They left at dusk.

The moon was yet to rise, and Visena felt uneasy. Gideon, Jed, and Orion stalked in front of Visena while Liam, Eve, and Prim were at her flank.

"Don't stare at my ass." She whispered back to the trio with a little smirk. Despite trying to ease the tension, her heart still thumped in her throat. The returning grimaces showed her anxieties were shared. Walking silently down the path made the trek drag for aeons. Visena had to bite her tongue many a time to stop an inappropriate quip from slipping past her lips. When they reached the pack border, it was dark, and the forest ahead was empty. Ancient trees were unusually sparse above their heads, and the sky was tinged in red and white.

Visena felt a hand brush against her side and peeked over her shoulder to see Eve. Her eyes swam with emotion which she promptly swallowed down. "I'm sorry," she whispered, intertwining her fingers with Visena's. "Me too," the Fae replied with a sad smile. They squeezed each other's hands when a voice sounded. 

His tone seemed to embody the darkness. "Well, well. Nice to see you again, pet." 

Despite the nameless address, Visena knew he was referring to her. She stepped forward next to Gideon and scowled into trees. Her boldness was spurred by the protective vibe projected from her friends. A dozen glowing eyes appeared as the Malum wolves prowled towards their borders. 

Central to them all was a towering figure; his light blonde hair and dark eyes a stark contrast. A deep purple scar ran across his face, from his hairline to his jaw. He didn't look much older than Gideon, but that was where the similarities ended. Visena felt a whirlpool in her stomach when he spoke again.

"Gideon."

"Zeir."

The lack of titles was a clear statement and made Visena antsy. "Alright, enough pea-cocking. What do you want?"

Zeirs' brows quirked up. "You haven't changed a bit, I see, little Nymph."

Gideon bristled beside Visena, and she gradually shifted closer to him. "Where is my mother?"

"Straight to the point, I like it. But, before I fetch her, what do you remember?" His tongue darted out and brushed along his lips. Zeir reminded Visena of a fox. Cunning.

She opted for the truth, as usual. At least mostly the truth. "Nothing. I woke up in an Aether realm with no memories a few weeks ago. Your wolves found me, and I..." She didn't know why she felt the need to protect Janna or the grey wolf. "I got away from them." It wasn't a lie, not really, but it felt odd on Visena's tongue. The subject of her lie wasn't in the lineup of Malum wolves, so at least they couldn't refute her statement right then. A bad feeling radiated through her stomach. Somehow Visena knew then Janna and her companion would never refute anything again. She gulped.

Zeir's eyes narrowed at the Fae before skating past any mention of his wolves. "So the Myth of the Fae portals are true. Fascinating..." He seemed to think things over for a moment before shouting into the darkness, "Esmerelda?" 

Visena immediately recognised her mother's name and squinted in the moonlight. An ethereal goddess-looking creature came forward. Her flowing mane of silver brushed against her curved hips. Sapphire fabric cascaded over her body in gentle waves, cinched at the waist by a golden corset. She didn't make a sound as she walked through the brush. It looked like she was floating.

"Visena." Esmerelda's voice was liquid silk. Both women held themselves back from running into each other's embrace. The resemblance was uncanny, but Visena still couldn't remember anything new beyond her mother's name. She had hoped the memories would all just come back to her.

"She's alive and well, As promised. In payment, you can give me something in return, sweet Visena."

 Goosebumps prickled along her skin. "What do you want?"

"A kiss."

Visena could feel Gideon's rage radiating outward. She gently brushed his hand as she stepped forward. Growls tore from her friends' throats, and the Malum wolves returned the sound with vigour. Visena glanced back at them and smiled softly. "It's okay," she whispered. Prim looked the most fearful while everyone else looked furious.

Visena walked closer to the grinning Alpha and paused. "What happened to your face?"

His expression dripped with malice. "You, princess. You happened." He spat the words like they were poison.

