Chapter 19

Dylan

T he night was beautiful, with a full moon casting its silvery glow over the landscape. The sky was clear and dotted with twinkling stars, and the air was crisp and cool. The moonlight bathed everything in a soft, ethereal light, creating long, gentle shadows. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves rustling softly. The world feels calm and peaceful, with the only sounds being the distant hoot of an owl and the occasional rustle of nocturnal creatures. The moon's reflection shimmers on a nearby lake, adding to the magical ambiance. The full moon enhances her connection to her wolf form, making her feel more powerful and in tune with her abilities. The moonlight would highlight her shadow wolf ability, casting an intriguing silhouette as she moves gracefully through the night.

The whole class was standing around the entrance of the woods, all waiting for the teachers to give them the go-ahead to shift into their wolves to start their full moon run. It was a small nod to them all, and Dylan pulled on the magic of her wolf. The magic washed over her and pushed for Dylan's most hated movements. The feeling of her muscles rearranging and stretching, followed by the popping of her joints and the pain washing through her of the shift. She was on her paws before just about everyone else. Jackson was shaking his beautiful light gray fur to get rid of the last few tingles of the magic. She wagged her tail at him, and he leaned his large head into her neck and licked her muzzle. His presence made it easier to stand around many wolves she didn't know in their wolf forms around her. She tried to hide her anxiousness about it, but she couldn't hide anything from her mate.

Everything will be fine. We all stick to the same trail at first, and then we can run off and either run through the woods or go for a small hunt. I promise that I will be by your side the whole way.

Dylan leaned into him and rubbed her muzzle into his neck. She inhaled his rich coffee and whiskey scent, bringing a level of calmness to her. She needed that if she was going to survive this. Even though she felt like things could be squashed between her and Camilla, Dylan knew better than to let her guard down. Anyone would choose to turn that into a weakness.

I don't know why, but I feel like things aren't over.

She heard him sigh in her mind; I know. Camilla wasn't this bad with other females before you got here. I guess she can't let go.

That's a problem, Jackson. Wolves who fall for someone who is not theirs never end well.

No, I guess not. But let's not let that bother us right now. Let's just have some fun in our wolf skins tonight.

I'll try.

Lupe was ahead of everyone and in her shadow wolf in a flash. Dylan realized she didn't have to go through a painful shift. She wondered if that was something else she was able to do with her Shadowborn magic that Dylan had no idea about. If that was the case, she had much to learn from the wolf while here.

Once everyone was in their furry form, Lupe let out a howl and then took off into a run in the woods. Dylan chose to stay in the back, with Jackson and Serafine beside her. Serafine's wolf was a gorgeous reddish brown that suited her. Dylan took another look at her mate's wolf and sighed at how gorgeous he was, even in this form. His light gray fur had a silvery hint under the moon's light, and his eyes were vibrant green. There was a small part of dark gray on his back and his tail that almost looked like a coat.

An all black-coated wolf stalked around them but wouldn't come near them. Dylan caught the scent and noticed the citrusy scent coming from his direction. She wished she could roll her eyes in her wolf form as it hit her that it was Hunter. When the three of them started running after the rest of the small school pack, Hunter stayed on the outskirts. All of them followed the path, but Hunter was in the trees, zigzagging through them as he kept up with the pack.

She had to keep her mind off Hunter so Jackson wouldn't lose it. When he was in his wolf form, it was easier for the wolf to take charge over the human. Dylan may have been able to face off with Camilla, but it would not have been a good thing if Jackson and Hunter had ever fought. This would be more over a female than dominance. In dominance fights, one person can submit, which will be the end of it. Over a woman? It would go to the death. Dylan loved Jackson. Did she think he could win in a fight? Hell yeah. He was a Beta, after all. He couldn't be in that position without being able to handle himself in a fight. However, the issue was that they knew nothing about Hunter, outside of the fact that he was a part of the Monarch's pack. That pack had nothing but powerful wolves. There was a chance Hunter was more powerful than Jackson, and Dylan couldn't stand the thought of him losing. She couldn't lose him now that he was hers.

I can't stand the thought of losing you either, baby. Don't worry. I understand. I know this is a tough situation. I'm not going anywhere, though.

Dylan pushed out every thought she had, turning her senses back into the run. Hearing the thunderous sound of the wolves' paws against the ground. For a brief moment, she forgot how they were all from different packs and felt as if they were all one. That was the purpose of having full moon runs in the first place. To unite everyone within the pack, their hearts beat in the rhythm of their feet as they raced through the trees into the depths of the woods until they reached a stopping point. Most packs ran silently, searching for prey to eat together, but this was not that. Instead, it was just a way to unify them. Dylan felt connected to every wolf here, making this moment the first time she felt like she wasn't alone outside of her time with Jackson or Serafine. It was a moment when she forgot that she was there due to heartbreak and to reform herself to make him love her. At this moment, she was here to connect with others she may not have had the chance to meet before. Each person was a new beginning of a possible friendship or a chance to have an ally. If she could connect with everyone here at this moment, she could do so while at school.

