A furious growl rumbles from Cassandra's throat as she wolfs-out.
A small part of me wants to wolf-out too to defend myself when she lunges at me. But I hold back, knowing she can't kill me in my own territory.
We both crash to the ground, her claws scraping against my coat and slicing through my skin. Pain burns my wounded chest, forcing me to clutch her front limbs tightly to try to restrain her from doing more damage to me.
"You're going to regret humiliating me!" she snarls.
"I'm sure I will. But you or anyone else can't bring me down easily," I counter.
Another growl tears from her throat as her canines aim at my neck, provoking Harleigh, now in her wolf form, to charge forward and shove her onto the snowy ground.
"I don't want to do this," Harleigh begs. "If we could just talk this through peacefully…"
"There's no peace after Torrin's betrayal of my pack's trust!" Cassandra interrupts as she struggles to stand back up.
"Don't involve Harleigh in this. This matter should be settled between the two of us," I warn.
Cassandra sniggers. "She's the reason behind all this! And now you expect me to turn a blind eye to that?!"
Without ado, she lunges at Harleigh. Their bodies collide, then tumble. Red and black fur blur together as they roll, scattering ice and frost.
From the way they attack, dodge, and counter, it's clear both are well-trained. But Harleigh is holding back, careful not to severely injure, or worse, kill Cassandra. Cassandra, on the other hand, carries the intent to kill her.
I'm forced to wolf out and intervene.
But, suddenly,...
More ginger-furred wolves emerge from the trees, ready to defend Cassandra at all costs.
One of them rushes at Harleigh before I can stop him. His attack sends her flying several meters away. A pained moan escapes her as she lands in the snow with a dull thud.
I rush to her side, gently nudging my muzzle to her face. "Harleigh?"
She can barely move, let alone open her eyes.
Fury surges through me like fire. I turn to the Crimsonbane wolves, baring my canines at them.
"Is this really what you want, Alpha Torrin? You're willing to sacrifice peace for that woman?" one of them asks.
"Kill them now!" Cassandra orders.
The Crimsonbane wolves hesitate, glancing at one another.
At this point, I can either call for reinforcements to outnumber them, or fight them all myself. Either way, I know I can win especially if I unleash the power I've been keeping hidden.
I don't move until they finally give in to Cassandra's demand. The moment they lunge at me all at once, I meet them head-on.
I swing my claws and snap my canines, making sure I draw blood from each of them before activating my power. I don't know what this power is called and I don't bother naming it either. As far as I and my council know, I'm the only one who possesses it.
This power allows me to absorb the echoes of my opponents' skills, memories, or instincts, not permanently, but long enough to become a reflection of them. The essence I steal lingers inside my body for a while, letting me mimic their strengths and tactics simply by drawing their bloods with my own canines and claws.
Though it makes me stronger, there's a catch: the more I use this power, the more it scrambles my own memories, and the less I remember who I am, or who the people around me are.
Unlike Harleigh's Shadowbind, it doesn't have obvious indications that can be easily identified by anyone, and it isn't something inherited through blood. To this day, no one can explain how I obtained it. My parents and the council agreed to keep it hidden, to protect our pack from suffering the same cruel fate as the Shadowfang Pack.
No matter how many tricks or how good of a skill the Crimsonbane wolves try to pull off on me, none is working since I'm easily countering them by mimicking those tricks and skills, while at the same time adding my own twist to them.
Until,...
One by one, the Crimsonbane wolves begin to falter. Confusion clouds their eyes as their strength and will to fight weaken.
"What are you doing, you useless dogs?! Why did you stop?!" Cassandra hisses.
When she decides to finish the job herself, I calmly close our distance then discreetly rake my claw across her side, just enough to draw blood.
She lets out a sharp hiss of pain. And almost immediately, her expression turns dazed too.
To avoid questions about why everyone is wounded, I say evenly, "Let's get back. This training exercise is over."
I shift back into my human form and carefully lift Harleigh, who has also shifted back.
