"Jared !" I shout, rushing out to him. He's laying on the grass, Leila pushing her hands over his chest to stop the bleeding.

No no no no no.

'He's losing too much blood.' My wolf warns.

"Hang on Jared. Just hang on." Leila orders looking him straight in the eyes.

I fall on my knees beside them, searching for any other wound. There isn't one apart from that gushing hole in his chest. I bring trembling hands to his face so he sees me.

"You heard the doc." I grit my teeth. "She's going to help you so you have to fight, alright ?"

I glance at her and she's still putting pressure on the wound, her lips pursed in anger, when her eyes meet mines I can finally see the panic in them, the desperation. My blood turns cold and my lungs hurt.

"I'm going to die, aren't I ?" Jared murmurs and my head snaps back to him.

"No." I answer stubbornly.

"I can't feel anything. It doesn't hurt anymore." He tries to smile, his breaths becoming ragged.

I look at Leila again, silently asking for anything I can do. Surely there is something I can help with : stop the bleeding or give him my own blood. Or we could force him to transform, that might speed the healing process maybe. Or there are some kinds of herbs that would help, a concoction of some sort. I'm desperate, pleading with her to tell me what to do. She shakes her head, tears starting to roll down her cheeks and my mind becomes blank. I turn back to Jared, watching all his features, his lips, the beauty mark along his jaw, the small white scar crossing his right brow and his deep beautiful gray eyes.

"You know, looking closely I think you're handsome." I try to joke but it sounds weird.

"I told you I don't like it when you're so nice." He frowns and my heart breaks as I remember the last time he was hurt.

"Then stop worrying me so much." I clench my jaws frowning.

"Do you think I'll get to see her again ?" He questions calmly, searching my eyes and I know he's talking about his mate.

"Why can't you stay right here with me ?" I glare gently.

He starts to cough blood when he laughs.

"I'm scared." He whispers his eyes shining, full of fear.

"I know." I nod and put my forehead against his. "I know." I repeat in a whisper. "But it's going to be fine. You'll see." I fight against the tears burning my eyes.

"Thank you." He breathes.

"For what ?" My voice breaks as I look at his face.

"For deciding to be my friend. For showing me how big this world truly is. Thank you for protecting the people I love."

"You are my people." I tell him honestly.

"I'm fine now, I'm not scared anymore." He closes his eyes and I listen to his heart slowing down. "I think I'll watch over you for a while." He decides smirking softly.

"You do that and I'll be right there to teach you another lesson." I threaten halfheartedly.

"That's more like it." He laughs again and his heart stops beating, the last sound disappearing in the wind.

My body starts to shake uncontrollably as I bring a bloody hand to my mouth to contain my cries. My vision is blurry and I can't see his face clearly anymore. Everything hurts, every fiber of my being is burning up, I feel like my heart is being torn out of my chest and that my bones are shattering under all the sadness I feel. My ears are ringing, my head is pounding and my breaths uneven. I notice a flash of light in the air before Ogon comes landing next to the body watching it softly. It bends over to nuzzel against Jared's shoulder, expecting him to react in some way but nothing happens. We both wait silently for him to move. But nothing happens.

"Why did you do this ?!" Leila shouts and I finally emerge from the maze of my mind.

It feels like it's all happening in slow motion as I stand up and turn to face Xavier. I see Leila is hurt too and anger rises in my chest. She's limping and holding her shoulder in place with her other hand. I walk to her slowly stepping in front of her to protect her from the traitor. I can smell Jared's blood on his hands and I want to rip his head off, tear him to pieces.

A man I recognize from his pack runs to us and gives him a cloth bag. It's full but I can't tell the content from where I stand. Xavier is silent in front of us but his smile irks me. I want to wipe it off. I want blood. His blood. His men's blood. Still I wait for him to acknowledge our presence.

"Finally." He murmurs.

"She asked you a question." I say in a voice filled with anger, a tone so deadly cold that even Leila flinches behind me.

