I cursed Azriel's name the moment we landed on firm ground. Shouting insults as I collapsed to my knees. I felt weak, and the teleporting did not help with the dizziness. My body wasn't used to standing with little food since living with Asra, but like I said; new water diet.

I was just glad Azriel hadn't bitten me. He would probably just put me to sleep. Again.

"Just get up, Princess." He mocked.

Scowling, I blinked past the dizzy blur to take in my surroundings. Trees. Trees surrounded me.

Great. Not like I could navigate these. I wasn't a wolf. I couldn't smell.

However... I was smart, and good at remembering, and these trees seemed an awful lot like the ones near the back garden trail.

After my mind calmed from being thrown through the universe, I took in a deep breath. The air was cool and fresh, filled with mud and rain. I could smell it all. But also, I could smell something far more sinister. Just as my nose picked up the scent of blood, my ears tuned into the sounds of snarling and cries of pain beneath the heavy patter of raindrops.

Swallowing, I played off my unease and concentrated on the rain. I loved the smell of rain, the warmth it gave me looking out a window as outside turned into a storm. This was gentle, surprisingly, and I assumed it had not stopped since it started over a week ago.

Definitely cursed.

"Where is this damn child's play, then?" I scoffed.

Azriel glared at me as I stood beside him, looking at where I guessed the garden would be.

"Listen, you can hear it."

"Oh, I can hear it. I was asking where so we can go and stop this fucking thing." I grunted, going to walk ahead.

"Oh, Princess." He sighed.

I tensed as four hands clamped down on my arms and pulled me to a stop. They forced them behind my back, my shoulders straining and broken arm screaming in pain. I jerked, successfully yanking my good arm free. Turning, I pushed my hand into the douchebag's face, hearing his nose crack. I chortled with glee, about to spin around and break the other person's nose too, but they knocked me to the floor.

My breath whooshed out of me as my back hit the damp floor, my nose wrinkling as my clothes became drenched. Azriel had not been courteous enough to bring me a coat, and now the clothes I wore were ruined. They were his, anyway, so it's his loss.

"We are not having fun here, Princess. It is time."

I rolled my eyes as he grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me up. He pushed me until I stumbled into a tree, before spinning me around and pinning me to the bark. I grunted with pain as the sharpness of the trunk stabbed my cheek and he forced my arms behind me. I felt him tie my wrists with rope way too many times up my forearms than I'd liked.

They'd take like five minutes just to figure out what direction the end was!

When he finished, he released me, and I turned back around with a glare. "That hurts."

The ache in my arm pulsated, but Azriel shrugged. "I don't care."

I narrowed my eyes at him, noticing how he did not meet my eye. I did not expect him to care for me, but the avoidance of eye contact told me he was thinking about something. Perhaps not me, but something was in that head that he didn't like.

"What was that?" I wondered.

His head snapped at me. "What?"

"What did you say? I didn't catch it."

He rolled his eyes, looking away from me as he spat out the three words again, only looking back at me when he finished. I grinned, nodding with too much enthusiasm.

He was hiding something!

Did he care a little? Did the wolf side actually have emotion?

"What's that face for?" He frowned.

"What face? This is my face." I shook my head.

"You are grinning at me. I just told you I don't care what happens to you, and you grin like a madwoman."

"Maybe I am one." I shrugged, but stopped when it hurt. "A badass madwoman."

"You realise what is about to happen?" He tutted, glancing behind me. "Where we are about to go?"

"Yeah, yeah." I shook my head with disinterest. "I know how this is going down."

He narrowed his eyes, lips parting to sprout some crap, before someone interrupted him. I glanced toward the male that shouted his name, my eyebrows dropping with disinterest when I noticed it was Guy. I enjoyed winding Azriel up as much as I did Asra. But Guy was boring.

"Let's move." Azriel grunted.

I eyed the three men that were with him, especially Guy, as he came to stand beside me. His fingerless-gloved hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me alongside him. We followed Azriel, backed up by the two vampires at his side. The ground grew muddier as we followed a trail, and my nose crinkled as the smell of death creeped up my nose.

"Take a look, Princess." Azriel called. "See what your mate has caused?"

My eyebrows furrowed as the stench of blood saturated my senses. I held back the urge to gag, wanting nothing more than to move away from the foul smell. I sure wish my nose didn't have an upgrade; human smell would be a lot easier.

Stepping closer to the stench was horrendous, but not as bad as the sight of the clearing we reached. Although it couldn't be a clearing anymore. There, in the centre of the muddy grass, lay dozens of bodies. My stomach churned as my eyes ran across them all. Both wolf and human limbs coated the ground. The fact that some were still in their fur proved how fast their death had been.

