Carlisle.

　　Luckily for me, I'm able to take a fighting position and call forth all the powers I have at my disposal as the large figures launch at me. I clean my eyes and focus a glare at the five of them while I hope that no one else is behind me. They quickly launch at me and start to fight me with their spells and that's when I realize that they are wizards.

　　This is because each of them has to chant a spell before they attack me, but I have to admit they are really good and quick with it. I continuously try to block out their attacks because the powers I have left are just for defending myself and not attacking.

　　Once again, I curse my mother and the powers she bestowed me with. In the middle of the fighting, I finally realize that my mother has most likely locked away most of my powers. After all, I haven't seen her since the day I left her kingdom but I know she's still watching me.

　　The assassins continue to fiercely attack but I manage to attack them with blows and few powers of my own that I still have left, like the gift of light. Surprised at my abilities, they stumble backward for a moment and then growl at me. Momentarily, my eyes widen and I shake my head when I come to the realization that I'm fighting men. Five men against one woman hardly seems fair but I continue to struggle, against my better judgment.

　　At this point, it's obvious that they don't want to kill me as they dropped their arrows at the beginning of the fight and haven't yet picked them back up. I also realized that if they were wizards, that meant that it was Jake who sent them. At this point, what I was thinking about began to make sense and I suspect that he had really done something to Damon and I on that night.

　　As I am thinking, I lose guard of what I am doing and all of a sudden, a blow comes to my chest and I topple backwards. I hit one of the small trees in the garden area and luckily glided across a few flowers, which softened my fall. The action however causes a huge scrap to my elbow and I glare at the men who I know are smiling at my wounded form. With a determination in my mind not to get caught, I quickly rise up from the ground and try to summon more of my power into my body.

　　Thankfully it works and against my better judgment, I offer a silent prayer to the goddess for my protection. I send the ball of light towards them but they easily deflect it like they are expecting it and then I grin at them and send more if it before finally sending a small dizzying spell to them. That one works and the ball of light just hits them as they fall to the ground. However, before I can celebrate my victory and make my escape, I feel a sharp pain in my ankle.

　　I freeze in shock and quickly stare at my feet, only to let out a scream. An arrow is embedded at the spot near my ankle and blood is rapidly gushing out of the injury. I choke in fear and fall to the ground as my vision begins to blur and my strength begins to dissolve. Seeing this as their perfect chance, I watch as the five men get up and move towards me. Suddenly, they stretch out their hands towards me and begin to chant out more spells.

　　Immediately, my head begins to bang and I scream out in pain as I fall to the ground. I try to reach out to them but the pain in my feet is slowly numbing me to do anything other than close my eyes.

　　With a defeated sigh, I fall on the floor and painfully listen as they continue to call out more unrecognizable words from their lips. Finally my eyes close as one of them approaches my side to lift me up. The last thing that runs through my head is a prayer for my safety.

　　•

　　•

　　Nicholas>

　　I huff loudly and punch one of the trees beside me as my luck flies to the wind again. I have been searching for an animal for the past two hours and yet no luck. Usually, there are also big animals in the forest waiting and ready to be eaten, so I'm surprised when it seems like all of them have gone into hiding.

　　A drop of rain touches my cheeks and I look up at the sky, surprised to see how much the clouds have darkened. When I first came out, the skies were bright and filled with the rays of the morning dune. Now, they look full and gray and a shiver goes up my spine.

　　I continue to look at the clouds curiously until a noise some feet away from me catches my attention and I turn back to the task at hand. However, it's just a small bird that is flying away and I sigh. Carlisle and the old lady must have gotten tired of waiting for me to get back and I'm very sure they cooked something else already.

　　At the thought of food, my stomach begins to protest loudly but I ignore it. Food is the same reason I came out in the early morning to hunt. A new wave of frustration greets me at the thought that I haven't been able to catch anything since. Still, I continue to glide past the tree and bushes in search of some animal to kill while I stand ready with my bow and arrow. In my mind, I hope it'll be a very good and juicy antelope or deer.

　　Those animals are very rich in vitamins and they are quite easy to kill, as well as the obvious fact that they can sustain three of us for very long. However, as I continue to search, my energy level slowly depletes and I sigh loudly. At this point, I'm annoyed by the fact that I cannot seem to find even a small animal to kill. I look up again as the sky has darkened more and I groan.

　　Finally, after a few more unsuccessful tries, I give up and begin to head back to the penthouse. However, as soon as I turn to leave, I hear a small shuffling behind me. When I turn, I find a small antelope hiding behind some bushes. At first, I shake my head at the thought that it is my vision playing tricks again but when I close my eyes and open them back, the antelope is still there.

　　Slowly and carefully, I draw back my arrow and prepare to shoot. Just as I am about to do so, I rethink my actions and instead drop my weapons on the ground. I grin at the animal that's still standing there, unsuspecting as he munches on a fistful of grass. Slowly, I remove my clothes and shift into my wolf form. I offer a silent prayer to the goddess for the fact that she made our transformations so painless and silent. If not, I know for sure that the antelope would have long gone.