He looks up at me immediately in surprise while his acolyte takes a step back involuntarily. I watch them with empty eyes and Xavier composes himself again.

"Sorry honey, Arthur here just gave me the last thing I was waiting for. What did you say ?" He taunts Leila and me.

I look down on him disgusted.

"You're a traitor !" Leila spits, glaring at him, her anger burning as much as mine.

"Darling, I was never on your side." He simply states fed up with the conversation.

I lift my foot to step closer to him.

'Make him talk first.' My wolf instructs.

For once I decide to listen and put my foot back down.

He isn't going anywhere.

"So you're with them ?" I question jerking my head in the direction of the fight that is still going on around us and the enemy we're up against.

"No." He smiles, a deranged look on his face. "They are with me." He explains.

"What about him ?" Leila asks pointing at the gold armor still standing on the other side of the clearing, as pristine as ever.

"He's a nobody." He shrugs. "I needed someone to distract you for a while."

"Alpha Xavier is the one you all feared. The one who will lead us to greatness." Arthur smiles proudly beside Xavier.

I don't have the will to listen to the pup.

"Why ?" I inquire next, my voice void of any emotion.

"Power."

Of course.

His eyes shine yellow and I find it hideous to watch.

"You conceited brat. You couldn't wait a few years for Lincoln to retire ?" I sneer and he glares at me.

"I dont want this kind of power." He growls. "I want it all." He lifts his hands stretching them on each side. "I want what's rightfully mine." He declares.

I let him speak, he's digging his own grave.

'He's delusional.'

What kind of crazy ideas did Lincoln fill his head with ?

"What are you talking about ?" Leila loses patience and steps up to stand next to me.

She keeps glancing at me worried and I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm an empty shell at the moment. There is nothing coming off of me, no scent, no wave of power, no anger, no resentment. Nothing.

"There wasn't ever a need for so many alphas in this world. There should be only one ruler, above everyone else. Someone to stand at the top, to govern all the packs and all the creatures living on this planet." He goes on and on raving and I don't know if I have to take him seriously.

"And that's you I assume." I follow his reasoning.

"Indeed." He smirks. "I was always meant for greatness."

"What's your wolf's colour ?" I can't help asking.

"Black." He answers proudly and I stop myself from rolling my eyes.

'Meant for greatness ?' My wolf growls in my head. 'Show this pup his rightful place. Under you feet.' It orders and I can feel it has had enough of this conversation too.

"That's nothing special." I tell him coldly and he glares at me again.

"Watch it rogue." The man by his side threatens.

I lift a brow looking at him in challenge and he starts to growl, his body trembling in anger.

Give me a reason to kill you both.

"There might be one or two wolves on par with me in this world but don't think for a second that your little white alpha is any better. I saw him fight. He's weak."

Delusional. I agree with my wolf.

"What's in the bag ?" I demand losing interest.

"This is the last piece I needed." He announces and lets go of the cloth over a big plate.

Leila chokes as the contents spread on the silvery altar in front of us while I simply stare in astonishment.

'What the hell is that !' My wolf asks angrily.

There is an entire glass jar filled with blood, bones and eyes. I also recognize a horn and fangs.

"I've been searching for decades. Ever since I first heard about the legends. I never stopped looking." Xavier starts to explain, lifting his sleeve to expose the tattoo of the Sun embedded on his wrist. "Long ago there was a great beast roaming these lands." He continues. "It was a beast feared by all, so powerful that no one could compare to it."

Leila looks at me worried but I wait for the rest.

"It brought destruction everywhere it went, decimating entire cities." The man recites watching our reactions, persuaded we don't know about it. "That beast was created by an alpha even more powerful." He states.

Wait. What ?

'What ?!'

"The beast obeyed its master, doing his bidding." He keeps going.

You did ?

'No !' My wolf shouts bewildered.

"The rightful ruler was the only one able to control the beast. He was the King. However the day he died the greatest monster of all times disappeared. And since then it is waiting for the descendants of the ruler to call upon it once more so that it can finally roam free again." He finishes and I look at him at a loss for words.

