Page 115 of Twinning and Sinning

Cyrene arched her back again, her low-cut top almost exposing her breasts. The sky darkened as a giant white light pierced right into her heart. Letting out a yell of fury, electricity weaved in and out, over and under and through each rodent. They fell dead in the tracks, giving the Wolves a sigh of relief.

“Should have done that first.” Torin towered over her.

“Well then, where is the fun in that?” Cyrene mocked. “We need to be wise about this. I don’t know how far my power can stretch. I can already feel my aura weakening, I just got upset over my mate,” Cyrene choked back a cry.

Torin snorted, white steam coming from his nose. “Only a joke.”

“It was a bad one,” Cyrene snickered.

The pack numbers were great at the beginning of the battle. The rodents had hit them hard. Now they have lost almost half of their warriors. Many wounded Wolves lay bloodied on the ground. The smell of metallic, burning flesh and now crispy rodents hovered in the air. The small bites proved deadly with the venom in their saliva, rendering their healing abilities against the silver futile.

“Barbeque anyone?” Marcus walked up after shifting back to his human form. “That Fox is smart, sending smaller enemies to attack us. I don’t think it’s over yet.”

Everyone agreed. The wind shifted in an opposing direction than that of the natural wind pattern. Cyrene took a large breath, feeling the magical properties in the air. “They are breeching the ward.” Cyrene cracked her neck. “The larger enemies I had counted on crossing from the beginning are standing just across from it. Sorry, my ward could not account for the smaller ones.”

“Everyone, get the wounded inside,” Kane waved Cyrene off, letting her know he didn’t blame her. Who could when a Kitsune was to blame? The Kitsune may not be as strong as Cyrene, but he was clever and cunning, something Kane was not. He was the muscle, the ferocious fighter he was brought up to be. He did as his Queen said, not even caring if he looked like a rug for her to walk on. Kane rounded up the few Wolves that were not carrying the wounded warriors. He had them stand just short of the wooded area, prepared for the second wave.

Kane walked up and down the line. In his Lycan form, the Wolves bowed as he walked past them. They respected their king, knowing the sacrifices Clara and Kane had made protecting the shifter Kingdom in Bergarian. They would do the same again to protect the Wolves on Earth, even if it meant losing something precious like they had once done before.

Kane’s claws clanked against each other, spark flying between his fingertips. In the short time he had his daughter melody help explaining his lycan form in full detail, he learned much about his form. The continuation of his sharpened claws after each strike, the magic he could rip through like paper once it surrounded him, as well as his mighty roar that could have selected effect on certain species to cower at his feet.

Kane’s powerful legs halted, ears picking up any sort of sounds before his army of Wolves. The pounding of light-footed animal feet was coming closer.

“Get ready,” Torin’s voice rattled the Wolves’ chests. Lonato, the head warrior of the Red Wolves pack, salivated fiercely. Nothing would keep him from his mate, Zoey, now. Hades himself would have to rip him from the Earth before anything would happen to her. He was now at his most dangerous self, a Wolf accepting the mate he had always wanted for many years. The urge was strong to claim her. His jealousy and rage for anyone that dared to touch her was filtered into his lust for blood and kill of the enemy. His fellow pack members noticed the shift, both fearful for their own lives if they dared even speak of his mate’s name.

The sudden silence of the trees had hair on every Wolf’s body stand up. Chills ripped through the Wolves as the first animal came into view, a bear red in his eyes, showing no form of any human inside. These were rogue animals, no human souls. This Kitsune had strange power if he truly could control the animals of nature.

Larger prey would be easy, especially for the Crimson Shadows Pack. Kane and Torin smiled savagely. “Now!” Torin howled into the air, causing the rogue animals to tremble, giving the Wolves enough time to attack two, three at a time. Being sure they were careful enough not to have the blood fill their throats.

Rogue Bears and Wolves came down one by one. Wolves of the Red Wolves pack were dropping like flies, unable to keep up with the massive attack. Kane, realizing this, sent out an order through the mind link. Being king, he could mind link an entire area with no problems. The Red Wolves pack retreated, heading back into the pack house. Those who had fallen were dragged backward, ready for Clara to touch their foreheads to slow the poison.

Clara’s breath deepened. She stayed close to the pack house steps. Each Wolf that came near her, her fingertips grazed their foreheads. With as many Wolves that have been coming in the pack house, her power was being used at an alarming rate. The poison was now going at a slow enough pace through the blood so they could be saved if the blood bags came back in time. Clara’s thoughts turned to her sons and new daughter. She prayed they were safe and not captured. The bond she shared with her sons made her believe they were still alive. No pain came to her heart when she thought of them.

However, Clara couldn’t feel Seraphina at all. Clara worried, only to be knocked from her stupor and began touching more Wolves being piled in the house. The medical ward was filled with naked men and women. Ranging from small bites from the rodents to larger swipes from bears and wolves across their bodies. It was a hard sight to see, especially when Shifters are supposed to heal quickly. They all now looked like humans, some mauled beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, Lonato didn’t listen to the order. His rage kept the mind link closed, even from his king. His Wolf was constantly worrying about Zoey, who had no abilities to keep her from defending herself. Kane saw the blood lust in Lonato’s eyes. He refused to force an Alpha command to have him go back. The warrior in Lonato was that matched of his own pack. Kane made a mental note to have him join his son’s pack.

There were no more animals in the forest left to fight. Now they dealt with ordinary rogue Shifters. The mindset of a Shifter differed from a rogue. The moves were more calculated, more thought through, making it more difficult.

Cyrene’s powers were weakening nearby. Lightning strikes were not as potent. Her fireballs became smaller. Her physical self was weak, even though she had the mark of her mate on her shoulders.

Cyrene realized she had not completed her change just moments ago when she tried to punch a Wolf. The goddess Hecate awoke Cyrene early, knowing that the fight would be a close one.

Gods were not to interfere with the fights of Earth and Bergarian realms, however, the close connection and the undying devotion Cyrene had served while being alive made her gain favor. Not to mention her close connection to Hades in the past with his mate, Ember. This was the only time Hecate would interfere, otherwise, Zeus would realize what she was doing. The laws were there for a reason so that they favored no species over the other.

The Wolves’ fire sparked again as Kane let out another roar. It was enough for the wolves to jump back into action. The rogues, picked one by one, were now down to five. A group of twenty warrior Wolves destroyed them in an instant, giving the battle a brief break.

“Numbers,” Torin growled out. Marcus trotted up to the Lycan in his Wolf.

“We have a quarter left of fighting Wolves from winced we started,” Kane growled out. The battle had lasted over eight hours. Wolves had no break, and it didn’t look like one would come soon. The forest was quiet, for now, another ominous sign that yet another wave was about to come.

Cyrene lay on the ground, not caring if blood was drenching her clothes. Her body was physically overworked, her aura no longer held the brightness of her face. There was no more magic left to give. The ward was completely broken. Her eyes fluttered a few times, a few tears dripped down her cheeks.

She continued to feel Soren. He was trying to wake up. He was close just earlier in the day, only to fall deeper into his sleep. Cyrene had missed her mate. The first week of mating was special, and the bond was strong. Cyrene’s power would be stronger if Soren was by her side, but he needed the rest. A Wolf with some magical abilities would prove helpful when he woke up, but now wasn’t the time. Clara ran to Cyrene, her fingers grazing over her forehead.

“I hope this helps.” Clara’s face was stark pale. It had been many years since she had felt this drained, not since the Dark War.

Cyrene felt the wave of strength Clara could give. Sitting up, she held onto Clara, giving her a longing hug. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep them out,” Cyrene almost cried for the first time in a long while.

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