HAPPY DEEPAVALI :D

Let the festival of light bring peace, love, happiness and success to one and all :D

Firstly, I am really very sorry for vanishing but it was mostly due to work-related issues. I got transferred to a far-off place, where I didn't want to go and was very upset about it for weeks. It took me time to come to terms with it!

This kept me away from Wattpad and I know I said I wouldn't vanish like that but I was in a very filthy mood for weeks. I had read your messages but I was too angry and spiteful at my superiors to give a proper reply and anything I said would have been like spreading hate, which would have only made things worse. Don't hate the job, just hated the unfairness of the situation and the fact that I became a victim of office politics.

REALLY VERY SORRY but I thought it was best to stay away instead of spreading poison. Anything I would have written would have been toxic too because honestly, I am the type who hates it when things don't go my way.

I didn't really manage to write much and so I decided to get back when I am ready with at least 2 chapters. Thank you for not giving up on me and constantly checking up on me. I wanted to come back on Independence day but the update wasn't ready, so logged out that day and logged in just today evening only to be overwhelmed by all your messages. Sorry again for disappointing and just vanishing ☹ :'(

Anyway, here's chapter 35 and it is dedicated to @gaargee :)

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HATE IS TOXIC:

I wanted to talk about this last year when there was only hate online but I think now is a good time too. I am of the belief that if you can't say something good, then it's wise to shut up. Even it's the truth and it's a bitter pill, I am of the type who would rather not say it than hurt others feelings. It's not the right thing to do and I am learning to change.

Hate is very strong and easier to spread these days with the help of social media. I think we all know how damaging it is but the worst thing is that it will eat you up from the inside, whether that hate may be inward or outward. Buddha, without doubt, is the best teacher when it comes to letting go of all the hate. His quotes alone are enough to make us rethink the situation.

If you see hate being spread in social media, without hesitation, press that report button instead of sharing it further. Or just stop watching, stop reading. Confront the person spreading the hate. If they are too toxic, report them or let it be known to them what they are doing. We don't need to start a fight; we just need to have a way with our words. I am sure we have all read that message about those 2 wolves. It is wise to stop feeding the evil one. It is not easy to forgive but it is even harder to keep that burden inside you. It drains you of life.

Spread positivity, spread joy because most people in this world do just that!

___

"We bury things so deep we no longer remember there was anything to bury. Our bodies remember. Our neurotic states remember. But we don't."
― Jeanette Winterson.

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CHAPTER 35 - LIBERI

To the east of the palace building, lay Lustitia Landing, a place built with cobblestone pavement and four tall stone columns that had stood dauntingly for decades. On one end of the pavement, several steps rose to lead to a stage built under the stone archway, where King Saint Winthrop, sat ominously quiet, while surrounded by his guards and parents.

The crowd had already assembled to witness the trial of Alpha Joshua Croft and his mate Ludmila Croft, who was charged with treason, murder and kidnapping amongst many other things.

From his vantage point, through the window of an under-construction building, Ajax noticed the crowd with renewed interest for some of them were not wolves.

He had always known it was essential for him to stay on the good side of Stanislaus because the old geezer had friends in dangerous places and last night, he had got first-hand proof of that!

Liberi.

Long considered to be erased from the planet were still alive but in hiding. Inhuman. Volatile and dangerous. That's how Ajax would describe them because when he glanced at their blood-red eyes, he found no life in them. They multiplied quicker than werewolves did and hence, almost twenty such creatures were present in the venue today and their target was everyone who tried to kill Saint.

Ajax had no idea how Stanislaus contacted them or where they came from, but he knew these creatures were a tough match for Lysander, Ash and their little armies.

A sudden silence fell over, killing the annoying chattering of the crowd and Ajax smirked when Alpha Joshua Croft and his mate, were brought forward. While Joshua walked with his head held high, unapologetic of his treachery, his mate had her head bent low and was weeping in silence. Ajax was sure the woman had been crying continuously for almost a week now!

The crowd spat filthy words and threw eggs at them and Ajax smirked because those men were specifically paid by him, on Stanislaus's orders, to be extra insulting and induce more hatred from the crowd towards the Alpha couple. The plan worked because several pack wolves in the crowd booed and tried to physically abuse the couple.

Crossing his arms across his chest, Ajax scanned the crowd, looking for something amiss. Lysander would definitely come here today and so would some of his men but the advantage Stanislaus had over them was that everyone expected the trial to begin at six, which was two more hours away.

He frowned at whoever wore hats or sunglasses because he knew they were disguise tools.

'Trey, your five o'clock. There's a suspicious man wearing a red colour hat' Ajax alerted one of his pack members through the link.

'He is the Hound's friend, Miki. I have my eyes on him' Trey replied and Ajax frowned. Why was Xanthos's friend here? How did they know the trial would start at four? The change was publicly made known just half an hour ago, which meant less crowd than anticipated.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled out his phone and dialled Mandy, one of his contacts from the Nest. "Is Xanthos around?"

"No. The Hound left early morning... I think around ten. A taxi had come to pick him up" the she-wolf replied calmly.

"A taxi" Ajax hissed. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know. You didn't pay me to follow him" she reminded smugly and Ajax gritted his teeth.

"Five thousand bucks for the location."

"It headed towards the airport road" she finished with a cackle and Ajax frowned. Why would Xanthos go to the airport? What work did he have there, when his friends were here?

"What about his friends?"

"They left after lunch in another taxi. Gunner's loft is vacant now. Should we barge in?" she asked excitedly.

"What about the girl?"

"I didn't see her leaving," Mandy said carelessly.

"If she is in the house, capture her. If she is not, inform me immediately. Use rusted iron for your own protection" Ajax advised and cut the call.

As he pocketed his phone, he sensed footsteps and moving towards the stairs, he looked down. No one was in there, but he couldn't help the feeling that someone had entered the building.

'Raul' he called a pack wolf who was assigned to guard this building along with, 'Beau.'

When no reply came from either of them, Ajax simply shook his head and moved towards the window. Removing his jacket, he placed them on the wooden planks scattered on one corner of the wall and watched Stanislaus judging Joshua and his wife as a traitor. In his own calculative way, the old geezer asked them as well as the crowd to prove their innocence.

As the footsteps approached closer and closer, Ajax twisted his neck and brought his wolf to the forefront. As he slammed his hands on the window sill, his claws appeared and he scuffed them over the cemented sill, the emerging sound, a warning to his attacker.

The sounds of stone crunching under the boots made Ajax growl loudly.

"Oops! My bad" his attacker said apologetically and baring his fangs, Ajax turned to look at Lachlan Knox, who was standing at the top of the stairs with hands raised in surrender and a shark-like grin, looking anything but apologetic.

Ajax did not know much about Ash's bodyguard, but he had heard things about Lachlan that had made him one of the dangerous wolves in this part of the island. Ajax's wolf relished being the one who would tear the wolf apart and send his bones as a gift to Ash.

