Page 61 of Wolf's Whisper

Chapter 15. Power

Power like I had never felt before surged through my body, engulfing me, wrapping me up like a blanket. It was like electricity. Magical. Enthralling. Addicting.

How did Aspen keep this power locked away? It was beautiful. It was raw, uncut, terrifyingly beautiful. I could feel my fingers itch. This, now this made me feel alive. It made me feel strong. Empowered.

A loud cackle broke the silence and I snapped my head towards the sound. Who dared laugh in my presence? Which unfortunate soul would feel the full extent of my wrath?

I looked around me and admired the piles of carcasses. Puddles of blood were staining the earth red, like a sacrifice to the spirits. Not far ahead of me, I recognised the face of my earlier attacker. I couldn't remember who had taken him down, but he was still clawing in the mud, softly groaning in pain. Was it him? Did he laugh at me?

Faster than I could remember my body moving, I bore the heel of my shoe down on his hand. With a power that wasn't my own, I lifted him up from the mud as I stared in his eyes. His earlier scent wafted through the air. Sour. Musky. Sweat. Piss. Disgusting.

"Please..." he begged, making me laugh out loud. The same cackle as before found my ears and I realised it had been me all along.

"Please what?" I taunted, my hand coiling around his limp neck.

"Please, I have a so..."

Before he could even finish his plea, my hands yanked his head to the side, snapping his neck. With bone chilling crack, I felt his spine shatter as his last words froze on his tongue, to never be spoken out loud. With a grin, I robbed him of that opportunity. He didn't deserve last words anyway.

He was dead before his body hit the cold forest floor. My first kill.

I felt Aspen's Alpha nod in approval, nudging me, guiding me towards the next person squirming in the mud. Without any effort, I pulled him out of the dirt, laughing at his panicked look. He was right to look so scared. He was right to fear me. With the Alpha under my command, I could do anything. I could be anything.

I didn't need the Winter Stone, I didn't need to protect my village. Why should I? They had loathed and shunned me since I was little. They hadn't wasted one kind word on me. Finally, finally, I would make them respect me. I'd make my father tremble in fear, making him bow down at my feet as he begged for my forgiveness. He'd regret the day that he slapped me. I would make him regret it.

Oh, my poor brothers and sisters. They would come to realise that I wasn't the black sheep of the family. They would make way for me. My oldest brother would give me his birthright and I would inherit our clan's name. I would be the future of the Rafe family. Me, and only me.

My mother would weep for the day the she gave me up. She would realise what a mistake it had been to give her own child away. Oh, she would cry and cry and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe, if she crawled through the mud, I would show her some mercy.

The whole clan would revere me. Oh, not just the whole clan. My whole tribe. They would whisper my name in fear behind closed doors, grovelling to be in my favour. Wolves, Coyotes, I didn't care what spirit they worshipped, they would all bow down to my Alpha. I would rule everyone and everything.

No more weak Akira, no more crying and begging the others for help. Aspen's Alpha was mine to control. Mine to command. It was mine.

I tightened my fingers around the pathetic neck of this new man, digging my nails into his skin. He squirmed and clawed at my hand, trying to free himself. It was no use. There was no escaping my grasp. No escaping my wrath.

I stared deep in the man's eyes, hoping he would remember my face. Making sure that he fully realised I was the last thing he saw before he died. I would be his god from now on.

Before I could steal his lifeforce away, a chill swept through the air. I looked up from the kneeling man and suddenly realised that I wasn't alone. I'd forgotten about the rest of the group. With a grin, I pulled the man up from the dirt and waved him around like a trophy. Why didn't my friends look happy? In fact, they almost looked frightened. I wondered why?

The fight was over. We won. We slaughtered every last person attacking us. They were all lying on the cold forest floor, their lifeless bodies a symbol of our victory. It was beautiful. Death was beautiful.

Wait.

What was I thinking? Death was beautiful? That didn't sound right? That didn't sound like me.

A pair of desperate blue eyes suddenly caught my attention. Ashleigh. Her face was painted with a look that I couldn't place. Why was she staring at me like that? Why didn't she look proud? I just saved everyone? Why wasn't she celebrating with me? Why did she look so terrified? The danger had passed. I had ended the battle. Why was she still scared?

I turned around, wondering what she could possibly be looking at. Maybe there was someone trying to attack my back?

But no. There was nobody else. All our enemies were lying defeated on the ground. There was no one else she could be scared of. Unless... Was she scared of me?

No, that couldn't be. I was her mate, she had no reason to fear me. I would never hurt her. No, I did all this to protect her. This was my way of keeping her safe. Yet... She looked absolutely terrified.

Why was she opening and closing her mouth the whole time? Was she gasping for air?

I focused on her mouth, trying to decipher the movement of her lips. "A... ki... ra." I mumbled, reading her words. "Akira."

Akira. That was me. Ashleigh's mate. Akira.

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