1 Doomed love

In front of her was her Doom. Glory trembled while staring at a swirling black mist. The mist whipped and spun creating a vortex of wind; the mist parted revealing a deep red rose. Blood dangled from its petals, leaking down to the grass. A puddle was growing larger under the flower itself. What surrounded the rose was horrifying in itself. Wolf carcasses laid on the ground all across the area.

While staring at the grim scene, her thoughts danced. 'If you would have told me my last thoughts would be of Gregory. I would have hexed you, cursed the very ground you walked on. He somehow became my everything. Every single thought is clashing in my head right now, and every single one of those thoughts is about him.

Glory turned her head and gazed at him, he was a tall and strong-looking young man. His hair was a rustic brown highlighted by the torches. The flames licked and danced high into the night sky, giving off enough light to the surrounding area.

Five different pack members were holding the Alpha back. Glory continued to glance at him noticing one was on each limb, and the remaining one kept a firm grip on his neck. She turned her head toward the rose.

"Gregory, calm down," one of the pack members spoke out.

Gregory was struggling to move forward. "Glory," he shouted. "Glory there has to be another way!"

She glanced back one final time.

Their eyes met.

Glory noticed Gregory's eyes switching. They went from his normal hazel to a sharp black star-like center with yellow slits around the edges.

He noticed shimmering wet droplets falling down her face.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before she faced the rose again. 'In the end, I wanted so, much for us, for me. I wanted to live. I wanted to mature with him. I wanted to get married, have a life outside of the bitter things I knew. "It isn't fair," the tremble of her voice echoed into the parted mist.

"Glory," Gregory shouted as he finally broke away from two of the captors holding his arms.

The pack members tried to regain control of his limbs. Gregory using all the strength he had in him, jerked one of his legs up. His jerk caused one of his leg captors to bounce up a few feet in the air. He snarled at the remaining captor. "Let me go."

The last captor released his leg and slid backward placing his palms in front of him. "No challenge."

Gregory huffed and turned toward Glory. He began to run, picking up speed as he went along.

This time eight members of his pack jumped on him, forcing him to hit the ground. Their combined weight held him in place.

She gave him one last lingering look. "I'm sorry." Glory's body began to glow a soft shimmering gold.

"When the rose takes blood.

When its stem causes agony.

Let it take away this witch's pride.

Cast a curse upon this being.

Take away this future to thorns and dirt.

O' ancient Krone of tongues."

After Glory finished speaking, the glow left her body and flew straight toward the rose.

The rose lifted its head. The glow wrapped itself around the petals almost cradling them. The rose began to quake releasing, a black jet of smoke. In the smoke, a skeletal face revealed itself with long white hair and bone-like limbs. Each hand had long claw-like fingernails.

The Krone stretched one of its hands out. "I will take what is given," she sounded like a thousand whispers cascading into one.

"No," Gregory shouted, and he managed to get one of his arms out. He howled and began to shift. Hair grew all over his body and paws formed. The pack members quickly moved off of him, and he shifted back. Gregory then darted up and toward Glory. "I refuse to let you go!"

"You are too late," said Glory

Gregory picked up speed until he stood right beside her. He then grabbed one of Glory's arms and spun her into an embrace. " I refuse to let you go," He growled softly. "But I also refuse to let my pack suffer more. "Hey, Krone, how about this, two for the price of one," Gregory snarled at the skeletal woman.

Glory's eyes shattered. "No, you can't do this." She pushed him away roughly. "Think of your pack. They need you, I am only a single witch."

The Krone tilted her head. " Oh my, what an interesting offer. It is considered since no wolf dared to speak directly to me." She then huffed, "but the cost would then be far too high for the effect to work."

"What do you mean krone? Can you not see it," Gregory raged. "I would die without her. I would be an empty shell, so you might as well take me too."

"..." The krone did not speak but still tilted her head in interest.

"I count every moment that I spent with her to be valuable. Any expression, laugh, smile, frown, and tear are etched into my soul." Gregory stared down the Krone.

Glory lifted her hand and smacked him in the face. "I want you to live," She shouted.

A patch on Gregory's face turned red. "I would not be alive! Do you not get it! I would be dead on the inside without you. A shell of my former self. I do not want to exist without you."

The Krone cackled, "So interesting. How about a deal. If your love from beginning to end can sway me, I will sacrifice my power to destroy the flower. If it does not!" She narrowed her sockets menacingly. "I will kill one and curse the other."

Without a moment's hesitation, Gregory barked out, "Deal." Glory looked down, and he grabbed her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Believe in us."

"Fine, she huffed. "But you, are still the biggest moron I know." Glory half-smiled.

"The pretty rage-filled animalistic redhead says deal," Gregory chuckled.

"Goody." The Krone smiled stretching its mouth from ear to ear.