Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen - The Final Battle - Damian's POV

The next day comes all too quickly. We spent the last twenty four hours getting ready for the onslaught, but now I'm not so sure we're truly ready. Many could die or we might all die. The world feels unnaturally still as dawn stretches across the horizon. This kind of silence isn't really peaceful. Not when we all know what's waiting for us. Everything is ready, standing at the edge of the training field, ready to shift and fight whatever comes our way. Though we are certain this is the way they are coming, we do have others stationed around to make sure we aren't taken by surprise or snuck up on. Around me, I feel the hum of their energy. They are as ready to fight as I am. Maya moves beside me, calming me instantly. She hasn't shifted yet, but she's ready. A low growl hums in my chest, not out of being threatening, but protective. 'Any sign yet?" She asks and I shake my head. My gaze drifts to the tree line as I watch and wait. Then I feel it. It's like a pulse coming up through the ground that doesn't make sense. Then I realize it's the pounding of footsteps. The wind shifts, bringing with it the scent of blood. 'They're here," I whisper and look behind me. 'They're here!" The enemy doesn't come with shouts or any kind of noises. They come in like the morning fog, covering everything in their path. Suddenly, there are far more wolves than I realized running alongside vampires. A woman with wild hair is the most noticeable, especially when she throws her arms open wide and summons a darkness that spills across the field like ink. The pack surges forward without wasting any time. Maya and I stay back before I shift and run with them, straight for danger. Maya is at my side almost instantly, staying right with me. Something claws through the mist at me. I dodge it and lunge, but almost get taken out by a long black tendril of magic. As I pull back, I feel blood coating my cheek, but it's not mine. It's from another wolf nearby who wasn't as fortunate. The next attacker comes and I meet him head on. Instinct guides me and I jump, my teeth catching his throat before ripping it out. He's a vampire, but it does the trick. One by one, I ensure they fall. But at the back of my mind, the darkness grows. Maya and I are mated, which is keeping me steady, but until she unlocks her full powers, I know that we may still lose. Magic sears through the air, wolves fall, and then I spy a vampire hovering in midair. And then something strikes my side. Though I fight with all I have, I'm bleeding profusely from an open wound in the side of my stomach. I push through the chaos, trying to fight everything off that attacks, yet get somewhere to heal. But then I hear her. Maya is calling for me as she pushes through the fighting to get to me. I want to warn her to go back, but I can't. The world begins to fade and then all I see is her. Her hands are glowing as she reaches for me. As I fall to the ground, there is a loud explosion. People and wolves are thrown like rag dolls. The mist around us breaks and the wolves lift their heads, unharmed. But the others aren't as fortunate. As I look around, I notice most who came to fight us aren't all in one piece. 'Maya!" Evelyn calls out. But she's at my side with her glowing hands. It doesn't hurt as she reaches out to me or when she lays her hands on my side. I whimper, my head scooting across the ground as I try to look at her. The shift takes over, and I lay there, huffing for breath. 'You weren't supposed to run into danger like this." 'When will you learn that I don't always listen to you? Not only that, I'm going to be fine and so are you." She looks up abruptly, spying something that I can't quite turn to see. With one hand on my wound and one hand in the air, something blasts out of her palms that blinds me. When the light calms down, I huff out a breath and look up at her. Her eyes are still locked on something behind me. 'I'm supposed to fight the enemy and win. This is my fight, especially against their alpha." Her gaze shifts down to me, a smile creeping across her face. 'I know, but let me save you for once, Damian." Everything feels weird and becomes too much. My eyes are heavy, slowly sliding close. When I wake, I'm back in our room, tucked into bed. I'm not sure how I even got here. Maya is asleep in the chair near the fireplace with what wounds she got completely wrapped up. She's in one of my shirts. Outside, the sun is rising and I can hear the pack as they run around the estate, laughing. It's the first time I've heard that before. They're all alive. We survived. 'What happened?" I ask, my throat feeling dry. Maya's head snaps up, and she looks at me. 'You're awake." 'Yes," I say, then look around the room. 'What happened?" 'Well," she says, before coming to sit on the bed next to me. 'We were losing. Then my powers kicked in and I was able to throw the enemy off their feet because I thought you were about to die. While I was healing your wound, the guy running that whole thing was also obliterated into dust by my magic." 'You killed the leader?" She nods. 'Yes, I did and I don't regret it one bit. He deserved to die." Something about her face and the way she looks off toward the window makes me laugh. 'Are you vengeful?" 'You were hurt and bleeding. I was mad, and I wanted everything dead, so everyone that needed to die died right there." 'And what are you going to do with this newfound magic?" She shrugs before laughing. 'Well, it's mine and I plan to keep it, but I also won't use it for evil purposes."