"This seems like a déjà vu," Lachlan said pointing his fingers around as Ajax repeatedly pushed back his wolf. "Just a couple of months ago, I was assigned a similar job to lure a rat into the trap" he grinned and Ajax snarled because he knew where Lachlan was going with this dialogue.

"You guessed it right" the rogue grinned, "I am talking about your brother, Alex. I was the one who had kidnapped him so that Ash could chop his dick off and post the picture to you."

Ajax did not hesitate. He lunged at Lachlan who cleverly sidestepped him by jumping down the stairs which had no handrail. Snarling, Ajax went after the mutt responsible for his brother's death.

Wrapping his arm around Lachlan's neck, he attempted to choke him from behind, but Lachlan shoved them towards the wall, elbowed him in the stomach and loosening the hold around his neck, flipped around and kicked Ajax in the stomach so that he fell off the stairs and onto the landing below.

Getting on his feet, Ajax bared his fangs and as Lachlan rushed ahead, he attacked at the same time and they both fell down the stairs. When they came across another landing, they stood up quickly and threw a couple of punches at each other and Lachlan slammed Ajax against the wall and attempted to throw him out of the window at the landing.

Overpowering Lachlan with a swift manoeuvre, by attacking him in the face, Ajax then proceeded to kick Lachlan in the chest so that he rolled down the stairs and fell onto the paint buckets and toolboxes kept at another landing. Before he could rise up again, Ajax grabbed him up and then threw him from another set of stairs and Lachlan dropped against the wall with a groan.

"I am going to enjoy sending you to Ash with a gift wrap" Ajax breathed out, as he descended downstairs, his claws fully out and ready to tear out Lachlan's heart from his chest.

"I wasn't the one who was supposed to attract attention" Lachlan panted and made a point of checking his wristwatch. Ajax paused midway and looked at him suspiciously. Did the guy purposely take a couple of beatings to distract him?

"She was" Lachlan grinned, pointing his thumb towards the window and at the same time, Ajax heard the sounds of glass shattering. As he looked, he saw Eric, one of his pack wolves, being kicked out of the window of a nearby building by Skyla Vallone, who had also stabbed an axe to his head.

Eric's scream had attracted attention and everyone looked at Skyla who stood snarling at the ledge, with several cuts and scratches on her coffee-coloured skin and golden eyes that blazed with fury.

There was a low deep booming sound, followed by screams that had his wolf jumping inside him, unused to such a loud sound. As Ajax hurried towards the window, he noticed that the stone arc above the stage where Stanislaus and his family had been seated was now in rubbles after being demolished in the explosion. The stones kept pelting the ground with thumps as dust and smoke engulfed the stage.

Shocked and scared, the crowd scattered noisily, away from the destruction. He watched Minerva break open the chains around Joshua and his mate, while Lysander and Gideon fought off anyone approaching them.

'Take the king and his family to safety' Ajax commanded through the link when he noticed Gideon and Lysander in between the crowd, but then something purple glowed at one end.

Using the distraction to her advantage, she rose up immediately into the air with wings spread wide and flew towards the stage, where Stanislaus and his wife were being helped by his pack wolves.

Her target was Saint, who was being helped by Xanthos's friends. Throwing away the rubbles, they helped him stand up, while he coughed uncomfortably.

Cyane attacked him by wrapping her fingers around his throat and slamming him against one of the stone columns. In a simultaneous moment, one of the Liberi rushed to attack her but she was shoved out of the way by Saint who then proceeded to kick the Liberi in the chest.

Ajax was stunned, for a second, at Saint's behaviour, until he saw that it was not Saint, but someone else who had disguised himself as Saint. A fae with golden wings.

He held Cyane's hand and raised her up into the sky where they then proceeded to hug.

"So, she is with you too?" Ajax snarled and turned his head, only to see that Lachlan was nowhere.

He looked through the stairways and noticed that the guy was already downstairs.

"Follow me, if you wish to meet your death" Lachlan grinned and with a thunderous growl, Ajax chased after him.

Near the entrance of the building, a black SUV came to an abrupt halt and Lachlan jumped into it. When Ajax reached the entrance, he noticed the bodies of Raul and Beau. Ripping open the front door of his car, he got in, turned on the engine and kicked the accelerator to follow the black SUV.

They had kidnapped Saint and Ajax knew if he followed Lachlan, he would find the brat as well as Acheron Zeke.

Through the link, he commanded some ten men to join him because he refused to be outnumbered when fighting with Lachlan and Acheron.

•••

Things never go according to plan where she was concerned. Cyane knew she should have realized that by now but even then, she was shocked to see a man being thrown out of the window, by Skyla Vallone, with an axe jabbed to his head.

His body dropped to the ground with a thud, the sound of which was completely swallowed by the collective gasp from the crowd.

Miki's plan was simple. There would be a distraction. Something huge, which Brody, who was a sniper carefully hidden in one of the buildings, would create by randomly shooting one of Saint's bodyguard and in the commotion, Cyane would attack Saint and take him out of here, towards nearby temple ruins, while Xan's friends would make sure no one follows her.

She had morphed into an appearance of one of the wolves from the Nest and arrived at Lustitia Landing, with them, in their van. That particular group of wolves had been assigned the task of hurling abuses at Alpha Joshua and his wife and throwing things at them.

Cyane had been disgusted to find that they were being paid to do the same by Stanislaus. The man would sink to any level to get his dirty deeds done. While being in the van with the rogues, she had also got to know of the change in time and had secretly updated Xanthos about it.

It had been very difficult for her to stay silent while Gideon's parents were being unfairly abused and judged by Stanislaus. There was an unashamed hidden glee in the old man's eyes as he conducted the trial, craftily accusing and trapping the alpha couple for various crimes and manipulating the crowd against them. She realized then that this was what he had done with her in the court. He was classic, she would give him that!

"Let my parents go!"

Cyane straightened when she heard Gideon's voice from the crowd and turned, just in time to see him rush forward with Minerva and closely following behind them were Lysander and... Bardo.

Barely recovering from the shock of watching a man being kicked out of a window, Gideon alive and unhurt and Bardo in Aelius, Cyane as well as the crowd were in for another shock when they heard a loud bang coming from the stage.

Trembling, Cyane immediately crouched down like the rest of the people, covering her ears with her arms. When people began running, Cyane was pushed back to the ground but she got up quickly.

"Hurry, we have to take the king and his family to safety" one of the wolves beside her snapped at her because she was still in another appearance.

Someone, Cyane guessed Acheron, had planted a bomb on the stone arc above the stage and the blast had the stones fall apart and drop on the stage. The palace guards rushed to help Stanislaus and his wife, while Miki and Grayson rushed to pick up Saint.

When she saw them shoving the debris aside, Cyane knew this was her chance. So, what if things went a little haywire. Her end goal was to kill Saint and she would do just that.

"Save my son. Save your king" Stanislaus coughed, when he was being escorted away.

Returning to her true self, Cyane released her wings and rose up in the air. Miki and Grayson, helped Saint stand up and in a simultaneous moment, Cyane dived towards the stage, grabbed Saint's neck and shoved him against one of the giant pillars.

