Page 54 of Stolen By The Beast
As the tension reached its breaking point, a man ran forward, intent on dragging my mate away, and a surge of darkness erupted from the depths of my being.
It was a primal force that clawed its way to the surface. In that moment, I was no longer the being who had bonded with Juniper.
I was transformed into the very monster these men had accused me of being, but I would stop at nothing to protect my own.
With inhuman speed, I lunged at the male who had threatened to touch Juniper and tear us apart. My movements were a blur of motion, as if I were a mere specter of the wild.
My claws and fangs flashed with deadly precision, and the human was caught off guard by the savagery of my defense.
The forest rang with the clash of gunfire as I ripped through muscle and bone. Blood arched through the air, and Juniper’s screams echoed around us as I tore into the man.
The other humans tried desperately to subdue me, their weapons shooting deadly pellets at my body, but I was too fast and agile to be struck.
I was the wind; strong, relentless, and nearly invincible—a force these humans couldn’t begin to comprehend.
I fought with every ounce of strength, with the pent-up fury I held deep inside against the humans for what they had done to my brethren.
They would not do it again.
Before my glowing gaze, the scene devolved into a nightmarish frenzy, a chaotic explosion of violence and desperation.
Red stained the forest floor, the scent of blood thick in the air. I caught sight of Juniper’s terrified expression, but the darkness had taken hold, and it refused to release its grip until she was safe.
Instead, I fought on, my vision tinged crimson, until all but one human male was shredded into a remembrance of flesh and bone.
Guns lay scattered and useless on the ground, a grim reminder that I was stronger and deadlier than anything they could use against me.
As the blackness within me settled, I stood among the strewn limbs, my chest heaving and my claws sticky from the gore.
My rage evaporated when I caught sight of my mate again, and I was left with a sense of emptiness—a hollowness that contrasted sharply with the adoration that had once filled me.
I felt deflated, as if I were the one who had been cut to pieces. A foreign emotion flooded me, and I turned away from Juniper so she wouldn’t have to look at what a monster I truly was.
But as I did, I spied movement from the corner of my eye. The last human male was standing by my mate, urging her to come with him in a quiet voice that I still easily heard.
The fury I thought spent suddenly reignited, blazing even brighter than before—no one would take Juniper from me!
It was a ridiculous sentiment considering how I had likely just driven her away myself, but I still wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.
I prowled toward Juniper and the man. Tugging my tiny female aside, I towered over the fool who dared touch what was mine.
Raising my claws high in the air, I prepared to sever the human’s head from his shoulders when Juniper’s voice rang out.
“Karvik, stop!”
Desperation saturated her plea, and I froze, my savage instincts battling against her request. The darkness that had taken hold of me shrouded my consciousness, demanding revenge.
But then Juniper’s words pierced through the fog, reminding me of the goodness she saw within me.
“You’re not a monster—no one is. A monster is something you choose to be. This man was only trying to help me. He doesn’t want to hurt me. And like us, he has feelings—and a life that isn’t yours to take. So tell me, what choice will you make? Will you be the beast you say you are, or will you be something more… for me?”
The darkness inside me hissed, urging me to finish what I had started, but I couldn’t ignore what my mate had said.
I shuddered against the violence bubbling just under my surface as a small burst of fear erupted inside of me.
Juniper said I had a choice, but right now, it didn’t feel like it—what if I failed her?
As if she could hear my thoughts, my mate sent me a soft smile, an unspoken message that she trusted me. It was that unwavering faith in my capacity for goodness that tugged me back into my senses.
