Wild Wolf (Darkmore Penitentiary Book 4)

We had enough stardust to get us to the coordinates where Vard was located, but I wasn’t prepared for the freezing wind that battered me as the stars spat us out in the Polar Capital. We sank into the snow and took in the dark tower that rose up from the white ahead of us, reaching toward the moon and the shimmering green and pink of the northern lights.

“Cain, Roary, go around the back, Ethan take the front entrance,” Rosalie demanded.

“What about you?” I asked with a frown.

She gave the tower a savage look. “I’m going to take a more direct route while you keep the guards distracted.” Rosalie called upon her moon powers, turning invisible and I swore as she raced off across the snow, leaving tracks as she went. But with it being so dark out here, I doubted anyone would notice them, especially once the carnage started.

“What about me?” Hastings asked, smoothing down his fringe and giving the tower a determined look.

“You keep watch, bud.” I clapped him on the shoulder then gave Cain and Roary a nod before they sprinted away across the plain, heading around the tower in a flash of movement. A roar and clash of battle broke out as they found targets to fight and I started off across the snow.

“Wait, I want to help.” Hastings hurried after me.

“You wanna help? Find a way inside and get to Sin and Max then,” I said then started running, setting my gaze on the large wooden doors that led into the stone tower.

“Wait!” Hastings called, but his voice was lost to the rumble of my power as I pushed my magic into the snow that led all the way up to the entrance, gathering it in a giant wave, building it up and up and up then hurling it at the door.

The thundering wall of snow impacted with the tower with a boom that rang out into the sky, the walls shuddering and the door blown clean off its hinges. A group of guards were sent crashing backwards with screams of agony as the weight of the snow crushed them.

Once it settled, I took in the passage inside, now layered in white, a glimpse of a stairway beyond promising me a path to Sin. My friend. Family really. At this point I could hardly deny what he’d become to me. He was part of Rosalie’s pack which made him my pack, a brother in arms that I would do anything for. And I would retrieve him from this place come hell or high water.

I padded over the drift of snow that had mounted up in the doorway, casting a sword of ice in my grip and seeking out enemies in the dark. All was still and far too quiet, the sound of battle carrying from the direction Cain and Roary had taken, but nothing stirred in here.

The silence should have been encouraging, but my hackles raised, my instincts telling me not to let my guard down.

The snow shifted to my right and I raised my sword half a second before a monstrous beast burst from the bank of white. Gustard’s sharp teeth were bared and his clawed hands outstretched to grab me.

I swung my blade, scoring it across his chest as he collided with me, knocking me to the ground and sending us skidding back outside. I tried to drive my sword into him as he screeched in my face but he lurched off of me as blood poured from the deep slice in his hair-covered skin.

I scrambled to my feet, my limbs bruised but no further injury slowing me down as I ran at him again, swinging the blade and preparing to cut his head from his shoulders.

He released a horrid, high-pitched noise that seared into my skull, making me stumble mid-stride and go crashing to my knees. The noise intensified, drilling into my head and making it impossible to do anything but throw my hands to my ears to try and block it out, my weapon landing uselessly in the snow beneath me.

Gustard’s monstrous shadow fell over me, blotting out the light of the moon as he advanced, his large hands reaching out to end me for good.

I scrambled away, trying to put distance between us, but that sound only found its way deeper into my mind and I started to black out. The power of it was too fierce to fight off and fear found me as I realised I was going to be stolen from Rosa all too soon. This death wasn’t worthy of me. I didn’t deserve to die here on my knees. And something in the knowledge of that gave me the strength to keep my head just long enough to have an idea. I cast bubbles of water over my ears, the sound instantly muffled, keeping the disabling power of it at bay.

Gustard continued to screech, prowling forward and I let him come closer, pretending I was passing out and subtly casting a shorter blade in my grip, hiding it beneath my body. As Gustard’s claws swiped at me, I acted fast, twisting up and slashing my blade at his hand, cutting it clean off.

Blood spurted and Gustard shrieked in pain, staggering back while I gained my feet. It took only a second for him to recover, charging at me again with a bellow of rage, his eyes pinned on me and demanding my death.

It was him or me, and I vowed on the moon above that I would win this fight.