The still-confused Crimsonbane wolves follow behind me as I lead them toward the pack hospital.
Inside one of the rooms, I lay Harleigh gently on a bed, but before I can even step back, a searing pain explodes through my skull. I hiss, clutching my head, collapsing onto the nearby couch.
Dr. Lei, the pack head doctor and one of the few who knows about my condition, rushes to me with my medicine.
Unfortunately, the medicine doesn't help at all.
My stomach churns, and I vomit several times onto the floor.
My vision spins as some of the Crimsonbane wolves' memories now echoing inside my mind, disrupting my own.
And then,...
My body gives out, and I collapse to the cold floor.
When I wake up, I find myself lying on a hospital bed, disoriented and unsure of how I got here.
"What happened?" I ask, my voice hoarse.
The doctor, whose name I can't remember, answers gravely, "I don't know exactly. But from my observations, it seems you used your power again."
I try to piece my scattered memories together, but everything feels like fragments of someone else's life. I know there's something important I should be focusing on more than my own health, but I can't remember what… or probably who it is.
Suddenly,...
A knock comes at the door. Then a young woman with almond-shaped blue eyes, long dark hair, and a beauty that feels hauntingly familiar, appears.
There's a strong and apparent pull between us, but I can't identify what it is.
She looks worried as she stares at me.
"Alpha Torrin isn't ready to receive visitors," the doctor says quickly.
My wolf stirs restlessly inside me, urging me to ignore the doctor and let the woman inside.
"Come in," I blurt out before I can stop myself.
The doctor sighs but doesn't protest as the young woman rushes to my side.
She takes my hand as she examines the bandages on my arms. "How are you?"
"I'm fine… and you?" I answer, still trying to hide my confusion.
"Still in pain, but better than earlier." She then asks, "What happened to the Crimsonbane wolves? Did they declare war against you?"
"War?" I echo, frowning.
Her expression shifts from concern to shock to pain. "You don't remember? Don't tell me you also forgot about me again."
Tears spill down her cheeks, and my wolf growls softly inside me, filled with guilt and pain.
"What's happening to you? Why do you keep forgetting me?" she asks.
I swallow hard, searching for an excuse, but the doctor intervenes. "Please, Alpha Torrin needs to rest. He's not fully recovered yet."
"Fine," the woman says, wiping her tears with trembling hands. "But I'll only leave if someone tells me what's wrong with his health. Otherwise, I'll stay until he remembers me."
They both look at me for the final decision.
My instincts tell me to listen to the doctor, but my wolf's desire overpowers it.
"I want her to stay," I say firmly.
The young woman gives me a sad smile, and I force myself to smile back. Then, the doctor leaves without another word.
There's really something between us, coz the longer her presence lingers, the more I become at ease.
When dinner arrives, she insists on feeding me despite my polite protests. She tells me about the first time we shared a meal, how I cut her steak for her, and how I said it was a family habit I learned from my parents.
Strangely, I remember that childhood memory, which means she's not making it up.
When dinner is done, she wipes the corner of my mouth with a napkin. She's too close that her warm breath tickles my face and mingles with mine.
My wolf stirs again, provoking me to cup the back of her head and pull her even closer until our lips meet.
She responds to my kiss with equal passion.
And suddenly,...
The memories of her, of us, from the first time we've met until the fight with the Crimsonbane wolves earlier flood me.
"Harleigh," I breathe against her lips as we break the kiss to catch air.
"Yes, that's me," she breathes back.
Her fingers trace my lips, before slipping beneath my shirt to graze my skin.
She sits on my lap, then presses herself against my bulging c.rotch area, igniting the hunger I'm not willing to hold back.
I wrap one arm around her back, while my hand starts cupping and massaging her b.reasts.
Soon enough, I pull her dress down until her chest is fully exposed.
"Are you sure about this?" I ask, hoping she won't back out.
She nods nervously.
Then,...
I fervently s.uck and lick her n.ipples interchangeably, making her gasp and tremble.