Chapter 38

Just how powerful she is

*************Nero POV*************

Each time my shoes tapped against the tiles, the sense of nervousness I felt got the best of me.

Why they were staying so freaking long was messing with my head, and I kept having these what-if thoughts that were not helping my resentment for Loki and myself.

Since Blake and Loki left, I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and gosh, it was pissing me off even more, and yet I knew this was a piece of the price I had to pay for love and betrayal.

My gaze stayed down the entire time after they left. But when I finally raised my head and drew a breath, Luna and I locked eyes, and she looked hateful, coldly staring into my eyes.

At that moment, the sound of the door opening got my attention, pulling my gaze toward Loki and Blake as they entered the room.

One look at her eyes and I could tell she was angry and hurt, and for the first time, I despised it. The sadness in her eyes, how vulnerable she looked, and the hint of anger in her expression, I hated.

Yet, in the middle was where I stood because there was only a little I could do for her, and realizing that now, awoke something in me. I felt angry pissed at how helpless I am when it comes to her, but can I choose her over my pack, my father, and my late mother?

"I am sorry for the little interruption a while back. But everything is okay now, and the meeting can resume." Loki announced with a smirk, and anger stabbed my heart when I saw the prideful look in his eyes.

Drawing my gaze away from him, I stared at Blake as she took her seat beside me, and I wanted to ask her so badly if she was okay, but Loki had his eyes on us, and I knew I had to play his sick game to earn his trust.

However, when Blake looked my way, her eyes dim with darkness, I reached for her hand, squeezing it as I tried to repress my anger when she gave me a weak smile.

"We all know who Blake's grandfather is, and I can confirm that my daughter is exactly like him," Loki announced loudly.

Quietness escaped the room as the elders began to mumble and stared our way with both fear and doubt clouding their expressions.

Gently, Blake squeezed my hand, and I eyed her, studying her gaze darting as though she was blinking back tears.

"How do we know this claim is real?" Elder Carla declared boldly, yet her eyes told a different story, that she was afraid. "As Elder Hall said, 'no one has seen her wolf, and it is baffling."

"Can you shut the hell up and let me finish, Carla!" Loki lashed out.

The room grew voiceless, and I subconsciously rested my sight on Loretta and Rolex, and the two looked numb with pale faces as they stared at Blake. And I couldn't help wondering what their messed-up minds were thinking.

"Who's we?" Luna blurted out, and my gaze locked with hers. "I don't know who Blake's grandfather is, so can someone fill me up? Who is he?!"

That was the exact question I had in mind. If her grandfather is an Ultima as Loki said, then why didn't her mother fight back I remember why. But honestly, she didn't seem to be an Ultima when I met her, but then again no one knew what Blake was until recently.

One look at Blake, and I saw a look of hope spike in her eyes as she stared at Luna and then at Loki.

There's so much I didn't know about Blake either, and if it wasn't for that night, I wouldn't have gotten caught up in the list of people who lied to her or know something about her.

'I wish I didn't go that day.' An intrusive thought unexpectedly slipped into my mind, and I didn't dismiss it because that's how I felt at that moment.

"That's not relevant!" Loki let out.

At that minute, I gazed at Blake and saw the little hope in her eyes die after her father's answer, and I guessed that Loki wasn't honest

with her again about the truth.

But to be honest, a part of me doesn't want him to tell her the truth. Yet, I hated that I was aiding him in one of his biggest lies to her, and gosh, it keeps getting fucking difficult to handle every damn day.

"So it's your testimony that she is an Ultima?" Rolex uttered, his face in a tight frown as he glared at Blake

"Not just my testimony. My daughter is going to prove it to you all." Loki declared, smirking boldly. "Just how powerful she is."

Immediately, Blake's grip on my hand got tighter, and when I looked her way, a hint of fear glowed in her eyes as she rested her gaze on mine.

It didn't take long for me to recognize that something was off about Blake. She looked as though she was panicking, and I grew concerned because I could hear the change in her pattern of breathing and the raise in her heartbeat.

Why was she afraid when Loki's request was not something to be scared of. All she had to do was transform, and yet, within a split second, she seemed like the shaky and fragile girl that I met in the classroom, on the floor, in the pool of her blood.

"Blake!" Loki called out, grabbing her attention from me. "Go ahead."

