People Like Us (bxb)

-Nathan’s POV-

We sprinted into the woods, with Ray guiding us to the general location that his mum pointed to. It has been about ten mins since Kalen had initiated an attack on the Darkvale pack, which left many werewolves dumbfounded. After all, it’s not every day you get to see the highest-ranking Wizard casting one of the highest-level Ice Magic. Of course, the magic that Ray is using isn’t mediocre either. Operating a Silent Trace spell together with his Accelerate Magic isn’t an easy task.

“Stop!” Alex shouted. This time, we had split our roles in order to successfully take down the Elder. Ray oversees tracking as well as support magic, Alex is in charge of defending us since he would be able to sniff out traps and hidden attackers, I will be mainly attacking. I immediately readied my foldable hand fan. Growls resonated through the forest from all sides. I listened closely to the wind. I raised my hand and swung the folded fan down, hard. A single blade of wind erupted from the tip of the fan and crashed into the nearest oak tree on our right. The oak tree ruptured and a howl of pain erupted from behind the tree. The other attackers took the chance and dashed out of their hiding place.

Ray immediately switched to casting a Slow Spell and it was as if time itself has slowed down around us. Alex took the chance and swiftly eliminated the threats in a matter of seconds. The spell only last for 15 seconds but that was enough time for me and Alec to dominate over our attackers.

“Shall we continue?” Ray asked, after confirming that all the attackers were dead. We continued making our way deeper into the dense forest. A feeling of angst crept into my heart as we proceeded deeper into the forest. The deeper we get, the more the feeling grew. The trees swayed unnaturally; it was as if they wanted to escape. The cold wind blew, prickling at my skin as if to warn me. Whatever we had expected, was not this.

“Well well, I didn’t expect to see a familiar face here.” A cold, unnerving, familiar voice stopped me dead in my tracks. A memory hits me like a bullet train.

“Why don’t you let him know that you have lost your virginity at the age of 12 to our pack Elder and that you have had sex with almost all the guys in the pack. Not to mention the fact that you have been a whore?” Kelvin chided. Blood drained from my face. My mate had heard it. It was all over. There is no way he would accept me. Before Terui could register what had he just heard, my feet had taken a life on their own and I was sprinting down the forest. But I didn’t get far. A wolf pounced on me the moment I stepped into the forest. A brown-furred wolf with black highlights pinned me down fiercely. [ref. Chapter 9]

“Where do you think you’re going?” Luke, Kelvin’s brother, sneered. There is no way out for me anymore. Luke and Kelvin Mantle, aka the Mantle Bothers, are known as the strongest warrior duo. Each of them was only slightly weaker than a normal Alpha, but when the two of them are involved, they have never failed once. Kelvin appeared from behind me, striding into the forest with purposeful steps. Their gang of faithful followers following behind them.

“No… Please don’t…” I begged. Whether I’ll be abandoned later or not doesn’t matter. I have a mate now. I need to stop them. But the difference in strength was too great for me to do anything. Luke pinned me hard to the ground while Kelvin starts creeping towards me.

Please… stop…

“Nathan! Snap out of it!” Ray screamed just as a grey-black furred wolf rammed against the shield that Ray put up in front of me. Alex tackled the wolf and the two of them tumbled on the hard dirt ground.

A brown-black wolf, Luke, emerged from the shadows of the trees and launched itself at the distracted Ray. In a panic, I raised my hands and shot a ball of wind at Luke. The ball knocked Luke out from the sky but that was all it did. My wind wasn’t magic but more of a skill. Without an intent, it was harmless. Ray shouted a quick thanks and switched from a shield spell to a slow spell the one he did earlier. Just as the two of them were about to leap onto Alex, the spell took effect. For a moment, Luke and Kelvin slowed down while leaping off into the air. Even in their wolf form, they wouldn’t be able to match with Alec if they are slowed down.

That is if they were a normal wolf-like we had thought. The moment the slow spell had taken effect, Luke’s and Kelvin’s eyes turned black. In a voice I have never heard, they said: “Depes.”

“Demonic wolves!?” I exclaimed and a smirk spread across their face. How do they still have their consciousness? Unless… No, it can’t be! They succeeded!

Ray cursed under his breath when Luke and Kelvin had regained speed and I knew what I had to do. Ray can’t dispel his Slow Spell but neither can Alex defend against the two of them at the same time. I spread the folded fan open and drew my hands back. I needed the best way to protect Alex. Just the row above Alex will do. I swung my hands horizontally in a full motion. As I expected, a gush of strong wind knocked the two wolves back, hitting them against the trees. Luke yelp in pain while Kelvin let out a weak growl.

“Bind! Lock!” Ray quickly double cast. A gold magic circle spread from below them and chains shot up, tightly locking the two wolves’ bodies in place. When the two of them are locked securely, Ray quickly cast a Sleep Spell to keep them from moving and sent a magic flare up in the air. The other Wizards will arrive in a few moments to pick up these two.

“Ray, will you be able to continue?” I asked worriedly. This fight alone must have exhausted quite a good amount of his magic.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll still be able to get you guys there. Let’s go, there’s no time to lose.” Ray muttered, looking exhausted. He re-casted his spells and headed deeper into the forest. Me and Alex looked at each other and sighed. We followed him deeper and deeper until we arrived in front of a small hut.

“It looks very much like a trap,” Alex concluded. Although I’m pretty sure we can all see it.

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Ray muttered, breathing heavily. “Nathan, set up the protection my mum gave you, it would be able to get us through any traps.”

I nodded and mindlessly slipped my hands into Alex’s. I didn’t really realize it until Alex took a sharp breath and blushed heavily. I ended up blushing as well, the movement felt so natural I didn’t think twice about it. Ray just sighed and rested his hand on my shoulder, signaling me to get on with it.

Just like last time, I pressed my thumb over my index finger and channeled my energy through it. Alex opened the door and we stepped inside. The room was dark, the lights were switched off. But even then, we could still see a bit from the light that was coming in from the windows. A figure was sitting relaxed on the sofa in front of us.

“You must be Elder John.” Alex said.

“Ah. You must be Alpha Alex. I see you both came together with Nathan.” Another familiar voice resonated deep within me. Anxiety snatched my heart as a deep feeling of fear made me want to run away as fast as my legs can carry me

Click! Ray flicked at the switch and the lights came on.

My breath hitched.