It was easier to make my way through the forest since it would have taken me twice as long if I returned to the pack through the town. My mind reeled with how much damage was done to Carmel. The fire would have consumed parts of the shops; with many repairs were needed immediately.

Then there were the fallen that would have to be taken care of. I couldn’t imagine how many humans didn’t get out in time before the fight broke out. The painful, frightened, helpless screams echoed in my mind, making me squeeze my eyes shut for a second and let out a long breath.

Swallowing, I lifted my head when I was passing the treeline of the forest and someone called my name. Seeing Iota coming towards me, with Vicky close behind her, I sighed, shoulders slumped and lowered my gaze as they approached.

Iota slowed a few steps from me and I noticed her gray eyes looking me over. I didn’t have to look down to see the amount of blood covering me. Vicky stopped short when she, too, looked at me and her brows furrowed while swallowing down hard.

Her eyes lifted to mine and I just stared back. From the way Vicky’s lip trembled a little, she knew her eldest sister was gone. Her shoulders sulked and dropped her gaze to the ground while I turned to Iota with a stoic stare. As much as I felt sorry for her and Vicky about their loss of another family member… I was not sorry that I killed Madilynn. It was inevitable.

The willowy silver-blonde frowned a little, taking a few seconds to hold herself together. “It’s— it’s done…?” was all she asked, her gray eyes that she had shared with her manic sister, were tearing up.

I stared a bit longer than necessary, then nodded.

Vicky stepped back, taking in a short breath and Iota squeezed her eyes shut. She lowered her head, shaking it and mumbled indirectly to her sister about why she couldn’t let Iota save her. She wrapped her arms around herself, sucking in a breath.

After a moment, Iota looked at me and sniffled that she and Vicky understood my decision in killing their sister. With everything that she’d done, Madilynn had to be taken care of. There was no room for discussion. Not by any means.

Iota glanced at Vicky who sniffled through her frown, asking, “Was—was it quick?”

I shifted my gaze back to Iota who seemed to read me quite clearly.

Madilynn was a fast runner. I’d give her that. Fear does that though. It gives you that small burst to your adrenaline to run faster. And the she-wolf had every right to be fearful because of one thing: I was coming for her.

Her scent still drifted in the air, but it was enough to know that she was close. Mm. Guess she’s not that fast.

Speeding in the direction of where I could smell her, it wasn’t until my feet started crunching the leaves underneath them that her scent started picking up more. With my honed hearing, and in between the creek’s blubbering water against the rocks, I could hear the she-wolf’s fearful panting up ahead.

My wolf eyes brightened as my lip curled in anticipation. With my vision straight forward, I ran past the trees, dodging around those that were grown too close to the other. There was no other movement other than the flash of the blonde hair running to the left.

Growling under my breath, I sped in the same direction. I had to leap over a large, moss-covered log and let my feet thud to floor before speeding off again.

Again, I listened for Madilynn’s panting, and I chuckled, calling out, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

With the taunt, I heard her breathing pick up with a sob or two. Her panic would have been something I’d taken into consideration to show mercy, but she fucked with the wrong she-wolf; awakening the beast inside. She had it long coming.

I heard a snapping of a twig that she stepped on, but then there was a gasping cry before a heavy weight hit the floor. Grinning, I knew that Madilynn wasn’t paying attention—probably too busy looking over her shoulder—and tripped over an uprooted tree.

My footfalls slowed once the she-wolf was in sight. Madilynn was whimpering, crying out for someone to help her while holding a stretched out hand to her leg. I noticed how it was a twisted ankle. She made this too easy to catch her.

Her fingers from her other hand dug into the leafy earth, using as much strength as she could to drag her whole body. Between panicked pants and whimpering cries, Madilynn painted a pretty picture of someone so feeble.

I stood a few feet from her, lowering my chin as my eyes returned back to normal. In my stare, I continued to watch her struggle. She hadn’t seen me yet.

“What’s the matter, Madilynn…?”

The she-wolf yelped, startled as she was looking wide-eyed over her shoulder. Madilynn turned away and tried to crawl again. She moved at the same pace as before.

Ignoring her whimpers, I circled around her; observing what she left me to work with. I settled on standing in front of her and she began to tremble, refusing to look up at me. It was quite a drastic change from how she carried herself before. I remembered how confident she was in her leadership, how unforgiving she was to everyone.

I knelt down, turning my head to the side. “You’re not frightened, are you?”

Madilynn’s body trembled more as I taunted her that she had no reason to be so afraid. That as a leader who was so hell-bent on being vicious, the she-wolf should have seen this coming. That it was inevitable I was going to be the one coming after her after everything she’d done.