No one spoke and everyone's eyes were on Blake, and I felt her grip getting even tighter around my hand as though it was her way of screaming, "help me, please!" and yet, I didn't know how to do that in the midst of all the important people in her pack that I needed to trust me.

"Blake!" Loki let out harshly this time around.

There was a brief pause, and I looked toward Loretta, noticing the corner of her lips form a half-smile as her gaze remained glued to Blake.

"I can't do it!" Blake blurted out, tears trailing down the corners of her eyelids. "She won't let me."

You must be kidding me! Is the moon goddess trying to fuck me over? This is bizarre, and I knew that shit was going to get ugly for Blake, and I would have to choose her again.

A faint noise arose in the room, and the whisper wasn't much of a whisper because we all could hear the mocking statement they spoke beneath their breath about Blake.

"What do you mean by she's not letting you?!" Loki asked with a rough tone, his eyes showing impatience within them.

"My wolf. She doesn't agree to show herself. She refuses, and I can't change her mind or force her." Blake mumbled, lowering her head.

To Death

Luna POV

At first, I thought Blake was acting about her not having control over her wolf. But then I saw a look in her eyes that I have seen in the past.

It's a look that tells that she is helpless and scared, and that's when I realized that this was real. She was genuinely afraid, and I couldn't stop my lips from pulling upward in a smirk.

Imagine believing that you have lost every damn thing, and then realizing that your opponent is just a sad, unstable mess, who can't even control her wolf. It felt too surreal to believe and yet it was happening right before my eyes.

Gosh, I feel so pathetic right now for even being bothered by her. But to be honest, she had us all fooled, believing that there was something special about her.

Swaying my gaze from Blake's teary eyes, I looked at Nero, and the first thing that crossed my mind was, 'Are you regretting choosing a weak bitch over me.'

"Blake, this is no place for jokes!" My father let out, and I held in my urge to sneer because I knew if Blake messed up, I would be his only choice, and I didn't want to offend him.

My attention drew to Blake again, and I watched her dry her eyes with the back of her hand, realizing that her other hand was not moving.

Anger was all I felt when I looked at Nero and understood that he was holding onto her hand with this look of raw concern in his expression.

What the fuck does he see in her! Even now, he still has that same stupid touch of desire for her in his eyes like always, even after knowing the truth about her. But, he was quick to dismiss me over a simple lie.

Yet, he seems like he is ready to stand by Blake, even after learning that this bitch can not even control her wolf.

She's not fucking special. How blind can he be to not see that! Or is this about how good she is in bed? Is sex with her that good that he allowed himself to be stupidly wrapped around her fingers?

"I think I should leave," Blake mumbled, grabbing my attention with her words.

"You are not leaving here until you go through your transformation and prove to everyone in this damn room just who you are!" My father yelled, hitting his fist on the table.

A glint of fear clouded Blake's eyes, and yet, she raised her head, letting out boldly, "What part of she refused to show herself don't you understand, Loki!"

"Stop with the damn lies, Blake; who the fuck doesn't have control over their own wolf!" My father uttered in a rough tone, looking pissed with bitterness dimming his eyes.

"Apparently, I don't! Okay! And there's nothing I can do about it. Can you understand that, Loki?!"

"Is this your way of humiliating me, you little"

"I don't need to lie to humiliate you! You do that on your own."

This was brutal, and I couldn't help enjoying every second of it, seeing my father lose his shit after all the humiliation he had put my mother and me through is just the most beautiful thing, especially when it's because of Blake that he was this mad.

The thing about Blake is that she has always been a piece of work that didn't know when to shut up until she got seriously injured, and the way things were going, I say my father was going to hurt her pretty bad if she didn't shut her hole.

In a second, the elders began to become bolder with their words as they whispered to each other, and none of them seemed to be pleased with Blake's tone and words either.

A moment like this, I never thought was possible. But somehow, everything was happening again in my favor, and I have never been so freaking pleased with fate in my entire life as I was now.

"Blake, do you take this pack or us as a joke!" My mother let out angrily, and I guess she felt it was safe now to intervene without getting a backlash from my father.

"Can I leave now?!" Blake asked, ignoring my mother's words.

Swaying my gaze to uncle Rolex and my mother, I saw hate in their gaze, and even though they both didn't speak, I knew they wanted to put Blake in her place so badly.

