The moment the hooded figures emerged from the shadows, the air thickened with dark energy. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, every instinct screaming danger. The Children of the Eclipse had found us.
“Well, well,” one of them drawled, stepping forward. His voice slithered through the air like poison. “Looks like the little wolves walked straight into our web.”
Elijah bared his teeth in a snarl. “You were waiting for us.”
The witch tilted his head, amusement flickering in his glowing eyes. Of course. Did you think you could chase after the keystone without us noticing?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Isaiah muttered, eyes scanning the dark forest. There were more of them lurking in the shadows, their magic pressing down on us like a suffocating blanket.
“Then let’s finish this,” I said, allowing my wolf to take control.
With a shudder, my body twisted, bones snapping and reforming as silver fur replaced skin. My paws hit the dirt just as chaos erupted.
The Children of the Eclipse struck first. Bolts of dark energy crackled through the air, forcing us to scatter. I dodged one just in time, the force of it scorching the ground where I had been standing a second ago.
Alex and Austin shifted, their powerful forms lunging at the witches. Snarls and yells filled the night as they clashed, fur against shadow, claws against curses.
Elijah and Isaiah fought at my side, their wolves striking with deadly precision. I leaped at one of the witches, my jaws closing around his arm before he could finish his incantation. He screamed, but I didn’t let go–I bit down harder, feeling bones snap beneath my fangs.
Another witch raised her hand, and a gust of unnatural wind slammed into me, sending me flying backward. I hit the ground hard, momentarily dazed.
“Stormi!” Elijah called, but I was already back on my feet.
A sudden movement caught my eye–one of the witches was making beeline for our bag. The stone pieces.
No.
I launched myself forward, but she was fast. Her fingers brushed the bag’s strap, a victorious smirk curling on her lips.
Then Elijah tackled her.
They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. The witch screamed, trying to claw at his face, but Elijah twisted, wrenched the bag from her grip, and threw her back with a powerful kick.
“You’re not taking it,” he growled, stepping protectively over the bag
The witch glared up at him, but before she could retaliate, Isaiah was already there, his claws slashing across her throat. She gurgled, eyes wide with shock, before collapsing into a heap.
But the fight wasn’t over.
1 turned, scanning the battlefield. Austin and Alex fought side by side, their movements perfectly synchronized. Alex was all speed,
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darting in and out of attacks, while Austin used brute force, ripping through their enemies with raw power.
Despite our advantage, the Children of the Eclipse didn’t falter. Their magic kept them standing even after wounds that should have been fatal. I tore through one witch, only to watch her body stitch itself back together moments later.
“We need to end this fast!” Isaiah shouted.
A bolt of dark energy shot toward me, but before it could hit, a new presence entered the fight.
A blinding golden light flared across the battlefield, swallowing the darkness whole. The air hummed with power as a figure stepped forward.
An old woman.
Her silver hair gleamed in the moonlight, and despite her age, she moved with the grace of a warrior. She raised a hand, and a wall of golden energy surged outward, shoving the witches back.
A collective hiss of rage erupted from the Children of the Eclipse.
“You,” one of them spat.
A woman, her hood falling back to reveal wild, dark curls, glared at the old woman with hatred. “Traitor. Deserter.”
“You should have stayed hidden, sister,” another witch sneered. “Now you die with them.”
Sister?
The old woman remained calm. “I left because I saw the truth. And I will not let you win.”
The witches shrieked in fury and attacked.
The old woman’s power shattered the night.
Golden light crackled through the air, cutting through the shadows like a blade. The witches recoiled, their spells faltering under the sheer force of her magic.
I took the opportunity and lunged. My claws slashed through a witch’s chest, and this time, she didn’t heal.
The tide had turned.
One by one, the Children of the Eclipse fell. Their
Except for one.
Screams echoed into the night as the last of them crumbled into ash.
She was badly wounded, barely able to stand, but she still smiled, Black blood dripped from her lips, but there was no fear in her
eyes.
She looked at me.
“You think you’re winning,” she wheezed. “But you’re not.”
Alchill ran down my spine.
“You have no idea what’s coming, Stormi,” she whispered. “You are not ready for this war.”
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Her laughter sent ice through my veins.
Then, with a final, shuddering breath, she died.
Silence settled over the battlefield.
I shifted back into human form, my heart still racing. Blood coated my arms, my legs trembling from exhaustion.
I turned to the old woman. “Who are you?”
She studied me for a long moment.
“Someone who knows what’s coming,” she said. “And someone who knows you’ll have to make a choice soon, Stormi.”
I swallowed hard.
I had a terrible feeling that whatever choice she meant… it wouldn’t be an easy one.
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