Adalyn felt the pull of the nameless one yet again and she knew she was running in the right direction. She was dead tired from running for days on end. Still, she ran. Nothing she did helped to get them off her tail. She was beyond exhausted and felt like she was going to drop at any moment. Still, she pushed her wolf as hard as she could with the hope that her wolf would not let down her down.

Her wolf had a heart of gold and was tough as nails. She is a true champion, and knew that the harder she drove her wolf and moved her feet, each step kept their enemies behind them, and brought them closer to their future. She strained to push beyond the patience of even a werewolf. Her fur was splotched with dirt and mud hiding the beauty of her nearly pure white hair. Her paws and body had far too many bruises, but still she ran. Her head high and her back straight and proud.

An old, very powerful and respected druid told her Alpha when she was born that Adalyn was special. Adalyn herself has always known that she was different from the others. Her future was clearly intertwined with the future all of her pack members. She represents life, hope and security for their entire pack. But, being the pack saviour if you will, didn’t mean that other werewolves would like you more or for that matter like you at all. Instead of being loved by most, she was hated by all. Disrespected, disliked and dejected. Lots of times, they laughed and continued to call her "special" as if it was a bad, dirty word. Only her Alpha and the older members of their pack treated her kindly at all.

The funny thing is, Adalyn was much stronger than most of them, and she still was able to shift into a werewolf unlike most of them. Being able to shift was just one of the things that made her special. There were only a few others who could call forth their wolf, like the alpha but no one as young as her. See, her pack, the ‘Wolf Moon’ pack were losing their ability to change into a wolf since most of their wolves went dormant. No one knows why. In the early days many doctors, packs, and druids tried to help. They ran a lot of different tests. Nothing even gave them insight. Some however also lost their wolves. So, after a while, less and less doctors, druids and packs offered to try and help. No other werewolf pack wanted to risk infesting their loved ones.

So the Wolf Moon pack was quarantined and cut off from the rest of the werewolf nations. That did the trick, the disease was primarily contained to their pack. Still, when someone was foolish enough to hang around too long or mate with someone from their pack they risk becoming infected. If they managed to keep their wolf, well… In a generation or two their pack is just as bad off as her pack. So, of course in the last fifty years everyone in the supernatural world has completely cut off contact with them. No one went anywhere near them for fear that they would become sick, or pass it along to a shifter friend of theirs. That also means, the Wolf Moon pack could no longer find their promised mate. Their promised mate was what they preferred to call their soul mates. Without the hope of a promised mate, the members of their pack were forced to marry based on friendly relations.

Like the humans, and other non-supernatural beings, they got married out of necessity, and tender feelings not true love. Still, not one of them has ever stopped dreaming of finding their promised. Some, have even tried to slip past the magical quarantine barrier and attempt to find them. They have all failed. Throughout the past fifty years three different Alpha’s have tried hard to change the future of the Wolf Moon pack. They have even introduced other supernatural and humans into their pack in the hopes that their new DNA could help heal their disease. The infusion of fresh blood made no difference at all.

They were still avoided like lepers. After a time they no longer cared. Soon they would be just as human as the ones they brought into their pack. They lived peaceful, simple lives. If the other packs had just continued to leave them alone they would have continued to live in peace even if they did so without their wolves. But the other packs grew more fearful with time and then finally last night they did the unthinkable and sent human hunters to annihilate the entire pack.

Thank god their alpha had foreseen this possibility and had taken steps to keep the hunters out. He used a druid to cast a spell. The spell used the quarantine barrier to their advantage. It basically made sure that no-one but a blood family member to someone in the pack could enter pack territory without the Alpha’s say so. Adalyn kept that knowledge close to her heart to give her the courage to run through enemy lines and seek out her promised ate. Adalyn was told the spell the alpha had the druid cast would only hold out for a few days… a week at most. She knew her pack was counting on her to return and ready to fight. If Adalyn failed eventually the spell would stop working and her pack would face obliteration. Once the hunters were able to enter their pack grounds, they were sure to exterminate her people like vermin.

Why me? Adalyn thought. Why had the fates selected her to be the pack saviour? Honestly the only part of the prophesy she like was that it said after she found her promised mate she would come into her abilities and heal her pack. She loved the idea that she alone would find her promised, but, what made her and her wolf different? What if Adalyn was unable to find him or if worse what if he rejected her. The prophesy never said after she joined with her promised. It just said after she found him. The old druid always used to tell her not to worry that. She swore, Adalyn only needed to follow her heart and her spirit and it would deliver her safely into his arms. Arms that would love and accept her. Arms that the old druid believed would help Adalyn and the Wolf Moon pack at all costs.

So that night, when the hunters bashed themselves uselessly against their magic barrier, her alpha commanded her to call her wolf forward and seek out her promised. The time had come for her to do what she was born to do. Adalyn changed quickly into her wolf form. The moment her wolf emerged, she threw back her head and howled a prayer into the night. She prayed the druid was right and that she would find her promised. But, even more she prayed once she found him that he would accept her. Then Adalyn prayed she would have the strength and courage to do what needed to be done.

Adalyn again, felt the pull of something intangible. This time it was even stronger than the entire time that she’d been running. She knew that whatever or more likely whoever it was that Adalyn was being drawn to was getting closer with each mile she ran. Then, she spotted a dilapidated old house that stood in the middle of the empty field just ahead. She knew without really understanding why, that he would be in there. Her promised.

Adalyn heard the human hunters closing in on her location and could tell they had her in their sites. She heard the loud sound of a gunshot just seconds before she saw the rocks to her left shatter. Thank god she thought, they missed her. Adalyn heard another shot and this time the dirt just under her left paw shifted. Adalyn saw the bullet lodge into the ground where her paw had just been. The shots were so close. She knew that she had moments to clear the open field or she was a dead wolf. Adalyn dug deep within herself to get enough energy to make it across the field before the hunters got off a clear shot and ended the chase.

Both her heart and her spirit screamed at her that she was in the right place. She slammed into the back of the house as she heard several more shots go off in rapid succession. Despite the silencer they were using on the gun the shots were still loud enough to cause a piercing painful sound to her wolf's ears. She shook her head to stop the ringing and started to claw her way through the door.

Adalyn struggled at getting into the house but finally managed to break through and skid across a slippery tile floor. She struggled to maintain her composure and landed in a heap at the feet of a grotesquely mummified corpse. The last thing Adalyn remembered thinking before her world went black was how could both her wolf, heart and spirit be wrong? Adalyn didn't find her promised, and she wasn't the key to their packs survival. The only thing Adalyn did was run for days to her own death.

2: Chapter 2

Every one of his clan members managed to find and have their happily ever after. Everyone but Oliver that is. Oliver is an Oni Warrior. His Kitsune master died many years ago and left him and his Oni clansmen free to pursue their own happiness. He watched as one by one his clansmen found their promised mate, each of them rewarded for their years of service with years of living happily ever after. Oliver however never seemed to connect with his. Finally after being alone for so long he was driven to depression and the inability to socialise with his clansmen any longer. He moved from home to a place he believed no one would ever come looking for him.

As an Oni warrior he is technically immortal though not invincible. He can lose his body but his spirit is incapable of dying. Nothing is more indestructible than an Oni Warrior. There are relatively few ways to destroy an Oni Warrior’s body. You can of course cut off their head, remove their heart or poisoning them with silver. Their only weakness is they are bodiless and can’t be seen by anyone but another Oni, their master or their promised mate from sunrise to sunset.

Oliver came to Tennant Creek with one goal in mind, to find a way to put his mind to rest for a long time. He chose the house in the middle of nowhere with the intention of sitting in a chair and not moving for many years to come. He had a theory based on one of his clansman’s experience many years ago. The theory was, that if he failed to eat or drink eventually he would become lethargic and fall into a comatose state.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting in the chair when he started to hear scratching at the back door. It sounded like a wild animal ripping its way through the rotted old wood that hung poorly over the back entrance. Then he heard long nails scrape over the old ceramic tiles that coated the shabby little kitchen area. Then he caught a whiff of her banksia flowers. Then, he felt his soul begin to tingle and spark to life within him as he found himself shouting out loud.

“Mine!”

Mine! The word echoed over and over again in his head. She was his promised mate. The one person in the world that could love him completely and without reservations. He could smell her amazingly wonderful scent waif up to his nose. Her scent was something he wouldn’t have been able to explain to another since it was more about how it made him feel than the blend of smells that came off her. It made him feel wonderful and reminded him of moonlight and summer.

Her breathing was rapid and laboured. He could smell dirt and sweat under her delicious natural scent. He could tell his promised mate was beyond tired and exhausted. She appeared to have been running for her life and had reached the end of her rope. She was his promised mate and he needed to do something to protect her. She didn’t come running in here by accident. Something was out there that was trying to harm her.

Oliver tried to move but he realised he must have been sitting in the chair longer than he realised because his muscles had atrophied. While he would be able to move at little he had little strength and was going to need time in order to regenerate his flesh and muscles. He looked down at his promised mate who had passed out at his feet. He smelled her fear and a small amount of blood before he saw her pass out.

Even in her poor condition, he knew, her fear was a combination of seeing him in what he could only imagine was a disgustingly smelly and unpleasant sight and the fact that something was chasing her in an attempt to harm or capture her. Oliver stopped his attempts at moving so he could not only gather his thoughts but also so he could listen carefully to determine if he could hear if they were still pursuing her.