"No!" My father harshly uttered, a look of darkness ceasing his expression. "I don't give a fuck what we have to do to get her to show herself, but you are not leaving until that happens!"

Looking drained and annoyed, Blake scowled and blurted in a mocking tone, "You have to try to kill me then if that's what you want,"

Immediately after she uttered those words, her face grew pale, and I could tell she wanted to retract her response. But they were already out in the open, and when I looked at my father, he seemed to be seriously considering her words.

Suddenly he stood to his feet, smiling stiffly at Blake, and then announced, "New rule! A fight to the death between my daughters. The winner becomes the next leader of our pack!"

It took me a couple of seconds to accept that those words just came from my father's mouth, and yet, a part of me still couldn't believe he said them.

"Loki, you are sick!" Blake shouted, clutching her brows.

But my father ignored her reaction and stared at me, calmly uttering, "What do you say, daughter? How far are you willing to go to prove that you want to rule this pack."

This piece of shit. I can't believe he is using me to get Blake's wolf out of her shell. But this was the exact opportunity I have been waiting for my entire life not to prove myself in order to lead the pack but to kill Blake.

One look into my father's eyes and I knew that he was aware of that how badly I hated Blake, and he was using that to his advantage. Yet, this was a game I was willing to play because I was certain about winning.

"To the death?" I asked to make sure that I was going to get exactly what I wanted.

"To the death," Loki said with the utmost seriousness in his tone.

As I was about to answer, I heard Elder Hall whisper, "This is insane."

"Does anyone wish to defile my words?!" My father harshly announced, looking at the faces around the table. "Speak now or shut the fuck up!"

The room grew awfully quiet, and I gazed at Nero, wondering what was going on in his head because he looked expressionless and had not uttered a single word since all this started.

"No one?!" Loki called out in a fierce tone. "Okay then, the new rule is final!"

"If that's the case, I don't mind a fight to the death," I uttered, meeting Blake's eyes.

When I didn't get a reaction from her, I gave a half-smile and asked, "Sister, what do you say?"

Let's do this

Blake POV

I was staring at Loki, and it was so hard to believe how mentally ill he has become, and yet it felt normal that he would suggest something this sick.

Because of the past couple of times, he had been nice to me, I kind of forgot just how brutal he can be and why I had called him, "monster," in the past.

But it's moments like this that wake me up from my stupidity and show me the devil in Loki that makes me hate him to the core with everything in me.

After all the mumbling I have heard so far from the elders, no one in the room was on my side, except Neron. But his silence was making me question if he was willing to risk himself for me.

To be honest, I didn't want him putting himself in a crossfire because of me. If he gets hurt and it's my fault, I don't think I will ever forgive myself.

So yeah, I rather he stays quiet because I know what Loki is like when he gets pissed, and I don't want Nero in any way involved with this situation.

"What's wrong, sis? Afraid that I am going kick your ass?" Luna mocked with a smirk on her face.

It was pretty clear that she was enjoying Loki's sick rule since I have been on her and her mother's death list for quite a while. And what better way that can happen, than by this golden opportunity Loki had laid before them.

As I was about to speak, fear squeezed the air out of my lungs when Nero woke from his seat and uttered, "Let's get out of here."

It would have been a sweet gesture if my father wasn't a maniac, who looked bloodthirsty as he glared at Nero before fixing his cold gaze on me.

A part of me wanted to sit there and be obedient to Loki, so he wouldn't take out his anger on Nero. But I couldn't because when I looked into Nero's eyes he seemed deadass serious when he commanded, "Get up."

Slowly, I woke from my seat, striving not to freak out and smile to soften the tension between us. Yet within, I was terrified afraid of what Loki's next move would be because Nero was openly defiling him.

In the past, if I did something like this, I would be bleeding badly within less than a second because of Loki, and I fear that now the truth about my wolf is out, he might not care that much to consider my feelings or listen to me when it comes to him hurting Nero.

"You don't want to cross me!" Loki uttered in a fierce tone.

Knowing immediately that that was a threat, I squeezed Nero's hand, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip when he met my eyes.

It was so freakin frustrating that of all the times, my wolf chose this moment to mess with me, and I was trying so freaking hard to make a connection with her, but it was of no use because she refused to establish a link with me.

