Bee sat stiffly in the dimly lit room, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on Nze's icy cheek. The air felt oppressive, filled with the quiet weight of her guilt. She didn't cry—she hadn't allowed herself to in days—but her throat ached with the kind of sadness that sat heavy and immovable. Beside her, Nze's lifeless body was a solemn reminder of everything she had done and everything she had lost.

She hated herself for it. For the deceit, for the betrayal, for luring Iza to what could very well be her death. But it wasn't about hating herself anymore. It was about getting results. What was one more sacrifice to bring Nze back? she told herself, the words ringing hollow even as she thought them. Bee leaned closer, brushing the back of her hand against his stiffened jawline.

He was so cold now. So still. Soon, if Nyamekye didn't deliver on her promises, the decay would begin. The stench would set in. Bee couldn't bear the thought of it, couldn't bear the image of him any more broken than he already was. Her jaw clenched, her mind racing. She needed a backup plan, something—anything—just in case Nyamekye and her coven turned on her. Betrayal wasn't exactly out of character for werebeasts and witches.

As she sat there, pondering the impossible, a sound pierced through her thoughts. It started faint, almost muffled, like a disturbance in the distance. Bee frowned, rising from her perch on the floor. She pressed her ear to the thin door, straining to make sense of the noise.

Shouts. Snarls. Claws scraping against stone.

She bolted upright. The jaguars. They were Nyamekye's prized guards, deadly and untouchable. Nothing should be able to disrupt them. But outside, the unmistakable sound of chaos was swelling—a cacophony of growls, snarls, and yelps that sent a chill down her spine.

Bee cracked open the door, just enough to peer out into the murky forest neighbourhood . Shadows flickered against the trees as the fight spilled into view.

Cougars.

A wave of them—sleek and feral, their amber eyes glinting with purpose—tore into the jaguars with terrifying efficiency. The air was alive with the brutal sounds of fur against fur, claws against flesh. Bee swallowed hard. Nyamekye had enemies, sure, but this? This was a massacre.

The jaguars, once majestic and invincible, were now buckling under the relentless onslaught. For the first time, Bee saw the cracks in Nyamekye's empire. And it terrified her.

She ducked back into the room, her heart pounding. "No, no, no," she muttered to herself. This wasn't part of the plan. She needed time—time to think, time to move Nze somewhere safe. But her instincts told her there wasn't much of it left.

The sound of heavy footfalls up the stairs of her tree pulled her back into the moment. She pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath. Someone was coming. A shadow passed by the door, and for a fleeting moment, she thought it might be Nyamekye. But then she saw her.

Naomi.

Nze's aunt.

Bee froze, her blood running cold. Behind her, a cougar followed.

Bee's heart sank. They must have tracked Nze here, pieced together the breadcrumbs she didn't remember leaving. And now, here they were, crashing into her carefully orchestrated chaos like a thunderstorm she hadn't seen coming.

Naomi's eyes scanned the corridor, sharp and predatory. Bee shrank further back, pressing herself into the shadows. She couldn't let them find Nze. Not yet. Not while he was still so... vulnerable.

The sounds of the battle outside grew louder, closer, as the cougars and jaguars spilled into the corridors. Naomi barely flinched as a jaguar lunged at her from the shadows. She sidestepped gracefully, driving her blade into its side with a practiced ease that made Bee's stomach churn.

Naomi paused just outside the door, her hand hovering over the handle. Bee's breath caught in her throat. If Naomi opened that door, it was over.

But the handle didn't turn. Instead, Naomi tilted her head, listening to something Bee couldn't hear. Then, with a sharp motion, she signaled to her group to move forward, deeper into the labyrinth of the factory.

Bee exhaled shakily, her fingers trembling against the wall. She had bought herself a few more minutes. But she knew, deep down, that it wouldn't be enough.

She glanced back at Nze's body, her chest tightening. If Nyamekye didn't return soon, if she didn't make good on her promises... Bee didn't want to think about what would happen next.

But as the sound of Naomi's retreating footsteps faded, a single thought clawed its way to the forefront of her mind.

This wasn't over. Not by a long shot. And if Naomi thought she could take Nze away from her, she had another thing coming.

Bee felt the shift ripple through her body, a sensation like liquid fire burning under her skin. Her muscles tightened, her bones elongated, and in a heartbeat, she was no longer herself. The leopard—a sleek, gold-and-black phantom—emerged in her place, silent and furious. She crouched low, easing Nze's lifeless body onto her back with surprising tenderness for something so feral. His weight pressed into her spine, but she didn't flinch. There wasn't time for pain, only movement.

With a single powerful leap, she burst through the cracked window into the misty woods, her paws landing silently on the damp forest floor. The mist swirled around her like a shroud, obscuring everything except the relentless rhythm of her own heartbeat. Every step jolted Nze's body slightly, but she adjusted instinctively, her focus razor-sharp.

Behind her, Naomi's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Eli, wait!"

Bee didn't stop to look back, but she heard the heavy thud of paws against the wooden floor, followed by the unmistakable sound of someone diving out of the window. She snarled under her breath. Naomi. Always the savior. Even now, she was willing to throw herself into the unknown for Nze, like Bee wasn't trying to save him too.

Bee pushed harder, dodging low-hanging branches and narrowly avoiding jagged splinters that sliced through the mist. The forest was hers—every tree, every winding path, every hidden thicket. She had spent her life navigating its secrets, and now it would serve her again.

