Chapter 43

Cirilla's Point Of View

"One shot! One shot! One shot!"

I didn't stop. I kept gulping down the liquid content in my glass, ignoring the burning trail that began from the back of my tongue, through the throat, past my chest, and settled in the core of my stomach.

I groaned, successfully chugging down the drink. Only the heavens knew what exactly Dorian had mixed in there for me.

I flipped the glass upside down on the table, smirking with pride.

"Happy birthday!" They all chorused, chugging down their drinks.

We were at Lakita bar with just a small crowd. Miles had closed the bar earlier tonight and had given me a day off.

"One more round moonpie!" Dorian shouted over the music playing, and I groaned, shaking my head.

"I'm not gulping down any of those again or I might just throw up," I yelled back, grabbing my phone and walking to the counter.

I checked my call log and there haven't been any calls from Asher. To say I was getting mad was an understatement. He promised he'd be here.

I was already in a bad mood when Niko's message buzzed in. I tapped on the notification and to my surprise, he was already on his way to the bar.

That was surprising. As much as I hate to admit it, I did feel a little sad when he told me he wouldn't be able to make it tonight. He had left to see his grandfather last night in Nevada and would return tomorrow. It was important. I could tell from the urgency in his voice.

There was another message, and just as I took in the name of the sender, every joint in my body vibrated with rage.

'Stop being an ungrateful brat! We need to leave this fucking town Cirilla. It's not safe for you or me. I've packed some basic stuff you'll need. Meet me here tonight,' - Jasmine. She added an address. A cabin along the old Greengrove road.

The fire in my bones intensified after reading her text. I heard a loud growl in my head from Nina. It was from a place of rage, but I couldn't help but smile, now I knew exactly where she was.

I contemplated whether I should go find her now before she disappeared. But that would be stupid and reckless and could be a trap like the last time. I decided to wait till Asher arrived. Then we could both go check the place out. He was the best backup I've got.

I glanced back at my phone. No call, no message from him yet. It was exactly ten.

Now for some reason, my earlier rage had turned into something else. Unease, and maybe fear. Why? I couldn't tell.

I blew out some air when Dorian jerked up from his seat, swaying his waist and body to the music, waltzing to me. "Let's hit the dancefloor, moonpie," He looked drunk, but he was far from drunk. Perks being a werewolf, I noticed.

The guys cheered him on, and I smirked at his goofiness while taking his large hand stretched out for me. He spun me around, pulling me closer and we started dancing.

We weren't in a second into the music when I felt my bones tremble. The hairs on my skin stood in alert. Something was wrong.

Dorian stopped dancing, and I realized everyone felt it. The unmistakable feel of an unsettling force swept through us, even a few humans that were in the bar, shivered in fear.

Frightful gasps touched the roofing the instant the hard floor began trembling with every glass in the bar, vibrating. The air ticked with something I was trying to find the word for. But then, Stefan's deep commanding growl resonated within the bar.

"Get down!"

Dorian reached out to grab me, but it was too late because there was an instant release of powerful energy that blasted everyone in the bar, flinging all in different directions.

The deafening sounds of window glass shattered along with every glass in the bar and they pierced my ears with a powerful force, silencing the blasting music that banged the roof.

I crashed against the counter, falling to the hard floor with shards of glass from the blasts, tearing into my flesh, blurring my vision.

I gasped, feeling something sharp pierce into my chest.

Dark vicious-looking wolves jumped in through the windows, some in their forms and some in their human forms and they attacked us.

I groaned, weakly swinging my head from left to right. My vision was blurry and I couldn't feel my body, I couldn't move.

"Nina!" I called out to her, and she seemed to be in the same situation I was. What the fuck was happening?

From my peripheral vision, I saw a vicious-looking wolf racing toward me with speed, but from my right, Stefan's wolf jumped In front of me, tearing the rogue wolf apart.

The black bead in his eyes danced with rage and fear as he looked over me, growling.

*****

Stefan's Point Of View

We were all fighting.

Using my razor-sharp teeth, I bit off the neck of the wolf next to me. They were all rogues. Some were in their forms and others, in human forms. I caught a glimpse of the symbol tattooed on the wrist of a rogue. It was the same with the rogue we tortured a few days ago. Then it hit me.

They were here for Cirilla.

I growled and loud screams rose to the air from some unlucky humans who were unfortunate to be here tonight.

"They are here for Ci. Protect her!" I mindlinked every wolf that was in the bar, mindlinking Joshen from the pack, calling for more backups from the pack. This was an ambush and we were outnumbered.

My wolf's vision searched for Cirilla. We found her on the floor near the bar's counter with several shards of glass in her body and one large one right in her chest.

She was frozen on the floor, bleeding from almost everywhere.

Fuck!

For a second my heart nearly jumped from my chest, thinking she was dead. But her heart was still beating. I sped to her side, tearing apart the wolf that was almost on her.

Julia and Lyra were at Cirilla's side, shifting back to their human forms, pulling the large glass out from her chest.

Fuck.

It looked bad. And more of this fucking rogues kept joining the fight.

"Dorian! Get her out of here, straight to the pack. Now!" I mindlinked him. We would have more advantage on our grounds. We were fucking outnumbered here.

Trish, Miles, Jaxon, and I covered Dorian as he sped out with Cirilla on his wolf's back. Julia and Lyra hurried behind him. Luckily for us, Joshen and some reinforcement came just in time, joining the fight.