"Do it, Cyane" Miki encouraged from behind.

Gasping, Saint opened his eyes and when they met hers, they shone bright gold. Cyane could recognize that eyes from anywhere.

"Ari" she whispered, stunned to see him here. She knew her family would eventually catch up to her, but she thought she had time....

When she loosened her hold around his neck, Ari's eyes hardened and holding her arm, he dragged her up into the air, while at the same time kicking an attacker in the chest.

"Ari" Cyane whispered at a loss of words. Why was he posing as Saint? If he was here, then where was Saint?

When she got a good look at him after he reverted to himself, speechless, she simply stared at him.

"Cyane" he breathed out and immediately she jumped to hug him, while he wrapped both his arms around her waist. "We missed you, Cookie" he whispered and tears welled up in her eyes.

"There's a stream nearby; follow it to a shed. Saint is there with the warriors" Ari quickly briefed her in their mother tongue and pulled back to stare at her. "They won't interfere" he guaranteed her as he shoved a phone into her pocket and hugging her once more, kissed her temples.

"But you... who attacked me?" Cyane demanded looking down from the sky because she recalled that someone tried to attack her from the back, but Ari had kicked that person, very hard.

Holding her chin, Ari forced her to look at him, "I will handle everything. Go" Ari assured and then turned her to her right and shoved her in the direction.

"Min... Lysander" Cyane whispered, still confused.

"Through Lysander, we found out where you were. I know him and I will protect them. Go" he urged and then Cyane flew away, trying her best to ignore the screams, shouts, growls and tears coming from the crowd below.

Ari was here and he was one of the best fighters in the kingdom. Second to Ronnie and Cyane trusted him but as she looked down at the crowd, she realized he was vastly outnumbered here. He was safe as long as he was in the air but he still needed help.

When she followed the stream and reached a maroon painted shed, fifteen minutes later, she immediately lowered herself to the ground.

Mathieu and Andreos, Ari's friends since childhood and dark wing's warriors were there along with two other men. When they sensed her presence, they immediately stepped back and lowered their heads to greet her. She smiled at them, grateful to see him, while they glanced at her with concern written all over their faces and it made Cyane grimace because even now they thought she was vulnerable and incapable of doing things on her own.

By kidnapping Saint for her they just asserted that even though she knew they meant well!

An unconscious Saint was tied to a chair with chains and tape covering his mouth. It reminded Cyane of the time, she had been tied to a chair a couple of months ago. Back then, she had been in that position because of him and now, the roles had reversed.

Taking her eyes off Saint, she glanced at Mathieu, "Ari is alone and outnumbered. Please go and help him."

"He told us not to leave you alone" Mathieu replied with an apologetic smile.

"You can leave with Andreos while the other can stay here" Cyane offered. Mathieu and Andreos glanced at each other and after coming to a silent, mutual agreement nodded at her.

"Stay close to her and the moment he tries to act smart, kill him. Protecting the princess is your priority" Mathieu told the other two warriors, pointing at Saint and they nodded immediately. Cyane closed her eyes in pain because that's exactly what she didn't want them to do.

Why couldn't people trust her to do something by herself?

After Mathieu and Andreos flew away, Cyane glanced at the other two warriors who introduced themselves as Paris and Topher. She had seen them but hadn't got to know them before.

"How long until he wakes up?" Cyane asked, staring at Saint who seemed unhurt and she was pleased to see that because it meant that when he woke up, she could challenge him for a fight without fear of him being too weak to fight.

"Ten to fifteen minutes tops" Topher shrugged. "He cannot communicate with his family because we used silver here" he pointed at a circle drawn around Saint's chair.

"Sweep it off" Cyane commanded and Topher and Paris stared at her in astonishment. "Silver harms me too" she added, glancing at them and they paled. While Paris stepped forward, Topher held his arms to stop him. "I wasn't asking" Cyane amended, amethyst eyes stern and demanding.

Topher immediately let go of Paris, who then swept the silver sulphide off with his boots.

Cyane sighed and looked at her surroundings through the window. Xan had planned for her to bring Saint near old temple ruins and now, she was in a completely different place.

She pulled out the button from her shorts pocket and gently rubbed her thumb over it. The tracking device would let him know where she was and she hoped he would come to her soon. He had said he was heading towards the airport to create a distraction to the wolves of the Nest but he wouldn't explain. Miki then told her that some wolves of the Nest were monitoring their movements and reporting to the King, which is why Xanthos had to change course.

When she heard a faint scream like sound, Cyane immediately stiffened. Turning towards the door, she stared at the forest around her wondering which direction the sound came from. The wolves had seen her today and it would be obvious a few would try to follow in the direction she flew away to look for their king.

"Is something wrong?" Paris asked her in Greek.

"Guard the door. Make sure no one comes to save him" Cyane directed him and then glared at Saint. She knew he would break the chains once he was up and attack her.

There was no way Xanthos or his friends would come here anytime soon and she didn't want to wait for them. The wait for Saint to wake up was killing her and so, she picked up a bottle from the window sill, undid the cap and threw the water at Saint's face.

Groaning, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times before zooming in on her. Once the recognition hit, a feral growl escaped from his chest and his green eyes turned dark.

Topher and Paris flanked protectively on either side of her, ready to attack him.

"You bitch" Saint spat. "I knew it was you."

Cyane raised a questioning brow and glanced at Topher.

"You are going to regret this" Saint swore as he struggled against the chains.

"No" Cyane disagreed. "I want this and I have planned for it to happen. Break off the chain you abhorrent imbecile."

"I will make you regret this" Saint promised and with a snarl, broke off the chains and stood up, toppling the chair behind him. Dropping his jaw to display a sharp fang, he then lunged at her.

•••

"What is our signal?" Minerva asked Hopper, while they sat inside a van along with Gideon and Fabi. There were three computer screens attached to the interior of the van and it showed several different angles of the Lustitia Landing where the trial was being held.

She tightened her hold on Gideon's hand to calm him down because he had been trying his best to push back his wolf since the moment, he had seen his parents being dragged to the stage with the guillotine. The king had laid accusations and accusations on their head, while the small crowd present had done nothing to protest against it.

The Croft Pack wolves had been keen to join the protest but due to a sudden change in the timing of the trial, Minerva knew they would not make it in time.

Using Hopper's phone, she had let her father know about the change in timings, but he had been already informed of the same by Bardo. Minerva recalled seeing the man at the mansion earlier and had been stunned to know that he was Bardo, her dad's ex-best friend.

Her parents had told her that they had been betrayed by a friend and eventually she had found out that the friend's name was Bardo. She did know what he had done in the past and the price her parents had to pay for his betrayal and she totally understood why her dad hated the man. Having presumed that her dad broke all the ties with Bardo, she had been stunned to know that they were still on talking terms.

Suddenly, they heard sounds of glass shattering and Minerva turned to look out of the window to see a man hitting the ground with a loud thud after being kicked by Skyla.

"That is," Fabi said and then slid open the van door. "There'll be a minor explosion. It won't cause any injuries but it would create a lot of dust and smoke."

