Chapter 23 - Liz

I can”t believe it. Just when I thought my plan was working, that we were finally getting the upper hand, I find Fisher in an even worse situation than before. My stomach clenches into knots as I realize I”ve let him down. I shouldn”t have gone off on my own. I should”ve been by his side during the whole ordeal instead of doing stupid shit like setting traps and hoping they would work. Now he”s cornered and outnumbered—without David, no less. They”re going to tear him apart, and there”s nothing I can do about it.

”Fisher!” I scream, my voice raw with panic.

He lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine for a split second before he”s forced to dodge another attacker. His howl of frustration and pain slices through the chaos, reaching deep into my soul. I can”t—I won”t—let him face this alone. We”ll die here together if we have to, but he won”t die alone.

”You sons of bitches!” I shout, charging at the enemy. Just as I”m about to leap into the fray, fist flying, someone snatches me by the waist from behind and throws me onto the ground. ”Get off me! Let me go!” I shriek.

I thrash in their grasp, trying to get free. But whoever has me is stronger, much stronger than me. He hoists me up and drags me away from the others. I fight against his hold, struggling to free myself, but there”s nothing I can do to break free. It isn”t until he”s thrown me against a wall that I realize who it is.

”Well, well, well, if it isn”t the little troublemaker.” The man sneers, bending down so we”re face-to-face. His breath reeks of blood, and he spits out a tooth, but it doesn”t diminish his arrogance one bit. ”How ya been, sweetheart?”

It”s the man who captured me and held me in a cage. He”s the one who brought me to the auction to be sold.

He looks furious, his dark eyes shining with rage, but his hand is steady as it holds me in place. ”You should never have come back,” he says through gritted teeth.

”Let me go,” I demand, but he just laughs.

”I don”t think so, sweetheart. You killed my brother in that explosion, didn”t you?”

”No, I—” I start, but he interrupts me with a wave of his hand.

”Save your breath. Oh, I”m going to enjoy this.”

His face darkens, and his grip on my arm tightens even more. ”You”re going to pay for what you did,” he snarls, his free hand clenching into a fist.

Before I can react, he swings at me, his fist connecting with my cheek. The force of the blow sends me staggering back, pain flaring across my face. I steady myself, my heart pounding as I prepare for his next attack. He lashes out again, and I duck just in time, dodging the hit, but I don”t make it far before he has me in his hold again.

He pins me to the ground with his weight, sitting on top of my waist. His fingers dig into my throat, choking me. In the distance, I hear Fisher”s mournful howl. I know he wants to get to me—I can feel it from our bond—but right now, there”s nothing he can do.

I gasp for breath, the pressure on my throat intensifying. The world starts to blur around the edges as black spots dance before my eyes. Fisher”s howl echoes in my ears, a mournful symphony that amplifies my desperation. As the darkness threatens to swallow me whole, something inside me snaps.

A primal growl rumbles from deep within my chest, and in an instant, everything changes. My vision sharpens, the sounds around me become crystal-clear, and an incredible surge of strength courses through my body. My wolf, my long-suppressed wolf, rises to the surface, fierce and untamed. She roars within me, wanting out.

She wants vengeance for all those who have hurt us. And she isn”t going to stop until she gets what she wants.

My muscles bulge as I throw my captor off me. He lands with a thud, but quickly recovers. I bare my fangs, growling, snarling like some wild animal as the change takes over my body. My fingers elongate into sharp claws, my ears becoming pointed. Fur sprouts everywhere.

The trader stares at me, his eyes filled with shock as I shift. I attack before he can recover, lunging at him with my claws extended.

He barely dodges my swipe, the razor-sharp claws scraping along his cheek, leaving red marks in their wake. But before he can retaliate, I strike again, my jaws snapping shut on his ankle. He cries out in pain as I dig my teeth into flesh, then yank hard enough to pull him to the ground.

”You fucking bitch!” he shouts, trying to fight me off, but he”s no match for me now that I have my wolf back.

I bare my fangs and tear into him. There”s nothing gentle about it; I slash at him with my claws, biting and kicking him with every ounce of strength in my body. The hunter becomes the hunted, and he quickly realizes this. Blood pools on the floor as I take out years of frustration and trauma, pouring every bit of hatred I have inside onto him.

My rage feels endless. With each chomp, I feel a little better, like all my pent-up anger and pain is being released, like a weight has been lifted from my chest. I rip into his flesh, listening to the satisfying sound of bone crunching between my teeth. He screams, but it”s cut short as blood pours down his throat. The more I attack, the more I want him dead. My wolf needs him dead.

It isn”t long before he stops struggling, his body going limp under me. And just like that, he dies. He won”t be coming back, not after the beating he got. The man who abducted me and brought me to the auction is no more. His face is swollen and bloodied, the features hardly recognizable. I get up and glare down at him, daring him to come back, to defy death one last time. But there”s no sign of life.

He”s gone—he can”t hurt me ever again. The realization sends a wave of relief washing over me, followed by a swell of emotions. My knees buckle as I drop to my knees beside the man I killed, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of adrenaline. There was so much anger inside me that I didn”t even realize how tired I am or how exhausted my body feels from all the fighting. But now, I feel it in every inch of my being.

But the battle won”t wait for me to grieve, and I don”t have time to rest. Fisher is still fighting—or, at least, trying his best to survive this situation. The sound of his howls, calling for help, resonates deep within me.

”I”m coming,”I say to him telepathically, standing up. ”I”m here, Fisher.”