She could see a fork coming up, and Dylan watched to see Lupe take the right side. She knew she would need to follow the same path because even though she knew a part of these woods after her time running with Jackson and Serafine on Saturday, she didn't know these woods inside and out as she did back home. She would easily get lost if she didn't follow the same one that everyone else did. Everyone's scents were mixed together since they were running in a uniform group through the woods. There was a chance that the path was easily followed as it looped around all the grounds and returned to the school, but this was not the path that she and her friends took.

Just as she approached the fork in the road, something hard hit her side, knocking her to the left side of the path. Dylan rolled, and she struggled to get onto her feet before she fell off a minor cliff. Her body landed on a small patch of ground at least thirty feet from the top of the cliff that she could see. When she moved to stand on her feet, pain radiated through her side, and she knew she had broken at least one of her ribs. Dylan whined and tried to look around to see if there was a path that would bring her back to the one everyone was running around on. The small, narrow area from where she lay looked as if it went down the cliff instead of up. A thought went through her mind that it could be somewhere the pack was heading toward anyway, so she slowly got to her feet. It was difficult to move with her sign in such pain, and her breath became labored.

Great. I did break a rib.

Werewolves had the ability to have a rapid healing rate, but it still was going to take at least an hour or so for it to heal completely. It was not the time for her to have an injury such as this when she was in an area that she was unfamiliar with. Someone had pushed her onto this path so she would fall off of this cliff. Since she had added up behind everyone, no one probably had noticed her absence until it was too late.

No matter. I can find my way back.

She had to keep her pace to a slow trot so she would not aggravate her new injury. The small area she had to walk along was impossibly narrow in some places, causing Dylan to jump to get to a spot where she wouldn't need to watch her movement without falling down the hill and injuring herself more. Luckily, her broken rib was already healing enough that she was able to do this without having to wait for the pain to subside after her jump. She could see the level land below now, and she let out a sigh of relief at seeing it. Within a few minutes, she was at the bottom and could hear the wolves' call nearby.

When the path ended, Dylan stopped in her tracks as she saw three wolves blocking her path. The one in the middle was a deep gray with white paws that she knew to be Camilla's. The other two looked to be a blondish wolf with a black spot on her muzzle and a brown wolf with a white tip at the end of her tail. These three wolves were Camilla and her friends.

Now I know who pushed me to fall off that cliff.

Dylan lowered her head and snarled at the wolves. It would not be easy if they all chose to fight at once, but Dylan knew she could handle herself. Her pack's Beta ran drills for multiple opponents for this very reason, so she had some experience to win this one possibly. It was just a matter of her ribs and whether these wolves hit her in the same spot. It was still healing, so that could be their way of winning and doing even worse damage.

Since they were all in their wolf form, there was no talking. The three of them were snarling and snapping their jaws her way. Dylan reigned herself in, knowing it could give her an advantage if she moved silently in the night. She waited for them to make their move. Being a patient hunter was going to be key here. Due to her facing off with Camilla already, she knew some of the things the wolf would do. If she did the same thing she did in combat class, she would attack first and fight with her anger instead of her head.

Sure enough, Camilla made the first move again. She charged at Dylan, and jumping aside to evade the attack was easy. The only difference this time was the two goons that jumped in after her. They both hit her from the side, hitting together to make an impact. Dylan landed on the side with her injury, breaking her rib once again. A reddish paw was by her face, and Dylan took the chance to bite down, hearing the crunch of the bone breaking between her teeth. The wolf yelped and limped away, and Dylan heard the snarl of Camilla's wolf come closer. Dylan pulled on her bond with Jackson but built a wall between them, so he didn't lose his mind as he frantically searched for her. She felt him push inside the walls of her mind when she fell and managed to keep it where he could feel her enough to know she was alive. He wasn't happy about her limiting access to their bond, and now her pulling on the power to heal a wound wasn't going to make things any better. Once the pain resided, she closed the rest of the bond before Camilla pounced. Dylan lowered herself until she felt Camilla's weight on her, then pushed up quickly to throw Camilla off her.

Nice try, bitch. I have more combat experience.