"That's your chance" Hopper supplied glancing at them.

Gideon jumped out of the car and sped into the landing with Minerva, closely following him.

The loud boom of the blast had Minerva coming to an abrupt halt, but Gideon continued, unfazed.

"Let my parents go!" he shouted in rage.

Minerva watched Stanislaus and his wife being helped by their guards while Gideon pulled out the gun and first shot at the headsman.

"Save my son. Save your king" Stanislaus coughed as he was being rushed inside the palace, along with the queen. "Saint, my boy" Stanislaus kept calling for his son.

Minerva hurried towards the stage, knelt beside the guillotine and tugged at the chains wrapped around Gideon's mother's wrist but it wouldn't budge.

A prison guard held her arm and forced her up, but throwing one powerful punch to his face, she knocked him out and then checked his jacket and pocket for the keys. She found it in his coat pocket and quickly released Gideon's mom from the cuffs around her wrist and neck.

Picking up an axe from the ground near the dead guards, she passed it on to the Luna, so that she could break the chains around her leg.

Few pack wolves rushed to attack them but were quickly thrown away and when Minerva looked up, she was surprised to see her father and Bardo fighting beside Gideon and a few of his pack wolves.

While she moved to open Joshua from his cuffs, she saw something purple in the crowd and craned her neck to look at Cyane, who flew up and then straight towards the stage. For a moment, everyone was stunned to see her. Including Stanislaus.

When she held Saint by the throat and shoved him against the pillar, Minerva smirked because she realized then why Cyane was here and it made her proud.

"Kill her" Stanislaus thundered in rage and that is when Minerva saw them for the first time in her life.

Awkwardly twisting their necks, the creatures stood up and as they grew a few inches taller in height, their shirts started tearing apart, revealing grey and brown fur and claws that seemed sharper than her own. Their ears elongated until it stood pointedly as their face morphed into that of a mountain Lynx.

"Liberi" Bardo gasped and then hurried towards the stage, where Cyane was.

Minerva looked in time to see three such creatures hurrying towards Cyane, to attack her from behind.

"No. Cyane" Minerva shouted to alert her friend whose entire attention was focused on Saint.

While the creatures were about to lunge at her, Saint shoved her aside and then kicked the nearest one in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Holding Cyane by her hand, he then pulled her up into the sky and changed back into his true self.

Relief assailed Minerva when she noticed that it was Ari, Cyane's relative, who had been disguising as Saint. She looked at her papa and he nodded with a smile.

While the creatures jumped unsuccessfully to attack Cyane and Ari in the air, Stanislaus looked around searching for his son. "Where's my son? Where's Saint? Look for your king" he commanded to everyone around him while the queen sobbed noisily.

Shaking her head, Minerva got back to the task in hand and unclasped the cuffs around Alpha Joshua's wrist. While she was about to unlock the cuff around his neck, she was picked up from the ground by someone twice her size.

Their hold on her neck was extremely painful and she felt blood trailing down her back from the piercing wounds of their claws.

"Let her go" Gideon roared and then broke the Liberi's arm with the axe. She dropped to the ground on her knees and gasped, while her wolf snarled, already recovering from the unexpected attack.

Behind her, Gideon hacked the creature to its death while Gideon's mom undid the cuffs around his dad.

"There are more" Luna gasped and everywhere she looked, Minerva could see the creatures. They were ruthless, biting, ripping apart werewolves so cruelly that it made her flinch. They didn't let anyone escape and either bit or killed whoever tried to do so.

"Mom, stay in a corner. This is going to get nasty" Gideon told his mother as he stood beside Minerva, ready to fight the Liberi.

"What the fuck are these?" a guy asked Lysander and Minerva recognized him as Miki. He fought off and killed one with the help of her dad.

"Liberi" Lysander breathed out as he threw the now-dead creature off him.

"Unlike humans, we won't become like them but their bite is fatal to us if not treated in time," Lysander told her and Minerva nodded.

"They bite?" Grayson gasped.

"Kill them. Don't let them get to Cyane" Lysander advised them.

"They are here for her?" Miki questioned as he fought off an attack from one. Grayson assisted him by lunging at the creature from behind. Bardo used that opportunity to stick his machete into the Liberi's leg, while Miki pierced his claws to the creature's chest and pulled out its heart.

"Gross" he gasped, throwing the heart away as he stared at his blood-stained hands.

"Kill them before they kill you" Bardo snapped at some wolves and Minerva remembered seeing them at the mansion earlier. Everyone nodded because the battle was now between the wolves and the Liberi.

The only people who were fighting them unflinchingly were Bardo and Ari. While Ari callously decapitated them, Bardo attacked them with a machete. The Liberi noticed that too and many more rushed close to attack Bardo because Ari was up in the air.

"KILL THEM ALL" Lysander thundered and together, everyone rushed to attack the Liberi before they could attack Bardo.

"If they bite, you retreat," Bardo said as he slammed the machete into the neck of a creature that was about to attack Grayson from behind.

The creatures had the advantage of size and the ability to climb walls and pillars that made them more dangerous.

Kicking one in the stomach, Minerva flipped over, while Gideon lunged and stabbed his claws into the neck of the Liberi, bringing him down to his knees. Using the opportunity, Minerva roughly hacked the creature with the axe.

Another creature picked her up from behind and roughly threw her against the pillar and she groaned in pain when her back hit the wall. Her ears hurt from hearing the piercing screams of the Liberi. Opening her eyes, she saw Gideon fighting off the creature.

"Hey, are you okay?" Carlos asked from beside her and then helped her stand up.

"Miki, watch out" Grayson shouted but the creature running to attack them was shot in the head and as it dropped to the ground with a thud, Minerva stared in surprise.

"Stay here and bait them. It'll be easy for Brody to shoot these fuckers" Miki told her as he stomped the Liberi's neck, killing it.

On the stage, beside the guillotine, Gideon, Alpha Joshua, Bardo and her father fought the creatures. While Ari threw lightning bolts at them from the sky above, killing them painfully.

He was very good but he couldn't kill them all at once because of the werewolves in the area. Ari had to be extra careful on who he should and shouldn't hurt. The Liberi knew that the real threat for them was Ari and they kept throwing stones and iron objects at him to bring him down.

On one side, Minerva noticed that Viktor was bitten by the creature and he was being carried away by two of Ash's men. At least two to three wolves were needed to kill one Liberi for they had the advantage of height and built! Plus, the creatures also had an odd habit of picking wolves up by their neck and smashing their head to the ground, repeatedly to kill them.

They even had blocked two exit ways but one was open, thanks to Ash's men and some pack wolves who were carefully guarding it and allowing the injured to escape.

"Come here you piece of shit." Miki threw stones at a couple of creatures who had just killed a pack wolf and screaming in rage, they came towards them.

"The screams are so disturbing" Carlos muttered in disgust and Minerva agreed with him. These creatures didn't growl or snarl, they hissed and screamed so loud that they could easily shatter fragile glass.