The world seems like it”s spinning out of control. Everything around us seems hazy—the chaos and noise, the enemy soldiers and their growls—it all blurs into one long streak of darkness. But I can”t get distracted now. If I lose focus or let my guard down for even a split second, they”ll pounce on me. And then we”re all lost.

My mind starts working again as the adrenaline wears off.

Gasping for breath, I search for anything I can use. My gaze lands on a discarded fuel canister and a pile of rusty chains nearby. Shifting back to human, I head for it as an idea sparks to life. Swiftly, I rig the fuel canister with the chains, creating a makeshift explosive device. Nearby, I spot a stack of heavy wooden crates precariously balanced on a ledge.

With the trap set, I scan the area for a vantage point, finding a sturdy platform atop a small storage shed. Climbing up, I get a clear view of the battleground. Fisher is holding his own but barely, still outnumbered and visibly tiring. David is desperately fighting to get in, but the enemy forces are keeping him at bay.

”David!” I holler, pointing to the trip wire I set earlier near the trees. ”Trigger that wire! Go now!”

Understanding dawns in David”s eyes. He swiftly navigates through the chaos, locating the trip wire I indicated. With a powerful leap, he clears the wire, causing the wooden crates to topple from the ledge. They crash down, blocking some attackers and creating a diversion.

As the enemies are momentarily thrown off-balance, David seizes the opportunity to engage them directly, creating a path for himself. Meanwhile, Fisher, noticing the trap I set with the fuel canister and chains, maneuvers the attackers towards it.

”Now, Fisher!” I shout.

With a burst of speed, Fisher slashes at the fuel canister, tearing through the chains. The canister topples and rolls into a group of assailants, spilling fuel as it goes. Fisher, growling ferociously, ignites the fuel with a swipe of his claws, creating a massive fireball that engulfs the attackers.

The explosion and ensuing blaze not only incapacitate several enemies but also allow Fisher to gain the upper hand. Seizing the momentum, he and David fight back-to-back, their coordination and strength finally overpowering the remaining adversaries. The two wolves work together like a well-oiled machine, moving almost as if they”re one creature with two bodies instead of two individuals. They take down anyone who challenges them, working their way across the battlefield.

Fisher and David seem unstoppable, like an army of lions tearing through ranks of gazelles. My wolf wines, begging to be set free again now that she can, and I happily oblige. A primal growl echoes in my chest as I transform, ready to fight by Fisher”s side. He and David immediately pick up on my presence, and I join the dance of death, ripping into our enemies with claws and teeth, moving fluidly like a deadly team of predators. We go around the battleground, mowing down the enemy forces.

As we”re fighting, I spot a familiar figure running towards the center of the compound: the lone prisoner who didn”t get out. She”s trying for the door but can”t make it, so I break through the line and sprint after her. Her eyes widen when she first sees me, but then she seems to recognize me when she looks into my eyes. There”s hope there, along with an urgency that reminds me why I have to stop this nightmare from ever happening again.

I guard her as we head for the door, putting myself between her and any potential threats. As we make it to safety, she collapses against the wall, breathing hard, her dark hair plastered to her face with sweat. The others come running, Tala and Selene leading the pack. I shift back to human so they know it”s safe.

”Take her and get out of here. Run to the woods,” I demand, motioning towards the lone prisoner. ”Don”t look back.”

Tala doesn”t hesitate before pulling the other girl up and helping her toward the forest. The rest follow them, all heading back for the comfort and safety of our pack.

I head back inside, not wanting to leave Fisher until I”ve finished what I started here. My friends are free, and we can do this without worrying about anyone else. This place is a pile of rubble, littered with corpses and body parts. No one will be able to use this compound again, even as a temporary outpost or headquarters.

When I enter, the blaze from earlier is beginning to die down, leaving a thick layer of smoke covering everything in a grayish haze. The scene is grotesque, with bits of human and shifter flesh littering the ground. I take in the gruesome sight for only a moment before moving on, doing my best not to pay attention to the bloodied faces or severed limbs around me.

I get to the doorway just in time to see David take out the last man standing, the auctioneer who brought me into this whole disgusting mess, to begin with. He slams him against a wall before sinking his fangs into his throat, and my heart sings. The bastard crumples to the ground, and David whips around, blood dripping from his mouth. He stares at Fisher, breathing heavily but otherwise unharmed. Fisher looks equally fine. He paces back and forth on all fours, his hackles raised as he surveys the battleground. Weakened enemies scatter away, and there are no more shifters to fight off.

Bodies are scattered everywhere, both wolf and human. I feel sick as I survey the carnage around us. But Fisher and David are safe, and the prisoners have made it out, too. It”s over. We”ve won, and that piece of shit ringleader is dead

But the cost has been high. So many shifters have lost their lives. Their families will be forever torn apart by grief, wondering what happened to them, where they went. Some of them might never find peace again, especially considering what kind of business they got wrapped up in. Shifters aren”t supposed to behave this way. We don”t go around killing each other or trying to sell others into slavery.

It doesn”t make sense to me, and as a society, I don”t know how we”re going to recover from this. Even if we manage to disband the trafficking ring, even if we win our battle for independence and protect our rights, what about the future? How is this going to stop people from hurting others, including shifters? What can we do to make sure it doesn”t happen again?

I have no answers. All I can do right now is focus on the present—on saving those who need saving and burying the dead who deserve respect. As I stand here, watching Fisher, knowing what he risked to save me... it reminds me of how lucky I am. Of what an incredible man he is, of how strong and resilient he”s been through all this shit. He deserves a happy ending more than anyone else.

And if there”s one thing I know about him, it”s that he wants nothing but good things for his family and pack.