In seconds, he heard grunting and crunching noises coming from just outside of the kitchen. He could also smell body odour that could only be coming from humans. Then he heard the door creak and knew five or six humans were getting ready to enter the house. Oliver used what little strength he had to move from the chair and pull his promised mate behind the sofa. Once he knew she was out of sight he drug his body across the floor to the back entrance of the room. He figured, no matter how many humans entered through that doorway they would hopefully trip over him on their way in. Giving him and his sword the advantage. With that thought, he materialised his armour complete with his warrior mask and his Ninjatō sword.

As he hoped the two humans entered through the doorway. The first human fell on top of him and enabled Oliver to slice through the fleshy part of his neck and end his life instantly. Then, he descended upon the second human and with no more than a flick of his wrist, he also quickly and efficiently ended his life. Two more humans burst through the front entrance and two humans came through the window, one on the left and one on the right.

If his promised mate had still been passed out in the centre of the room they would have had her surrounded. Oliver couldn’t help but think how lucky it was that of all the places she could have run, it was his home that his promised mate stumbled into and passed out. The humans never had a chance. It took only a few milliseconds for his skin and muscles to begin regenerating. He could feel his power and strength building even faster than he could blink.

As a freed Oni Warrior, he was slightly different than a typical indentured Oni Warrior. For one, he ate normal everyday cooked food, and didn’t require blood from a master any longer. He was also more much more difficult to kill. Well actually he’s not even sure he can be killed. Through trial and error, he found he could survive even the worst of injuries that would kill a normal indentured Oni Warrior. There are only four ways to truly kill an Oni Warrior. The first and most commonly known method is to completely sever their heads from their shoulders. This is a task easier said than done since there is no creature alive that is stronger than an Oni Warrior. Well that’s not exactly true anymore if rumours are to be taken as truth. Anyhow…It didn’t matter to Oliver. Most of the Oni rules, free or indentured for some reason didn’t apply to him.

In fact, he had his head severed clear off his shoulders several hundred years ago. He had been stunned, but when his headless body reached out and simply placed his head back onto his torso and the wounds knit back together as if nothing happened he knew. He knew for some reason the rules changed when it came to him.

The second way to kill an Oni Warrior is by lodging silver in an Oni’s heart or removing its heart from its chest and completely destroying it. Again, during a fight many years ago a wendigo ripped out his heart and eat it. He should have immediately died, but was amazed when nothing happened. In fact other than shouting out in pain you would have thought he missed the majority of his heart. Once he killed the Wendigo a clansmen confirmed the truth for him. Oliver was literally heartless for several years while it regrew in his chest.

The third method to kill an Oni Warrior is prolonged exposure to the sun. By leaving an Oni Warrior out in the sun over the course of days their blood can become rancid and cause death. This however is no easy task since almost no one can see an Oni during the day hours. Still, Oliver is also immune to the daylight rules. Not only can he be seen, he can also tolerate the light without any negative effects. The final way, and most deadly way to kill an Oni Warrior is the consumption of Banshee blood. This is the Oni’s best kept secret. Oliver has no idea what effect Banshee blood would have on him but he’s pretty sure it’s unlikely anyone will ever try to get him to consume it.

With the initial hunters take out but plenty more on the way, Oliver knew he needed to move quickly to ensure that his promised mate was protected. He didn’t have any more time to assess the situation or determine what kind of threat they were to his promised mate so he used the little bit of time he had to quickly dispatch all of the humans. He killed them all cleanly and without any needless pain. Then, just because he didn’t want to meet his promised mate for the first time amid dead human bodies so he took their dead bodies outdoor for disposal.

He was only gone a few moments before he could feel his body going into spasms. He needed to feed. Too many years of starvation and neglect where taking their toll on his body. Oliver was desperate however to check on his promised mate and give her a little of his blood so she could heal before he became incapacitated. Despite the cramps and tremors he returned to his promised mate and checked all her vital signs. Then he looked down at the little white wolf that he knew she was his. Mine, the word echoed again in his mind. She was pure white wolf without a speckle of any other colour to mar her perfection.

She was small in stature but had powerful muscles beneath her matted and dirty fur. He could tell she was tired, hungry and just plain emotionally wiped out but otherwise she had no severe injuries or damages. Nothing a little time, comfort and food couldn’t fix. He used his Ninjatō to slice his own wrist and allowed a few drops of his blood to coat her mouth. He made sure to watch as she swallowed. With his blood in her system, knew that she would soon be in a deep peaceful sleep.

Oliver carried her up the stairs to the master bed room and placed her on the old musty smelling mattress. It was hardly an acceptable bed for his promised mate, but it was all he had for the moment. He would need to feed properly, then he could find better accommodations for his promised mate. Oliver rubbed his hand gently down her soft pelt then closed his eyes and took a few moments to enjoy the feeling that being near his promised mate sparked inside of him.

He was sitting next to her on the bed, gently running his fingertips through her fur when he started to feel dizzy. Then he was assaulted by another round of tremors and stomach cramps. His empty stomach was sick and his body wanted dreadfully to shut down. He couldn’t afford to become that weak again he was going to have to fight his own body long enough to get some real food. He hopped up from the bed with one intention. To find some food that he could keep down and get back to his promised mate as soon as possible.

3: Chapter 3

The moment Adalyn awoke she knew she’d been moved. She was almost afraid to open her eyes to see where she was and who moved her. She wondered if the human Hunters that were chasing her would have moved her. For what purpose? Maybe they thought Adalyn would tell them where her pack was or somehow help them get past the magical barrier. Adalyn did her best, to keep her heart beat slow, and her breathing even so that the humans if that was moved her wouldn't realise that she was awake.

The, she tried to sift through the smells that were coming through her nose. She smelled something old like old linens and fabrics. The room was dusty and had a bit of a musty smell as well. That told her that she was probably still in the old dilapidated house that she clawed her way into. Adalyn continued to sort through the smells. Then Adalyn smelled him. Her promised mate he was the most wonderfully smelling man in whole world. That smell, that thought… Well, she just couldn't keep her eyes closed. She needed to see if he was injured or being held hostage like her.

Her eyes popped open and landed on the hottest muscular guy she’d ever seen. He had long wavy dark blonde hair, a firm chin and a bright big beautiful smile. Adalyn looked at his teeth and noticed he had two sharp fangs which momentarily surprised her. Fangs, not canine. Adalyn sniffed again and felt her heart beat double time, and her wolf purred pleasantly within her. She felt her eyes being drawn to his and she looked into his warm chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with just a touch of gold when the light hit them.

In that moment Adalyn knew that her promised mate was an Oni Warrior. There were only a couple of dozen of them in the Australia and based on her promised mate’s scent and his obvious fangs he was one of them. For a moment her heart lightened as Adalyn thought about him being her promised mate. If nothing else with an Oni Warrior on their side it was unlikely no other werewolf pack or any supernatural for that matter would be stupid enough to send Hunters after them again.

Adalyn wasn't sure how he was going to help bring her into her power, or with the loss of their wolves but then again who knew. Both her wolf and Adalyn were proud that their promised mate was an Oni Warrior. The druids were right. Adalyn was a pivotal piece in the future of their pack. Not only had Adalyn found her promised mate but he is an Oni Warrior. Adalyn was the luckiest girl in the pack. To have and find a promised mate was so very rare for her pack members. To find one that was an Oni Warrior was unheard of and to find one that would actually join as one with her was impossible.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Adalyn felt her throat constrict and she suddenly became afraid that her Oni Warrior might not want her. Adalyn wasn't special at all. She was a basic wolf, from a wolf pack that no one wanted to come near. Her pack members were all losing their wolves. What good is a werewolf without a wolf form? They have something wrong with them. They are also having problems getting pregnant and giving birth to babies. Her promised mate is powerful and impervious to death. He would want babies and lots of them. He would want a strong healthy promised mate that could be his equal not a weak sick wolf like her.

Adalyn felt her wolf whimper inside of her at the thought of their promised mate rejecting them. She whimpered out loud without meaning to. Then she watched as her promised mate’s smile dissipated and he almost looked agitated and angry. Then he opened his mouth and spoke with a deep baritone voice, that despite how ominous it sounded, it still caused pleasurable little vibrations to crawl down her back

“My promised mate do I not please you physically? Are you unhappy that I am an Oni Warrior? I am freed no longer indentured. Why do you look so sad?”

Adalyn heard his words but had a hard time letting them sink in. She was stuck on sound of his voice and the tremors it was causing her between her legs. She felt her breast pull tight with anticipation and she felt heat and desire pull in her loins. Finally the words themselves registered and she forced her biggest brightest smile on her face. Then she released the breath she didn't even realise she’d been holding and said

“Your appearance pleases me very much. I am glad that you are a freed Oni and my promised mate. I was only nervous that you might not find me acceptable. I am...”

Adalyn started to stutter and struggle with the words she needed to say. She took a deep breath and started again

“I am, um, well, I…I mean, you might want to reject me because I am from the Wolf Moon Pack.”

Adalyn let that settle in on him and realised she was again holding her breath waiting for his reaction. She watched as his head tilted slightly and his face reflected a quizzical confused look. He took a deep breath through his nose and Adalyn was sure he smelled her desire before he said

“And that means what to me exactly? I don't give a shit about what pack you are from. You are my promised mate and I accept you regardless. I have waited many years for you. Nothing could turn me away. Where you come from or anything you might have done before meeting me mean nothing. Already I desire to bury myself within you and I can smell that you want the same. If you accept me as your promised mate and want to join with me, I promise I will keep you blissfully happy now and for the rest of your life.”