One was shot dead by Brody and together, they killed the other one.

As one more Liberi pounced at Carlos and took him down, Miki lunged at the creature from behind to pull him back, while Minerva pulled Carlos away. The creature then pushed Miki to the ground and turned to attack him, but before he could punch him, Grayson kicked the Liberi in the head and he hit the ground.

Minerva used that opportunity to pick up a large stone and drop it onto his head, silencing his screams.

"Thanks! I would have definitely gone deaf" Miki breathed out sincerely and panting, Minerva chuckled.

Their momentary distraction was all that was required for a Liberi to jump at Grayson from the nearest pillar and clutching his hair with sharp claws, the Liberi sank its teeth into his neck.

"Grey" Miki shouted in horror.

Losing every shred of colour from his face, Grayson fell onto his knees while the Liberi bared his blood-soaked fangs.

As Miki yelled in rage and hurried towards Grayson, Minerva and Carlos ran to attack the creature and together they kicked him in the chest while Brody emptied his bullets on the Liberi.

One more came to attack her but some of Ash's men finished the task while she watched Miki help Grayson sit.

"He needs medical help. He must be treated urgently" Minerva told them as Grayson lost consciousness. "Take him to our hospital. Mom can help."

"We can't escape from here," Carlos said looking around.

Two-pack wolves, whom she didn't recognize stepped forward to help them. "Go, we will cover for you" they volunteered and Minerva shot them a grateful smile.

As Carlos and Miki, took Grayson to safety, Minerva continued fighting beside the pack wolves. Blood and bodies were scattered everywhere and through the corner of her eye, she watched her father fight off the creatures with every ounce of energy he possessed.

The creatures started retreating when their numbers became diminishing because almost four to five wolves fought against one of them, horribly outnumbering them.

"I cannot let them go after Cyane" Bardo growled when he noticed a couple of them jumping through the compound walls.

As Lysander fought off the creature with Gideon and Alpha Joshua, he kept looking at Bardo's retreating figure with a troubled expression.

'What is it?' Minerva asked her father.

'Cyane... these creatures want her blood' Lysander replied quietly.

Minerva looked up at Ari to see him hit a Liberi repeatedly with lightning, before roughly shoving him against the nearest wall and when the creature fell limply, the pack wolves tore him apart.

Ari was here helping them when he should have been with Cyane, which is why, Minerva told her father to leave with Bardo, knowing that he wanted to go there too.

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. We can handle them. There are hardly ten of them' she said squaring her shoulders and preparing for another fight.

"Go" Gideon urged and then Lysander ran from the nearest exit.

When a Liberi tried to go after him, Gideon and his father fought him off and Minerva joined them. 

"How many are there?" Alpha Joshua gasped as he fought off the creatures with some of his pack wolves.

"We can overpower them" Gideon growled and then looked around. "Mom? Where's mom?" he asked his father.

"She was near the stage" Alpha Joshua frowned and Minerva looked around the landing but the Luna was nowhere to be seen.

"Mom" Gideon called repeatedly.

"Mila" Alpha Joshua called for his mate. "Mila!" he screamed.

"ENOUGH!" Stanislaus roared from his stance at the roof of the palace building and everyone came to a halt to look at him.

"Mom" Gideon whispered and Minerva's eyes widened when she noticed a Liberi holding the Luna by her neck. She already looked so fragile in his hands that Minerva knew one more attack could prove fatal.

"Where is my son?" Stanislaus demanded looking at Ari who was floating in the air, directly in front of the former king. "Where is he?" Stanislaus thundered. "Answer me now or I will have her killed" he roared and on cue, the Liberi punched Luna Ludmila in the stomach making Minerva suck in a shocked breath at the cruelty.

Everyone gasped as the Luna moaned weakly.

"Let my mate go" Alpha Joshua snarled, his claws and fangs all out.

"I can do that too" Stanislaus warned and Minerva shook her head because she knew the Liberi would just roughly slam the Luna to the ground, killing her.

"NO" Gideon thundered, breathing harshly and Stanislaus grinned cruelly.

"You brought these creatures here?" one of the pack wolves asked in shock, staring at Stanislaus with disgust.

"Where is my son?" Queen Marcella growled looking at Ari. "What have you done to him?"

"He is alive... but I cannot promise for how long" Ari replied calmly and Marcella bared her fangs at him.

"Drop her" Stanislaus snapped at the Liberi but when the creature shoved Gideon's mother to the ground, Ari swung in and caught her by the arm in the nick of time.

Using the opportunity, another creature threw a javelin at Ari. To protect the Luna, he turned and the iron tip of the javelin pierced his shoulder through his wings. Hissing in pain at the burn, Ari lost balance and loosened his hold of the Luna.

Two more faes flew in right at that moment. One pulled Ari up while the other caught the Luna before she could slip from his hold and they flew away before the Liberi could throw something else at them.

Gideon, Minerva and everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the fairies flew away, carrying an unconscious Luna with them.

Simultaneously, there was a piercing shriek followed by a thud of a body hitting the ground and everyone gasped in shock when the Liberi crushed the throat of a pack wolf and threw him from the roof, cracking his skull.

"That is what you get for acting smart" Stanislaus spat at Ari and then looked down at them. "Many more will die if my son does not come back to me!" With that warning, he turned to walk back into the palace.

The Liberi on the ground screamed in rage and soon the fight continued. Several more creatures crawled down the walls and joined the fight.

Picking up an axe from the ground, Minerva stood bravely ready to attack them.

She wouldn't die today; Minerva swore to herself. Not like this and definitely not in the hands of these inhumane creatures. She would fight with everything she got just to make sure that these creatures couldn't create further havoc in the kingdom.

Watching her courage and spirit, wolves from different packs picked up whatever weapon they could find and stood beside her, ready to attack the Liberi.

"Kill them all" she roared swinging her axe!

•••

"We are here" Lachlan announced the moment the SUV turned on the road that led to the old temple grounds. The Moon temple which had been destroyed by natural forces was never repaired and lay in a dilapidated state. The ruins of large stone blocks, old statues were scattered on the grounds.

Green pastures of grass and weeds were allowed to grow freely and widely on the grounds. Plastic and metal waste were thrown by ignorant citizens to destroy the beauty of the temple grounds.

The moment Skyla's brother-in-law, Irwin, kicked on the breaks, Lachlan got out of the car. "Got you a gift," he remarked casually.

Sitting atop a block of stone, Ash who had been busy with his phone, looked up. "Skyla informed me that your in-law called her when they couldn't reach you. DwynDwyn is sick again and they have booked an appointment with a doctor at seven tonight."

"Did she puke again?" Lachlan asked losing every scrap of colour in his skin.

"Twice. I don't know the details but I think you should leave now" Ash said and then turned towards Irwin. "Where is Cyane?"

"She flew away from the venue. One of her clan members was present there... disguised as Saint" Irwin shook his head and Ash gritted his teeth furious at Lysander again for contacting Cyane's family.

"They have Saint with them. He is going to die today one way or the other" Irwin murmured as Ash got rid of his shirt. He was irritated but he would adjust to this change of plans.

