(Alex)
Ace was going to be pissed, she did not know him all that well, but it did not take being a childhood friend to know that he was going to blame her for this incident. It was her reckless decision to take off running into the forest, she was not mate material for an Alpha. Were Alpha mates not supposed to be calm and composed, the picture of an obedient little slave? Alex was in no way that type of woman and she never would be, so if that is what he expected, than he could just send her right back where she came from. At the thought her heart hurt a little but she steeled her resolve, they had only known one another for a few days, hardly the amount of time it takes to form a real connection. It would be a little embarrassing having to return to home after being away for such a short time and no doubt her sisters would scold her for her behavior. Gritting her teeth, Alex shook her head, clearing away all her distracting thoughts. Now was not the best time to be worried about whether or not Ace found her actions acceptable, if she saved his life, then he could kiss her ass…if he died, well than she guess he would not be around to criticize her.
The man above her was completely oblivious to her presence, too focused on just Ace, that would be his mistake. A territorial urge overtook her, this man was shooting at her mate, even if was temporary, her wolf was not having it. The need to see what color this man's blood ran was strong within her and it made her senses heighten to extreme heights. A power that she never knew before flowed through her veins, Alex felt her heart pound in her throat, what was this strange new energy? It was if her whole body was suddenly stronger, her bones larger in her body, they flexed and expanded under her fur. Alex's wolf gave an inward grunt of approval at whatever seemed to be happening to her body, but Alex could not help but feel as if that were not the only change that would be coming. In such a short span on time so much had happened, she no longer understood where she stood, before she was the poor little beta on the outskirts of town…now she was the mate of one of the fiercest Alpha's in the land.
Perhaps it was about time that she felt like she deserved the role, here she was risking her neck to help her Alpha Lord, none of the other women she knew would do what she was about to. Oh, they might talk a strong game, but when it came down to wire, they would tuck tail and run. Embracing her newfound strength, Alex shot up the tree, the bark shredded under the massive force of her claws. Silent but deadly, she was quicker than she had been before, a feat Alex had not believed possible. She was almost weightless, which was ludicrous, seeing as she was shifting three hundred pounds up a tree. Reaching the limb, the man was standing on, Alex stopped short, then without hesitating a moment longer she took her mouth and locked onto the man's ankle. The yell of surprise was like Christmas to her ears, it was a small victory. The man regrouped from his shock and quickly swatted down with a blade she had not seen him possess. The steel met the side of her face, it was smooth and sliced hot across her fur. Fury built within her and with a hard resolve she bit down harder on the ankle in her mouth, the bones crunched, and Alex jerked her head backwards.
The man fell backwards, only the snowflakes witness to his impending demise, but Alex was not done with him yet. In one final act of bravo, she shook her head back and forth, the act causing the man's body to thud against the tree repeatedly. The feel of his bones breaking, and body bruising made her wolf purr in triumph. Alex tossed the man around the air like a rag doll, he flailed trying in vain attempt to grab hold of anything around him. The deep roar in the distance made her heart flutter, Ace, something was wrong. A rock sunk to the pit of her stomach and she let the man drop to the ground. Looking down at what she had done, bile rose in her throat, she had never killed someone before. Even though her intensions were honest, it still not set well with her, she wished there had been another way. Why was so much blood shed needed?
The corpse landed with a thud upon the purest of snow, deep ruby red blood splattered around it, soiling the pristine illusion of cleanliness around them. It was a sight that would forever be engraved in Alex's mind, her first kill, but probably not her last. The halting of shots drew her attention away from the mess she had made, when she looked out into the blizzard happening around her, Alex caught her breath. What was going on out there? In the middle of all the trees there floated an oozing black orb, it bubbled and sputtered, the scent of something putrid wafted toward her on the breeze. Sulfur, the aroma that was so pungent on the air was sulfur, it was a scent far worse than that of decay. Wrinkling her nose up, Alex watched in horrified fascination as the remaining forces let loose their arrows once again. They stuck to the blob, like a fly in a web, the arrows were now being encased in a web of stringy ink. It seemed to be absorbing them, one minute they were there, the next they were gone. The wind was picking up, the snow hardening into flecks of ice, shooting through the air. Alex winced slightly as she was pelting by the hard-little balls, the sky darkened, and all around her the air grew dense.