"I am not crossing you. But whoever thinks Blake and Luna fighting to the death would be a fair battle is sick in the head, especially when she had already told you all that her wolf refused to show itself." Nero let out without breaking eye contact with Loki.

Gosh, he was making me panic so freaking bad because I know the full extent of Loki's power, and I have seen what Nero's wolf is capable of doing.

The last thing I want is these two clashing with each other since someone will die if that happens, and I am not willing to risk Nero's life for mine because even if he did win the fight, he would not leave this room alive.

"You are overstepping your boundary here. You better watch the next filth that comes out of your mouth before I teach you how to properly act in my presence!" Loki uttered, and the thirst to kill was the only aura I felt from him.

"I will fight Luna!"  I blurted out, knowing I was sentencing myself.

"Don't just say any stupid thing that comes to mind!" Nero calmly said, and yet, his expression told me he was annoyed with me.

But I would rather he be irritated with me than him being hurt. So I pulled my hand out of his grip and met his eyes, uttering, "I can feel my wolf now."

The way his brows furrowed at those words made it clear that he didn't believe me. Yet, I wasn't ready to back down just yet, so I raised my shoulders along with my chin and said with confidence, "I want to fight Luna. You should know that she's not something that I can't handle."

The noise that arose after my statement was filled with insults from the elders about my arrogance and insanity, and they were not wrong because that's how I felt too. But I refuse to allow my expression to portray what I was feeling on the inside.

"I will give you credit for being the stupidest bitch I have ever known!" Luna let out as she woke from her seat, throwing me a death stare.

Nothing yet. My wolf was suppressing every bit of connection I am trying to make with her. I guess she really was abandoning me to get my ass whipped by Luna.

With a hint of concern in his eyes, Nero grabbed my hand as I was about to walk away from my seat. But I pulled my fingers out of his grip and mumbled, "I got this."

What a fat lie! My audacity was going to be the death of me, and yet, I was okay with that as long as Nero didn't have to get injured.

After walking away from the table, I approached Luna, holding in my breath with every step I took until we were facing each other. Then I slowly inhaled and mumbled, "Let's do this."

The moment her eyes changed their color, I shut my eyelids, squeezing them tightly.

It didn't take long before I felt her fist collide with my throat with a vigorous force that made me lose gravity, sending me to the floor.

When I landed on my stomach, on the dirty tiles, I gasped for air, coughing aggressively as I choked on my blood, enduring an agonizing pain that surged through my esophagus.

For a while, my vision was dim, and I felt nausea. So I remained resting on the floor, battling the pain within.

"Get up, bitch! One hit and you have already given up!" Luna scoffed loudly. "How the hell did you even get the chance to hurt Karen if this is the best you can give!?"

Dismissing her words, my lips parted, and I stared at my blood dripping from my mouth onto the floor as I tried to fully regain consciousness.

Finally, I was able to push through the pain, ignoring my tears as they fell to the tile, mixing with my blood, and I stood from the tile.

Even though I tried to avoid Nero's gaze, our eyes locked for a second before I faced Luna, and I tried to prepare myself for her second hit because I still didn't feel my wolf.

Smirking, she folded her finger into a fist as she let out, "I guess I don't have to transform to beat the shit out of you. Also, it will not be a fair fight since you are just a weak bitch!"

Still, there was no connection from my wolf, and at this point, I thought she was forsaking me to my doom. So I shut my eyes again, preparing myself for Luna's second hit. But it felt like forever as I stood there, waiting without feeling anything.

Stay away from me

Nero POV

Finally, it was clear as broad daylight as I stood between Blake and Luna with Luna's wrist in my grip that there was no way I could be mutual in this situation.

It was either Blake or everyone else, and now I know it was her because I would have never risked everything for someone who meant nothing to me.

I mean, I did try to make myself believe that I could but seeing her tears and blood woke up a rage that I have never felt before, and as I stared at Luna struggling to pull her hand out of my grip, my fingers only got tighter around her wrist.

My wolf was awake, and the smell of Blake's blood was making him aggressive. I have never felt my wolf this out of control before, and it was becoming hard to suppress him and mask my scent at the same time because all he wanted was to be set free.

"Let her go," I heard Blake say, and yet,  her word meant nothing until she raised her voice, "Nero, stop!"

She sounded scared but more pissed, and I didn't understand why she was angry with me when all I was doing was defending her.