"Ajax will be here any moment," Lachlan said and even though he badly wanted to go to his daughter, he also remembered his duty towards Ash.

"With some ten wolves" Irwin added as Ash continued to untie his shoes.

"Go. I can handle Ajax" Ash said calmly when he noticed Lachlan hovering.

"There is more" Lachlan began.

"I know. Sheldon called... He said there were some other creatures in Landing. Tall, bulky... they looked and screamed like Lynx" Ash said with a frown when he unbuckled his belt.

"He sent me a picture" Ash continued because initially, he had found it hard to believe what Sheldon and Skyla had been screaming about until he had seen the photos and the red eyes of those creatures.

He had heard about them once. From Bardo. Several years ago, and he had immediately forgotten about it too because Bardo hadn't really gotten into details. Now, he knew Bardo had purposely let the matter lay low because Skyla had shown him how they killed and to see werewolves being treated like that had sent a chill down his spine.

He had also figured out that these creatures were the real enemies of the fairies and the ones after Cyane. The ones who had killed her family and those thoughts made his wolf growl within him.

His wolf had already been anxious and finding these creatures had only made it worse. 

"They killed several pack wolves" Lachlan muttered.

"Skyla told me they were vile. Killed without discrimination" Irwin said worriedly.

"You should leave," Ash told Lachlan hoarsely when he heard the vehicle approaching the grounds. Unable to fight the beast inside him, Ash shifted into his wolf and shook his head.

Lachlan caught the car keys Irwin threw at him and restarted the engine.

Ajax and a few of his pack wolves arrived that very moment in their own SUV. When Irwin noticed they were about to follow Lachlan, he emptied all the bullets of his gun on their wheels to stop them.

A furious Ajax climbed out and slammed the passenger door to glare at Irwin and the majestic grey wolf beside him.

"Is this him?" Ajax demanded from Irwin glaring at the icy blue eyes of the animal.

"Why don't you come closer and find out?" Irwin taunted.

One of Ajax's pack wolves shifted that very moment and rushed to attack Irwin.

Ash stopped the animal midway by butting headfirst into the animal's stomach and tackling him down. Once the wolf was down, Ash bit into his neck and throwing a chunk of flesh from his mouth, bared his fangs at Ajax.

Watching yet another of his pack wolf being cruelly killed by Ash, Ajax raged, "He is my prey" to his pack wolves and tearing his shirt, shifted into his brown coloured wolf. His pack members soon followed and together they went to attack Ash and Irwin.

Ash was outnumbered by the pack wolves but his fury was no match to them. While Irwin fought with two-pack wolves, Ash tore through the remaining four wolves to get to Ajax.

He defiantly focused his attention on Ajax while at the same time being alert of the sneak attacks from the enemy surrounding him. He kicked one wolf with his hind leg and then snapped his jaws closer to Ajax's muzzle, which forced the other wolf to step back a few steps.

Another white wolf jumped at Ash from behind and shoved him to the ground, but was pushed off and killed by Ajax, who raised his hackles and gave a warning to his pack wolves to step back.

Stunned by the death of their friend and the crazed behaviour of their Alpha, the pack wolves stepped back and whined unsurely. They found it hard to believe that their Alpha just killed one of his own men for interfering in his fight. Hovering, they watched Ajax and Ash roll over the ground and tackle each other. Biting, snapping, they fought each other valiantly, well aware that only one could come out alive.

Shaking his body and standing on his fours, Ash snarled at Ajax and they attacked each other, stomping their paws against each other and jumping, Ash threw a powerful kick to Ajax's wolf and once he was down, Ash pinned him to the ground and quickly bit his leg.

Shoving Ash off him, Ajax panted and then inspected his injured leg with a whine. As he struggled to stand up, Ash pinned him to the ground again and snarled near his face. While Ash attempted to bite his hind leg, Ajax kicked him and crawled away.

A pack wolf came to his Alpha's rescue but shoving him away, Ash bit his neck, instantly killing him.

Giving time for Ajax to recover, Ash then went after the other two wolves and chased and hunted them.

Irwin, who had been fighting two more wolves, successfully managed to overpower them and standing beside the SUV, he watched Ash's grey wolf pacing around anxiously, waiting for Ajax to get up and fight!

When Ajax stood with a growl, Ash didn't waste time and straight away went for the kill. He took a few hits but gave several more and then bit into Ajax's ears, neck and stomach. While Ajax tried to crawl away, Ash placed his paws atop the other wolf's and growled in warning.

Ajax snapped his jaws and immediately reacting to it, Ash bit his neck and tore a chunk of skin and flesh from there.

Knowing he was in his last moments, Ajax shifted back and looked at Ash through eyes shining with tears.

"Please" he managed to croak out as blood gushed from his throat and spilt onto the ground.

Ash turned his head to look at Irwin, who promptly dropped a vial of Silver Sulphide onto the ground to prevent Ajax from communicating with his pack members.

"Please" Ajax begged, as he gasped for air.

Nodding once, Ash stepped back and shifted back into his human form. His body was covered with cuts and scratches and his breathing was heavy as he slowly raised his head to look at Ajax's limp body.

Ajax's eyes widened in disbelief but he wasn't capable of fighting or speaking anymore as he gasped for air.

"This was not how it was supposed to end" Ash began staring at Ajax. "It was to be painful and merciless... just like it was to your brother" he smirked and Ajax slammed his hand to the ground to show his anger.

"Your brother never got to see my face and I wanted the same for you" Ash added and then sighed, "When you meet him in hell, do tell him about me" he grinned and walking over, picked up his jeans.

His phone was ringing in his pocket but seeing the caller ID, he intentionally chose to ignore it and instead opened a tracking app.

He furrowed his brows when he noticed the location the map was showing and then looked at Irwin, who was already making arrangements for another vehicle.

Ten minutes later, an agitated Ash climbed into the passenger seat of another SUV and commanded and the driver to take him to the location his map had just shown.

As their car drove away, Ajax closed his eyes in pain and breathed his last unable to share to the world what he had discovered moments before his death!

•••

Kicking Saint under the chin, Cyane flipped in the air to watch him drop onto the ground on his back. Picking himself up, he snarled at her and made a wild attempt to attack her with his claws.

Flying over him, Cyane thrust a force of energy at him and Saint was shoved out after the wooden walls of the shed cracked into several pieces.

As the shed gave away, Cyane flew away with Topher and Paris.

Groaning, Saint shook his head and brushed the wooden pieces from his hair. Standing up he gave her a repulsive glare.

"Fight me down on the ground, you bitch! Let me see then if you stand a chance against me" Saint hissed at her.

A furious Topher kicked him in the face for saying that while Cyane lowered herself to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Paris asked her with a frown.

"Making him regret" Cyane smirked and then began attacking Saint.

She threw a couple of punches at him but quickly coming to his senses, he blocked her punch and when she raised her legs to kick him, he jumped back. While she raised her fist to punch him, he held her fist in his hand and slashed her in the thighs with his claws.