I left the bar with some warriors, running after some wolves that had retreated from the bar, going after Dorian.

Joshen, a few warriors, and I had entered the woods, and even on the way, more rogues appeared from nowhere. They came prepared.

I could already see Julia and Lyra ahead, they were fighting off rogues while Dorian kept speeding with Cirilla.

The warriors joined Julia and Lyra while I kept running after Dorian, ripping apart every damned rogue I came past.

Up ahead, more rogues were on Dorian's tail, almost closing in on him but from literally nowhere, the rogues were surrounded with wild flames, burning the life out of them.

From the flames, a figure emerged with fire burning through his skin. He was a Phoenix, but I couldn't see who he was, not in his form. But the good thing, he seemed to be on our side.

He moved with speed, slashing the rogues beside Dorian with a long sword made from his fire.

Loud growls rippled through the woods from more rogue reinforcement and we were still far away from our borderlands.

This was getting bad. I have to get word to Asher.

I was about to mindlink him when suddenly, a loud wailing scream tore through the night's darkness, releasing a mighty energy that reached the sky, and caused the earth to quake, sending everyone in the woods flying.

The mighty overpowering energy forced me to abruptly shift to my human form. Blood was dripping from my nose and ears as the scream lasted for a second more.

My eyes narrowed up ahead to where Dorian was lying on the ground in his human form and not too far from him was Cirilla. She was against a tree with her hands gripping both sides of her head in pain. Her eyes were glowing blue.

I was up, running to her when she released another powerful scream that sent me against a tree, and everything went dark.

*****

Cirilla's Point Of View

I felt the chaos in my soul. It started like a tiny crack of fire, and it started growing, spreading throughout my body.

I felt weak. My vision was blurry and my hold on Dorian's coat was weakening. I had to release the burning steam within me. I had to set it free.

I couldn't fight it. My lips parted and I let out a scream, releasing the chaos that wanted loose, destroying everything in its part.

The force from my scream sent everything and everyone flying, tearing me from Dorian.

I was on the ground, against a tree. My insides were still on literal fire. My head was throbbing hard in pain. I gripped it tightly, crying in pain.

Nina was growling in my head, my vision was a blurry red and I had no idea what was happening. I screamed again.

"Jasmine," Nina growled, her voice holding a mixture of murderous rage and sheer relief.

I felt her growing stronger in the corner walls of my mind, and my eyes were hurting. I could hear the loud throbbing of my heart in my ears, the rush of blood in my veins. I was aware of every little thing.

My hands dug into the ground, and through my blurry vision, I could see the dark lines that popped out of my veins.

There was a familiar energy breathing life into me from the pit of my stomach, making Nina growl louder, and I felt the surge of power in my bones.

My eyes flashed red.

*****

Stefan's Point Of View

My eyes snapped open.

I was stuck up on a tree with its sharp branch protruding from my stomach. I broke off the cheap wood, shoving it out of me, and landing on my human legs.

I scanned around for Cirilla. Fuck. I couldn't find her.

Asher was going to have our heads for this.

I already dreaded his reaction when he found out about this. Oh, goddess please pray for me.

I hurried to Dorian, checking him. He was unconscious, but still breathing.

I slapped him hard in the face and his eyes automatically snapped open.

"Cirilla is gone," I said in a serious tone, scanning around. Some of our wolves that were nearby began to stir awake. But the rogues we were fighting and those that were chasing after Dorian were all dead. Their bodies were in a gory state.

I can't believe Cirilla did this. We all knew she was a hybrid, having both magic and a wolf, but I didn't for a second imagine she could cause this much destruction.

"They are all dead. So it's safe to say, they didn't have her," Dorian motioned to me, uttering furiously. "Where could she be?" He was fucking worried, we all were.

I mindlinked the pack, in case she may have gone there, but nothing. She wasn't there.

"Julia!" I searched around for her. She was really good at what she does, and the best person we had to track Cirilla down.

"On it!" She yelled and my gaze narrowed to where her voice came from. I hastened to her. Her fingers brushed the leaves on the ground, and she pulled it up, bringing it to her nose. There was blood on them. "It's her blood," She sniffed. "It's Ci's blood," She muttered with certainty in her eyes.

"Can you track her scent?" I asked, running a hand through my hair as Julia shot me an annoyed gaze.

She rolled her eyes. "You know I can. Follow me," She shifted into her brown wolf.

I shifted into mine as well, and everyone did, following Julia's trail.

Then my wolf's eyes suddenly became foggy, and in no seconds I heard him. "Stef!" An annoyed and enraged growl thundered in my head, causing my wolf to whimper in fear. Asher.

He was breathless. "Why the fuck couldn't I connect to you?" Through the mind-link, I felt his raging emotions. I was about to speak through the mind-link when his voice turned terrifyingly cold, dangling with unmistakable fear.

He knew.

I felt my heart stop at his low voice. "What happened? Where's Cirilla? Is she okay? I heard her fucking scream. Answer me, man! How is my mate?"

I shut my eyes. "I'm sorry, Asher. She's missing!" I said through the mind-link. My heartbeat had spiked up at Asher's deadly silence but I continued. "Rogues attacked us at the bar. We were on our way to the pack when she screamed and we blacked out. When we woke, she was gone. Julia's tracking her right now, we are at the Old Greengrove woods and—" Asher disconnected from me. "Ash!" I called, but there was nothing.

Fuck!