Where the hell is this coming from ?

"And you think that's you." Leila concludes unaffected.

"I know I am." He growls menacingly.

This is insane.

The legend changed so much, it was altered so much that it doesn't make any sense anymore, the myths of the Beast of the Sun have lost their meaning.

"What do you need these for ?" She asks now looking really pale, showing the contents of the bag.

"It was easier than I expected." Xavier smiles. "Your alpha invited me right into his territory of his own volition, I have to say I never expected that. I gained access to the Library so easily I couldn't believe it at first."

'We brought him into the den.' My wolf curses.

"Once I was inside everything was decided." He takes out an old book to show it to us. "I found it in two days. And I gained the answers I needed." He laughs triumphantly. "When you offered for me to join on your little trip I couldn't have hoped for anything better." He tells me in particular and I frown. "You paved the path for this day. I really have to thank you for that. You helped me more than you'll ever know." He nods.

"What are you going on about !" I snap.

I sure as hell didn't help him.

"Well, you see, to be able to control such an almighty monster, there needs to be a few sacrifices." He declares.

Leila starts to gasp and cover her mouth in disgust at the words.

"It was all in here." Xavier taps over the cover of the book. "First, the fangs of a vampire." He shows them on the plate. "Then, the eyes of a kitsune, the bones of a mermaid and the horn of a unicorn." He enumerates.

I feel sick. He is right, without me he didn't have a chance to gather all of these. If I hadn't gone on this expedition with the crazy conviction that this was the only solution to this war none of this would have happened.

'What are you talking about ? This man is a madman. All this voodoo is just crazy talk.'

"What about the blood ?" Leila shudders.

"The blood of an innocent." He shrugs and takes the lid off the glass, the scent assaults me in waves, slapping me in the face.

Marthy.

"What the hell did you do to the pups ?" I growl unable to contain myself. I'm having difficulties listening to his divagations with the thought of dead bodies waiting inside.

"I only took one." He says without emotions.

He's so engrossed in his own story that he doesn't notice all the anger starting to pour out of me. My whole body is shaking and I have a hard time breathing evenly. My heart is slowing down as I wait to attack. I can feel the air stiffen around me, the hair on my arms lifted as I take in my surroundings.

"And lastly." He says in a loud voice, his eyes full of anticipation. "The life of a great warrior." He throws the knife still coated with Jared's blood into the plate.

I snap.

"You crazy man." I growl taking a step towards him.

"Soon you'll all finally obey me." He glares at us cutting his wrist over the tattoo letting his own blood flow down over the different artefacts he gathered, his eyes concentrated on the reaction to come.

But nothing happens.

My whole body shakes as I feel the anger fill my skin. I try to stay calm but even my wolf is pushing its thoughts to the front, asking for revenge, for his life to end. The commotion around us starts to slow down as if all the creatures present here can sense something is about to happen, their attention directed at us. Some were already listening on us before but they didn't move. I know Robert reacted when Xavier mentioned the fangs he probably gathered during the attack of their clan and Marie almost rushed to us when he talked about the bones. But she was fighting three men at the time and couldn't get away. I ignored all of them because I couldn't stay calm if I took in their emotions too.

In a clear voice, resonating in the silence around us I start to talk, my tone acid and of ice.

"There never was a King." I say.

I can see he wants to answer me and contradict me but something in my demeanor is holding him, a frown forming slowly on his features.

"I don't know what you think is in that book but you're wrong." I tell him sharply. "You killed this people for nothing."

I look at him, my vision painted in a bright red now, my canines showing behind my lips when I growl again. The werewolf beside Xavier shudders in fear while his leader cowers involuntarily at the sight. I feel the heat filling my bones, licking my skin in a soothing dance.

"You wanted a monster." I start flames all around me. "Well I'm right here. I announce and see Ogon take flight over us, in a beautiful incandescent fire, his cries echoing over our heads.

