SERAPHINA'S POV
Morgan screams in pure, unfiltered agony, a cry so loud it nearly deafens me.
In his frantic pain, he throws me to the side, and I brace myself for a rough landing. Rolling away, I regain my composure amid the chaos and look toward Artemis.
"Now!" I yell, my voice slicing through the chaos.
Artemis understands immediately.
With a growl that resembles a feral beast more than a man, he lunges at Morgan. In less than a heartbeat, his fingers transform into sharp claws, and he slashes at Morgan repeatedly. Gruesomely.
He aims for the face first, and Morgan's horrified scream echoes through the air.
Seizing the moment, I rush to my feet and dart toward Juliet, who's huddled to the side.
"We have to go, now!" I yell, urgency lacing my words.
I help Juliet to her feet, wrapping her arm around me for support. With her weight leaning on my shoulder, we stagger toward the door.
I manage to pull it open with one free arm and guide us through, walking a safe distance from the chaotic scene we leave behind.
Finally, I stop and gently remove her arm from my shoulder.
"As soon as you're far enough away, call for help-preferably Jasper or Ace," I instruct Juliet, urgency coating every syllable.
"What about you?" Her eyes, wide with panic, lock onto mine.
I glance back at the building, haunted by the faint sounds of the ongoing brawl inside. There's no way I can leave Artemis there alone-not after everything he's risked for me.
Fleeing to ensure my own safety would be cowardly, and I'm no coward.
"Go. I'll be fine," I assure her, although her hesitation is obvious. She clings to my arm, eyes filled with tears.
Gently, I hug her, offering what comfort I can.
"You can do it," I whisper, releasing her and giving her shoulders a firm squeeze.
Nodding, she finally lets go, turning to flee in the opposite direction.
I watch her retreating figure until agonized yells from inside the building snap me back to reality. I burst back through the door, my heart pounding, fearing the worst.
I find Artemis pulling away from Morgan, whose body now lies limp and unconscious on the ground.
Artemis is panting, his eyes meeting mine as I rush back in. Despite his obvious exhaustion, he lets out a shaky laugh and staggers toward me.
Instinctively, I rush forward to catch him before he falls.
"Why didn't you leave with your friend?"
"You're injured," I say instead, pulling away to look at the scratches on his chest.
He chuckles, waving them off, but my anxiety doesn't ease. Instead, I pull him into a tight hug, like he'd disappear any second, hiding my teary eyes in his chest, holding back sobs.
"You're an idiot," I mumble into his chest.
"I honestly don't know how to react to you being so nice to me," he retorts sarcastically.
I pull away, wiping my eyes and chuckling.
"You better get used to it."
We share a light moment, his soft laughter soothing something I had no idea was breaking within me.
His hands come up to my face, wiping away a lingering tear with his thumb - eyes searching through my face for something. As his palm cradles my cheek, I feel like I can finally breathe-like it's all over.
That's when we're interrupted.
Neither of us hear him approach, not until the silver blade pierces through Artemis' chest, jutting out the front. He freezes.
And so does my heart.
"Artemis?" My voice catches as his expression shifts, his eyes widening in panic right before blood trickles from his lips.
He coughs out blood, reaching for the blade before collapsing forward.
"Artemis!" I scream, catching him before we both topple over.
I yank the dagger out of his back, laying him down. My hands tremble as I stare at the blood on them, oblivious to Morgan standing over us, his face a macabre mess of injuries.
"You bitch! You thought you had me, didn't you?" Morgan sneers, his face twisted in rage. "You and your pathetic Alpha-you thought you'd bested me?"
"I'm superior to you! You don't deserve your titles, your roles, not even the chair you sit on! You're all vermin, and the whole lot of you useless, weak dogs belong to me!"
His words hang heavy, poisonous in their arrogance. As he reaches to grab me, I drive the same blade he used on Artemis into his palm. He howls in agony, staggering back as blood seeps from his wounded hand.
I wrench the blade free and, taking advantage of his momentary imbalance, shove him forcefully onto the floor.
Without a second thought, I step on his already wounded thigh, pressing down hard. His scream amplifies as his injury bleeds anew, a dark puddle staining the ground.
Now I'm the one towering over him, my form casting a looming shadow on his fallen body. The tables have turned, and suddenly he's the one at my mercy.
He seems to have realized that as his eyes widens, as if he's staring directly into the face of death itself. A demon.
'Finally, revenge!' The voices in my head exclaim, euphoric.
My blood hums with excitement, an unquenchable thirst for retribution filling me.
He can't go unpunished, not after all the torment he's caused. Not after all the tears he has brought, all the lives he has almost taken. He deserves to torn and ripped into with the blade - left to decay for days.
'Yes, do it! Take your revenge! Kill the wolf.'
It's stronger now, the voice that sings these sinful thoughts - except that they feel like mine. These are my thoughts - the bloody heart of a Gamma wolf just might be a beautiful sight to satiate this burning bloodlust.
Gripping the blade, I raise it high above my head, aiming at the exact spot where he'd stabbed Artemis. One forceful motion, and this nightmare could be over. No more Morgan.
"Please, no," he whimpers, his eyes wide, his body futilely attempting to crawl away, but I stomp down harder and he cries out.
Bloodlust coils within me, urging me to strike. A smile stretches across my face as I relish his desperation, his pleas only sweetening this cruel justice.
"Say your final words." I whisper to him as he shakes his head over and over again, pleading with his eyes for mercy. A mercy he never spared.
"Sera..." The hoarse whisper slices through my thoughts, pulling me away from the brink of my actions.
Artemis' voice-pain-laced but grounding-cuts through the fog of my rage.
My head whips back toward him.
There he is, still on the ground, pale from loss of blood, looking half a breath from death. His condition contrasts sharply with Morgan's, reminding me of what truly matters.
Reality sets in.
I regain control, feeling as if I've just been snapped out of a trance. The blade, still poised above my head, moves down almost-robotically, almost out of my control - but I catch myself last minute from driving it into Morgan. What the hell?
'No, you want revenge!'
'Stab him!'
"No!" I scream, hurling the blade aside before it can cause any more harm, and rush to Artemis's side.
Blood is spurting from his wound, a horrific indicator that a major artery has been hit. Yet he grins at me, his lips stained with blood.
"That was cool," he whispers, referring to how I took down Morgan.
Shaking my head, I tear a piece of my skirt off and press it against his wound, desperate to stop the tide of blood. His hand wraps around mine, adding pressure to the makeshift bandage.
"You're going to be alright," I assure him-no, I assure myself. I try to mimic his light-heartedness, but the ache in my chest refuses to subside.
"I don't doubt it; I have you here," he jokes, never losing his sense of humor even in this risky moment.
Another tear slips down my face. I sniffle, holding back a sob, trying to be as strong as he wants me to be.
"Stop talking; save your strength."
He complies, offering only a warm smile as he gazes at me.
But soon, the light in his eyes starts to fade, and the grip of his palm slackens. Minutes tick by like hours until his hand finally falls away, lifeless. His eyes close for the last time, and his breathing stops.