But Eli was faster. She could hear him, his cougar form tearing through the underbrush with relentless precision. His pace matched hers, stride for stride, the only difference being that he wasn't carrying the dead weight of the man they were both desperate to save.

Bee glanced back, a mistake. For a split second, she saw him—Eli, his cougar form massive and sleek, his eyes burning with predatory focus. That split second cost her. A low branch lashed against her shoulder, and Nze's body slipped slightly to the side. Bee growled, adjusting him as best she could without stopping. She wouldn't lose him. Not to Eli, not to Naomi, not to anyone.

The forest opened abruptly, spilling her out onto a tarred main road. The blinding glare of headlights struck her mid-leap.

The truck's horn blasted through the mist, deafening and panicked. It swerved violently, tires screeching against asphalt as the driver tried to avoid her. The massive vehicle veered too far, tilting dangerously before capsizing with a thunderous crash.

Bee froze for half a second, her chest heaving, her instincts screaming at her to move. The truck groaned under its own weight, the smell of gasoline filling the air. She turned sharply, bolting down the road just as Eli burst out of the woods behind her.

The cougar leaped effortlessly over the wreckage, his movements precise and terrifying. For the first time, Bee felt the heat of panic rising in her chest. He was too close. She pushed herself harder, her claws scraping against the smooth surface of the road.

But Eli had caught her scent. And now, worse, he had her in his sights.

The chase stretched down the empty road, the mist swallowing everything but the pounding of her paws against the ground and the heavy thud of Eli's pursuit. But ahead of her, shadows emerged—more cougars, their eyes glinting like amber fire.

Bee slowed, her options narrowing. She stopped abruptly, panting as Nze's body slumped across her back. Eli slowed too, his cougar form dissolving in a ripple of muscles and bones. In seconds, he stood before her, both human once again. Naked, scarred, and ropey-muscled, he was a sight that would have been imposing under any other circumstances. Now, with the mist clinging to his skin and his veins pulsing with anger, he was terrifying.

"You!" Eli said, his voice low and rough, like gravel scraping against steel. "What happened to him?"

Bee's breath hitched. She couldn't say it. Couldn't let the words escape her mouth. That it was her brother who had done this. That she had betrayed her own blood to try to fix it. The silence stretched unbearably.

Eli's jaw tightened, his sharp eyes boring into her. He didn't wait for an explanation. "I'll take it from here."

Bee shook her head, stepping back instinctively. "No." Her voice was a whisper, her leopard instincts bristling against his human authority. "I—he's mine to save."

Eli took one deliberate step forward, his gaze pinning her in place. His scars seemed to glow in the misty light, each one a story of violence and survival. Bee felt her defiance crumble under the weight of that look. It wasn't anger; it was command.

Behind them, Naomi emerged, her habit torn and mud-streaked, but her face was sharp with focus. She spotted Nze's body instantly, and her knees buckled.

"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. She stumbled forward, collapsing beside him. Her hands trembled as she touched his face, her tears falling onto his cold skin. "No, no, no..."

Bee stood frozen as Naomi's grief filled the air. Eli ground his teeth, his jaw clenched tight enough to shatter. His anger simmered just beneath the surface, restrained but barely.

Eli stood motionless, his fists clenched at his sides. "And why is that, Naomi?" he growled. "Why is he dead while she gets to walk away?"

Naomi turned sharply, her grief momentarily overtaken by steel. "Do you think I don't know that?" she snapped, her voice rising. "Do you think this doesn't kill me too?"

Her eyes flicked to Bee, and for a moment, her expression softened. "But revenge won't bring him back, Eli. You of all people should know that."

Eli's shoulders sagged, his anger deflating as he glanced at Bee. "What now?" he asked, his voice raw.

Naomi ripped a strip from her torn habit, her hands steady despite the trembling of her lips. She stepped toward Bee, her expression unreadable. When the fabric wrapped around Bee's shoulders, it wasn't a gesture of comfort—it was a branding, a silent declaration of responsibility.

Bee stiffened under the weight of Naomi's actions, unsure whether it was forgiveness or condemnation.

"Now, we bury our dead," she said, her tone cold. "And then we decide what justice looks like."

Naomi turned to Bee. "You will carry this," she said quietly, her voice breaking as she turned back to Nze. "You will carry him in your conscience and every choice you made to bring us here."

Naomi didn't look at Bee again, her grief consuming her as she knelt by Nze's side.

The cougars surrounded them, silent and unmoving. No one spoke. No one dared.

Eli bent down to lift Nze's body, his hands shaking despite his outward composure. He straightened, cradling the lifeless form with a reverence that made Bee's chest ache. Then he turned to her, his voice low but sharp as a blade.

"You don't get to save him," he said, the words cutting through the mist. "You don't get to pretend this is about him. You did this. All of it."

Bee flinched, the accusation landing squarely where her guilt already festered. She opened her mouth to argue, but Eli's glare silenced her.

"No excuses," he snapped. "You'll answer for this. But not here. Not now."

He was grieving, too, in his own restrained, quiet way. Without a word, he turned and began walking toward the Nduka home, the cougars falling into step behind him.

Bee lingered for a moment, watching them disappear into the mist. Her body ached, her mind racing. This wasn't the end. It couldn't be.

But for now, she followed.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚

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