Chapter 99

Ava’s POV

“Eliza, go back!” I barked, panic lacing my voice.

Before she could respond, a scream ripped through the air, sharp and piercing. My blood turned to ice as I spun around, just in time to see Eliza stumble, her phone tumbling from her hands as she shrieked.

“Eliza!” Isabella and I shouted in unison.

We bolted toward her, the ground seeming to disappear beneath my feet. My lungs burned as I pushed myself faster, but then I heard it—a low, menacing snarl behind me. My blood froze as I glanced back. A massive wolf was bearing down on Eliza, its glowing eyes locked onto her as she scrambled backward, her face pale with terror.

We were trapped. The realization hit me like a physical blow. My gaze darted around, desperately searching for an escape, but wolves were closing in from all sides.

“Run!” I screamed, though I knew it was futile.

The wolf lunged at Eliza just as Isabella let out an ear-splitting growl. I turned to see her leap into the air, her bones snapping and reforming with a sickening sound. Her transformation was almost instantaneous, her body twisting and reshaping as her wolf emerged. She collided with the attacking wolf mid-air, the two crashing to the ground in a snarling, snapping heap.

“Eliza, move!” I shouted, grabbing her arm and yanking her to her feet.

She stumbled but followed as I dragged her away from the melee. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.

Isabella’s wolf form was a blur of fur and fangs as she fought, her growls guttural and feral. She slammed the other wolf down, her jaws snapping its throat, but more were coming. Too many.

“Bels!” I screamed, but she didn’t look at me; her focus was entirely on the fight.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another wolf leap over the wall. Its eyes locked onto me, and time seemed to slow. My breath caught in my throat as it lunged, its massive body hurtling toward me with terrifying speed.

This was it. I braced myself for the impact, my mind blank with fear.

But just as it was about to reach me, a deafening snarl cut through the air, and another wolf—a flash of gray and silver—collided with it mid-leap. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of fur and claws, snapping and snarling.

I didn’t have time to process what was happening.

“Go!” Isabella’s growl was directed at me, and I understood instantly.

“Eliza, go!” I pushed her ahead, my voice cracking with desperation.

But then there was another snarl, closer this time, and my stomach dropped. I turned to see three more wolves emerging from the shadows, their eyes glowing like embers. Then a black wolf burst from the shadows, larger than any creature I had ever seen; its massive frame radiated power. Its gaze met mine for the briefest moment, and I knew…

His snarl was like thunder, shaking me to my core. Without hesitation, he launched himself at the trio of wolves, a blur of muscle and ferocity. They didn’t stand a chance.

“Eliza, move!” I hissed, grabbing her arm as her wide eyes stayed locked on Grayson.

“But—”

“No!” I snapped, my voice trembling with urgency. “Not now! Run!”

I hated myself, hated the helplessness twisting in my gut. I reached for my wolf, desperate to feel her strength, but there was nothing. Just emptiness.

My voice cracked. “Go!”

Eliza stumbled forward, her face pale with terror, but she obeyed. I pulled her toward the gate, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely think. Behind us, the sound of snarls, yelps, and the sickening crunch of bones filled the air.

We were almost to the gate when another thought struck me—cowardice. This was my fault. I had brought Isabella and… I was the reason Grayson had come, and they were still back there. Fighting. Bleeding. While I was running away like a coward.

I turned sharply, my grip tightening on Eliza’s arm.

“What are you doing?!” she shrieked, her voice breaking.

“I’m not leaving them,” I said, my voice firm.

Her eyes filled with panic. “Are you out of your mind? You can’t go back there! You’ll die!”

“I’m not leaving them!” I yelled, my voice echoing through the chaos.

“You can’t help them!” she cried, grabbing my arm. “You don’t even have your wolf! They told us to run for a reason!”

Tears pricked my eyes, but I shook my head. “I can’t abandon them, Eliza.”

“Then we’ll both die!” she shouted.

“You’re not staying!” I snapped, pointing toward the distant estate. “Go back to Grayson’s estate. Find Liam. Tell him the king is under attack and he needs backup. Now!”

Eliza shook her head violently. “I’m not leaving you!”

“You don’t have a choice!” My voice cracked. “You’re the only one who can get to them in time! Please, Eliza, go!”

For a moment, she stood frozen, her chest heaving. Then, with a choked sob, she nodded.