Still, despite Oliver’s words Adalyn felt it necessary to carefully explain who she was, where she came from and how and why she came searching for him. His mind was too pleased and jubilant with her acceptance of him as his promised mate that everything else was a bit fuzzy. She actually said it would be an honour to be his promised mate. Adalyn coughed and paused in her explanation then started again with more of the saviour and druid stuff. Oliver pushed aside all of his horny thoughts and forced himself to process her words. The only thing he really heard was the prophesy. That he loved, because it brought her to him. He had no idea how to unlock her powers or to cure their wolf illness but Oliver was better than good at was fighting.

Oliver promised he would return to Adalyn's home with her and see what he could do to help. Even if helping just meant kicking ass and asking his Oni clansmen to help. Adalyn was still talking mostly going on and on about her alpha but Oliver again found his mind wandering to other things. Things like how Adalyn’s name was beautiful like her. He even started whispering it in his mind over and over.

Adalyn was the most beautiful female Oliver had seen in his lifetime. Her beauty far exceeds even that of his own mother and sisters who were the epitome of perfection. She had the softest warm brown eyes with full supple lips set in the perfect heart shaped face. Her skin was bronzed to perfection and her honey brown hair glistened and bounced with each intake of her breath.

She was even more beautiful than Oliver had fantasised throughout his lonely years. When Oliver went to find food yesterday he learned the year and realised he’d been sitting in that chair for over two hundred years. It was amazing that the house had even remained intact. Then again it seems his siblings knew exactly where Oliver was and made sure that he had been left alone but that the house remained standing. Leave it to Mia and Chloe to make sure Oliver had her opportunity to rot in peace until his little promised mate re-awoke his heart and soul.

Adalyn had no idea that nothing she did or could have ever done would make him reject her. Oliver would do anything and accept anything to have her in her life. Her silly little concerns about things like babies would have no impact on his desire to join together as one with her. Oliver would gladly take her over any other female that could have babies or anything else for that matter. Oliver had a thousand years awake with women throwing themselves at his feet. They could not even get the blood pumping into his groin none the less please him. Had Oliver wanted just any woman he wouldn't have waited all these years.

Oliver also could care less if she did or didn't have her wolf. Truthfully with our without her wolf he was still stronger as an Oni Warrior. He could care for them both. Oliver would speak with Chloe to find out if her promised mate was still a candidate for transformation. Oliver knew that prior to his hiatus Chloe had been making great strides in extending the lives of many of the Oni Warriors promised mates. Oliver wanted to spend an eternity or in the least several thousand years with Adalyn not just a few hundred. His life was far too long to have such a short time to spend with her. Thinking about losing her before he even really had a chance to love her caused his heart to stutter and stop momentarily.

Oliver suddenly had the desire to join his soul and body with hers immediately to make sure that they were fully connected and that he would be prepared to protect her from any and all harm. Oliver was very old but even he had to admit it would be barbaric of him to jump on top of her and sink her fangs and her manhood into the soft flesh without so much as a kiss first. Oliver sighed more to himself than at her and raised his eyebrows when he saw her cheeks turn pink. He made a small side smile and then looked into her eyes. The moment Oliver felt her eyes connect fully with his, he slowly moved forward and ever so lightly brushed his lips against hers.

4: Chapter 4

Adalyn watched as Oliver moved closer to her. Since the moment they met he seemed to like to hover close to her. Adalyn didn't mind it made her feel comfortable and safe. The best part is when he is this close to her his manly scent smells like whip cream. She could feel his eyes gazing at her from top to toe taking in every nuance of her appearance. Imagining what she must look like after so many days of running and neglect Adalyn became a little self-conscious.

She fidgeted with her hands then flung her bangs out of her eyes, before gulping down her shame. In comparison Oliver seemed to be perfect. She would equate his looks and physique to that of the Norse or Egyptian Gods. She’d never imagined that a man could be so beautiful. Not even an Oni. Though in truth little was known of the Oni without their armour and masks. Still, Oni. Though in truth little was known of the Oni without their armour and masks. Still, Adalyn felt her breast tighten again and quickly tried to cover them. Her sudden movement brought Oliver a step closer to her. Adalyn started panicking and couldn't stop from uttering a small whimper of desire and fear. Her mind was racing with thoughts.

Why did Oliver have to be so damn good looking, when Adalyn was so plain? Just looking at his amazingly perfect body, strong chin and beautiful eyes made her stomach turn. He was a real gorgeous specimen compared to her plain light brown curls and boring brown eyes. Why would he want her when he can find someone better? Oh god he looks so good and Adalyn wanted him so bad! She found her wet desire build in her stomach and couldn't stop from making another small whimper. This one was full of her sexual need. Adalyn saw Oliver breath in her scent and knew he too could smell her arousal. Then she watched as his eyes gravitated from her lower body then back to her lips. Then his lips crash down warmly onto hers.

Adalyn had never been kissed before but she couldn’t imagine that anyone else’s kiss but Oliver's could feel this good. Her lips tingled with pleasure and every moment his lips lingered on hers the tiny little jolts of pleasure slowly moved out from her lips and travelled through her entire body. A thousand little butterflies took flight in her bloodstream.

She felt her legs weakened against him. Oliver simply grabbed her tighter so that she was forced to remain standing. She was growing weaker by the second and she knew she would slip like a bowl of jelly to the floor if he released her. Her body quaked and ached with pleasure. Adalyn moaned loudly and pushed harder against him. Her lips quivered and her legs buckled. Oliver growled deep but loudly in his throat causing a new and even more exciting vibration to reverberate through her body. Then Oliver lifted her off the ground and abruptly moved them onto the bed.

Adalyn landed with a thump as both of their asses made contact with the old mouldy smelling mattress and blankets. Adalyn momentarily thought this room and this bed was not how she pictured her first time with her promised mate. Oliver's lips continued to explore hers until Adalyn was no longer able to complete any kind of meaningful thought from her normally logical brain. She felt his hands on her shoulders guiding her body down against the mattress.

“I need you Adalyn, you are my promised mate and I have waited so long,” Oliver blurted out.

His voice was husky with sexual need. Oliver looked at her intently, his face so close to her own that Adalyn could feel his breath tickling her cheeks. Her own sexual needs increased just hearing his voice. It was hard to believe that was possible since her body was already thrumming with demand and obsessive desire but his words seemed to light an inferno of undeniable want deep in the pit of her stomach. Adalyn knew she wanted Oliver to complete her more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.

"Oliver, I want you, please make love to me and let us join our spirits together as one. I’m ready. We don't need time to figure anything out. I want you now! I want you to make me yours in all ways that a man can.” Adalyn whispered to him.

Then thinking actions speak louder than words Adalyn grabbed him by the back of the neck and forced his head down to hers so she could bring their lips together again. Adalyn kissed him hungrily, their tongues fighting for dominance. She pressed her lower body against his and started to slowly move her hips back and forth causing a small but very pleasurable friction between them. Her actions spurred Oliver on. He growled loudly then he pushed her back onto the bed and climbed on top of her, straddling her hips. He kissed her deeply, then deeper still, entering her with his tongue and taking over her mouth. Adalyn was more than happy to let him.

Both of their hands were roaming over each other’s bodies. Her blood was inflamed and her body wanted, no needed Oliver to make them one. Adalyn found was rubbing against him waiting for something more but not really understanding what that more was. She moaned deep in the back of her throat and heard Oliver growl back. Adalyn could feel his desire for dominance and wanting to brand her as his. Adalyn felt his mouth graze over her collarbone and knew that he wanted to bite down and put his mark on her. Adalyn knew she wanted it too.

“Please Oliver take me as yours! I need you! I need more! Please!” Adalyn begged of him

Then she felt his body shudder as his mouth moved to her collarbone and she felt him bite her with his fangs. Her wolf howled out in pleasure and her body spasmed with what Adalyn would call pleasurable tingles from top to bottom.

Adalyn felt Oliver shudder with pleasure as well then he pulled himself back up to her mouth and plundered her lips again. Adalyn felt his hands move down to her pants and he tugged at them urgently, yanking them off of her. She pulled at his shirt and was happy when she could finally roam her fingers over his bare chest. Adalyn took her time roaming over his perfectly sculpted body. She couldn't believe he was really all hers. She bent her head down and placed her mouth on his skin. Her lips were wet and watering, as she kissed and licked at his chest taking in his amazing and tantalising scent and taste.

Oliver grabbed her head; his fingers entwined in her hair and pulled her back to his lips. Adalyn grinned up at him and cocked an eyebrow as she felt him rid himself of his clothing. He paused for just a moment and looked deeply into her eyes before saying.

“I love you Adalyn. You are mine now and forever.”

Adalyn felt his fangs slowly slip into the soft flesh of her neck at the same moment she felt him slowly push his large manhood into her. Adalyn had expected some pain but instead her body exploded into pleasure. The feeling was more than anything she could ever find words to describe. He rocked himself in and out of her. Each stroke inside of her created even more pleasure. Her body was shattering with pure sexual bliss. She started to wonder if sex was supposed to be this good. Adalyn was sure she was going to die from the amazing sensations Oliver's touch was causing her. Then just when Adalyn thought it would be impossible for her to live through any more pleasure Oliver roughly grabbed her head and shoved her face into his neck. That's when she remembered that Oliver told her to bite him hard enough to break the skin before they orgasmed. He was very clear Adalyn needed to drink some of his blood as well.