My mind reeled back to the state park when I heard all those humans being shred of their flesh. All those families… children. Madilynn had no regards to what kind of repercussions we, Werewolves, would all face with that massacre. It wouldn’t surprise me if we slipped back to the olden days and were segregated and hunted down again.

Another reason for me to kill this she-wolf. For making us Weres look bad.

I straightened when she didn’t answer and I walked to where the twisted ankle was. Bending, I gripped tightly to it making Madilynn cry out and she panicked out a shriek for me not to touch her. But I squeezed tighter until turning the sprained ankle into a snapped one.

Her shrill scream echoed into the forest.

I dropped her leg, watching as she cried, grit her teeth and pressed a hand to her thigh. I growled at her that I could be the kind soul people knew me as and end her suffering right here and now. I told her how quick I could make her death.

Madilynn swallowed, her chest heaving up and down while staring up at me. She shook her head, pleading for me to stop, to let her live. She promised she’d run away and never come back. That I’d never hear from her again.

I felt the corners of my lips tug up in amusement.

“Yes… you’re right. I won’t hear from you again after tonight… When I kill you.”

The she-wolf tilted her head back, sobbing out a plea to show her mercy.

“Mercy, she says…” I nodded to the side, pacing casually around her. “Like you showed mercy to the humans at the state park…? To the countless children visiting for the day… leaving their parents childless!”

I sneered, shaking my head as I paced around her again.

“Just like you showed mercy on my sister and her mate…? On an innocent eight year old boy?”

My growl rumbled through my grit teeth while standing back where her feet were again.

“Just like you showed Iota?!” Shaking my head, I grinned, “No… No, you don’t deserve mercy, Madilynn. People like you never do. And that’s why I am going to make sure you never leave here.”

The she-wolf cried out, trying to scramble away when I was reaching for her other leg. I snapped her foot upward. She let out another anguished cry, twisting herself onto her side.

“Stop it!” she cried. “Stooooop!”

Raising a brow, I tilted my head to the side. “Oh… I will. When I’m good and ready.”

My scowl came with a growl as I bent to claw down from her shoulder. Madilynn’s body bent forward, screaming while I left long claw marks down her back in various directions. My fingers went to the middle of her spine, ripping into her flesh and watching the blood dribble out.

Hovering over her, I bent my head beside hers and gripped the back of her hair in my hand. The tears streaming down Madilynn’s face or her pleas had no effect on me.

“Tell me, Madilynn…” I teased in the mocking way she did to me. “Do you suppose I should tear your throat out here? Watch you bleed out? Or should I shift and rip you apart like you’ve done to so many?”

I watched her gasp through her crying and I reeled in my lips to watch the way she looked so fragile at this moment.

Sniffing, I released her and stood up. “What…? Nothing to say now?”

I glanced down at my hands that were bloody all over again. Her blood soaking over the dried blood on my skin. My attention was given back to the she-wolf when she decided that with her remaining time, Madilynn would try to have the last say.

Madilynn grunted, panting heavily as she lifted her gaze and narrowed her eyes. She did her best to not seem in pain, and she growled out that I may have the upper hand now, but I would meet my match soon.

Lowering a brow, I patiently listened as she grinned through a wince, knowing she had my attention.

“He’s going to kill you…” Madilynn grinned. “He’s going to be the one the Darkness wins over. And once it does… You’ll never be able to save him. You’ll just be another reason to let the Darkness consume him.” Madilynn chuckled, “Nothing will be able to save him.”

My brows furrowed at her words, staring at her sneer, “Prepare yourself, Quail Wolf…” She winced, taking a moment to close her eyes at her pain then returned her glare to me. “This is only the beginning. And if it’s not me... it’ll just be someone else! And when he accepts the Darkness… it’ll be your end.”

Squinting my eyes, I growled that she had enough talking. Her eyes returned to panic when I went over and swiped my curled fingers across her face.

Madilynn screamed, her head turned to the other side when I swung my arm to claw her face again. Only until I couldn’t recognize a face underneath the bloody mess, did I stop clawing at her. She was sputtering, her chest heaving in spasms while I shifted to my wolf.

Without warning, I lunged forward and dug my jaws into her neck before tearing it out. I backed up slowly, growling low while the she-wolf was gurgling and her spasms became longer in between. When she finally stilled, I shifted back to my human form. I stood there, frowning at her mangled body and felt such relief lift.

With one final look at Madilynn’s lifeless body, I turned away towards the direction of the pack grounds. And I didn’t look back.