I see Xavier breath frantically, his eyes wide open in fear as I approach him.

"I'm bringing you to hell." I declare so low, my words so full of venom that the fighters in a three meter radius all start to tremble in fear, stepping back from me.

I look one last time at the man before finally turning into a wolf. My yellowed fur engulfed in flames. Everything stops. I can feel everyone freeze in despair and fear. I growl and step closer to Xavier bearing my teeth.

"No. That's not possible." Xavier shouts out horrified. "You have to obey me !" He whimpers and my snout curls up in a devious smirk.

I start to burn like a hell fire, everyone's living nightmare. I hear them scream and begin to run all around. With trembling legs the traitor tries to walk away from me. He turns around and runs as fast as he can away from me, fleeing to save his miserable life. I jump in pursuit, stretching my limbs to catch up to him, running at full speed. Ogon is flying low next to me, following the murderer. We reach the edge of the forest and I'm right behind him, hunting him down, letting behind all traces of humanity. In quick and definite paces I lunge forward, my heavy paws hitting his back and making him fall over. He tries to get away from me as the flames burn his back, turning on himself to bring his arms over his face. The phoenix comes land on my shoulder, observing the pitiful man, both our fires feeding the other.

"You can't kill me." He cries desperately.

I bite the air sharply centimeter away from his face in response, the heat now licking his cheek.

"You have to listen to me." He orders weakly and I growl. "Please." He begs.

I claw at his chest, blood gushing out.

"Please, I want to live." He begs for his life.

Pathetic.

'Coward.' My wolf barks.

I lean in and without waiting bite down on his neck, feeling the flesh rip under my teeth as I tear off his head finally making him shut up. I look down at his corps and don't feel anything except for a burning anger. I want more.

I need more.

I turn around and listen to the sounds around me. I concentrate on the unfamiliar scents in the air The majestic bird takes flight again and rushes in the air guiding me to my next victim. I start the hunt, running from one target to the next, tearing their limbs apart, burning their bodies, clawing at their skin, biting at their hearts. It's a massacre. There is blood everywhere, coating the grass and the trees, coating every inch of my fur. There are burnt marks all around. My mouth tastes like copper but I don't care. I hear them try to flee and chase after them, not letting one escape, making sure they know true terror before their last breath, letting them glimpse into hell. That's where they are going.

"Hope." Leila tries to stop me but I just glare at her and keep going. I spotted Arthur on the other side, trying to hide. I'm in front of him in seconds.

"Stay away from me monster !" He demands in a quivering voice.

I claw at his legs, making him fall on his back, blood staining the grass. I tip my head to the side in wonder, silently watching as he loses blood. With unusable feet he starts to crawl away through the sheer force of his arms. I put my heavy paw on his back and push down with a lot of pressure, breaking his spine. He cries out in pain, unable to move anymore. I push at his side so he rolls over and faces me. I want him to see death itself. He closes his eyes, his face quivering as tears run down his cheeks. I bark at him but he refuses to look at me and I growl.

I'm hit on the flank and land a few meters away from my prey. I stand up ready to kill anyone that interrupted me when I'm faced with a white wolf. I let the flames disappear from my fur. However he's standing between me and my next victim and I growl at him. I see two black wolves and a dark gray one surrounding me but I'm not scared. They can't kill me.

No one can.

If I have to I'll kill them too.

'More blood.' My wolf demands and I'm more than happy to oblige.

I trot ahead to bypass Nate and the Grey wolf who I know is Ellie lunges at me. I move out of her way and bite at the back of her neck harshly using all my strength to throw her into the trunk of a tree. She crashes into it breaking it in two and lays unconscious. The two black wolves I now recognize as Talia and Isanov stop in their tracks and don't come closer as Ogon lands between us, protecting me with his tall burning frame and I go back to Arthur. I saw him start to heal and try to escape. I bring my paw to his rib cage and push it down to break his bones, smashing his lungs. He starts to cough blood and glares at me, the last shred of hope gone.