Page 44 of Blood, Shadow & Claw

Panic surged, a primal scream from deep within, but my body wouldn't obey. My legs buckled as darkness crept into the edges of my vision, swallowing me whole. I could hear my heart thudding, a distant drumbeat fading fast.

"Trust is a dangerous game," I wanted to say, shout, roar. But the world slipped away before the words could escape, leaving only silence and the black void of unconsciousness.

A groan clawed out of my throat as I blinked against the harsh light, the aftertaste of betrayal bitter on my tongue. It reeked of damp earth and fear wherever Dr. Baker had taken me. I pushed myself up, each movement sluggish, fighting through the fog in my mind.

17

MAZIE

Idon’t know how much time had passed when my eyes opened again. I was sprawled across the dirt, like a rag doll tossed aside. As images around me started to come into focus, I thought of him.

"Ajax," I whispered, the name feeling like a lifeline. It was as if my words had conjured him. My heart seized when I saw him, his large frame cramped in a cage too small, his body covered with blood. The sight of him, once a towering pillar of strength, now wounded and confined, ignited something primal within me.

"Hey," I called softly, ignoring the pain that radiated throughout my body. I needed to see if he was okay. He had to be alright. I crawled towards him. “Ajax? Please be okay, please.”

His head lifted, eyes unfocused as they tried meeting mine, and the pain reflected there was a punch to my gut.

"Mazie," he rasped, his voice raw with desperation. You have to get out of here. Warn the others. The hunters…"

I lifted my arm, showing him the iron cuff and chain, anchoring me to his cage.

"Like hell I'm leaving you here." Determination surged, an ember fanned into flame by the need to protect one of my own. I couldn'tabandon Ajax when every instinct screamed that we were pack, bound by something more profound than blood.

I yanked against the cuff, not caring as my skin came into contact with the iron. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, but I wouldn’t stop fighting.

“Mazie,” he cried out weakly, “you’re hurting yourself. I’m sorry. So damn sorry.”

My umbra clawed to the surface, trying everything to shift despite the iron cuff. My body was caught in mid-shift. The pain was unbearable.

“Mazie,” Ajax cried out, louder this time. “Stop it. You are going to send your umbra into a feral state. It will die attempting to free itself. Fight the urge to shift.”

He was using his alpha tone, but it didn’t matter. My umbra wasn’t afraid of dying, not if living meant being without Ajax. I’d been a fool to run away. I knew that now. I was ready to do anything to save my mate and my pack.

A pulse of energy rippled through the air as if hearing my silent plea, making my skin tingle with power. It was her—the Moon Goddess—answering my call. I could feel her presence wrap around me, silver eyes in the darkness, whispering promises of strength and vengeance.

"Guide me," I murmured, closing my eyes. The world fell away, and in that moment, I was nothing but a conduit for her celestial might.

My body responded, stretching bones, tightening sinews, and sprouting fur in a rush of heat. The transformation enveloped me, but this time, it was different—my fur gleamed white, a stark contrast to the surrounding shadows. I was a beacon, a testament to the Goddess's favor, and I reveled in the raw power that coursed through my veins.

I snapped the iron cuff like a twig beneath my paws.

"By the Goddess..." Ajax breathed, awe coloring his tone even through his pain.

I flexed powerful muscles, feeling the surge of divine energy propel me forward. It was time to show these captors whathappened when they cornered an umbra blessed by the moon herself.

Blood pounded in my ears, a primal drumbeat urging me to act. With the Moon Goddess' power singing through my veins, I turned toward the metal bars of Ajax's prison. My hands, now massive paws tipped with gleaming claws, reached out and grasped the cold iron. I could feel the resistance, but it was nothing compared to my fury.

"Stand back," I growled, low and dangerous. Ajax scrambled away as far as his cage would allow.

With a roar that echoed off the stone boulders, I pulled apart the bars with a screech of rending metal. They bent like straws in a child's grip, yielding to the divine strength that filled me. The cage door fell to the ground with a thunderous clatter, and Ajax stumbled out, blood matting his hair but determination lighting his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse but resolute. "We need to get out?—"

His words were cut short as a hunter lunged at us from the shadows, an iron blade flashing dangerously in the dim light. Instinct took over, and I leaped before Ajax, interposing my larger frame between him and the threat. The hunter's knife struck home, but it was no match for the ethereal armor the Goddess had granted me. Sparks flew as the blade glanced off my luminescent fur without leaving a mark.

"My mate," I snarled, swiping with a paw. The force behind the blow sent the hunter sprawling across the room, his weapon skittering into the darkness.

More assailants emerged, their eyes filled with greed and malice. But they were mere mortals, and I was a vessel of celestial wrath. I charged, feeling the earth tremble beneath my paws, and met them head-on. Each strike was precise, each movement fluid—there was no hesitation, only the dance of combat, as natural to me as breathing.

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