But why?

Why did Asra do this?

"What is this?" I whispered.

"Your mate's wrath." Azriel mused.

Asra couldn't have done this. He wasn't that sick in the head.

"Are they all wolves?" I whispered.

Azriel shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I don't fucking care."

I recoiled as a droplet of spit hit me on the cheek, trying to shrug it off my skin, to no avail. Guy tugged me onward as Azriel walked, and my mind ran with a thousand thoughts. Why did they die? Who were they? Was there anybody left?

There had to be. Who else was fighting the vampires?

Shit. The lack of numbers could mean we could actually lose!

A sudden snarl had me jolting in Guy's grip, as a grey wolf faced us head on. It was about one hundred yards away, stood at the edge of the gardens, but it spotted us easily. I didn't know who it was, hidden behind Azriel's broad shoulders.

"I think I will take it from here." Azriel mused.

Azriel took my arm from Guy, and with a firm nod, the two behind him ran into the battle toward the grey wolf. It left me with just the two of them, and Azriel muttered something into Guy's ear, which caused his face to fall. Guy's jaw tensed, and I felt pity when he glanced at me before running into the battle.

Azriel didn't speak, watching his minions run into the battle.

"You're just going to let them die?"

"You think so lowly of me when your mate is doing the same thing." He mused before tugging on my arm. "Come."

I grunted as he walked faster than I could keep up, ending up with me tripping so many damn times.

Did I mention I was bare foot?

No, probably didn't.

But yep, bare feet and wet, stick-infested mud. Azriel had snatched me out of that bedroom before I could even prepare myself. So now not only did I have a broken arm and an attitude problem, but sore, muddy feet too!

"Stop your whinging." Azriel muttered. "Or I will just sell you off to the next person."

I snorted a laugh. "Yeah, right, and miss out on killing your brother? Hilarious."

His eyes narrowed, glancing at me from over his shoulder. "You know nothing."

Sealing my lips shut, I nodded with wide eyes. He growled, coming to a halt and pressing me into another tree. I sighed, wincing as my arm screamed in protest. Another day, another tree. First Asra, now Azriel!

"You know nothing." He seethed. "I am doing you a courtesy by killing you."

"Oh, so you are killing me." I smirked.

He bared his teeth at me, snapping them dangerously close to my nose. "It is better to die swiftly by my hand than of those that would love to have you as a slave."

I laughed softly. "A slave? Hilarious."

He inhaled sharply. "You know what? You are doing me a favour and making my conscience clear."

"I am? You're welcome."

"You seem overly fond of dying, flower." Azriel shook his head with exasperation. "Do you want to die?"

"Not particularly, but you said it was better than what others would do with me." I shrugged.

"You know nothing." He repeated.

I rolled my eyes. "I know there is a price on my head and I know somebody wants me."

"You do?" He hummed, leaning away. "And yet you are unsure who."

"I have my thoughts." I shrugged, only to wince when it tugged on my arm. "But they are mine and not yours. I don't trust you."

"They have underestimated you."

"Everybody does." I hinted, leaning in close. "So, are we going to get this over with, or what?"

His eyebrows rose, observing my face, deep in thought. I remained still, only looking away when he nodded and stepped away from me. His grip tightened on my arm once more as he pulled me the last few feet through the forest. I noticed the two vampires from before fighting off three wolves at the entryway, which made sense why we were, so far, untouched.

When we stepped closer, Azriel's grip tightened until it was painful. I gasped, causing the three wolves to stop. Their heads snapped up, eyes narrowed as they settled on who it was. Their ears flattened, teeth snarling as they turned their attention to the man holding me.

"Tell them to stand down." Azriel growled.

"No." I grunted, wincing as his fingers tightened.

He was testing me. He wanted to know my power.

His grip shifted until the hand on my bicep moved lower so it was crushing my sore bone. I gasped as I felt it throb with pain, the unhealed arm begging to be released.

"Tell them to stand down."

Through the building of tears, I shook my head. "I won't."

"Then you leave me no choice." He seethed.

My eyebrows furrowed with concern, but then a sharp, sweltering heat blazed up my arm. I screamed with surprise as he snapped the fragile bone again, falling to the floor as he shoved me. His foot came down, pressing into the broken bone as he pushed me into the dirt.

"Tell them to move." He snarled.

I gaped for breath between the pain, tears flooding my eyes as the pain surrounded me. When I didn't speak, he pressed more of his weight into me, and I became more aware of the snarling wolves daring to get past the vampires. Through bleary eyes, I looked up at them, and summoning the courage that I could, I tuned into that luna part of me I never understood.