“Don’t you dare die on me,” she said, her voice trembling.

“I won’t,” I lied.

She turned and ran, disappearing into the shadows. My heart clenched, but there was no time to dwell. I pivoted and bolted back toward the bloodbath. The silver-gray wolf was locked in a vicious battle with two wolves; the metallic stench of blood was heavy in the air.

The scene I returned to was chaos incarnate. Blood slicked the ground. Grayson fought savagely, his movements swift and precise, like a whirlwind of teeth and claws.

Grayson’s massive form towered above the fray, his strength unmatched as he tore through the attackers. But even he couldn’t be everywhere at once. The enemy wolves kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless.

I skidded to a halt, my eyes darting across the battlefield. My chest tightened as I realized just how outnumbered we were. This wasn’t a fight—it was a slaughter.

A feral snarl to my left snapped me out of my frozen state. A rogue wolf barreled toward Grayson’s side, its jaws aimed for his exposed flank. My heart leapt into my throat.

“Grayson, behind you!” I screamed.

He didn’t falter. His head whipped around, gray eyes blazing with fury as he intercepted the attacker mid-lunge, his powerful jaws clamping down on its throat with brutal precision. He tossed the limp body aside, already turning to face the next threat.

But where was Isabella?

I tore my gaze from Grayson and scanned the chaos. Wolves darted and lunged, a blur of fur and teeth. My stomach churned as I spotted familiar blood-red fur near the edge of the fray. Isabella. She was locked in combat with two wolves at once, her movements sharp but desperate.

I sprinted toward her, dodging bodies and leaping over the carnage. My breaths came in ragged gasps, and I forced myself to keep moving, even as my legs screamed in protest.

“Isabella!” I shouted, but my voice was swallowed by the cacophony of battle.

She didn’t see me. Her focus was locked on the wolves circling her, their teeth bared and snarls echoing through the chaos. One lunged for her throat, but Isabella moved like lightning, twisting just in time. Her claws raked down its side, leaving bloody furrows as it howled in pain.

But another wolf was already closing in on her blind side, its eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.

My heart stopped as I realized what was about to happen.

“No!” I screamed, my voice tearing through the night.

The wolf’s jaws clamped down on her hind leg with a sickening crunch, and Isabella’s yelp of pain ripped through me like a knife. She staggered, her body buckling under the weight of her injuries. Still, she fought. With a desperate snarl, she swung around and sank her teeth into the wolf’s neck, ripping and tearing until it fell lifeless to the blood-soaked ground.

But there was no time to breathe. Another wolf darted in, its fangs sinking into her shoulder. Isabella’s roar of pain was raw, guttural, and filled with defiance, but I could see her weakening.

“Isabella!” I screamed again, my voice cracking with desperation. My feet moved on their own, closing the distance between us, but I was too slow.

Another wolf leapt from the shadows, barreling into her. Its jaws tore into her flank, and Isabella collapsed under its weight. Blood stained her brilliant brown fur, and she let out a ragged snarl, her strength fading with every second.

Something inside me snapped. It wasn’t just fear or anger—it was something primal, something ancient and wild. My scream ripped through the battlefield, louder than any sound I’d ever made.

Before I knew it, I was running. My legs burned, my heart pounded, and my vision tunneled, focused solely on her. The sounds of the battle—the snarls, the growls—faded into a dull roar.

I had to reach her. I had to.

And then it happened.

It started as a spark deep within me, a heat that ignited in my chest and spread through my veins like wildfire. My steps faltered as the sensation intensified, a raw, untamed energy coursing through me.

I stumbled, clutching my stomach as the fire grew, consuming me from the inside out. My skin burned, every nerve alight with pain and power. I gasped, falling to my knees, my fingers digging into the blood-soaked earth.

And then I felt her—my wolf.

Her presence surged forward, a tidal wave of strength and ferocity that I couldn’t hold back. She roared inside me, louder than anything I’d ever known, demanding to be set free.

My body convulsed as the shift began. Bones cracked and stretched, my muscles tearing and reforming in a symphony of pain and power. My vision blurred, colors sharpening and shifting as my senses heightened.

I screamed, the sound raw and guttural, before it turned into something else—a growl. A deep, resonant growl that echoed through the battlefield and silenced everything around me.

And then, for the first time in twenty-four years, I shifted.