33. A Chance

Alex's POV

"Ash, it's time. I can feel their scent," Kailey barged in and shouted.

Ally and I had both been startled awake by her as well, and I immediately sat up. "How close?"

"A few miles? They're moving fast."

"Shit," I cursed, "we've got to go. Get everyone ready."

"Allystar, drink this," she commanded, and he drank it. "We're ready. You three suit up."

We went into a room with a lot of different items used for war and the only thing I chose was a small, unnoticeable anklet. I turned around right into Ash's lips, and we frantically kissed as if it was our last kiss since it very well could be.

"I love you, Alex. If this is my final goodbye, just remember that before you pass."

I nuzzled into his neck once more then pulled out. "We fight to protect them now."

We emerged all together and took our positions in the center of the line. "They're going for you," Ash whispered in my ear, "so I'll protect you and you protect them."

"That is kind of your job," I murmured back.

He was about to smirk at me when the pounding of footsteps could be heard all throughout the forest. The air held a ton of static, and I could feel the storm in the horizon.

The pounding got ever louder until it bellowed like thunder. My adrenaline spiked the second I saw the first wolf, my father. He halted, his ears pricking forward and his eyes locking with mine. A huge group of wolves lingered on the treeline ready to stand behind their leader. He walked right up to me after shifting into human form. His fingers grazed under my chin when he jerked my head upwards to be staring directly at him.

"Join us. Join the winning side... We'll take down these measly predators, together."

"This will end here and now, father," I snarled, snapping me head out of his grip.

"Go," he screeched, but I could only see it and not hear it. Everything moved in slow motion, and I saw all of the wolves run out. There were a lot, and they all craved victory over a cause they saw as right. I reached blindly for Ash's hand, but it was snatched away from me. My father, the man I used to love, who used to protect me, stood in front of me about to swing. Everything was going wrong, yet I wasn't about to back down.

He threw a swing that I dodged, and I felt the power niggle at the back of my mind. My old father let out a loud gasp at what I assumed was my eyes turning blue. My ankle was burning, stirring on the coming storm. The last thing I saw was fear in his eyes before I allowed the power and my wolf to take over my body.

***

Ash's POV

Almost as soon as the battle began I saw that their main goal was to separate Alex and I. I fought to reach him again, but we were just getting shoved further apart by the masses. "Alex!" I shouted, but it was lost in the noise. My fangs came out from my top row of teeth and latched onto the first wolf skin I saw. A long howl came from them when they tore out due to me forcing my way through the group.

The atmosphere was tense, and I could see the blue floating in the air. I finally broke through and his eyes were glowing a vibrant blue. It was dumping buckets within a second, dropping the visibility down to ten inches. I found my way to him by the glow.

"I will not let you destroy this world with your bullshit!" his father shouted while I saw his blurry shape pounce on my soulmate. A loud growl tore through the air, and I couldn't make out whose it was. Then there was a loud whimper that I knew belonged to Alex. I leapt into the fray with a hiss and figured out who was who before attacking his father with as much power as I could.

The rain was blocking my view, so I didn't notice Allystar slip over to Alex. The storm was weakening from what I assumed was his energy running out. Through the thinning rain I could see that we were winning only slightly.

My heart dropped. His blood mixed with the left over water from his storm, and his eyes were slightly hazy. Allystar was sat above him trying to stop -or at least slow down- the bleeding.

"A-Alex! W-we were gonna grow up together! We were going to show each other what true family is like!" he wailed with all of his might.

Then, the timid, hardly confident boy looked his father he didn't know in the eye and whispered, "it was you, you did it."

"That was my goal this entire time, foolish boy. Now I've succeeded!"

He leapt at his father in a show of boldness I had never expected. "You killed your own son! For what, your own fucking pride?"

I looked up to find the wolves losing badly. The seemingly only sane person on their side called retreat, and I saw our side release them. They ran out of there like kicked puppies, but Ally was still attacking brutally. "Ally, we'll settle this at a different time."

He casually took his teeth out of his arm while the man ran away. I turned back to Alex and saw him trying to sit up before he fell back over from the pain. The wound in his abdomen wasn't visible until we took off his shirt. I couldn't stop my hands from going up to my face.

A long gash ran from his right shoulder diagonally to his left hip. There was still a huge amount of blood leaking. I tried to lift him up and add pressure, yet his scream of pain halted me. "Shh, it'll be okay, we'll make it through."

His eyes were watery when he looked at me. "L-listen... Y-you'll need to get m-more warriors. I-I know h-him, he'll b-be loading up on n-new p-people to o-over power you."

"You can help me!" I sobbed lowly.

"Y-you know I c-can't do t-that... I-I love you."

I cried out loudly when his head dropped down. His body was still fighting, yet there was hardly any hope. Ally's head landed on his chest with a thud, and his shoulders shook roughly. The coven gathered around us and sang a song in the old vampiric language that translated to 'travel well, old friend, and may the heavens accept you openly'.

Everything was lost, and I was losing my mind slowly. "He gave his life for us," my father murmured quietly, "maybe I should have given him a chance."

I soothed his brother with a hand on his back, and gave into the grief that was taking over.