Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Elara’s POV
“Back up–now!”
My voice ripped through the silence as I shoved Jory and Vessa sideways, just seconds before something monstrous burst out of the cave.
We landed hard, dust flying everywhere. A shadow loomed. And then it stepped into the light.
No, lumbered.
Towered.
A beast.
Its thick, matted fur was soaked in grime, its yellow eyes glowing like hot embers. A bear–but not one I’d ever seen. Thirteen feet tall, with fangs too long for any natural creature. Its claws scraped across the earth like steel blades.
“What the hell is that?!” Vessa hissed, scrambling up to a crouch.
“Variant.” I spat the word like poison. “Someone’s been mixing werewolf blood into bears. That’s not natural. That’s a weapon.”
I’d heard whispers–stories you tell pups to keep them from wandering. I used to think they were lies. Not anymore.
The bear bellowed. The sound hit us like a shockwave.
Jory shifted without hesitation. His body exploded into black fur, bones cracking as his beast form emerged. He launched at the monster with a snarl.
“Keep its focus!” I barked, circling to the right with Vessa mirroring me on the left.
The bear lunged at Jory, its claws missing him by inches. He rolled, leapt back up, and roared.
“Now!” I shouted.
Vessa shifted mid–air and landed square on the beast’s back, her teeth sinking deep. It screeched in pain, bucking violently.
Using the distraction, I ran at full speed, grabbed hold of the bear’s coarse fur, and climbed. My hands were slick with its blood, but I clung tight, crawling up its thrashing body until I reached its massive skull.
This thing was made to kill. So I did what had to be done.
With both hands, I drove my silver dagger straight through its skull.
Blood exploded.
The beast howled–then collapsed.
Silence.
Then Vessa coughed and stepped back, shaking out her fur. “Okay… if that thing doesn’t win us the top spot, I’m burning the
scoreboard.”
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Before I could answer, I raised a hand.
Wait.
Something was wrong.
I stared at the mouth of the cave, my breath caught in my throat.
“…Elara?” Vessa whispered, voice tight.
Dozens of red eyes blinked open in the dark.
Not one.
Not two.
A whole goddamn family of them.
“Oh no,” I breathed.
Behind us, the air shifted.
Boom.
A red flare soared into the sky.
Back in the training field, the crowd watched the flare with confusion–until realization dawned.
“That’s the distress signal,” someone whispered.
Miela smirked. “Didn’t take long for Elara’s ego to crash. Maybe the backwoods Gamma isn’t so tough after all.”
Before she could say more, Thorne shoved past her.
“I need ten warriors–gear up. We’re heading out!”
“Are you insane?!” Miela shrieked, chasing after him. “You’re the Alpha! You can’t run into danger for… for a few grunts!”
Cael turned on her, eyes ice cold. “If a soldier falls, it’s our job to bring them back. Alive or not.”
Miela shrunk under the weight of every glare in that field.
Thorne ignored her completely, barking orders. “She shouldn’t even be here. Get her out.”
Two guards grabbed her arms as she screamed and kicked.
By the time they dragged her out, Thorne, Cael, and the warriors were already disappearing into the forest.
The woods swallowed them quickly.
They moved fast–too fast for fear to keep up.
Within minutes, they reached a bloodstained clearing. Trees had been torn to splinters. Claw marks ran deep through trunks. The dirt was thick with blood.
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Chapter 27
And then–there it was. A bear’s corpse. Mangled. Massive.
Near it, a brown wolf–injured, unmoving.
Cael froze. “Elara?”
Thorne’s chest heaved.
“No… her wolf is silver.”
Just then, Garron stumbled out from the trees, face pale as ash, eyes wide.
“A–Alpha-
Cael stepped forward. “You fired the flare?”
Garron nodded, shaking. “Y–Yeah. We were attacked. One of the bears–it found us. Maxine fought it off, barely survived. We didn’t know what else to do.”
Thorne narrowed his eyes. “These creatures don’t wander. That thing left its cave. Why?”
“I don’t know-” Garron stammered.
“You sure about that?” Cael asked, stepping closer.
Garron glanced away, voice low. “I… I heard fighting up north. Elara was yelling at her team to run… but then… it went quiet.”
A long pause.
Cael growled, “What did you do?”
Garron swallowed hard. “I might’ve… altered their map. Just a bit. Thought I’d get a head start. I didn’t know those things were real!”
Thorne’s fists clenched.
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t need to.
His silence said it all.
Garron continued, desperate. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t think-”
“You didn’t think at all,” Thorne snapped.
Then he turned to the others. “Move. Now. Elara’s still out there.”
And if she was alive–he’d find her.
Or die trying.
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