Chapter 63

Of course, they would hide something so important in plain sight.

Zeke felt the change immediately the moment nothing was left of the fountain. It was like a bond had been broken. He remembered the morning he had come out to look for the councillors after their first visit, and Iulia had been messing with the fountain. He’d sensed something then; he should have put it together sooner.

The beasts sniffed around the smashed fountain, at the water gushing freely from the pipes before they walked away from the rubble and started circling them.

“You fools!” Hansson screamed as he picked up a piece of the sculpture.

Shadow walked over to their mate and Diego, and they stood together, watching the man meltdown. They were not out of the woods yet. Though Hansson felt considerably weaker, he was still Fae and could hurt them and Alpha Roland.

He looked up to see Ava’s father breathing better and his eyes glowing. The hold on him was weakening.

‘We need to keep him busy to give your dad time to heal,’ he told Ava through their mind-link.

“You think you’re very clever, but you have destroyed the whole school. Do you really think you can control those beasts? They are mine, and they will do as I tell them,” Hansson shouted and started chanting something under his breath.

The beasts whined and then focused on them, their eyes glowing more as Hansson’s magic took hold. Diego shifted back to his wolf form as they were surrounded. He knew they were more dominant than these beasts, but Hansson’s magic could make this go either way.

Shadow lowered his head and snarled with his teeth barred, and Nyx and Diego joined him. And just like before, the beasts lowered themselves in submission before they backed off.

“You think your bond makes you so special,” Hansson hissed, growing more agitated by the second. “It makes you stronger, but it’s also your greatest weakness. I only have to kill one of you.”

Without warning, a lightning bolt shot from the sky and hit between him and Ava. It didn’t hit him directly, but the force of it sent him flying back, knocking into Nyx as they smashed into the asphalt and scraped along the length of it. He could scent his blood and Ava’s. And the smell of their burning fur.

That hurt like a bitch and knocked the wind out of him, but he was aware that it could have been so much worse if they had been caught. Shadow pushed to his feet and nudged Nyx. She was in pain; he could feel it adding to his own. But she was alive and already starting to heal like he was.

Shadow’s rage boiled over. He could put up with a lot of shit, but not when it came to someone hurting Ava. He’d had to keep himself in check the day the bastard had broken Ava’s ribs, but not today.

He didn’t wait for Hansson to attack them again; he launched himself at him and clamped down on Hansson’s uninjured shoulder. He felt his teeth sink to the bone before Hansson disappeared.

“I will destroy this whole school,” the madman shouted. “None of you here know the value of following rules. Of doing as you are told so you can serve your communities. There are other things out there that are stronger than anything you’ve ever seen, and they will destroy you before you even know what is happening.”

Hansson was getting too emotional. Every warrior knew that emotions had no place on the battleground. Hansson would understand that if he didn’t make other people do his dirty work.

“I will not have my life’s work ruined by a pair of disrespectful children!” Hansson said as he held his palms up.

Sparks erupted on his palms as they started to glow. The beasts surrounding him growled and lowered their heads. Hansson tensed as he looked at them as if he had forgotten he was surrounded. The next moment, lightning bolts rained down on a few of the beasts. The smell of burning assaulted his nose, and he knew those creatures had not been as lucky as he and Ava.

Hansson started chanting, and his eyes glowed brighter.

Dark clouds started to form in the sky, covering the afternoon sunshine. The wind picked up; he could feel it blowing through his fur. Little bolts of lightning flickered in the sky. He knew Hansson controlled the air element, but Mr Patrick hadn’t had enough time to teach them more than a crash course, and they’d been assuming he controlled the earth.

Diego attacked before any more lightning strikes, biting his torso. Hansson swore loudly and disappeared.

The moment he reappeared, Nyx attacked him. Again, the bastard disappeared, but he could smell the scent of Hansson’s blood almost as much as the burning flesh of the beasts. He sensed the moment Hansson appeared again, and Shadow attacked. If they could weaken him enough to stop him from disappearing, they would have a better chance.

But the bastard took a while to reappear. He walked over to Nyx to watch her back and kept his senses open.

“I am done playing this game!” Hansson shouted when he reappeared, his palms already lit up.

He was going to fry them.

‘Run, Ava!’

Before they could move, thunder rumbled above them, and he saw the flash of light. It was too late.

They were knocked back again, and this time, he felt something crack as he landed. He felt the pain as the electricity shot through his body and fried his fur. He felt Ava’s pain. His ears rang as he blinked at the darkened sky, and his muscles twitched with the shock.

But he wasn’t dead. They weren’t dead.

When he could lift his head, he realised why. Mr Patrick stood in their place as he took the brunt of the hit meant for them. The lighting was blinding as it continually hit him. Why did he do this? Hansson was stronger than him, and he’d already been weakened.

Grief filled him as he struggled back to his feet. He hadn’t trusted the guy in the beginning, but he didn’t want him dead.

Nyx looked almost like the forest creatures with her patchy fur and those purple eyes as she pushed herself to her feet next to him and took in what was happening. Her grief mixed with his.

‘I can’t lose any more people,’ Ava said.

Mr Patrick was the only one who could have stopped Hansson; now, he was going to die.

“Look,” Diego said as he came next to them.

Mr Patrick was still on his feet. How? He had his arms outstretched and wasn't moving.

The moment the lightning stopped, Hansson saw Mr Patrick, and the stench of his fear magnified. Shadow took a deep breath and relished it. He had already started to heal a lot faster than usual.

“Man, that feels so good,” Mr Patrick said as he rolled his neck. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day.”

For the first time since he has known him, Mr Patrick's strength was not masked.

“This has nothing to do with you. Leave and let me clean up this mess,” Hansson said.

“Oskar, Oskar, Oskar,” Mr Patrick said. “You killed most of our kind because we were a threat to you. Am I to believe that you would let me leave here without consequences?”

Mr Hansson snarled and lifted his palm again, this time directed at Alpha Roland.

But in an instant, Alpha Roland stood behind Mr Patrick, free from his binds.

“I think it’s time we made this match fair,” Mr Patrick said before a little box appeared in his palm. He knew it was the ash that had been in his bag. Mr Patrick chanted, and a wave of magic hit Hansson along with the cloud of ash.

He had no idea what the hell just happened, but Hansson’s palms stopped glowing. Nyx was on him before he could make another move, snapping down on his arm. She had moved so fast he hadn’t even noticed it. He attacked next and caught the other arm. And then Diego. And when Alpha Roland and his white wolf, the purest of all of them, joined in to get his pound of flesh, Zeke felt free for the first time in years.

Hansson’s screams were like music to his ears. A symphony that soothed him like a balm and promised him freedom for the first time in his life.

And then the song ended.