　　Now that I am ready and my claws are sharp, I squint my eyes at the animal and my wolf grins widely. The wolf vision makes it much clearer and I can clearly see the shape and contours of the antelope. Slowly stalking towards it, I am about to raise my claws when I misstep on a branch and its ears perk up. I see the look of terror on its face as its eyes widen at the noise and then looks at my face.

　　Before I can even curse my clumsiness and the branch I stepped on, the antelope darts away. I blink my eyes and growl slowly as I quickly give it a chase. Because of its sharp head start, it gains a few meters on me but I hotly give it a chase. I expertly run across the length of trees and grasses as I pin my eyes on it and begin to close the distance between us.

　　Soon, I reach within a few feet of it and already tired of running, I pin it down with my claws. It immediately falls to the ground in front of me and tries its best to fight, kicking my face with the limbs and howling loudly. However, it knows I'm clearly the predator and I just continue to pin it down with its throat till it begins to gasp for air. At that point, I know for sure that I have won but my wolf instinct kicks in and I walk a few more steps towards it.

　　I am ready to see the pain and fear in its eyes and I am not disappointed. Soon, it stops trying to fight and at that moment, I use my claw to sever its head. I am certainly used to killing animals and removing their heads, yet this time my stomach recoils in shock and a gasp escapes my lips when I see the blood running down its body.

　　I am not sure if it's the sight of the animal dying or that there is something wrong, but I quickly clean my hands with some nearby leaves and dispose of the head. At that point, I transform back into my human form and wear my clothes again, grinning at the sight of the animal.

　　The victory of my win settles down in my body and I begin a sharp whistle as I hoist the antelope across my shoulder and begin to walk back to the penthouse. Once again, I offer a quick thanks to the goddess and look up at the sky again that has begun to clear. I see this as a sign of good tidings and walk towards the path leading to my destination.

　　I suddenly feel grateful at everything that is happening but at that moment, my stomach begins to sing again. I sigh loudly and use my free hand to pat my stomach. "You'll soon have food inside you," I say to myself and continue to walk ahead of me, feeling the increased weight of the antelope on my shoulders. However, it only serves as a reminder of my victory and I smile into the distance.

　　Suddenly, happiness vanishes from my face as I hear a familiar sound some few feet away from me. I look around me in confusion and try to pinpoint the sound, when my face freezes in shock and my eyes widen. The voice belongs to Carlisle and it sounds like she was screaming. I look towards the penthouse and see nothing at first, but when I squint my eyes I realize that there are black shadows situated at the side.

　　Quickly, I transform back into my wolf form not minding removing my clothes this time. I am fully aware that they will be ripped by the time I transform back to my human form, but I cannot help it. I hoist the antelope on my shoulders again and dash towards the penthouse. Within seconds, I am there and when I see what is really happening, I look at the scene in shock.

　　Carlisle is on the ground with a long frown etched on her face, while the old woman is off to another side with an arrow embedded in her chest. One look at her and I know for certain she's dead, but my Alpha's mate is still breathing, weakly though and her eyes are closed. I focus my eyes on the figures who are surrounded around her, chanting some things as they begin to lift her into the air.

　　Thankfully, they haven't noticed me yet so I dash over to them and punch the first one I can reach. The guy instantly stumbles in shock and turns to face me, but I punch him again and he falls to the ground in a heap. The other four lie an unconscious Carlisle back on the ground and turn to face me. Immediately, I sense their aura and realize that they are from the wizard kingdom.

　　The men look at me with a sneer and focus all their attention on me, trying to quickly dispose of me so they can go back to their main aim. One look at them and Carlisle and I make the connection that their king, Jake, must want her to be back in his kingdom. However, I focus back on them and try to punch them but one of them moves past me and hits me on the back.

　　It is my turn to stumble but I quickly find my step and pick up the antelope which I use to hit him in return. That one falls too and the remaining three move forward to me while their hands are outstretched. Immediately, I know what they want to do and I stab their hands with my claws and watch with satisfaction as their hands begin to bleed. However, that doesn't seem to stop them as they mutter something and the hands heal.

　　My eyes widen in surprise and before I can think of another ploy to distract them from injuring me or Carlisle, they rush to me with a renewed speed and punch me repeatedly. I fall to the ground and groan loudly as I try to shield my face with my claws. I use my hind limb to hit one of the assassins in his groin and he stumbles back with a painful yelp.

　　I smile in delight and try to get up again, but the remaining two pin my limbs to the ground and begin to mutter a string of words as their eyes close. A fear grips me suddenly and I try to fight the hold they have on me, but I am unsuccessful. Suddenly, my head begins to pound furiously and I repeatedly turn it one way and the other as a string of curses come out from my lips.

　　Soon, my vision begins to waver and the men finally let go of me. I watch with a dizzy expression as the other men get up and they become complete again. Three of them move back towards where Carlisle is still unconscious while the other two remain with me, trying to make sure I don't recover from whatever they have done.

　　Quickly, I mind linking to Damon and hope that he gets there quickly. As my eyes close, a part of me feels guilty for not taking care of his mate and the old woman. However, I remind myself that I have tried my best and a part of me also wonders why the men haven't killed me.

　　With that thought in mind, my eyes close and I give in to the darkness around me.