JADEN'S POV.
The ringing in my ears faded just enough for me to register the stillness. The forest, that was once full with chaos and violence, was now quiet…very quietly.
My breath came in ragged bursts, every inhale stinging like fire through my chest. Pain clawed at my ribs, my arms, my legs. Blood dripped down my forehead, as it mixed with the dirt caking my face.
But none of that mattered when I turned toward the source of the scream.
My body trembled as I shifted slightly, ignoring the agony screaming through every joint.
There, only a few feet away, lay Diana…not injured, not bleeding, but sitting wide-eyed on the forest floor. Her tiny hands were clenched into fists, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes… gods, her eyes glowed.
I don't know if I should become scared of her or believe that she's in her right senses now and won't harm me.
And as I kept looking at her eyes…there's a soft, otherworldly light shimmered in them for a moment before fading.
My heart skipped. "Diana… Is that you?"
She looked at me, dazed, almost like she didn't understand what had just happened.
Behind her, the rogues lay still in fact their furs were looking drier than when they had attacked as it was obvious that life had been taken out of them.
All eight as the first three were flung far away and the new eight of them that had later joined in the fight were motionless, lifeless.
Their twisted wolf forms began to recede, slowly reverting to the humans they once were, their expressions contorted in pain and shock, as if they had seen something they couldn't comprehend in their final moments.
I couldn't process it. I could barely keep my head up. But deep down, I knew…that scream had come from her. Whatever it was... whatever power had burst from her little body, it had killed them all.
And she had no idea.
Tears stung my eyes, not just from the pain but from the fear of what this meant. Who was she, truly? What had the Moon Goddess placed in my hands to protect?
I forced myself onto my knees, groaning as I reached her. My body was barely holding together, but I had to move. I had to keep her safe.
"Come here, princess," I whispered.
She didn't hesitate. Like it was instinct, she climbed onto my back again, wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her cheek to my shoulder. Her little body was shaking, her breath hitching.
"Are they gone?" she asked, voice trembling.
"Yeah," I managed, pushing myself to my feet. My legs wobbled under me, and I nearly collapsed, but I held on.
"They're gone." As I didn't tell her, she had killed them because I don't want to frightened since she's still a kid
I had to move, I had to run to the Nightshade… if I could just reach Nightshade, someone could help her.
Someone stronger than me, someone still alive.
My bare feet hit the forest floor, one after the other, each step was agony, each heartbeat sent another jolt of pain through my chest.
But I ran, for her to be safe, for the promise I made in the sanctuary years ago to not just protect her father but also her.
She was crying softly against my neck.
" Uncle Jaden... I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted them to stop, I was scared. I was so scared."
"I know," I whispered. "It's okay. You're okay."
The wind whipped through the trees. The scent of blood was thick in the air, mine especially. I knew I was losing too much. I could feel it…the way my hands were going numb, the way my vision blurred more with each step.
Still, I ran this time with my superpowers.
"We're almost there," I lied. "Just hold on, princess. You're gonna be alright."
But I knew the truth, I wasn't going to make it.
I could feel my body giving out. My lungs burned as my legs quivered, my feet dragged through the dirt like they were made of stone.
Then, my knees buckled. I fell forward, arms just barely catching me before I smashed into the ground. Diana tumbled gently off my back, landing beside me with a gasp.
" Uncle Jaden!" She shouted as she was already sensing what was about to happen.
I coughed hard, as blood was already painting my lips. I tried to lift myself again, but my arms gave out, my face hit the earth and my eyes rotated.
Diana crawled over, shaking me. "No, no! You said we were almost there! You said you were okay!"
I blinked slowly, my body was numb now. Everything felt so far away.
Her little hands patted my cheeks, tears streaming down her face. "Please get up! We have to go!"
I tried to speak, to tell her to run far away so she could escape the evil hands and reach of her wicked uncle Lycan. I begged her not to stay close but I couldn't.
As my tongue was heavy, my throat was too dry. And I wasn't in wolf form anymore.
Even if I could speak, what words would I have left?
She stood up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm going to go get help," she said, voice cracking.
No…No, please, just run far away and let me die here… just be safe for me but those words couldn't come out of my mouth.
I wanted to scream, wanted to grab her, to pull her close and keep her hidden. It wasn't safe. The woods weren't safe. Nothing was safe.
But my body betrayed me and my fingers twitched weakly in the dirt as my eyes began to close slowly and I needed no one to tell me that I was dying as I tried so hard to stay calm.
All I could do was watch through half-lidded eyes as she turned and started running, her little feet carrying her deeper into the woods, her sobs echoing behind her.
And then…darkness erupted as everything around me started to spin so slowly and I did not waste time as I used my last strength to change into my other form of a big fluffy dog, Diana loves.
Even if I have to die, at least I can die in the form she loves so much.