Hissing, Cyane stepped back which made Saint chuckle.

"Mhn" Cyane warned Paris and Topher when they were about to attack Saint. Hesitantly they flew back but kept glowering at Saint, who raised his legs to kick Cyane but she tilted backwards in time and when Saint stepped forward, she punched him in the stomach while he roughly attacked her with his claws.

Gasping they both stepped back and glared at each other.

"You heal fast" Saint commented as Cyane breathed calmly. The reason why he was taking so long to heal was that the energy was still locked on her hands and every hit, she landed at Saint had a more powerful impact.

Closing his eyes, Saint took deep breaths and she gave him some time to recuperate. When he looked back at her, his eyes remained unfocused and she furrowed her brows.

There was a triumphant look in those wicked green eyes and she realised he communicated with someone through the mind link. Being trained by rogues and living with rogues, Cyane had no idea just how powerful the mind link could be for a pack wolf and right now, she had a feeling that she would know because Saint had definitely asked for reinforcement!

Growling, he began attacking her again and jumped high to throw a punch at her, but she twirled away in time and slammed her elbows on his back. As he groaned, she wrapped her arm around his neck, curled her fingers against his hair and attempted to flip with him, but he cruelly buried his claws onto her wrist, which forced her to loosen her hold.

As her eyes swam in a pool of unshed tears from the pain, Saint threw a couple of punches at her and then kicked her in the stomach that had her roughly hitting the bark of a tree.

"You are weak" Saint chuckled watching her with a sinister grin.

Topher rushed to help her stand up, while Paris moved to attack Saint but Cyane pulled him back using her powers and gritting her teeth, ran towards Saint.

From the way Saint fought, she gathered that he wasn't really a well-trained fighter. Some of his moves were practised, while sometimes he seemed like he was attacking randomly, crazily.

He attempted to claw at her but raising her legs, she kicked him in the chest and as he stumbled, she slammed her elbows on his back and then to the top of his head, which made him grunt in pain.

When he tried to scratch her, she shoved him away with her powers and it sent him flying backwards to drop onto the ground with a thud.

If he was using his claws to attack her, then Cyane saw no reason not to use her own strength against him.

Getting up, Saint spread his hands and growled viciously and gritting her teeth, Cyane curled her fists and used the energy in the air to roughly shove him further away. She kept shoving him with her powers against the powerful trunks of the tree, rough patch of ground and broken branches until he was bleeding with cuts and scratches all over his skin.

"The fact that you think you are a match to me is laudable" Cyane commented watching Saint breathing heavily, as he knelt on the ground.

"I may be of no match to you but the people coming to meet you, are!" Saint bit out and Cyane raised a questioning brow.

Topher and Paris, who had been levitating, immediately came to stand beside Cyane, their posture stiff and alert.

"Your grace. Kill him and let's leave from here" Paris urged, glancing suspiciously at their surroundings.

"More pack wolves?" Cyane asked Saint, completely ignoring Paris's advice.

"You'll see" Saint coughed. "I am a son of a powerful King and my father has a lot of dangerous allies. You may be a fae of the Lycoris but my father knows how to get rid of you too. He can do it like this" Saint snapped his fingers to get his point across.

Cyane heard a scream just then and turned rigid. It was followed by some more screams and Topher stood protectively in front of her, while Paris kept an eye on Saint and the trees around them.

The screams grew louder and Cyane's heart began to thud in her chest. There was something odd about this scream. It started low and dragged on but it wasn't like a howl. It was spooky and it was what made most people fear the woods.

She had heard those screams before but right now, she couldn't really remember when!

Suddenly someone jumped from above the trees and landed right in front of them and Cyane stiffened when she saw a scary-looking Lynx with blood-red eyes, brown fur and pointed ears.

The creature bared its fangs at her and then stood up to transform into a half-human, half-animal form that was not only seven-foot-tall but also bulky with strong muscles.

Few more jumped from the branches to the ground and slowly and creepily surrounded them. The animals continued to scream and Cyane gulped.

Her chest began heaving as a fear she had never known before engulfed her.

One of them was holding a handful of rusted iron and Cyane stepped back when she saw those. Another one was carrying a hammer. They had rods, chains, candle stands... all iron and all rusted.

While fighting with Saint, they had moved deeper into the forests where the trees grew big and spread their branches, canopying the ground from the sun rays. It wasn't a clear ground to fly easily because there will still be some creatures atop the branches and if struck by iron objects they would simply be brought back to the ground.

Saint, who was relieved by the arrival of those creatures pushed himself back on the ground as the creatures moved in on her.

Paris and Topher raised their swords ready to attack the creatures but Cyane wasn't.

When she looked at the claws of the creature, she remembered being struck on the cheek by those claws. She remembered another such creature watching her as she was dragged by her hair. She remembered one such creature breaking the windshield of the car she was in. She remembered being hit by an iron rod on her back. She remembered them chasing her.

When Paris swung his sword at a creature that had stepped too close, another lunged from behind but Topher kicked him off.

A creature holding an iron crowbar came forward and Cyane stepped back. As her heart thundered in her chest, she could also hear an echo of another heart hammering against her ears.

'Don't look at them. Look at me. Cyane, Look at me' she heard a boy whispering next to her ear, his voice so low that only she could hear it; and so, she began lowering her lashes as fear engulfed her.

The vengeful, murderous growl of a wolf made her eyes fly open in time to see a hand dropping down to the ground in front of her, stopping the creature from attacking her.

They looked up in time to see a black wolf drop the head of another monster and snarl viciously at the one that was about to attack Cyane.

That moment of distraction was all that Paris required to wrap a hand around her waist and pull her up into the sky.

One of the creatures made a desperate attempt to lunge at her, but while Paris beheaded it with his sword, Mr Black, bit on the hand reaching for her, jumping to the ground below.

Chopping thin branches and tearing apart the leaves, Paris then made way for them to fly above the trees. The creatures did try to attack but Paris was quicker and moving faster than them, he flew above the trees.

"Are you okay?" Paris asked her in Greek and Cyane nodded but her eyes were distant.

"What are they?" she asked in a whisper for her heart couldn't stop thundering in her chest.

"Liberi. They will never get you" Paris swore and Cyane nodded. She had heard those very same words before and it scared her.

'I will not let them take you away from me. They will never get you Cyane. Never.'

"Liberi" Cyane breathed out remembering what Min had told her about them.

Bad. Bad creatures and Mr Black was fighting them alone. She looked down into the gap to see Mr Black tearing apart the Liberi with everything he got while Topher attacked them with his sharp sword.

Both killed and maimed the Liberi but they were being viciously attacked from all sides and it was taking a toll.

"Will you be, okay?" Paris asked in concern and Cyane nodded abstractly.

Bowing his head, Paris flew down to attack the Liberi alongside Topher and Mr Black but they weren't winning. She began to fly down to join them but when a Liberi looked up and she collided with blood-red eyes and pale grey skin, Cyane stopped and staggered back in fear.

