The Beast And The Blessed

Ninety-Five: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

Killian was already standing in his Lycan form. His back was to me as he scanned the area.

A few of our pack members screamed and yelped in pain as they tossed their bodies into the dirt, trying their hardest to extinguish the fire. It was short lasting, but I knew they would have some serious injuries for a while.

I couldn’t feel Killian in our bond. He had shut himself off but stayed close to me as I jumped to my feet and waited. The heat from the flames warmed my chilled fur, and I shuddered.

I had trained to fight but had no idea what to do when we couldn't see our enemies.

'They are still in the mountains. That was a warning shot.' A gravelly, deep unfamiliar voice stated, and I turned to look as Tobias stepped closer.

Thomas and George were on my other side, and I knew the sound of their voices. It hadn't been either of them.

It was Tobias.

The smell of burnt fur made my nose wrinkle, and I glanced around Killian as the last of the injured hobbled their way back toward the healers. Only one body remained limp on the dirt with smoke coming from them, and a group of humans sprinted through the crowd with a stretcher to grab him.

The pack was alert, all on their feet, shifting every few seconds as they waited for their orders. But they remained silent.

I examined the area for the first time since waking and found that the sun had barely started rising. The glow of light on the treetops would work to our advantage. Vampires were fine in the sunlight as long as they had fed. Even if they didn't, they could still be in the sun. They would just burn quickly from the vitamin deficiency their diet caused.

From a distance, yelling could be heard, sending a shiver down my spine.

The echoing war cry coming from several hundreds of bodies was something I would hear when I closed my eyes years from now.

through the trees to find our enemy. Instead, we marched together at a steady pace forward. I stayed just behind Killian as he stalked toward

feet as their hulking beasts pressed in to surround their king. The animalistic sounds coming from them were lower than before. Still, for the first time, I finally understood what

were demanding blood. It excited them that they would

out as the man from last night sprinted toward me. "Are you

warning growl, and the man dropped his head in submission before

spare me glances. It wasn't lost on me that several other werewolves moved with him to provide yet

with the same color hair and eyes as me knew my mother. He knew her white fur and cared for her. He wanted to protect her. He had no idea who I was or what

wouldn't be able to house both armies. There would still be fighting within the trees, but it provided us with an opening large enough to see the

and turning

but I felt the slightest falter in his voice when not one but two

the crown decorated with blood -red rubies took my breath away. They had to have dug up Killian's father to get the crown, and seeing it sitting on

a tall yet paunchy woman with pin-straight blonde hair and a glare that could kill on its own. She had to

at the women. She had yet to shift and held a

to be unleashed. ’ You Lycans have poisoned our world! You think you are a gift from the Goddess, but you are just a group of cursed dogs! You steal and pillage, raping breeders, trapping them as prisoners to sire your lines. Only for them to produce

your rule, or blood

hard as I watched the crowd part behind her. The sound of chains rattling reached

hung limply as they were dragged to the front and forced to their knees next to Lillian. They were

had a large patch of blood oozing from her stomach, staining her clothes. While half of my mother's face had been smashed.

found something that belongs to you," Lillian called out as Agatha slumped

metal of a blade. Talia moved around Lillian

Lillian and Talia, knowing Talia was waiting for the order to end my mother's life. I wasn't even sure if Agatha was still alive with how she hung limply, only held up by the bloodsuckers holding her

eyes away from Talia as she lifted the dagger in a dramatic show, wanting everyone to witness the moment she sent the

forward, dodging Tobias and ducking under Killian's arm as I