Then I took my focus off Luna and subconsciously looked at Loki, and finally, it clicked why Blake was scared. He was in his Alpha state, so was Rolex, and even Loretta looked prepared to attack.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" Loki roared.

The dude looked thirsty for blood my blood, and that only excited my wolf. This was it. I could finish him here and now.

'What about Blake?!' Was the only thought that came to mind when I was considering the idea of killing Loki.

His wolf was nothing to fear, and the monster in me could tear him to shreds within less than a couple of minutes. It wouldn't even take an hour to get the job done.

That's why I was the one who went on the mission in the first place and not my father because of my monster of a wolf, even though I was just a teen.

And yet, the thought of repeating a past mistake especially in front of Blake again is something I can never live with, not in a million years, even if killing that person is something I desperately want to do right now.

So I slowly withdrew my fingers from around Luna's skin as I struggled against my wolf, and let out, "Stay!"

Her brows pulled together tightly as she glared at me while I took a step back, and when I was standing by Blake, I darted my gaze around the room and finally rested my eyes on Loki's killer stare before uttering, "I am going to take her home now."

Lacing my finger with hers, I swayed my gaze to her frightening eyes and said out loud, "As you all can see, she just took a blow to the throat and her wolf is still not here, so before she actually gets murdered to prove a point to you all, I will be leaving with her now."

"What a fucker!" Loki scoffed with a smirk. "Just because you have a few dollars more than me, you think it's your place to disrespect me in the presence of my pack and think it will be okay to walk away. Like I would let you"

"Dad, please, no," Blake mumbled, shaking her head with fear dancing in her wet eyes.

Dragging his gaze off me, Loki looked directly at her and pressed on his word as he strongly uttered, "Shut the fuck up, Blake!"

"Which do you prefer! Blake dying to prove a point to you, or her getting to live?" I uttered, losing grip on my anger. "What use is a dead daughter to you?!"

"If she can not transform then she's of no fucking use to me! Got it! So you either step back or I will make you back off!"

"Really?"

Within a split second, Blake was fighting to break free from my grip, and that only made me hold onto her tighter.

It's crazy how much sense of logic I lost at that moment. As I said from the beginning, Loki knew my wolf and my scent because I broke into his house with a pack of wolves, and there is no way he doesn't recognize my scent, and my wolf because that's the only form of me he knows.

So, if I am to fight Loki, that means I have to transform, and if I shift into a wolf, my battle with him has to be to the death because if he lives, my cover is blown.

"Let me go, Nero," Blake whispered, her cheek wet as tears ran from her eyes.

"We are going home, and it's final!" I lashed out at her.

A laugh echoed into the room, and when I looked at Loki, he grew silent as rage glowed in his eyes. That's when I knew shit was about to get real, and yet, I was certain that there was no way in the bloody hell that I was going to let Blake get hurt.

Standing my ground, I watched Loki slowly drag his nails into the table, and when the sound finally stopped, his clothes started to shred off him, exposing the furs on his skin.

Within a couple of minutes, I was staring into the eyes of a brown wolf and didn't flinch.  However, when he charged at me, my protective instinct kicked in, and I shoved Blake to the right.

But that made it difficult for me to get out of the way before Loki's wolf paw viciously hit my chest, his claws tearing right through my shirt into my flesh and splitting it open, exposing the second layer of my skin.

The wound was nastier than I expected, and when I finally balanced myself from falling because of the force he struck me with, I drew my hand away from my chest and my gaze rested on my palm which was soaked with my blood.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Loki!" Blake screamed, and following her words, a roar echoed from her lips.

In that instant, I gazed at her, looking deep into her red eyes, and I realized that he had messed up pretty bad.

The pain I felt suddenly faded because I was distracted by her transformation, and my head kept raising upward slowly until I was staring at the face of a white Ultima, and her eyes had no soul behind them.

"What is that?!" Luna cried, taking a step back only to stumble over her foot and fall on her ass, and yet, her eyes were still glued to Blake.

Within a flash, the elders had all run out of their seats, and they were back up in one corner of the room, clasping against each other.

"That's not possible," Rolex whispered to his sister as he pulled her back slowly, away from Blake.

As I center my gaze back on Blake's wolf, she snarled with her eyes focused on Loki, and slowly, his tail lowered between his ass.