"Stand down." I commanded, and they whimpered. "For now."

Azriel snarled at me. "Good enough."

I sighed with relief when his foot left my back, taking in gulps of air. He yanked me up in one fluid moment, thankfully using my good shoulder. I purposely kicked my foot out, hitting him in the shin. I noticed his eyes narrowing as he pulled me alongside him, but I largely ignored it.

My eyes greedily scanned the battle ground, widening with horror. Wolves and vampires, of all different colours, lay badly injured or fighting. There were no deceased bodies here, but the numbers were dwindling. I spotted Rio and Caleb fighting amongst the crowds before my eyes desperately searched for Asra.

"Oh, brother!" Azriel shouted.

Asra was standing in front of the patio in his beast form. His head turned, snarling so deeply I felt the ground rumble. Everett was beside him, his brown wolf closely flanking his alpha. Asra jerked his head, and the fights stopped. Azriel smirked, raising his hand to stop the vampires as well.

Silence echoed around the back of the house, and I inhaled deeply as the tension rippled.

"Remember me?" Azriel smirked. "Do I get the pleasure of your face today, brother?"

Asra snarled, stomping his front paw onto the ground. His body rippled, muscles tensing as he started a protest. I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at his stubbornness, but was glad when he shifted to human. I watched as his fur turned to skin and four legs became two. He stood proud, unbothered, as he eyed his brother with a stern glare.

It had been a while since I had seen him, my eyes greedily taking in his appearance. He had more scars, more bloodied cuts that were healing on his body. He also seemed broader, his muscle more defined. Asra really had been working hard for the past couple of weeks.

Goddess, I missed him.

Rio shifted from the field, Caleb flanking him. The two had the decency to put on shorts, but Asra remained naked, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Leave my land and take your pests with you." Asra seethed.

He hadn't looked at me yet, and I weakly called his name. He glanced at me, not even a glimmer of anything in his eyes. I felt my hope fall, the once excited mate bond hitting a brick wall as though he weren't there. My jaw tightened, and I dropped my eyes, my shoulders hunching.

I felt nothing when I looked into his eyes. The dark blue was gone, an eery, dull black left behind. It only confirmed my thoughts, my late-night, starved, exhausted, blood-drained thoughts.

That wasn't Asra.

That wasn't my Asra.

"How pathetic." Azriel mused. "We come declaring blood, brother. I want the thing that was rightfully mine."

Asra's eyes narrowed. "You will never be alpha."

"I can challenge you."

"I will win."

"Will you?" Azriel mused. "I am not who I used to be."

Asra's eyes glanced behind his brother's back. "I can see that. I never thought you'd work with the fangs."

Azriel shrugged, the movement tugging my arm and causing me to wince.

"I suppose that leaves me no choice but to kill you."

I noticed Caleb take a step forward, but Asra's fingers twitched, and he fell back. They all looked like shit. Well-defined, muscly shit, that is. But exhausted, over-worked and underfed. I could see the sunken bags beneath their eyes, the tightness of their stomach as the familiar lack of food shone through.

What has this Asra done to them?

I shook my head, eyes falling to my mate, baffled.

"What have you done?" I whispered.

His gaze levelled with mine, but he remained silent. Even as Azriel jerked me to shut up, but there was not even a glint of recognition in Asra's eyes. When I tuned into the mate bond, I found it fell on a dead end. What used to be a warm, fuzzy connection fell limp and lost. Where was he? Why was he not there?

Has his consciousness truly left him?

"I do not speak to humans."

I flinched, the insult hitting me directly in the chest. I fought back the tears, the hurt of his dead tone. Had he truly rejected me? Forgotten me so easily?

Azriel's laughing faded to the back of my senses as he bickered and bargained with his brother, pulling me to his other side near Guy. I stared down at the ground, my ears ringing as I fell into my thoughts. My chest heaved for breath through the pain, but I distracted myself, concentrating on anything else but the heartache from my mate.

I shook my head. He wasn't my mate. I could see it, I could feel it. The lack of light proved it.

If Asra had truly forgotten who he was, who I was, then I stood no chance. But I could hope I could try. I was his mate, his protector. His luna. Human, wolf, half-breed, whatever I was. I couldn't let this happen.

This wasn't the end of all of this.

My chin rose with determination, my jaw set as hard as my eyes. Azriel turned to me, softly surprised, muttering a stupid joke.

"Has the Princess come back to earth?" He chuckled. "Have fun?"

I levelled my gaze with him, and his eyes twitched when we made eye contact. "Oh, we are just getting started."

****

oops

bet that isnt what you were hoping for.