The moment Oliver's tangy Oni Warrior blood touched her tongue her body shuddered and orgasmed. Then her soul took flight and Adalyn felt a thousand tiny electric shocks vibrate through her heart soul and body. Adalyn knew in that moment that this was what Adalyn was born for. Oliver was her life and reason for being. She pulled her lips from his neck, threw back her head and howled with pleasure. Oliver and Adalyn were now one and no one or nothing could ever tear them apart.

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“I am so sorry mistress. I don't have good news. The female wolf managed to get away. They tracked her to an abandoned house in the swamp near Tennant Creek. Something else was in that house mistress when they got there. It was very strong and slaughtered all of the human Hunters they never even got a shot off.”

Elizabeth looked down at the pathetic wolf before her and spat in his face before slapping it as well. How dare they fail? Elizabeth prepared for this for years and they let the little female wolf get away. This was unacceptable! They needed to get her back. This pack is her ticket to eternity and she’d been using it as her personal feeding ground for years. That female was the final ingredient in a long line of ingredients. Elizabeth knew she was finally the one. This pack owed her. The female wolf owed her. She would have her revenge and her replacement body and a promised mate. Elizabeth was certain with the female’s body she would finally have both. Then Elizabeth would kill the rest of them. Every last one of them so that they would never find out what she did to alter their DNA. Elizabeth looked down at the human and reached out to grab his throat in her hand, his legs dangled off the floor. She watched as his face turned red and he tried to gulp for air his lungs became deprived

“Listen closely you little worthless worm. Get her! Kill who ever and whatever you need to but bring that little female wolf to me. Do you understand?”

He nodded with what little strength he had left. Elizabeth dropped him to the floor and heard one of his bones crack as he landed rougher than she had intended. She heard him whimper in pain and watched as he reached out with his left hand to cradle his clearly broken right wrist. Elizabeth knew she needed him of sound body if they were going to recover the female wolf so she tore her wrist open with her long claw like fingernail and pressed her now bloody wrist to his mouth. He slurped at her blood greedily, doing his best to get as much as possible before she roughly grabbed him by his hair and pulled him off. Then she looked down at his wrist and visually verified he was already healing.

“Go now, do what needs to be done. Take as many with you as you feel are necessary but bring her back to me.”

Elizabeth watched as he scrambled up from the floor and walked as fast as he possibly could to the exit of her bedroom. She didn’t look but knew he was gone when she heard the door slam shut behind him. She moved back to her bed and climbed back under the covers. Elizabeth loved the way the silk blanket rubbed against her naked flesh. She sighed deeply and was glad the interruption was over. Then she spread her legs wide open and motioned for her still naked male and female lovers to return to pleasuring her.

5: Chapter 5

Oliver felt more complete than he’d ever felt in his life. He had always imagined that finding and joining his soul with his promised mate would be an amazingly spiritual experience but he still didn’t fully grasped the realities of it. His blood sung, with unimaginable pleasure and his soul skipped with joy. Nothing truly could have prepared him for how amazing the joining of his spirit and body would be with his promised mate.

Oliver took in a deep breath and allowed her amazing scent to fill his nostrils with pleasure. He just didn’t think he could ever tire of smelling her amazing and unique scent. Oliver was becoming overwhelmed with emotions and couldn’t stop himself from actually trying to pull her sleeping form even closer to his body. He knew the moment Adalyn started to wake up. She and Oliver were now one soul bound together in all ways possible. Her feelings and experiences were no longer just her feelings and experiences.

Adalyn opened her soul to him and laid bare every corner of her heart, mind and soul. She held nothing back. Oliver knew all there was to know about his sweet mate Adalyn. She was the epitome of perfection. Ever solitary painstaking moment that Oliver suffered alone had been worth it. He would wait many more thousands of years if he knew Adalyn would be there waiting for him at the end.

Oliver unlike Adalyn however held back the majority of his past actions and the pain he suffered prior to joining with Adalyn. Partly because he did not want Adalyn to feel once ounce of pain and partly because he had survived many excruciating physical pains during battle that he didn’t want her to ever see or feel, But mostly because Oliver was ashamed of his inexcusable behaviour and depression before she found him. He knew his depression had been so pathetic that if she had not come to him, her life could have passed her by while Oliver sat in a chair rotting in self-pity.

Oliver felt her eyes trying to peer into his soul and quickly allowed his feelings for her to the forefront. He saw her small tentative smile blossom into a full blown grin. Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she leaned forward and lightly but erotically brushed her lips against his.

“Good morning Oliver.”

She said to him as she pulled away from his lips and very quickly hopped from the bed. Oliver leaped from the bed and had her re-wrapped in his arms before she could blink.

“Good morning my promised mate Adalyn. Why were you rushing to get away from me?”

Oliver said as he raised his left eyebrow quizzically at her.

“I had a feeling if I stayed in bed, we would start all over again and as much as I am enjoying this… Well, we really need to get back to my pack sooner rather than later.”

Oliver smiled at her and brought his mouth down on hers. He allowed the kiss to be deep and demanding while still being light and sensual. He felt her body responding and knew that if they really were going to leave today then he needed to stop them from going any further. Oliver pulled back and said

“You shower first, I think if I tried to join you we would never get clean. I am going to make a few phone calls then I’ll hop in the shower when you are out. Thankfully the phone system still worked in the house. I am sure I can thank a clansman. Either way, I made arrangements for a rental car. I will go pick it up then they can start to head to your pack lands.”

Oliver leaned in and placed a small kiss on her head before allowing her to pull away from him. She looked up almost like she was trying to decide if showering was what she really wanted to do then turned and headed into the bathroom. The moment Oliver heard the shower water turn on, he headed downstairs to make some calls. If what she was saying was accurate then her pack had bigger problems than a few human hunters. Oliver needed more information before he went in there and exposed his promised mate to more danger.

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Hale looked around the cave and again prayed that Adalyn had been successful. They ran out of food yesterday and had maybe a day’s water supply left before their water was gone. Most of what was left of the Wolf Moon pack was huddled together shaking viciously in fear. It was hard to believe that so much had happened in just a few days. It was clear now that their pack was not just feared someone or something was trying to exterminate them.

Even worse Hale was certain that some of his own pack had fought on their side. Hale had a feeling that it was some of their werewolf druid practitioners that had been lying in wait hidden within their numbers. This had been a storm coming for many years now. When his da Derrick banned the werewolves in the pack from practising druid magic during his reign there had been many who had argued that it was the wrong this to do. Many had been very verbal that they depended on the magic for their livelihood and for their own emotional needs. His da had not bought into any of those arguments. He simply experienced too many years of pack members using and abusing magic. He believed it was bad enough that they were losing their wolf without becoming slaves to magic.

He banned the wolves from using magic and asked all practising pack members to either give up magic or leave the pack. Most if not all stayed and claimed to have stopped using magic. When Hale became alpha, he was approached by several members again asking for the Wolf Moon pack to give open safe passage and living conditions to magic using wolves and shifters. Unlike his da Hale hadn’t been foolish enough to actually believe that members weren’t using magic. He knew they had just become quieter about it.

Hale personally hadn’t thought that it was a bad thing. It was after all a magic wielder that had predicted Adalyn's birth and her involvement with finding their cure. If not for magic how would they have ever had a chance to save their pack. Besides, Hale had a soft spot for several of the members making the request including his Beta John. Hale had been turning a blind eye from the moment he became alpha and was on the brink of allowing it to be openly practised again when the council had warned him that if they again began practising magic his pack would be exterminated. The council however was not who attacked the pack.

Hale dropped his head into he his hands and allowed the tears to fall freely again. Just thinking about the attack caused his heart to ache and his body to shudder with disgust and horror. They had attacked them with a combination assault weapons and blood magic. They killed without care or discrimination, they left behind carnage that could and did make grown men sick. It was clear that whoever was behind this had meant to make sure there had been no survivors. Worse they knew that they had taken shelter in the caves and had set traps for them even here. Strategically placed bombs had gone off the moment they thought they were safely in the caves. Those bombs killed more pack members than the animals that chased them in here.

Hale felt someone patting him lightly on the back and pulled his hands apart just enough to see her beta's promised mate Teresa. Hale nodded at her but allowed her to continue to comfort him with her small pats and soft words. Hale needed the comfort if he was going to have any chance of pulling together enough to figure out a way to get his pack out of this cave. They were living on borrowed time and Hale was afraid that the reaper was going to collect sooner than he wanted him to.

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“How many of them do you think survived?”

Elizabeth was staring John down trying to make sure that he understood she meant business. She would of course try not to harm him since he had been a faithful and obedient devotee for many years now. He looked a little nervous before he said

“Perhaps twenty Mistress Elizabeth. Thirty maximum if Hale managed to push them towards the lower level of the cave before the last bomb went off. Not that it matters since they are trapped without any way of getting fresh food or water. They will starve to death in those caves. The only way out is past our guards and they will slaughter them if they so much as start to move towards the exit.”

Elizabeth smiled cheerfully and moved towards John with the intention of embracing him and giving him her highest praise but just as she was about to encircle him with her arms him he took a big step back and away from her. Then he held his arm to keep her at a distance.

“I am sorry mistress Elizabeth but I can't allow you to be sullied by me now. During the fight I was somehow infected and am no longer fit to be touched by a real wolf like you.” Then Elizabeth watched as he dropped and kneeled before her.

Elizabeth moved forward and gently patted him on the top of his head to provide some comfort. She knew he no longer had a wolf. She was the one that swallowed it whole. It like the others would keep her young, virile, beautiful and powerful. Still Elizabeth mustered up a little fake concern and said.