But his humbleness didn't seem to thrill Blake, and within a blink of an eye, she sped for him, grabbing him by the neck area, and dragged him to the wall, slamming him into the solid concrete.

As I watched his wolf drop to the ground with bloody fur, there was no doubt that he was going to die at her hands if this didn't stop.

Lowering her mouth towards his body, Blake snapped and then took a step back, away from him. But after a few minutes, when Loki finally pulled himself off the floor, she was onto him again.

And the moment Blake had Loki's wolf neck in the grip of her mouth, she swung him by the throat and let go of him.

And I watched Loki's wolf fly across the room, crashing into the table and breaking it beneath him.

"Oh my, she's going to murder him!" Loretta screamed, her eyes filled with horror as she broke down in tears. "Her own father!"

Slowly, Blake took a step toward Luna, sniffing aggressively and growling under her breath, and I heard Luna cry in a whisper, "Stay away from me."

A massacre was what I was about to witness. This was not only about Loki. Blake and her wolf felt hostility toward everyone in this room, except me. That's why she refused to show herself.

I think it was her way of protecting Blake from the trauma the nightmare of her murdering those that she despise so much that have hurt and abused her.

Ultima has a taste for blood, and once they have a bit of it, there's no telling how far they are willing to go to satisfy that thirst.

If anyone knew Blake more than any of us and how she is, it was her wolf, and I think she had been protecting Blake all this while from the damage she could cause to herself and others. But how did Blake get her to show herself?

"Stay the fuck away from me!" Luna screamed, grabbing my attention, and I stared at the tears rushing from her eyes, wondering what the hell I was going to do.

I am proud of you

"Stay the hell away from me!" Luna shouted, finally jumping from the tile as Blake got closer.

Her scream was so deafening that it hurt my ears a bit. But my pain and annoyance were the least of my concern as I watched Luna try to make a run for it only to get whacked fiercely in the back by Blake's wolf arm.

I could only imagine the force of the blow as Luna flew a few distances before meeting the wall harshly, her head slammed into the concrete, and then she hit the floor.

Blood immediately started rolling from her ears, mouth, and nose as she lay there, and when I noticed that she wasn't moving, my heart stopped for a second, wondering how traumatic that was going to be for Blake. After all, she and Blake share the same father, and they are blood, despite their conflict.

Finally, Luna's finger wiggled and a moan echoed from her lip. But her eyes remained closed and other than her fingers, nothing else was moving.

It wasn't hard to tell her wounds were more internal than external, and with how huge Blake's wolf is, I knew that her injuries were nothing less than serious.

"You fucking bastard!!" Loretta yelled, struggling to break free from her brother's arm, who wasn't letting her go. "I will send you to hell! Where you belong!!"

"Stop provoking it!" Rolex lashed out at her, in a thunderous tone. "You are going to get yourself kill and take me with you!"

Fear was the only aura I was getting from Rolex and Loretta, even though their eyes displayed a look of hate and their lips were within a tight pout.

Neither of them was helping this situation with their screaming, and it didn't take long for Blake's wolf to turn her head towards them.

For a couple of minutes, she glared at Loretta and Rolex before she stared back at Luna, and I think she was waiting for her to wake up like Loki did before she could strike again.

But when she didn't move, Blake's wolf turned to Loretta and Rolex and snarled, walking away from Luna's direction and heading towards them.

A look of desperation clouded Rolex's eyes, and within a split second, they shifted into yellow as his transformation began.

Suddenly, Blake's wolf stopped, but I don't think she did because she was afraid. It seemed more like she was waiting for him to complete his transformation to make it somewhat a fair fight.

When Rolex finally did, an earsplitting growl from her echoed in the room with a force of raw dominance, and I watched Rolex's wolf take a couple of steps back slowly before growling aggressively.

But his howl was a cry out for help, and I knew I had to get Blake back to herself, or else the floors of this mansion were going to be soaked with Blood.

Within less than three minutes, I knew my guess was right when I heard a "Bang!" on the door, and its wood frame came falling to the ground, crashing on the tiles with a loud, "Bang!"

In the doorway, I saw twelve wolves, walking into the room, growling and snarling aggressively as they stared at Blake.

Now, she was in the middle of Twelve wolves and Rolex's wolf. But that wasn't all because shortly after, Loretta shifted, growling at Blake with bloodthirsty blue eyes.

