
“My Goddess, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” Blaise praises, his eyes raking over her form. They freeze when they arrive at the gentle swell of her tummy. He gasps softly, appearing completely transfixed. “You didn’t tell me she was breeding.” He says to the man behind him..
“I didn’t know it mattered.” The man answers gruffly.
“Oh it matters.” He murmurs reverently. “In fact, you just doubled your reward.”
Blaise gives one of his men a signal, and the guard produces a pair of briefcases to hand to the shifter . The man takes them and runs out the door so quickly I suspect he wasn’t sure Blaise would actually let him keep the money he’s been promised. It wasn’t until he ran away that I realized Helene was nowhere to be found. The witch had been by Selene’s side when she entered the chapel, but somewhere along the line she must have sensed the danger and disappeared. This and only this gave me a spot of hope we might be able to find a way out of this.
Looking back at us, Blaise shakes his head, making a soft tutting sound. “So remarkable, and that mongrel locked you away like you were nothing.”
As he considers us, rubbing his chin in thought, I notice the shadows swirling in our periphery. I’d been so distracted by the danger we’re facing I almost forgot Selene has been training to use her powers while I’ve been away.
However I’m not the only one who notices, Blaise sees the tendrils of black fog slowly edging in around him, and positively cackles. “And you’ve even unlocked some of the secrets of your magic!” He claps his hands together, “You’re magnificent.”
“Enough fawning.” Selene hisses. “You cannot fool me into lowering my guard.”
“Oh that was never my intention,” He answers smoothly. “I just cannot get over how incredible you are. And now I have a choice.” He adds gleefully, staring at her stomach. “Decisions, decisions.” He says to himself, “It seems such a shame to destroy something so perfect. What’s a few more months?”
With a flash of understanding, I realize what he means. He’s debating keeping Selene for himself, and waiting until our baby is born to perform whatever spell requires a Volana sacrifice to grant eternal life.
I’m not sure whether Selene is following his train of thought, but she’s done waiting. She swirls the shadows around us until my vision is completely obscured, filling the room with a darkness so thick it’s impossible for Blaise or his men to see us. Leaving a small bubble of light around us, Selene draws in a few nervous breaths. She moves to stand in front of me, sending out a powerful burst of energy out into the room.
The problem with the darkness she’s created is that it blinds us too, and I can sense Selene struggling to decide what to do next. Leaning into her legs, I try to silently encourage her to just breathe and not get overwhelmed, still I can feel the trembles running through her small body.
“Very nice.” Blaise calls into the darkness, “but you should know you’re not the only one with powers, my pet.”
All at once the darkness dissipates, but when the shadows clear we see at least a dozen of the guards fell to Selene’s energy burst. Unfortunately Blaise is still standing, and one of the men I took to be a sentry is by his sides, hands extended as light pours from his chest, battling back Selene’s black fog. We should have anticipated that he would have his own spellcasters, but I’m relieved to see some of the resistance has been thwarted.
The path to the door is far from clear, but with my strength and Selene’s powers, we might stand a chance. Nudging Selene to the right, I move to the left, hoping to divide their focus and hopefully draw the wolves away from my mate. Blaise watches with rapt attention, and Selene glances outside, where night has finally fallen.
This time instead of darkness, she summons the moon – the same pearly light she glowed with the night we met in the alley. It spills from her chest, spiraling towards the spellcaster like a bullet from a gun. I cannot watch any longer when a trio of wolves bear down on me. Dispatching them quickly, I turn to my next opponents, tearing at their vulnerable underbellies with my teeth and claws, breaking bones, ripping flesh and striking them down without mercy.
However for every wolf I take down, two more appear, and before long Blaise’s entire guard is on me. It seems like every sentry he brought with him is now charging towards me, and though I know the odds are now against me, I pray it’s enough to let Selene escape.
A dozen wolves wrestle me to the ground, forcing me to shift back into human form. Whipping my head around to try and see Selene, I find her frozen in the doorway, staring at me in panic even as she holds Blaise at bay with a ball of light between her palms. The spellcaster has fallen, but Blaise looks entirely unconcerned.
When his gaze lowers to me, a glint of something akin to respect in his sharp eyes. “I have to say you’re every bit as formidable as I was told.”
Ignoring him, I shout at Selene. “Go!” Her lower lip trembling, she shakes her head, and I put every bit of Alpha authority I can muster into my voice. “Go Selene, run!”
She visibly shivers with the impact of my order, but still she does not move. “Let him go.” She snarls at Blaise.
The other Alpha is looking back and forth between us with eager anticipation. “You know Arabella was annoying as a gnat, but I have to admit, she did have a good idea every now and then.” He acknowledges, nodding towards the men holding me down.
I feel something sharp between my shoulder blades, and then Selene’s terrified voice reaches my ears. “No!”
“Damn it, Selene!” I roar, “Leave me, get out of here.”
“Do you want him to live, my beauty?” Blaise offers her, using the same crooning tone.
She raises her hands, preparing to lash her magic out at the Alpha, but he wags a finger and I feel the blade in my back pierce through my clothes, “Ah, ah.” He scolds, “You attack, and he dies.”
“So what, I should let you kill me instead?” She snaps.
“Nonsense.” He grins, “Why would I kill you when I can keep you?”
“I don’t believe you!” She cries, staring at me with terror and longing.
“It doesn’t really matter what you believe.” Blaise shrugs. “You can watch your mate die, or you can come along like a good girl and I won’t set him free, but I won’t kill him either.”
“Don’t do it, Selene. He wants the baby!” I warn her desperately.
“He’s right. I do.” Blaise confirms, “but that’s months down the road. Plenty of time for you to try and find another way out of this.” He tempts her with a predatory smile.
“Why would you take the risk of me escaping you?” She hisses.
“Because you won’t.” Blaise answers coldly, “Not so long as I have your mate at my mercy. You can’t leave here, without leaving him to die.”
I can see her considering it, I can sense his logic working on her. “Baby go now!” I command. “It’s okay,” I promise, truly preferring to die, even though it kills me to know I’ll never meet my child.
The pain in my back grows sharper, and Blaise’s powerful voice rings out, “Decide Selene – your freedom or your mate?”