“I am so sorry devotee John; you have always been one of my favourites. I promise that as soon as I have the female wolf back I will create the cure that will restore your wolf and provide everlasting invincible life to you and all my faithful devotees.”

6: Chapter 6

Adalyn felt like a new person. It was like her very DNA changed. Just days ago she felt like an unwanted misfit who was doomed to be rejected and alone her entire life. Before, she thought she would go through life never really knowing joy or pleasure that everything with just be out of her arms reach. Now, she felt like she was on top of the world and everything was within her grasp. Oliver was amazing and he seemed to love her at first sight. It was clear that he didn’t care who Adalyn was or what she did before she met him. He peered into her soul and still found her worthy of his love. It was strange however that she hadn’t really been able to see or experience any of Oliver's past. It was clear he was older and had lived many years before meeting her, but when she tried to peer into his soul she saw only his feelings for her.

Adalyn realised sometime during the night while she slept, Oliver must have stocked the bathroom with all the common toiletries she would need. She couldn’t help but think about what a great promised mate he was already. Oliver seemed to know what she needed before she did. Adalyn brushed and flossed her teeth then put on some deodorant. Then she brushed her hair and pulled it into a bun on the top of her head. Adalyn figured it they were going for a car ride it would be better if it was out of her way.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom and found the Oliver was no longer in the bedroom. She stopped moving around and used her excellent wolf hearing to listened closely and see if she could hear him moving around downstairs. Adalyn could just barely make out the sound of his voice and knew that he was talking to someone. She couldn’t help but be a little curious so she walked as quiet as she could to the top of the stairs and leaned over the railing.

“I'm not sure but she's from a pack called Wolf Moon out near Mt. Guiles. Ever heard of them? They have practising druids still living among them. I already know what you are going to say and I already agree. I would never want to risk becoming indentured again either. I know you it is a major risk… but it’s important to me and I promised Adalyn I would help. With or without you, I am going to have to go and find out for myself.”

Oliver was quiet for a moment and Adalyn wished she could hear the other side of the conversation as well. She could just about hear a soft female voice but was unable to make out a single word she said. After a few moments he said

“She’s just a werewolf. Nothing more nothing less. I can keep her out of my mind so it won’t be a problem. She will never know the truth so she can never be used against us. Let the others know and I will be sure to call the moment I confirm. Love you and I’ll call soon. Bye now.”

Adalyn felt her heart immediately shatter. Something about her promised mate wasn’t right. He somehow fooled her into believing that he loved her but he was really somehow keeping things from her. Every time Adalyn tried to see into his past she saw nothing but their time together. He was an Oni Warrior after all. Maybe the normal rules didn’t apply to him. Maybe he was faking his feelings for her. He just told whoever it was one the phone he was purposefully keeping her out. If he wasn’t hiding something why did it feel like he was? What was he hiding and who and why was he telling the woman on the phone that he loves her?

Adalyn heard Oliver move towards the steps and she bolted for the bathroom. She turned on the bathroom sink and sunk to the floor and started to cry. It was only moments before she heard him try to open the door. When he realised it was locked he knocked loudly and said

“Adalyn, are you okay in there? I can feel sadness and desperation coming off you in waves. I’m worried about you baby what’s wrong?”

Her mind was in a panic. Adalyn needed to figure out how to hide her emotions like he did. She learned from her mum as a child, who was a druid practitioner how to build a wall in her mind to keep out the pack members. As a child it worked perfectly. None of the other pack members was ever be able to tell what Adalyn was thinking including the Alpha. Eventually they stopped trying to connect with her and had decided since Adalyn was “special” that she was just not open to the mind link.

Adalyn wondered if the principle would work for her emotions. Was it possible to put that wall around her soul? Even if she could, would the wall even be strong enough to keep Oliver out? Adalyn had to try. She had to do something to protect herself from Oliver. He simply wasn’t what she thought he was. So brick by brick, she started to build her mental wall. It took her several attempts and probably a good twenty seconds, but once she thought everything was in place said as calmly as Adalyn could

“I’m just worried about my family and pack. We should head out as soon as possible.”

Adalyn could feel him poking at her wall then he said as calmly as Adalyn did

“Okay babe. I’m going to go get the car. I should be back in about a half hour. Will you be ready by then?”

Adalyn breathed a sigh of relief and said back

“Sure will, be safe baby. I love you.”

Adalyn waited until she heard the front door close before she fell back into a broken heap on the bathroom floor again and cried out her pain and rejection. She almost wished her promised mate wasn’t really her promised mate at all. Maybe it was his deception that would help to bring her into her power. Either way, she could fake it as long as he could. She would do this for her pack. Now her reserved feelings made sense. Even when she was convinced he loved her, she had intentionally not told him about those in her pack that were able to perform magic.

So how did he know? Even if Oliver had previous experience with them, he like everyone else in the world would have thought they stopped practising magic thirty or more years ago. There was no way that he could be up on recent events unless everything he told her was a lie. Adalyn started to cry even harder. She had been so happy thinking that she found her promised mate and that he loved her no matter what. Now, she was worried that he was nothing more than another spy for the council or the hunters. Maybe he was still indentured after all was just going to use her to get to her family and their magic practising friends.

7: Chapter 7

The moment Oliver hung up the phone he knew something was wrong with his promised mate. He could feel the negative emotions churning through her. He rushed upstairs to check on her and found her still in the bathroom. The water was running and the bathroom door was locked. Her pain was palpable and Oliver was concerned. She told him she was worried about her family. He tried to confirm that with their link but hit a brick wall.

Curious he thought. Then decided to file that information for later. He had a smile on his face as he left the ratty old dilapidated house to secure a rental car for the two of them. Today was the first day of his new life. Oliver was leaving behind the remnants of the self-destructive Oliver that he had come to loathe and was working on finding the new and improved better Oliver. It took him only a few minutes to run to the car rental location. The car was ready for him the moment he finished signing all the paperwork. He hopped in thinking that it would be a breeze figuring out how the car worked. However this new vehicle was nothing like the cars Oliver had driven before his hiatus from life.

After several failed attempts to get the vehicle to do what he wanted it to do he pounded his fists on the wheel in frustration. It snapped in two like a Popsicle stick. Oliver immediately starting berating himself. How foolish he was to think that he could let hundreds of years pass by and that he would still be relevant when he decided to re-join the world. He was fool. A worthless fool. No wonder why he was forced to serve as an indentured slave for twice as long as the others. Now, because of his stupidity, was no longer capable of providing for his promised mate.

Oliver growled loudly in anger and frustration and climbed out of the car. There was no way that he was going to be able to drive his promised mate anywhere in this vehicle without lessons. He would need to figure out a different way of getting them to her pack territory. Oliver hung his head in failure as he left the now broken car in the rental lot and ran back to the farm.

He entered the house quietly and moved to grab the phone that he left on the desk. Once he had it firmly in his hands he rushed back outside into the woods. Oliver knew that he was incapable of caring for his promised mate without some assistance. While he wanted to continue to berate himself… after all old habits die hard, Oliver realised that his promised mate deserved better than that. He needed to be done with wallowing in self-pity and depression. His pride has already cost him enough already. It was time to grow up and be a bigger, better person. Oliver lost so much time and knowledge of the world by sitting in this decrepit hovel. Now in order to help Adalyn, he would have to learn this new world.realised that his promised mate deserved better than that. He needed to be done with wallowing in self-pity and depression. His pride has already cost him enough already. It was time to grow up and be a bigger, better person. Oliver lost so much time and knowledge of the world by sitting in this decrepit hovel. Now in order to help Adalyn, he would have to learn this new world.

His pride wanted to do this on its own, but Oliver couldn't risk Adalyn’s life on his pride. He knew, he needed help. Relevant, capable help. There was no way he could adjust to the new world fast enough to protect and care for his promised mate. Oliver would need help; real help and he trusted no one but his birth family for that. His family always loved him despite his very clear short comings and would want to help. Oliver could swallow what little pride he had left for his promised mate Adalyn. He punched in his mom’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Hello”

Oliver recognised his da’s voice immediately. He swallowed hard and forced himself to tell his da everything and to beg for help. At first each word burned like acid as Oliver forced them from his mouth. Words like help and need. Then oddly enough it became easier. His da made it very easy for him. His da understood him at times better than Oliver understood himself. He even went so far as to fill in much of the blanks himself.

Then he excused Oliver’s behaviour by saying that he too made bad decision in the years he lived in solitude waiting for his mum. By the time Oliver hung up he felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He even felt confident that his family had his back and that Oliver wasn't a failure simply because he needed them. Now all that was left for him to do was let his little promised mate know about the change in plans.

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Adalyn heard a car pull up and pulled herself together. She could do this. Hell, she’d been treated like an outsider her whole life but she still managed to smile every day and was able to fool the entire pack into thinking she was happy. Adalyn was sure that she could keep Oliver in the dark. She washed her face with cold water, checked her brick wall and headed down the stairs to join her devious promised mate.

She wanted to trust and believe her promised mate but the more Adalyn looked at the two Oni Warriors standing in the room not far from her, the more her heart stammered in fear. Adalyn had never before Oliver met an Oni Warrior nonetheless three Oni Warriors. Before running for her life Adalyn had never even been off of pack territory, now, she was in a very small room with three Oni Warriors.

Adalyn swallowed back her fear and listened as Oliver explained the other Oni Warrior presence. He was babbling about rejection and fear but finally some of his words started to make sense in her brain. Adalyn suddenly remembered the mummified being that she saw sitting in the chair that first night. Something clicked and she realised it hadn’t been a dream after all. That corpse was Oliver.

