Heir To The Iron Crown: Dyrith

42 - Fjörutíu og Tveir

My heart sank.

My eyes flitted towards Bayo, only to catch the look of disbelief etched onto his features.

"Go on," Alpha Alfie urged, walking a little closer. "Drink the poison."

He knew I was faking.

He had seen right through my act.

I let myself falter for only an instant, and yet, it didn't escape this sly man's notice.

I knew, because his smile grew even wider at that.

There was no point in doing anything now, except defending my own with everything I had in me.

The vial slipped through my fingers, the glass shattering on the forest floor, as I called upon Ima to take charge.

I only saw Alpha Alfie turn back towards Bayo, giving him the tiniest nod of his head before shifting.

I quickly transformed into my grey wolf, the clothes on my body ripping in the process, and started to run towards Bayo, Ima raging at the pain he had and was about to inflict upon our mate.

But as I ran towards him, the humming in my mind came back, and grew louder, and louder, as Valente and Bayo seemed to move further and further away.

I moved faster, my feet thumping into the ground, and my mind was going everywhere trying to understand how much of a distance actually lay between us.

The faster I ran, the further away they seemed to be, till my vision was taken over by only the far-away silhouette of Bayo's form and Valente's unmoving body on the ground.

Bayo had no reason to spare my mate anymore, he wouldn't let him live. I had to get to them but couldn't, even though I had been running for what seemed like an eternity and my destination seemed to be a thousand miles away.

I couldn't stop running if I had tried, my feet moving on their own accord, as if with a mind of their own.

As my vision slowly turned black, I saw Bayo's silver knife plunge through Valente's heart, a terrifying scream echoing in my mind, Ima's growls echoing in my ears.

...

Suddenly, they were gone, and I could see nothing.

My eyes and ears were open. Yet everything was pitch black and quiet.

I couldn't tell if I was still running, or floating, or stationary.

I couldn't feel my bond to Valente anymore, but I refused to believe it wasn't there.

When I looked around, I saw light slowly return to the same clearing of the Rowan forest that I was just in. But this time it was completely empty.

All for except one person.

Alpha Alfie.

He was still standing in front of me, wearing that smug look on his face, while I stood in my human form, still covered in the same clothes I'd worn, surely wearing the most confused look on my face.

My clothes were perfect, as if they'd never ripped off of my shifting body, and I was breathing fine, with no sign of heavy breaths from the marathon I just ran.

Which reminded me.

"Where is he? Valente? Where is everyone?" I asked the Sgriosaire Alpha who was standing in the same spot I saw him last.

My tone was that of desperation, and I could tell by his stance that he fed off of my misery.

Alpha Alfie looked at me with an expression of amusement.