Every beat of Lila's heart was a drum of anxiety and adrenaline pounding in her chest. Despite her determination, the truth of the situation struck her like a wave as the wolves circled, their bright eyes blazing through the darkness. She wasn't prepared. She had no concept of what she was up against and no actual training. She had nothing but her determination to live and the knife she was holding tightly.
Lila could see the stiffness in his shoulders and the tightness in his jaw as Alexander stood in front of her, a stone wall of assurance. Even though he knew they were outnumbered, he was still fighting to maintain control.
Five wolves.
Lila didn't recoil. She was unable to pay for it. All of her instincts told her to flee and hide, but she chose not to. She had vowed to both Alexander and herself. She wouldn't abandon him to deal with this on his own.
Alexander said to himself, "Stay low," as his eyes briefly darted to her. His tone was icy and authoritative. "And unless I say so, don't move."
Lila tightened her hold on the dagger and nodded. To avoid being seen, she knelt and tried to blend as much of her body into the shadows as she could. As Alexander had mentioned, there were five wolves, and she couldn't help but look at them. Their eyes glowed with a malicious hunger, and their muscles rippled under their thick fur as they circled.
A low, dangerous growl came from the pack's leader, a huge black wolf with piercing golden eyes. For a moment, Lila felt the full force of his attention as his eyes moved from Alexander to her, as though he could smell her terror. She felt a chill go down the back of her neck.
"Who is this?" The leader asked in a gruff, guttural voice that was out of character for a wolf in its normal habitat. It was a man's voice and a menacing one.
Alexander remained unflinching. "A mistake," he uttered sharply. "You ought to have avoided it."
Lila's throat became parched. The tension in the air was palpable to her, like a storm on the verge of blowing. None of the wolves had yet to move, but they were still circling. They were anticipating something, a vulnerability, an opening.
"I ought to have avoided it." The alpha's amused golden eyes glinted as he laughed darkly. Do you believe that we have been allowing you to play in this life? Do you believe we were unaware that you had come here to retrieve the artifact?
Lila's thoughts were racing. The artifact. The one in the mountains they were looking for. How did the opposing pack find out? For what duration had they been observing?
"You believe you can simply take what is rightfully ours?" The alpha went on, concentrating on Alexander while narrowing his eyes. "She and you both don't belong here."
Lila's heartbeat accelerated. There was a noticeable tension. She could see that Alexander was considering his choices and figuring out his next course of action as the wolves were drawing closer and preparing to attack.
The alpha growled and pushed forward before she could even consider her options. Alexander's body shifted with the fluid elegance of someone who had spent their entire life training for this moment, and his enormous shape blurred into action, already moving to meet him head-on. Alexander's strikes and parries were accurate and lethal, and their motions were a blur, a deadly dance.
Lila wasted no time in observing the altercation. She was unable to. Rather, she focused on the other members of the pack, glancing at the wolves flanking the alpha. Behind Alexander, two of them were circling in an attempt to position themselves for an attack. Lila sprang forward without thinking, racing in the direction of the closest wolf. As she got closer, her feet hardly made a sound on the woodland floor, and it was too late for the wolf to detect her. She targeted its throat with the dagger. The blade penetrated the wolf's flesh before it could respond.
As Lila freed the knife, the wolf screamed in agony and staggered back. The wound was dripping blood, yet the wolf did not back down. Lila was quicker, twisting the knife in her palm and bracing herself for another blow as it growled and snapped at her. She was unable to let the wolf get closer and have an opportunity to rip into her.
Lila slashed the dagger across the wolf's flank as it attacked again. It screamed in rage, but she continued. She was unable to. Blood dripping from its wounds, the beast retreated for a moment, its eyes brimming with wrath.
Lila briefly felt the consequences of her recent actions. She was a murderer. She had killed someone, something she never thought she was capable of. However, there was no time for guilt. Not right now.
Lila was prepared when the second wolf pounced at her. As the beast snapped at her, she dodged, just escaping its fangs. With a thrust, she cut across its chest. It staggered back and fell to the ground, howling.
Lila took a step back, panting, her gaze fixed on the two remaining wolves. She couldn't stop now, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could continue. She couldn't leave Alexander to deal with them on his own.
She heard another wolf approaching from behind, but Alexander's piercing, authoritative voice interrupted her before she could respond. "Get moving, Lilia!"
Lila didn't think twice. She dashed aside in time to see Alexander kill the third wolf with a clean blow to the throat. The alpha and the other wolves were still fighting, with the opposing pack leader finding it difficult to match Alexander's increased expertise.
However, things were changing.
Alexander was attacked by the surviving wolf, but Lila was prepared. As the beast tried to rip into Alexander's back, she dashed in from the side and stabbed it in the side. The wolf staggered off, yelping in agony.
The alpha's golden eyes glowed with rage as he turned to confront them. "Enough," he said, his voice full of rage. "You believe you can prevail? All you're doing is postponing the inevitable.
When Lila understood how close they were to winning the battle, her breath froze in her throat. Although the alpha was becoming weaker and moving more slowly, she was certain that he was dangerous—dangerous enough to kill them both.
His eyes showed it to her. This was far from over.
Alexander replied steadily as he turned to face the alpha, "Complete this." "Now."
With excitement still pumping through her veins, Lila nodded. She was not going to back down. Not right now. Ready to put a stop to this battle before it devoured them both, she charged forward, aiming her blade at the alpha's heart.
However, a tremendous roar reverberated throughout the area as she got closer. Then—nothing.
There was silence.