“Adalyn, I wallowed in self-hate and pity because I thought I would never find you. I apparently sat there for over a hundred years, as a result I have lost touch with the technologies of this world and I need time to adjust.”

He paused for a moment and Adalyn could feel he was trying to get a read on her emotions. She kept her wall firmly in place. Eventually he took a deep breath and pointed over to the very beautiful dark haired woman and said

“This is my baby sister Chloe. She was born while I was sleeping. Mum and da felt Chloe would be the best person to help us. See, Chloe is not a typical Oni Warrior. She’s also a medical doctor and trained in most forms of magic. She will be able to help us figure out what’s wrong with your pack. Whether it’s medical or magical she is our best bet to get answers.”

Chloe smiled tentatively at Adalyn but didn't try to move forward or touch her in anyway, and then Oliver pointed over at the male and said

“This is Chloe’s husband Cooper. He’s been a friend of our family since before Chloe was even born. He is an ancient Oni Warrior; according to him he has walked the earth longer than any other being alive. The truth is Cooper is strong and loyal but most importantly I trust him to protect you when I can’t.”

Oliver looked over at her and Adalyn could tell, he was again looking for her approval and acceptance. Adalyn realised that it was probably his sister he’s spoken to earlier today. She suddenly felt very foolish for doubting her promised mate. It only made sense that he would ask his sister the doctor slash magic practitioner to help. She let the wall covering her soul drop and allowed her emotions to flood Oliver. She watched as his face lit with joy as he felt her acceptance and approval. The moment he smiled his sister and her husband moved forward both extending their hands towards her. Instead of shaking his sister’s hand Adalyn moved in and threw her arms around her in a big hug.

“Chloe, it is such a pleasure to meet my promised mate’s family. I am so happy that you could come and help me and my pack.”

Adalyn held her tightly in the tradition of her wolf pack and attempted to give her wolf a chance to smell Chloe. As Adalyn pulled away Chloe eyes glazed over and she spoke in an eerie ghostlike voice

“The time has come for the wolf spirits to be unbound. You were born to be the vessel that frees them. Just as Oliver was born to be the warrior that unleashes the warrior within you. So many wolves have been sacrificed to keep just the one alive. You and Oliver will set their spirits free so that they can roam free again.”

Then she nearly collapsed. If not for her Oni Warrior husband catching her in his arms. No sooner did he firmly have her in his arms when she said

“Adalyn reeks of magic, someone was very careful in putting that little spell on her. It was meant for one of us Oliver. It would only have ever been activated on female Oni Warrior. Someone knew she was going to find us.”

Her words convinced her beyond a shadow of a doubt that Adalyn was in the right place with the right people. Her da placed that spell on her with his dying breath. It was meant to protect her from false friends. Adalyn knew now that Oliver and that even Chloe and Cooper were in the right place and had a part to play in saving her pack. Adalyn dropped all her defences and told them everything she knew about her pack. She told them about how it was prophesied that she would be the saviour and how her da did the spell that Chloe just felt. Then Adalyn told them the one thing that no one in her pack knew but her and her family.

She told them the truth about why her pack was really losing their wolf. She told them how her great great grandfather is technically responsible.

“Five generations ago everything went wrong. My great, great grandfather Scott McCall was the Wolf Moon alpha. To save his wife he sold the soul of his wolf and every wolf in their pack to a nasty Nogitsune for nothing more than a lie. The Nogitsune tricked him into believing that it could keep his promised mate alive even after she had already died in childbirth. The Nogitsune we call Elizabeth was very clever and worded the blood oath to say that as long as the mother of his child continued to live he would sacrifice the soul of his wolf and the spirits of every wolf in his pack to continue to keep the mother of his child alive.

They signed in blood then the Nogitsune completed a very difficult spell. When she was done my great great grandfather Scott was holding the women he thought was his promised mate in his arms. In truth it was the Nogitsune. She used her magic to trick him into believing she was his promised mate so that he would make love to her before he died with his wolf. While making love she got him to agree to even more by saying things like

“Tell me I am your Luna. Give me power over your pack so that I can rule them when you die. Don’t leave me with a young child defenceless child and at the mercy of the pack. They will fear me when the realise I live without you.”

Elizabeth played her cards right since she also managed to get with child yet again. My grandfather was that child and his birth sealed the fate of all the wolves born to the Wolf Moon pack from that day forward.”

Adalyn took a deep breath and looked around the room before continuing.

“So, it’s no disease. See, the Nogitsune Elizabeth uses her Luna powers to call the spirits of the packs wolves. Then she eats them to keep her body young and nubile. She’s been eating the packs wolves for years. This is the truth as it has been told through my family line. My great grandfather Styles to his daughter Sandra who told my da. Elizabeth is dangerous and only cares about herself. We have to stop her. My own da sacrificed his own wolf to prevent Elizabeth from stealing and using mine.”

Again she paused but this time she played with her hands before she took a big deep shaky breath and continued.

“Okay, I’ve told you the prophesy a couple of times but not both sides of it. One the one hand it says I would be the healer and saviour of my pack. All I needed to do was find my promised mate and unleashes my power but, it also says if I fail then I could become the vessel of my packs destruction and Elizabeth would gain eternal life.

That’s why my da and my mum did their own binding blood spell. They died creating the spell. Elizabeth used Oni to kill them and all the children that they made. Only I survived. I was not born of love, I was born with one purpose. My wolf and I would find our promised mate, unleash our power and save the Wolf Moon pack for the Nogitsune. I am the one and only person that has the ability to break the blood oath between Elizabeth and Scott McCall. I alone can save the spirits of the Wolf Moon pack.”

8: Chapter 8

Chloe listened to Adalyn tell her about her role and what she knew about her pack. Everything clicked into place. It all made sense. The truth is the Oni have gone up against this particular pack and maybe the Nogitsune Elizabeth's dark magic more than once in the past. Adalyn’s story made sense and also filled in some of the blanks on what was probably going beyond what they knew. The first time they went up against a member of the Wolf Moon pack was an accident. Chloe was still indentured to a druid and been studying with some tribal medicine men at her masters command. While there, the medicine man kept throwing out different curses in an attempt to help her to learn to identify and overcome them. She got really good at it really fast, so he finally asked her to take on a curse that he couldn’t cure himself.

It was a simple but nasty curse. According to the medicine man. The curse was cast by a druid that lived with the Wolf Moon pack. It was basically a curse that disconnected the child’s soul from his true promised mate and instead connected him with someone else. It took several weeks, but Chloe was eventually able to see all the threads of the spell and break it. She didn’t however ever figure out why the druid attached her soul to the child’s in the first place. They tracked the spell back to a werewolf that didn’t have her wolf but before they could get any real answers, her master lost patience and ordered her to kill the druid effectively ending her chance to ever solve the mystery. Then her master summoned her home.

The second time they were involved in the Wolf Moon pack was just a few year before Chloe managed to get her freedom from her master. She was deployed against the pack because a crazy druid was stealing Oni Warrior blood and randomly injecting pregnant werewolves in an effort to create Berserker Warriors. The alpha took a contract with her master and she was dispatched to put an end it. That’s when she met Cooper and Iona. They were both free agent Oni working for the Werewolf council. They too were doing their best to investigate the blood stealing.

Iona managed to get inside the pack by acting as a midwife and befriending all the scared pregnant women. Cooper, stayed out of sight and instead used his skills like Chloe to gather Intel. The druids in charge were smart. Real smart. They used science and magic to create an entirely new race of beings. Oni werewolves and nothing Chloe, Cooper or Iona did could change that. These children were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. They were werewolves but not. Well, they all had wolves inside of them. They were also Oni Warriors yet very different. Some had light sensitivity, some did not. Most could phase through solid matter. Only, one could materialize armour and the Ninjatō swords at birth. Who knows how many would develop martial arts and the armour at a later age.

In the end, Chloe’s master ordered her and his other Oni slaves to kill all the druids and the altered children. Thankfully however before she could do that Cooper and Iona spirited a few of the children away and kept the safely hidden. Chloe would bet the farm on the fact that Adalyn’s da and mum where the druids and that she was one of those children. If that was the case, she had a good idea of exactly what powers she was going to come into. All she needed to know was her age. As far as Chloe knew, Cooper and Iona cleaned up the mess by using the council’s political pressure to force the Werewolf council to step in and stop the druids from practising magic from within the pack. He had outlawed them but was having difficulty forcing them to obey.

Then next time any of them came up against the pack was just a few years ago. Chloe was finally a free agent having paid off her debt because of her first husband, and Cooper and Chloe were already a married couple. The two of them moved to a remote location on Tasmania and were doing their best to stay out of the worries of the supernatural and natural world. Iona was living in the area of the Wolf Moon pack and was raising two of the altered children on her own. Both of them were already in Jr. High. The girl Christine was attacked by Wolf Moon pack members while shopping for groceries. They stabbed her several times and even attempted to drive a silver stake through her heart. Iona hunted down the men who attacked Christine in her Oni armour and killed the entire lot of them. They claimed they were acting out of anger and jealousy because Christine was born with a wolf unlike them.

