"You ready?" I addressed Kyle.
He wasn't looking at me. His gaze was glued to something in the distance, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Elijah?" he asked.
I followed his gaze. Sure enough, Elijah was walking toward us. My heart immediately dropped. No, no, no, no. He was supposed to be with Belle! What the hell was he doing here?
Both Kyle and I took off running. Kyle got to Elijah first, hugging him to his body and inspecting him to see if he was hurt.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kyle yelled at his mate. "The battle is about to start!" He looked over his shoulder to see our pack members and Zagan's army lining up in preparation.
We couldn't see the Clan of Azazel yet, but I had no doubt that would change very soon.
Elijah glanced at me nervously. "Um...," he started.
"Where's Belle?" I demanded. "Why the fuck aren't you with her?"
Kyle growled, tugging Elijah closer to him.
"I-I looked everywhere, Alpha. I promise," Elijah tried to explain. "I couldn't find her."
I stepped forward threateningly, about ready to murder everyone in sight. "What do you mean?" I growled out.
"She's not in Minneapolis," Elijah continued. "She left hours ago, based on her scent."
I could hear the sound of pounding footsteps in the distance and knew it was the Clan of Azazel approaching us. "Then where the hell is my mate?"
5. Bloodlust
GRAYSON
"I'm so sorry, Alpha," Elijah continued. "I followed her scent as far as I could. It stopped at a bus stop."
"Fuck," Kyle said. "Fuck, that means she could be anywhere."
I looked to the horizon where the Clan of Azazel was approaching quickly, hundreds of vampires looking for blood.
I was torn-part of me wanted to protect my pack, to go fight with them and lead them, but the other part-perhaps the bigger part-wanted, needed, to go find my mate.
I wasn't anything without her.
"Alpha?" Elijah asked. "What do you want me to do?"
I knew I didn't have an option. My voice came out gruff and deep-more wolf than man. "Shift. We have some vampires to fight."
We didn't approach the army of Azazel. Instead, we let them come to us.
It felt like they were moving in slow motion even though they were sprinting toward us, looking rabid and bloodthirsty, snarling and baring their fangs.
I was sure it was meant to look intimidating, but it only made them look messy and untrained. Azazel didn't know how to lead an army-not in the same way his brother did.
My pack, along with Casimir's army of vampires, stood in the field, their stance stiff and prepared for the violence we knew was to come.
I stood at the front of the pack, in wolf form, Kyle at my side. A chorus of low growls rang behind me.
My wolf was the most furious of all. He wanted revenge-revenge in the form of broken bones, spilled blood, and torn flesh.
All of his instincts were telling him to take out his fury and worry for his mate on Azazel, determined that he would not live to see the morning.
My vampire was at the surface as well, ready for a fight. I had no doubt my eyes were a dark red with the presence of both creatures.
I was still getting used to having both inside of me and the new strength that came with them.
I was by far the biggest wolf here-the only other one who could even somewhat compare being Kyle, who was still significantly smaller.
I was confident in my new skills and knew that when it came down to a fight between Azazel and me, I would win without any difficulty.
But Azazel was known for his cowardice. Even now, he wasn't at the front of his army like you would expect a leader to be.
He was hiding behind his army, just as I predicted he would be. But that wouldn't stop me from finding him. He was nearby; his scent was in the air.
His blood would be on my hands by the end of the night. Of that, I was sure.
Azazel's army was close now, so close that their scent of blood and sweat was nearly suffocating. My pack started stepping forward. We wouldn't wait any longer.
And then the fight began.
Everything happened so fast. We clashed together-wolves and vampires slamming into one another with such intensity that I was sure it could have been heard from across the large field.
It didn't take long for people to start falling.
I took vampires down one by one easily and with efficiency. One bite to their neck was all it took for their heads to be off their shoulders and rolling on the ground.
I had no mercy for these creatures that were only created to kill and wreak havoc, who were standing between Azazel and me.
I worked my way through the crowd, knowing I would find Azazel at the back of it, looking over the destruction and mayhem he created.
I was a man possessed, fueled by anger and the need for revenge. The death of Azazel's clan meant nothing to me.
Howling sounded behind me. I knew immediately what it meant. Kyle was trying to get my attention. It was the only thing that was able to interrupt my concentration.
I looked behind me, trying to locate Kyle, when a vampire threw himself at me, clamping its teeth into my neck. I growled and threw him off me just as another vampire bit into my leg.
I kicked her off with ease, my fury only growing. I was outside of the throng now, no one around me.
Kyle howled again in the distance. My eyes found him fighting directly in the middle of the battle.
As if he could sense my attention on him, I heard him speak into my mind. "Are you seeing what I am?" he asked me.
I looked around, my eyes scanning the crowd. "What?"
He jerked his head toward the pack grounds. "There's something stopping Azazel's clan from entering pack territory."
I looked behind him, suddenly noticing exactly what he was talking about, although it was hard to pick out. It seemed as though a giant, glimmering dome was spanning over pack lands.
Several wolves and vampires were standing on one side of it, snarling at the vampires on the other side. I narrowed my eyes at them, frowning.
Were they hiding behind the protective field instead of fighting?
Then one of Azazel's vampires-a younger boy, no older than seventeen or eighteen
-raced toward them, obviously looking for a fight, but as soon as he came in contact with the barely visible wall, he fell to the ground.
He screamed in agony and rolled around for a few seconds, twitching as if he had been electrocuted and fighting what seemed to be an intense pain before he eventually stopped.
Dead. He was dead.
"What the hell is that?" I asked Kyle.