Dylan ran toward the blonde wolf, jumping on her back, and heard Camilla's body hit the ground. She bit down on the back of the wolf's neck while pouring out her power to make the wolf submit. The wolf dropped to her stomach and whined once the power hit her. Dylan saw the wolf turn her head to show submission, and Dylan let go of her neck to move on. Camilla was charging at her while the red one was trying to run on three paws. A large black wolf jumped on top of the red one and roared until she lay on her stomach and bared her neck in submission. Dylan was able to roll out of the way before Camilla could tackle her wolf's body into her. Dylan turned in time to clamp her mouth on Camilla's tail. She howled in pain before jerking her body to bite at Dylan, but she let go and jumped away.

This time, it felt like Dylan needed to be the one to do the intimidation. She started to circle Camilla, looking at her as if she was her prey. In this moment, her mind was clear. Watching Camilla's wolf circle her own, looking frantically around to find a way to attack cleanly, showed Dylan that she wouldn't stop until Dylan put an end to this. If Lupe and the rest of the professors didn't find them to intervene, Dylan was going to have to end the battle between them in the most permanent way she knew.

I don't want to, but I will if she won't stop.

Camilla snarled, practically foaming at the mouth as they both tried to find their moment to strike. Camilla was now lost to her wolf. The need to be with someone who was not her fated mate had driven her, and her wolf passed the point of saving. Dylan had already proven that she belonged to Jackson instead of Camilla, and that wasn't enough. She was convinced that Jackson was hers and that not even her wolf could save her. This moment would not have happened if she had listened instead of convincing her wolf of what she believed. Camilla was going to fight to the death unless Lupe came in and exerted her power enough so Camilla and her wolf could find their way back to the path of light.

Dylan could not see any opening. They would need to settle this with teeth and claws.

There was no time to waste, so Dylan broke the circling and charged at Camilla. The red wolf changed her direction and ran toward Dylan. They clashed together, snapping their jaws and trying to connect their claws into flesh. They dropped down to all fours again before jumping back onto their back two to engage again. Dylan felt her teeth scrape against Camilla's muzzle and bit down. She heard a crunch, and Camilla whined. They dropped down when Dylan was released, and she could see the blood trailing down her reddish-brown fur. Dylan bit down on the top of her mouth, making it difficult for Camilla to use it now.

Without wasting much more time, Dylan charged again and aimed for Camilla's back paws. Her teeth sunk into her right back leg and ripped open the meaty part of her thigh. Camilla howled and limped away. Dylan couldn't let up. She rushed again and hit her in the side. Her teeth ripped open her stomach, and blood flowed onto the ground. Camilla lay on the ground, most likely to save herself from tearing the wound open more and risking her intestines to be exposed. Dylan thought it could be over, but when she pushed out her power, Camilla didn't submit. She snarled and snapped her jaws at Dylan to stay away from her instead. This was not going to be tolerated. As long as Camilla chooses not to submit and rejects the fact that Dylan has won, she will continue to cause issues for Jackson and her.

I'll be Luna of a pack someday. I cannot be lenient now. I won't have that luxury when it's my own pack.

Dylan hated the thought of having to end someone's life just because they loved someone. The problem was that Camilla loved the one that was not hers. If she hadn't learned that this was not the way of their people now, she never would. Camilla's eyes were glowing, and the wolf had been in charge this whole time. If the man was lost to the wolf, it was going to be difficult for anyone to bring Camilla back.

I am doing her a service. If she is lost to the wolf, no Alpha will allow her to come back.

She needed to do this. There was no other way. Dylan pushed her guilt down and ran at Camilla. Her jaws wrapped around Camilla's neck and punctured her skin. She pushed her power into Camilla, hoping for one final effort to help the poor wolf return. Camilla thrashed around, trying to get her claws into Dylan as much as possible, but it didn't work. Dylan knew what she had to do. She threw her head back and forth, ripping holes into the wolf's skin. Blood coated Dylan's tongue, the metallic taste making it certain that it was the end to this madness for Camilla.

The wolf whined under her. Dylan lowered her head until it lay on the ground. The light in Camilla's eyes was fading fast as blood pooled under her neck. Dylan wished it could have ended any other way, but Camilla's eyes were glowing even now.

I'm sorry, Camilla. I will tell everyone the truth. No one should ever think that you made these choices; it was your wolf.

The glow in Camilla's eyes dimmed and finally extinguished. Dylan threw her head back, releasing a heart-wrenching howl. This was not the fate she had envisioned for Camilla. Love, with its unpredictable power, had driven her to this tragic end. If only she hadn't faced rejection, been sent to this school, and fallen for someone who found his second chance, her story might have been different. In Dylan's view, no one should meet such an end, yet here it was, the sorrowful conclusion for this unfortunate soul.

Dylan looked up at the full moon, opening herself back up to the mate bond and to her Creator.

I promise I will always lead with a full heart and do whatever I must to prevent this from happening to any wolf under my reign.