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256 Ava: The World Burns
Acarus holds up his hands. "Calm down, little witch. Your alpha is alive."
Alive.
What a weird way to put it.
Wouldn't someone normally say, your alpha is fine?
"What happened?" I ask, sitting back in the chair as I focus my gaze on Acarus.
"Great change. Rebellion. The end of days."
1 frown. "What do you mean, a great change?"
The air is heavy, making it hard to breathe. Or maybe it's just that my chest is tight.
Acarus leans forward, his eyes intense. "The supernatural communities have risen up against the limitations imposed by human laws. It's not just the wolf packs. Registered communities, unregistered cities- they're all involved. War is everywhere."
Marcus's brow furrows. "How widespread is this unrest?"
"It started here," Acarus explains, "but once the media caught wind of it, riots spread to large communities across the country. This anger has been simmering for a long time. Many feel the humans have chained us with their biased laws."
My heart races. “Just tell me what happened to Lucas, I demand, worry coloring my tone.
Acarus inclines his head, his expression softening slightly. "He's recovering in a hospital."
Relief and consternation flow.
Why? By who?
1. me. A hospital? Then that means he was injured. How?
"Westwood is now under the control of rogue supernaturals. And Blackwood... My apologies, Ava. Alpha Renard has retaken it."
Lucas has been defeated.
And my father's back in power.
The implications make my head spin.
voice tight with concern. "That doesn't explain why we haven't been able to
via phone. I'm not familiar with the technical terms, but it's some form of hacking. It's beyond even what humans are capable
struggling to comprehend. "How is it even
country, Acarus clarifies. "That is as much as I understand. Beyond that, you would have to
am not that person."
:00
make sense of it all. Then, a thought strikes me. "What about
in his features.
I'll ever outlive that presumption. "It's just... Clayton's been in Westwood and Blackwood for so long. I hope he's okay,
Shadowpine has returned to his pack, but I'm not certain. He pauses, his gaze intense. "Ava, I
tense up like colled springs. I can feel the shift in
now, Marcus says, his voice
amusement and bewilderment. "There's an easier way to show her
of Marcus and Vanessa, a pang of guilt hitting me as 1 realize they haven't even had a chance to take a
to life under Acarus's touch, and suddenly, the world I
describes the scene unfolding behind her. New York City, a place I've only seen in movies and postcards,
bodies. The reporter's words wash over me,
eyes are glued to the screen, taking in every horrific detail. Smoke rises from burning buildings,
a quick interview. They all
Run.
Run for your lives.
at the bottom of the screen hammer home
The
seeing:
ARMAGEDDON: SUPERNATURALS BETRAY HUMANITY
NO CITY
SURPASSES 100,000 IN NEW YORK
DEMANDS SENT TO
eyes away from the nightmare playing out before me.
humans and supernaturals
like in the future? Humans will never
the moment, my feelings growing distant
camera are
surprised they don't cut away to anchors safe in a building somewhere, citing technical difficulties. Instead, we follow along a nauseating run. Then, no visibility at all, and a
down,
take
on, is the
Let me clean
in silence as someone brushes dirt off the lens. We can see
safe, but I think the death toll just jumped. Back to you,
riots inundate every major city..." The camera returns to a
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