Chapter 14: New Look

Diana's POV

'I NEED OUT' I hear Ash demand, 'This is not good' I tell Ava feeling alarmed 'Calm down baby' Ava tries to pacify him but he won't listen. Dragging Xander behind me I rush towards the door almost running when I see Xander sweating and grunting in pain, reaching the front of the palace I bring one hand forward and wave them. The ground vibrates for a while before roots pop out from around us breaking the palace grounds in the process, not caring about the damage I just caused I concentrate and soon we're being lifted in the air with the roots underneath out feet.

If I wasn't panicked or in a hurry this would have been a lovely site to see, the roots formed some kind of platform with it's extensions in the ground passing the platform to other outgrowing roots. Turning back to face Xander I see him on his hands and knees breathing heavily "Xander, Xander are you okay?" I ask concerned

He looks up at me and my heart skips a beat when I see his eyes are red with his pupils black 'This is definitely not good'

Stopping in the middle of the forest the trees bring us down gentle, as soon as Xander's feet touched the Earth's surface he starts shifting but the shift seems painful as he keeps grunting and digging his hands into the soil. I rush up to him 'Let me out' Ash demands in a very heavy tone "Xander look at me" I cup his cheeks and raise his head so he would look into my eyes with his "Let him out" he pulls away from me and says "No, he might hurt you" in a pained voice. A single tear escapes my eyes as I try to hold his again "Xander please tour hurting yourself. I'll be safe behind a dome, please just let him out" I plead with him and he looks at me with hard eyes as if waiting for me to form the dome. Getting off the floor I shift away from him and use my powers to form a tree dome, see that I was safe and secured he finally let's go of the reins of his beast and starts shifting.

I look in awe at the magnificent sight in front of me, Xander's beast is bigger than before with black markings on his arms. I am even more surprised when he stands on two feet, well I was expecting that but he looked so magnificent. A lycan, the first after so many decades 'Only the best for the black she wolf' Ava floats in my head but I'm brought out of my thoughts by a thunderous roar, one that was filled with so much anger. Looking back at Xander's lycan form, I could almost see the anger radiating off of him, he turns towards a certain direction and taking my time to figure out where that led to I realized it was the palace 'Oh no'

Dissolving the tree dome I walk towards Ash but he gives me a growl warning me not to come closer "Ash calm down" he doesn't answer me but keeps looking in the direction of the castle ready to pounce. An idea pops into my head and I start running in the opposite direction 'I thought I saw a cliff around here' closing my eyes I listen and hear the sound of running water, opening back my eyes I run in that direction and stand with my back facing the waterfall "ASH CHOOSE, THEM OR ME!" I tell as loud as I could in the quiet forest to make sure he heard me.

'You can do this' I encourage myself before moving closer to the edgeHe isn't coming' Ava says panicked "Ava, he can feel my pain right?" I ask her needing some reassurance that my plan was going to work 'Yes'

Jumping down the cliff my mind went back to Xander's brothers, they were just the worst and now I going to hurt myself because of something they caused. Rolling down the rough edge air is knocked out of my lungs as I feel pains all over making me scream in agony. I feel something hairy catch me before I black out 'It worked'

Xander's POV

Ash was out now and I'm sure he was doing to destroy whatever was in his way but it's fine Diana is safe. We are charging towards the palace and I don't try to stop Ash because I hated my brothers too, I wanted nothing more than for them to die for what they did to Kiara and how they behaved with my mate. Not too long later we hear Diana shout "ASH CHOOSE, ME OR THEM"  looking back to where I left her I see that she was gone, glancing around before sniffing around I catch her scent. Running in that direction I hear the sound of water rushing and from the way the air feels from here it seems like there's a cliff  'Let it not be what I think it is. Ash stop resisting, Diana is in trouble' After getting full control I run full speed ahead 'Why is this cliff so far?'

Air is kicked out of my lungs as Ash howls in my head 'Mate, save mate' finally reaching the cliff she isn't there anymore but I hear screams, moving to the edge I see her rolling off the side of the cliff with her face twisted in agony 'Wow my eyes are sharper' Looking closer I see blood seeping through her dress. Without thinking I jump down leaping from rock to rock as fast as I could so Diana doesn't get to the bottom reaching her before her body could hit another rock I wrap my hands around her and fall into the river before carrying her to land. Looking at the wounds on her body I panic letting out a frustrated growl before taking her back to the palace.

Ash says something that has me running even faster 'Xander our bond'