Zara
Dark, curly hair lay on top of his head, and his blackened eyes seed to peer into the darkness around us. Realization struck , followed by confusion.
My stomach clenched as Sophia turned and t his gaze, and a strange feeling crossed her face as their gazes t.
Love
"Govinda?" Marcus’s voice betrayed the confusion that burned in my eyes. As he took a step forward, Giovanni’s gaze grew stern.
"Don’t co any closer, Marcus," Govinda warned him, his voice firm, his slight accent laced with garbled words. He approached Sophia, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back.
"Leave her alone!" "I scread, but quickly realized my mistake when he turned to .
"I won’t hurt her, Zara," Govinda muttered; his voice was quiet, as if it brushed against my ears. "I will never hurt her."
Sophia looked into his eyes, a look I’d only seen a few tis.
Suddenly, every word and action Sophia had said was seared into my mory. Her dark mood, her questions and their mates, her sudden desire to learn.
His na, she told the na her mate’s.
"Govinda, what is this?" Marcus spat, his icy eyes hardening as he saw the closeness between them.
"I have found my mate, Marcus." There was strength and conviction in Govinda’s voice; emotion is hard to fake. "It’s ti to leave Zara alone and let her find herself."
These words seed to wound Marcus physically; his smooth face instantly darkened and paled with anger. Two things happened simultaneously. Marcus lunged forward with unexpected speed and crashed into Govinda. Govinda managed to push Sophia away, and I saw her butt hit the pavent.
"Zara, get Sophia," Alpha Kane growled, fighting off the four remaining brown wolves and struggling to stay on her feet. "Get her inside!"
"No," Sophia snapped, pushing off the sidewalk. "I won’t leave him."
I watched silently as her bones cracked and her fur stood on end. Her clothes tore into tiny shreds, falling to the sidewalk like confetti. With a deafening growl, she grabbed one of the fighting wolves.
Marcus and Govinda circled each other, their faces dark and unyielding. Govinda’s face was covered in blood, and I wondered if it was Marcus’s blood or his own. Before I could think, I lunged at one of the remaining wolves. I knew Kane would be angry with later, but I refused to leave him.
The brown wolves fought back, trying to hold my hands and push away. A growl tore from my throat as he sank his hand into the hilt of the knife in my stomach, driving it deeper into my flesh. The acrid scent of my blood filled the air, but I let the sll and the anger fuel .
I gripped the hilt of the blade, yanking it from my stomach with a painful hiss. Agony coursed through my body, blurring my vision. I lunged at the brown wolf, gritting my teeth in pain. The blade sank into his chest with a sickening thud, and beads of blood seeped through his shirt.
I stepped back and watched as the fight quickly ended. Sophia had killed another wolf, and Alpha Kane was advancing on the last one. Govinda seed to have the upper hand, slamming his shoulder into Marcus’s chest, nearly knocking them both to the ground.
Govinda was a mont too late, noticing the knife in Marcus’s hand. Marcus used his surprise against him, forcing him back with a single swing of his knife. A scream pierced
Sophia, as Marcus lunged forward with dangerous precision, plunged his broad blade into Govinda’s chest.
Sophia rushed past Marcus, ignoring him, and shouted at Govinda. My gaze was fixed on Marcus, who stepped away from Govinda with a grim smile on his face.
"I never expected you to cross over. Of all people, Govinda, your death disappoints the most."
Icy shivers ran across my skin, settling into my bones with sickening familiarity. Shadows danced from the edge of the forest, gathering behind Marcus like a looming cloud.
They slid toward Marcus, enveloping him in a shimring cocoon. Several tentacles wrapped around my legs, as if greeting a friend.
Almost a second later, the shadows around him thinned, and Marcus was gone.
The street was silent, save for Sophia’s heartbreaking screams. I stumbled toward her and knelt beside her. Her face was frozen, dark lines furrowed it. Even without my heightened senses, I could see Govinda was dying.
The knife had been ripped from his chest, leaving a gaping wound. Blood flowed in a steady stream, soaking into his dark T-shirt.
"Save him, Zara," Sophia hissed so quietly I almost missed her words.
"Sophia, the price is too high," I croaked, feeling the pain tightening in my chest.
"I don’t care. I will pay." She turned her eyes to , anger blazing in them. "I will pay any price. Do it, Zara!"
Even in my confused thoughts, I knew what I would do. I watched the life drain from the innocent. I wouldn’t let her go through the sa. If the price was soone’s life, I dreaded what she might do.
"Don’t!" Alpha Kane said, but I had already made up my mind.
The shadows, still simring, surged at the sound of my voice, their icy kisses caressing my skin. Their gentle voices filled my mind, welcoming an old friend who had reached out to them again.
"Save Govinda," I told them. "Na your price."
Their silken voices enveloped my head; the price of their favor was imprinted on my consciousness. Her eyes widened as she looked at the space around , where the shadows pulsated seductively. "She will pay," I whispered. "Now save him."
The shadows seed to twitch in anticipation, gliding excitedly toward her. Though fear flickered in her eyes, she remained motionless. Her scream echoed through the night, bouncing off the houses full of people listening to the battle outside.
The blood coating my stomach and arms was warm compared to the shadow’s icy words. Maia recoiled at the price, her fur standing on end as a deafening roar echoed in my mind. She still leaned over Govinda, her eyes glowing madly as she watched the shadows pulsate around my body.
They had asked the unthinkable, and she had blindly agreed.
"Our price is this," they hissed seductively in my ear. "To save him, she calls her mate, we ask for the form of her wolf."
"She will pay," I whispered, eting her fiery gaze. "Now save him."
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