The attack had been both a blessing and a curse for Christine and Dylan her twin brother. Turns out that Christine healed extremely quickly from injuries. The blessing was that they theorised that Christine and Dylan like the Oni were nearly impervious to death. The bad news was both of them might find themselves as indentured servants the moment they turned eighteen. Now, here they were yet again facing issues with the Wolf Moon pack. This time however they had new information that could help them get to the real root of the problem. If this Elizabeth really was a Nogitsune that was steeling wolf spirits than they would stop her. The Oni would reign down hell on this Elizabeth and her followers.

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Elizabeth waited so many years for her chance at revenge an immortality. The Wolf Moon pack owed her. It was because of them, Elizabeth lost Jay and it was also because of them that she was forced to jump into a new body and feed on the spirits of their wolves just to stay young. In the beginning Elizabeth wanted to find and easier softer way. She tried every method possible and almost succeeded multiple times if not for the Oni warriors. Jay was her promised mate but he died at the end of an Oni’s sword. It’s the Wolf Moon packs fault. They called the Oni to save them from a darach and managed to get Jay killed at the same time. This time however, Elizabeth wouldn’t fail. She would accomplished the unthinkable and wipe the lot of them out in the process.

As a very powerful demon, she discovered the ability possess bodies a long time ago. She was a girl who called herself Liz and he was a boy who called himself Jay. Elizabeth wanted him more than anything. She even tried to change who she was to suit him. In the end, that body died but Elizabeth was able to jump into a new body and found she suddenly had the ability to steal human spirits at will. Those spirits kept her young and beautiful but they also burned like the fires of hell. The body she is currently in is very old, and she’s ready to make the leap into yet another body. This time however she will keep not only the body but the bodies promised mate. Oliver would make an excellent life partner and a fitting end since the Oni stole her promised mate Jay. Adalyn would be the perfect body and Elizabeth would have everything she ever wanted.

See, Elizabeth thought she had an ace in the hole. She knew Adalyn was part Oni. She also knew that Oliver wasn’t just any Oni. He was a true immortal and his blood would slowly but surely start to change Adalyn’s body. She knew that because she was there the day they changed Oliver. The Oni were attacking some very powerful Darach. In order to escape they performed magic and entered Oliver’s blood stream. They were fools. Instead of saving themselves they gave all their power and strength to Oliver. They actually voluntarily poured their magic into him in the hopes that someday Jay would pull their spirits back out and rebirth them. With Jay dead that would never happen but Oliver still benefited from their magic. In time, Adalyn would be invincible like Oliver. To her that meant immortality, and eternal happiness. Her husband could not die and the body that Elizabeth inhabited would not die and as a bonus over time Elizabeth could turn him against the entire werewolf nation and Elizabeth would finally get her revenge.

Elizabeth was sure Oliver had no idea. Who would ever think an Oni could contain the power of a Darach. Elizabeth would use that to her advantage. She knew Oliver was going to be a faithful huge puppy dog to his promised mate. Once Elizabeth switch her soul for Adalyn’s, she would rule him and would make sure every werewolf and Oni in the world suffered. They would know the pain Elizabeth endured because of them. She would repay them for every harm they ever did to her. They would rue the day they turned on her and caused her pain and suffering. They would never expect it to come from Adalyn and Oliver. But come it would. Elizabeth would make sure Oliver turned on them. She would have her revenge and her immortality.

9: Chapter 9

Oliver was sitting in the back-seat of what he could only call a motorized vehicle. It had much the same qualities of the old gasoline cars but was much more computer operated and required no fuel. Apparently it was totally solar powered. It was about time man figured out how to use resources better. Oliver had Adalyn curled in his lap and she was sleeping soundly. Chloe, Cooper and Oliver were quietly discussing how best to help her pack. Chloe was convinced that a head on confrontation wasn’t likely to get the job done. From her previous contact with the pack, she felt Elizabeth had done a very good job of using many of the Wolf Moon pack members as puppets.

They didn’t want to charge into her pack ready to maim and slaughter. They needed to root out the bad guys and gals and make sure the innocent stayed innocent and protected. They had to make sure that the majority didn’t suffer for the crimes of a few. Adalyn moaned softly in her sleep and pulled herself in closer to him. Oliver smiled down at her and started playing with her silky hair.

“Well, it’s not going to be easy to get the viper out of her nest. She’s managed to stay behind the scenes for a very long time. I’m not sure how we are going to be able to find her? The good news is, Cooper and I have a very good idea what Adalyn’s special skills are and exactly how to wake them. Did she happen to tell you how old she is?”

Oliver smiled and said

“She didn’t but I somehow just know. She’s going to be sixteen in just a few days.”

“Oh, I just knew it!” exclaimed Chloe before she launched into the entire story of how she knew the pack and that Adalyn was born part Oni. Before long, even though Chloe was still talking Oliver was only listening every now and then. He was much more interested in the feelings coming off his promised mate while she was sleeping than the story of her pack. He could feel her love, happiness and most importantly her contentment from being in his arms. Adalyn already felt so very safe and secure simply because she was in his arms. They didn’t need her to come into her powers, Oliver, Cooper and Chloe were more than capable of taking out a Nogitsune on their own.

He smiled in confidence and allowed his thoughts to drift into all the years he’d waited for her. More years than any other member of his clan. In fact nearly five times longer than any other. Christ, from what he’d heard today his baby sister Chloe had two great loves in the time it took him to find his only love. Oliver would never let anything take her away from him.

“I was betting it’s as simple as just killing her. Then again if it is that easy, why did they need a saviour? Why not just kill her themselves? How hard could one Nogitsune to kill anyway?”Nogitsune to kill anyway?”

Oliver saw Chloe glance over her shoulder to see if he was paying attention to her and her words. Oliver knew Chloe realised he was more interested in Adalyn’s snores then in her words because Chloe’s tone changed just enough to remind him she was there to help at his request and that she absolutely hated being ignored.

“Well, maybe I will just shut up for now. It doesn’t feel like you really care what I have to say anyway. I don’t know you very well but, one would think since I studied magic Oliver I know something that could help save your promised mate and her pack. But, it seems to me you are more interested in staring at her sleeping then solving her problems. One might even call it short sighted and selfish. I do recall hearing one of my brothers has some series issues. Perhaps, they are still lingering. If that’s the case, I am in the wrong place with the wrong people. Maybe I should just pull over and let you two out. Then, Cooper and I won’t be around to annoy you or anything.”

She glanced over her shoulder again and Oliver was sure this time to catch her eyes so that she knew he heard every word. He needed to assure her he wasn’t selfish anymore. That he would never make another Oni suffer for his short sightedness. He knew he needed to make her feel better so he put on his best responsible, grown up voice and said

“Oh Chloe, you are my baby sister. You could never be an annoyance to me. I am so pleased that you are such a skilled and capable Oni. I wish I had been around more while you were young. I am sure you would have been my favourite sister. Even though I don’t know you that well, I couldn’t think of a better person to watch my back more than you.”

Oliver could almost hear her smile it was so big. Then just because he could he added

“Well maybe Mia, but that’s only because she is my twin and handles a sword so much better than me.”

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It had been too many days. Adalyn couldn’t possibly have been successful or she would have come back already. They were on their own and their chances of continued survival were incredibly small. They were out of food and good drinking water even the air itself was becoming thin. They tried to find an exit but were completely trapped. They’ve been digging at the entrance for days without even creating a small air pocket. As a last resort some of the men were going to try to swim out. There was an underground river that ran under the mountain and came out in the forest not that far from their main camp. It wasn’t likely that any of them would be successful but they needed to try.

If even one of them somehow managed to hold their breath long enough to get to the other side they could get help. They could reach out to humans and say there had been an accident. The humans would come with their digging equipment and television cameras. They might be able to save them. Turning to humans for help was a no no for any wolf pack. If they hadn’t already been treated like outsiders this would have sealed the deal. Hale could care less at this point. No wolf pack had ever stepped in and helped them. Hale needed to know that the women and children would survive no matter what it took.

The volunteers all had wolves to help them. They decided that should they be successful they would disband as a pack and become integrated into the human population. The truth was most of the pack members that had wolves died in the attack anyway. The last few were volunteering to swim.

Hale looked at the volunteers and said a silent prayer to god to protect their loved ones and to not let their sacrifice to be in vain. See even if they survived without drowning they would still die. The water was full of deadly micro-organisms that seemed to attack werewolves and other predatory animals and kill them within a few days. They knew better than to drink the deadly water but the chances of not getting infected after being submerged were impossible. The moment Hale was finished with his prayers, he turned to what was left of his pack and said his final words as alpha

“I Hale Parker hereby disband the Wolf Moon pack. As of this moment they exist no more. Each one of you are released from your vow of honour to follow me. I beseech you, should we be successful and get help to get out of here please find new homes among the humans and live long happy lives.”

Then Hale turned and dove into the frigid dark poisonous water. He didn’t want anyone to try and talk him out of doing this. He like the other few males left with wolves knew this was the packs only chance at survival. He had to stay alive just long enough to tell someone about the women and children that were trapped inside the mountain.

10: Chapter 10

Adalyn woke up but continued to keep her head in Oliver’s lap. It was so comfortable and made her feel so cherished and wanted. She always hoped that she would have a promised mate that wanted to be with her. Her mum and da were a very loving couple but Adalyn knew that their relationship lacked something. Now that she’d been with Oliver she could honestly say she knew what that something was. It is a connection that goes beyond the physical.

Oliver and Adalyn were connected on so many levels and planes that she wasn’t sure if she could live without him. Oliver’s soul is actually an extension of her own soul. It’s weird because it doesn’t act like they are perfect for each other. It acts as if they are one and were always meant to be one.

