~Aurora~

　　In a mask, he smirked at my horrible defeat!

　　Suddenly, Emeric's words came to haunt me and ring in my ears for the umpteenth time!

　　"Betrayal always comes from the ones you think are dear to you…"

　　I never could have guessed that TORIN would betray me! Out of all people, Torin!

　　He has been a companion to my father and swore nothing but loyal to our pack. Then why was he doing this to us!? What prompted him to betray us!?

　　'I'm fixing you up right now! We have been passed out for quite some time. I…I can't tell how long.' Maia was speaking in my consciousness, right before I stirred myself awake! I could feel nothing on my face, and as I touched my tips and the philtrum, it was wet with my blood.

　　I could feel the overheating of my body as Maia tried to patch me up. However, my mind was all over the place as I couldn't grasp what had just happened to me! It was overwhelming!

　　'Aurora! It's alright! He just stole the artifact from you. I can sense that the others are still awake. They have heat signatures.'

　　A sense of relief just washed over me. Or else, I would have more fuel for my revenge against Torin! How dare he betray me, out of all people, ME!

　　'Look, one is trying to approach you! It's the female healer!' I shook my head and tried to listen to her footsteps. It wasn't just her footsteps, but her sobbing voice coming closer as well. I could tell that she was shaken up, totally. Poor healer…

　　"Hey…I'm fine. Maia is healing me up."

　　"B-But I have to take the toxic gas o-out of you, Alpha—"

　　"Don't bother about me. I'm…fine. Tend to the others," I had instructed her with my weak voice. The woman wiped her cheeks, and went back to the people who laid there, trying to wake themselves up from this lethargic drug. I could tell what category this was. It was the one that affected vitality, and a part of mobility.

　　'Maia…are you sure you can fix me up? I'm afraid it has a paralyzing effect.' I asked my wolf in doubt and fear.

　　'Aurora, there is nothing that I cannot heal for you, because you are my host! By the way, that was selfless and respectable for you to divert her to take care of the others.'

　　'That is what I ought to do as their Alpha, isn't it Maia?'

　　'Never lose this side of you, Aurora.'

　　After a while, we all recovered from the toxic gas. It was on a whim that we added the healers in our team, last minute. It was my decision, and I was so, so glad that Torin was dumb enough to leave them alive. Otherwise, the scene would have been totally different at the moment.

　　"Did we…just lose the artifact to a betrayer?" The Guard Captain was resting against a tree as he asked. I groaned as I sat down against the tree beside him. I was feeling hurt by the betrayal as well.

　　"Seems like we put trust in the wrong man. I should have known, I should have seen this coming…" I was blaming myself coherently.

　　"Alpha…it wasn't your fault in any sense of the meaning. It was his fault for he had lost every ounce of loyalty for our pack. He will regret this one day. I will make sure he regrets his choice to betray us. I will, Alpha." I smiled at the Guard Captain.

　　"We should head back to the jeeps and head home. We need to report this incident to the elders." Taking the decision, the guard Captain suddenly shook his head. He was smiling as well,

　　"How are you taking such calm decisions after what had just happened to us, Alpha? It shows a lot about your growth. It makes me proud of you." His words warmed my heart. Indeed, it was a notable decision which tells them how far I've come from the person I used to be. I simply shrug my shoulders and told him,

　　"All to thank the Trial of Heirs. Now, I know this might not be the time to mention that I sense something sinister trying to follow us. It had picked up on our scents. I suggest that we all shift into our wolves, stay in the same formation, and make a run to the jeeps. We will reach in…five or ten minutes maximum that way."

　　The Guard Captain looked at me under the moonlight, his eyes showing the regard that was growing for me. I appreciated it, but this wasn't the time to slack off at the moment.

　　I removed the top layer of my clothes, and the vest. Before Maia would take over my form, I need to make sure I'd have clothes on me to wear after shifting back to my human self.

　　After everyone else had shifted into their wolf, I took it as my queue to let Maia take over me, 'Come, Maia. Take over me and get us all back to our vehicles,'

　　I had summoned her.

　　I felt my bones shifting places, some piercing through my skin. I felt the fur grow out of me, it was a slightly grotesque feeling, personally. I hope I get used to these changes while shifting. It should be natural and takes just a second, or even lesser if need be.

　　'Follow me!' Maia spoke in a wolf tone, just like how a wolf would bark. To be honest, Maia was bigger and taller than all the wolves in front of us. Several inches of height was the difference between me and the healer, because of our ranks.

　　I didn't think much of it, and we fell into formation. We then escorted ourselves out of the forest, towards our vehicles…