Visena swallowed, taking another step forward. The eerie red cast of the blood moon covered the wolves. They seemed larger and more menacing. "Do you know what I am?" Visena questioned fearfully. Her voice held no tremor, but her clasped hands dripped with sweat.

"All in due time." The sly grin was back. She finished crossing the threshold of the pack borders and stood before Zeir. When his calloused hand grabbed her chin, she winced. There was no pull or appeal at all. It was nothing like the touch of Gideon or the bond she had with Invictus wolves. She felt nothing for this man except contempt.

Everyone watched on with bated breath when his head tipped to hers. He pulled her chin roughly to bridge the gap, and their lips met. The energy behind her was crazed. She could almost feel Gideon's riled energy, and she realised that had to be Zeir's plan. He must have wanted Gideon to attack first and set him up. Then the Council would be forced to take action against Invictus. 

But how did he know Gideon would care about her at all. Her thoughts would not stop racing as his tongue plunged into her mouth. She refrained from gagging as Zeir's cold and wet appendage dug around, searching for god knows what. He finally pulled back but maintained a grip on her arm. He looked smugly behind her, which elicited more hateful growls. 

 Without warning, the Alpha's face morphed before Visena's eyes. His jaw broke, and elongated, yellowed canines lengthened threefold, and he lowered a deformed snout to her shoulder.

Prim's screams startled everyone. "He's going to force a mate bond!" She shifted with Eve, Liam, and Orion right behind her and raced towards them when Visena felt a sharp slice in her trapezius. She pulled away when Zeir was suddenly thrown back into a tree. His spine cracked against the trunk of the pine before he shifted into a golden wolf, lunging at Visena again. Gideon's obsidian wolf intercepted him, clamping his jaw around Zeir's scruff. 

Zeir had managed to twist just in time to avoid his throat getting ripped out. After that, it was pure chaos, and Visena stood in the middle like a lost lamb. "Visena, get down!" Her mother dashed over, grabbed her daughter's wrist, and ran back towards Invictus lands. A dirty blonde wolf blocked their path, but Liam made short work of them. He had rounded the wolf's flank and crushed their hind leg in his jaws before they could blink. Liam's snout was drenched in blood as he dragged the blonde beast away, screaming. His wolf was menacing, with fur was the colour of clay. Beautiful.

Despite facing greater numbers, Invictus and Malum appeared evenly matched. Gideon wanted to rip Zeir's head off, but he managed to slip Gideon's hold every time. Visena kept turning against her mother's tight grip to check on her friends when a human figure appeared. 

A woman. 

In her hands was a weapon. When her hidden form entered the moonlit grounds, Visena could see it was a Recurve crossbow sporting a glistening silver-tipped bolt. She dug her heels in the dirt when she saw the woman aim it at a glorious ginger wolf. 

Prim. 

Visena's screams alerted Orion but not fast enough. The bolt shot blindingly fast and pierced Prim's abdomen. It forced her to shift into human form, and she howled in agony. "Wolfsbane!" Her strangled voice transfixed Visena's soul. Her vision sharpened, pupils dilating the expanse of her silver iris. The night was as clear as day to Visena. She could see the woman standing over Prim with an ornate silver dagger to finish the job when something finally clicked inside her. Fear and fury suddenly mixed. Visena's insides were on fire as she wrenched from her mother's grip. Her feet carried her much faster than ever before. In seconds she was almost upon them.

"Visena, wait!" Esmerelda's voice fell on deaf ears as her daughter metamorphosed before her eyes. She felt no pain as her bones shattered, sinews tore, and muscles stretched. Transparent fur reflected the light of the blood moon. Visena was as deadly as she was beautiful. The chaos paused as everyone saw her ghostly form.

She was Fae.

But she was also a Wolf.

~~~

A/N

Mic drop...

We all knew this was coming right?

 But it's still so fun to write.... Hopefully, it's just as fun to read!

Please comment any pointers or things you liked/ didn't. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. xxx

Until next time <3