The elders and Killian in the corner of the room didn't seem to be willing to leave their posts or get involved with the fight, so it was fourteen against one.

In no way was this going to be a fair fight, and I didn't know if I could trust Blake to handle them all.

But before I could think things through, a wolf growled and ran for Blake. When he got closer, he jumped off the floor, attacking her in the chest, his teeth buried in her flesh.

My eyelids stretched wide open when she struggled a little and then bit into the back of his spine and snapped his neck, sending chills down my spine when I heard the sound.

When Blake released his body out of her mouth, the room grew still before the sound of him hitting the floor echoed in our ears.

At that moment, I stared at Blake's bloody mouth and a gruesome memory flashed in my head of myself, and I knew that this wasn't what I wanted for her. The nightmares and the torture of memories were not what I want her to live with.

Deliberately, I made eye contact with her and tried to find the window to her soul in them. Yet, there was nothing but darkness in her alluring eyes, and it was clear that her wolf was realizing the extent of its full power which means she could wipe out everyone here.

Now, I wasn't worried that she couldn't handle them all. But I was scared that she was going to do it and regret it later on, or that she was going to change greatly afterward. But whatsoever the case was, I am not really to lose the Blake that I fell for, not today, not ever.

After a couple more seconds of silence, the sound of growling started echoing from the remaining thirteen wolves, and immediately, Blake faced them.

As they grumbled with force at her, she snarled and crouched backward ready to pounce on them with her furs standing erect on her back.

"Do not fucking advance towards her, if you love your damn life!" I yelled, clutching onto my chest as the pain from my wound tore through me.

Swaying my gaze away from Blake, I looked at Rolex and let out, "Tell them to stay the fuck back! Now!"

With his yellow eyes on mine, his wolf's ears erected, and its fur bristled. Then his lips curled up or pulled, displaying his incisors. But after a few seconds, his expression softened, and he growl gently, tucking his tail between his legs as he made his body look small.

That was a sign of submission, and once he did that, the twelve wolves slowly took a couple of steps back, lowering their heads as they whimpered.

Now, the only person that seemed hesitant was Loretta. But when Rolex snarled at her, she snapped back before backing away from Blake and standing behind him.

My gaze danced around the room and finally rested on Loki, who was still laying on the broken table in his human form, naked and curled up in a ball.

He seemed conscious and badly injured with bloodstained on his skin. But his chest was still rising and falling slowly.

Swaying my gaze off him, I stared at the elders and Killian, focusing solely on him a second later before looking back on Blake.

"How about we get out of here, huh?" I mumbled as I ambled toward her.

As I was getting closer to Blake, she laid her ears back flat against her head, looking defensive, as though she didn't want to listen to me.

But I kept advancing, pushing aside my pain until I was a foot from Blake. Then I raised my palm towards her and calmly uttered, "Please,"

The rage in Blake's gaze started to die down a little, and her head slowly lowered towards my hand until her nose was resting against the skin of my palm.

Gently, I stroked Blake's wolf fur, watching the bloodthirsty look in her eyes fade and her expression softened gradually.

Finally, her entire body lowered as her lips and ears drew back, and she arched her back and tucked her tail.

With my focus solely on her, I faintly smiled as she reverted to her human form, and when her body dropped into my arm, I kept her in my grip while struggling to take out my coat hand one after the other.

No one in the room moved or uttered a word the entire time, and I could tell by their body language that none of them planned to advance or attack.

After taking out my coat, I dressed Blake in it, feeling annoyed a bit that it was stained with blood, but glad that it was long enough to cover her properly.

"Are you okay?" Blake whispered, her eyes fixed on my chest.

"Yes," I mumbled, forcing a half-smile, even though Loki's nails really went deep in me, and my healing process was a bit slower than usual.

Resting her palm on my cheek, she caressed it as she cried out,  "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I mumbled, brushing my finger against her bottom lip. "I am proud of you!"

"You are?"

"Mmmhmm!"

"I didn't scare you?"

Leaning toward her ear, I kissed it gently and whispered, "Of course not."

That was a lie. I was afraid, scared of the day to come that I would be one of the people she hates, and a brutal moment like this will be possible between her and me.

But if I am to die, I rather it's by her hands than anyone else because then I can feel at peace at last, even though I know it's a selfish thought.