'Don't look at them. Don't look at them' was being chanted over and over in her head and she looked away ignoring the screams echoing in her head.

What kind of memory was that? Goosebumps appeared all over her skin because she could still hear the voice whispering next to her ear.

"Min koitás. Don't look" she repeated to herself as she covered her ears and closed her eyes until the screams faded away. Slowly, hesitantly, she opened her eyes.

That's when she spotted Saint Winthrop escaping for his dear life. She didn't know how to fight with the Liberi, whom she feared so much but she knew she could fight Saint because she wasn't scared of him.

Her heartbeat was still not steady and she was still scared to look down at Mr Black fighting with the Liberi but what scared her more was letting Saint go back... alive.

Compressing her lips, she dived down and zeroed in on Saint running in between the woods. He heard her coming and turned just in time to slash her in the arms with his claws but refusing to give up, Cyane kicked him in the chest only to jump back and drop to the ground after her foot came into contact with a rusted iron nail that Saint pierced into her legs.

"That's right bitch. I am prepared for you" Saint hissed flaunting the small bag he had snatched from the Liberi. He threw a handful of the nails and Cyane slid back from the ground to avoid getting hit again.

Laughing, Saint threw some more and Cyane rolled away to glare at him.

"So, what if those monsters can't kill you. I will. I will" Saint promised, throwing some more in her direction. Cyane flew up immediately and he bared his fangs.

Gritting her teeth and trembling from the pain, Cyane pulled out the needle from her calf muscle and threw it to the ground, hissing at the burn on her fingers.

Breathing heavily, she looked at Saint who was holding on to the jute sack with his life.

"Come closer to me bitch and I will dump all of this on you" Saint warned, fear evident in his eyes.

Cyane, who was grappling with her own fear of the Liberi and in an unstable state of mind, clenched her fists after absorbing the brutal, adverse energy of her surroundings. Her fist began to glow until purple flames emerged from it and in a sudden movement, she hurled them at Saint who was pushed back by the force of it.

When Cyane noticed that he no longer held the sack, she dived in for the kill. Saint made a last-ditch attempt to escape, but wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, Cyane dragged him down and tried to choke him to death. Since her hands were covered in flames, Saint couldn't touch her there as he kept screaming for help. He slashed and pierced her skin with his claws, growled and thrashed on the ground but even while screaming in pain and fear, Cyane refused to let him go.

As her wings curled in on their own and began to engulf them, dread swallowed her heart and she heard the voice whispering again.

'Look at me, Cyane. Look at me'

It was meant to reassure her but all she felt was fear. The Liberi were around her. The very same creatures who had killed her parents were now around her.

'You will be safe when you let go. So, let it go.... Let it go'

"CYANE"

A voice thundered at her and startled, Cyane blinked and shook her head before loosening her hold around Saint's neck. There was a dark, dreary atmosphere around her.

Choking in pain, Saint crawled on the ground and Cyane watched him with a horrified look. What was she about to do to him?

She looked at her surroundings and found Bardo and Lysander watching her with wide cautious eyes. Behind her, she could still hear the screams and growls of the Liberi fighting with Mr Black.

At seeing the people familiar to her, Cyane gulped and then lowered her head.

"Cyane" Bardo called, hesitantly taking a step closer to her along with Lysander.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly and Cyane shook her head.

"He.... He is not moving" Cyane's voice trembled as she pointed at Saint.

"Step away from him so that we can look at him" Lysander suggested and Cyane hesitantly got onto her knees but dropped back to the ground when she heard footsteps approaching.

A grey wolf stepped from in between the trees and came to an abrupt halt when he spotted Cyane. His cold blue eyes widened at first but then relaxed when he noticed that she was safe.

"Xanthos" Cyane called for her mate.

"Don't" Lysander shouted with a feral growl, frightening her and she looked at the older man in confusion as he glowered at her mate. "Stay away from her."

Lowering his jaws, Xanthos bared his fangs as his eyes turned impossibly dark in fury. He lowered his hind legs and raised his heckles in warning, before jumping ahead to attack Lysander.

"No" Cyane stood up and attempted to step in between but Lysander held her arm and roughly shoved her out of Xanthos's way and, unintentionally, straight into the rusted iron nails scattered on the ground.

She let out a sharp cry the moment the tip pierced into her skin, drawing blood and Xanthos dropped to the ground.

Hissing and crying in pain, Cyane trembled violently on the ground as Lysander watched her in shock.

When he moved to help her, Xanthos sprang in and biting his arm, pushed him to the ground. Snapping his jaws in warning, he glared at Lysander and Bardo as he stood protectively over Cyane, shielding her with his body.

Badly wounded from the rusted iron and overtired after her fight with Saint, Cyane groaned in pain before losing consciousness.

"I am sorry, I didn't..." Xanthos snapped his jaws again before Lysander could finish his apology.

"Help her first" Bardo pleaded and Xanthos stared at his unconscious mate. He shoved the iron nails with his paws and whined when he saw the cuts and scratches on her body.

When they heard the screams of the Liberi, they all looked up and Bardo stiffened.

"They got the scent of her blood. More will be coming" Bardo murmured before looking at Xanthos, who was shifting back into his human form. "Be very careful while treating her. If her blood spills onto the ground, then the Liberi will find her" he added as he slowly picked up the nails stuck to her body, tearing and burning her skin.

"Leave. Now. We'll stop them from getting to her."

"She needs to be taken to a doctor. Yolanda can help" Lysander suggested and a loud growl emanated from Xanthos, who was still trembling in rage. "I really am sorry" Lysander took a step ahead but Bardo pulled him back.

"Are you crazy? He will kill you if you go near her" Bardo hissed and then looked at Xanthos as they sensed the Liberi coming closer.

"Go. Take care of Cyane" Bardo told Xanthos, who nodded.

"The car is ready," someone said to Xanthos from behind and picking up Cyane in his arms, Xanthos turned to leave after shooting one last hateful look at Lysander.

A pack of ten Liberi came to an abrupt halt when they saw Lysander and Bardo. Sniffing the ground, they looked in the direction where Xanthos had left with Cyane. When they tried to trail after them, Bardo snapped, "Not until I am here" and then shifted into his wolf.

Lysander followed suit and growled murderously which had the creatures take a step back in fear. Sticking his tongue out like a predator, Lysander stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at the nearest creature.

Pouncing at a Liberi, he slammed the creature to the ground before tearing apart its pointed ears with his jaws and killing it with his claws.

There was no way he would let these monsters get anywhere near Cyane, he swore to himself as he went in for his next kill.

****

So, what do you think is in Cyane's past? Why do you think she keeps forgetting the Liberi? Xanthos wasn't much in the picture today, but more about him in the next chapter.

The next update is on the 13th. That chapter is ready and it just needs to be edited.

As I said, I am transferred off to a far-off branch that's always busy and it's usually quite late when I return home. I am only able to write on weekends and this will affect the updates. But instead of making false promises, I will only update when the chapters are ready.

Sorry again lovelies.

Enjoy the festival of light!

Love,

Shruthi.