Unexpected
Xander POV
As soon as the needle pierces her skin and the liquid flows, I expect resistance, a gasp, maybe a defiant glare. Yes, it should hurt, but mostly, it should make her bond with her wolf less powerful.
What I don’t expect is how she reacts.
She screams, and it’s not the kind that is planned to stir pity or hesitation. It’s the fd that has me frozen in place. Her entire body convulses, her spine bows violently, and the sound erupting from her throat is like pain clawing its way out of her.
This shouldn’t happen, it shouldn’t be like this.
It’s designed to burn, to punish but not destroy. She’s writhing in the Betas‘ grasp, and thrashing with so much ferocity that I think they might actually lose control of her.
Her legs give out, but her body doesn’t stop twisting, and doesn’t stop trying to escape something that I can’t see.
The maid steps back, and she moves quickly. Her eyes are wide, and her face is pale as the syringe falls from her hand. I can see it in her eyes. This isn’t what she expected, either. This isn’t what any of us expected. We’re all shocked and unsure of what is happening.
I wanted to punish her, but not hurt her, not like this, not in a way that has her screaming like she’s dying.
The serum is doing far more than it ever has, and I don’t understand why or how.
The air shifts suddenly, and it thickens, hums, and changes. A current of pressure floods through the ball so fast that the Betas stagger. One of them turns their head quickly, sensing it all a second too late.
Glass explodes overhead, and two Hollowfang Ravens dive through the high windows. Their wings are stretched wide and furious, and black feathers slice through the air like blades. The sound is deafening, like a scream of rage. The shriek is of something ancient and loyal but entirely out of place here.
The first raven hits hard, its talons slam into the shoulder of the Beta on Serafine’s right, and it tears through his uniform, drawing blood instantly. It’s a quick, precise single strike that works. He cries out and stumbles back, clutching onto his wound as the second raven spins in the air and descends. It forces the other Beta to release her, as it claws for his eye.
The maid screams in panic and drops to the floor. She crawls backward into a corner, and Serafine crumples to her knees. She’s clutching her arm and gasping as if her lungs have been emptied. One of the Betas dives toward her again, his instinct overriding any common sense. The raven intercepts, its wings flaring wide as it crashes into him. The force is so strong it sends him sliding across the stone floor.
The second raven lands and positions itself between Serafine and the rest of the room. Its feathers are raised, and its wings are still stretched out. Its body is low and ready, like it’s about to strike again. It doesn’t move like an animal. It moves like a sentinel.
Serafine pushes to her feet, still crying out. Her legs wobble, but she doesn’t fall. Her eyes lock onto mine, for a breathless heartbeat, they are full of hatred, pain, and betrayal. It burns hotter than the venom in her blood.
She turns and runs, not giving anyone a chance to face her or grab her. No one dares try to stop her or follow her. The raven watches her retreat; it stays unmoving and unblinking but guards her path with a stillness that’s terrifying..
When the sound of her door slamming echoes down the corridor, the Ravens finally move. They both rise together, their wings cutting through the air in silence and then vanish through the same shattered window that they flew in. Within a matter of seconds, they are gone.
The hall is still chaos, though, one Beta is bleeding heavily from the shoulder. The other is trying to sit up, coughing from the blow. The maid is still in the corner, sobbing into her hands. There are shards of glass all over the floor, and they are reflecting the light like scattered stars.
For a moment, I don’t move. Not even slightly. My hands are clenched at my sides. My wolf is howling inside of me, not just with anger, but confusion and something deeper, something more raw.
Killian steps forward slowly from the far side of the hall, and Garrick is just behind him. Neither of them speaks for a moment. They are likely considering what happened.
Killian looks to the blood that is on the floor, then at the window, then to me.
“That was one of our Hollowfangs,” he says. The weight in his voice is heavier than anything I’ve heard from him in years. All I can do is nod, just once. I can’t deny it, I can’t refuse to accept it. He’s right; one of our own just attacked us; they’ve never done it before. No matter who we punished or why, they never got involved, until now, that is.
“They don’t attack. They only move and do something when the pack is under threat,” Garrick adds, his voice even quieter. “Yeah, and they didn’t just attack anyone, they attacked us,” Killian says, his voice low. “So, tell me Alpha, why would they
Unexpected
defend her and attack the people they were meant to protect?”
I don’t know, and I don’t have an answer; I don’t think anyone does. Not one we understand anyway.
None of this today has gone right, none of it has happened the way it was supposed to. My wolf is clawing at me, and I deserve it. I caused her immense pain; it wasn’t my plan, but I did.
My wolf can still feel it now, and I don’t understand how it’s different, how it works differently on her. I don’t understand why the Hollowfang Ravens came to her aid, to protect her.
I do, however, know that I need to go to her. To check if she’s okay. The serum wasnt meant to hurt her like this, and I hate knowing she’s in so much pain that she’s screaming from it.