Adalyn felt a shift in the air and she somehow just knew they were approaching her pack territory. It’s like her wolf simply recognised their home by pure scent alone. Adalyn could feel her perk up inside of her with excitement of being home and introducing her mum and da to her promised mate. Adalyn raised herself up on her elbows and peered out of the window. They were still a few miles out from the main part of their territory but something felt off.

She didn’t see anyone outside and she started to notice that the houses looked abandoned. Then she caught something that smelled like fresh gunpowder and her heart slammed into her rib cage. Adalyn was suddenly overcome with anxiety that something had gone terribly wrong after the attack. If her pack managed to keep the hunters at bay they would be back in their homes already. Her pack would never survive in the mountains or caves for this long.

It had only been a dozen or so humans. Her pack should have been able to eliminate the threat with ease. If that was the case however then why did Adalyn still smell fresh gunpowder and where was everyone? Could they still be in the caves? They wouldn’t have had enough water and food for this long. Just as they rounded the corner Adalyn could see her house clearly and she spotted that both front windows were shattered and the door was hanging open. Her mum and da would have never abandoned their house that way. Before Adalyn could stop herself, she screamed at Chloe who was driving

“Stop the car! That’s my house. Something is wrong. I need to find my mum and da.”

Adalyn felt her apply the brakes and start to bring the car to a stop. Before the wheels stopped spinning she pushed open the door and jumped out of the car. She hadn’t realised they were still moving as fast as they were and Adalyn ended up rolling roughly around the asphalt. She felt pain explode into the right side of her body as the asphalt ripped her skin to shreds. Blood well up and push itself out of her newly torn open skin. She was trying to right herself when Oliver pulled her into his arms. Adalyn could feel his body vibrating when he said

“Adalyn are you okay? Please baby tell me that you’re not hurt.”

Adalyn wanted to speak but knew her voice would betray the pain she was in both physically and mentally so she nodded her head and tried to push away from him. Adalyn did her best to get herself under control so she could tell him what was wrong. The same thing kept running over and over again in her mind. Adalyn knew she just needed to get to her home. She needed to see that her mum and da were okay. She had to believe that they had survived the attack. Something was very very wrong and Adalyn needed to understand what happened and where everyone was. After a few deep breaths Adalyn finally felt like she could speak just as her feet found themselves running automatically towards her house. She shouted out in an apprehensive and thunderous voice

“Something is wrong Oliver. I can feel it in my bones. I just know it’s not good, I need to find my mum and da.”

Then Adalyn ran as hard as she could towards her home. She burst through the open front door and realised it had been worse than it appeared from a distance. There were bullet holes all over the house. Things were broken and tossed about without care. It was more than a fight. Someone came back to their house and actually damaged it more. It looked like vengeance was taken out on their belongings. Even her mum’s sentimental photographs of his birth pack were shredded with very sharp claws. Adalyn moved towards the steps with the intention of going into her bedroom. Just as her foot touched the first step she felt Oliver place his arm on her shoulder.

Adalyn turned back to look at him and noticed that he was examining what appeared to be dried blood. Adalyn moved towards it and felt a shiver of fear crawl down her spine and her body shuddered. She was terrified that it could be her mum or dads. Before she could stop her fear turned into sheer terror and her wolf wanted out. Adalyn tried to push her back but she gained the upper hand and Adalyn felt trembled as the change took her over.

Her wolf stood on the floor next to her mum’s smashed kitchen table and raised her wolf snout into the air to try to pick up her mum or dads scent. Instead as she pulled the smells through her keen noise the only scent she picked up was that of her alpha. She howled loudly and took off through the broken front door with Oliver following right behind them. Her paws landed one after the other as they headed towards the Styx River. Adalyn was surprise that her alpha would be anywhere near the poisonous murky river. Her pack generally avoided that area of their territory at all costs. So much so that they had nick named the parcel of land near the river Stay Away and the river itself Styx.

As Adalyn got closer to the scent of her alpha she realised that his scent and the stench from the river seemed to be combined. Adalyn felt her wolf tremble at the thought of her alpha having been exposed to the parasite infested waters. They reached her alpha and Adalyn couldn’t help but quake and wobble from the site of his injuries.

He was bleeding from several severe gashing in his torso and head. It was clear that he had swallowed some of the water and that his major organs were already beginning to shut down. Adalyn could hear his heart struggling to breath and his lungs were barley processing air through them. Adalyn nudged him with her snout and tried to get his eyes to open. He opened his glassy clouded eyes and immediately recognised her face. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but no sounds came out. He looked between her and Oliver and a small smile lit his severely battered face. Then he opened his mouth and whispered in a tone that was barely audible even for her excellent wolf ears

“Thank god you found him. Help the pack Adalyn they’re still in the caves. Stuck there. Dying...”

Then his eyes closed and Adalyn could no longer hear his strained breathing or his heart beating. She could feel the tears running from her eyes and soaking into her fur. Her wolf threw back her head and howled her pain and suffering into the air. Any wolf within hearing distance would know that their alpha passed away.

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BTW... This book and all my finished books are for sale on all the ebook websites. Just search on my name Brooke Parker-Lyn. I'm sure you don't want to buy a book but if you do... You are helping me to write more books. See, without some book sales, I would have to get another job them I wouldn't have any time to write. Even now finding time is tough. Thanks Brooke

Wolfoni Clan Series
* Wolf Moon
* Blue Moon
* Blood Moon
* Dark Moon
* Lotus Moon - in progress....

11: Chapter 11

 

Oliver looked down at the alpha that was laying half in and half out of the putrid smelling water. He could feel the despair and pain rolling off Adalyn in waves. Oliver knew that she was distraught over her parents’ whereabouts and seeing her alpha die in front of her was causing her even more distress. Oliver made the decision without really thinking about all of the consequences or why he was even dying in the first place. He reached down and pulled the alpha’s soaked and battered body from the water. Oliver heard Adalyn’s cries become louder as he slashed open his wrist and allowed his blood to seep into the alpha’s mouth. Oliver had to massage the alpha’s throat to force him to swallow but he knew even a small taste would be enough to bring him back.

Oliver had expected as his breathing improved and his heart beat became steadier that Adalyn would have calmed some. Instead she had become even more frantic and had taken a large step back from both him and her alpha. Oliver looked at her questioningly as his brain filtered her frantic and chaotic words.

“Oh fuck! You touched him. The water it’s deadly. No one ever survives. Parasites deadly even to you. All predators. Oni are most definitely predators. Oh fuck no. No! Please no Oliver! I can’t lose you.”

Oliver watched as Adalyn collapsed on the ground writhing in what Oliver could tell was emotional and mental anguish. He didn’t know what had suddenly intensified her feelings of sorrow. He looked back at her alpha and could tell that he was breathing better. He looked around wondering if she was seeing something Oliver wasn’t. Her reaction was making sense to him.

Chloe put two and two together in seconds. The river wasn’t full of parasites, it was poisoned by magic. The magic was specifically targeted at predators which meant all of them were at risk. Oliver was already infected. The moment he opened his wrist he let the magic in. Chloe stepped back and tried to analyse what the magic was doing. She wasn’t surprised when Adalyn realised Oliver was infected and dropped to the ground into utter despair. Her words coming out in a big jumbled mess

It was easy enough to put two and two together and realise she must have thought it was a death sentence since Oliver had been exposed to the deadly water. The more she thought he was dying the more desperate her emotions. The more desperate she became the more desperate Oliver would become. Chloe tried to reach out to her and explain that her siblings and Chloe are totally invulnerable to illness and disease.

“Adalyn, calm down! Oliver is going to be fine. He is impervious to disease and illness. The river is a magic spell that’s all. It looks like Oliver is hurt but I promise he will be fine. You need to calm down so he stops trying to get to you. If he touches you, you could die but the damage to him is only temporarily. Chloe, I assure you, if I can prevent myself from becoming infected I will find a counter spell.”

Chloe hoped her words would have a calming effect, but it seemed they fell on deaf ears since Adalyn continued to cry loudly. Things were going to get out of hand if they didn't do something more drastic. Chloe looked over at Cooper and yelled

“The magic is targeted at predators. All it needs to is to be ingested or let in through an open wound. Chloe already has injuries all over. If she get exposed she will die. If I get infected, I won’t be able to help find the counter spell. I am sorry Cooper but you need to keep him and the spell away from us.”

Then, Chloe motioned towards her brother and the sick wolf lying just outside of the water. Chloe no sooner got the words out of her mouth when Oliver charged towards her and Adalyn. Cooper immediately realising the threat to her and Adalyn moved to intercept Oliver.

The charge wasn’t very effective. While, Oliver tried to move forward his legs weren’t responding properly. His brain felt heavy and sluggish and Oliver realised he was a little confused. He shook his head trying to clear it but only managed to make his vision blurry. Oliver slowly made his way towards Adalyn and was just about to lift her into his arms when Cooper came charging towards them.

Before Oliver could touch Adalyn, Chloe pulled Adalyn into her arms. Oliver growled and attempted to pull Adalyn from her sister’s arms when Cooper roughly shoved him back then stood in front of them preventing Oliver from reaching his sister and Adalyn. Oliver shoved him aside utilising the bulk of his strength and again he tried to reach out to touch Adalyn. This time Cooper grabbed hold of him and flung him back towards the river.

“Oliver, for fucks sakes don’t touch your sister or Adalyn. You’re under the influence of bad voodoo magic. You need to take a step back so we can get this off of you.” Then he added even louder

“Oliver listen to me! You will be KILL Adalyn if you don’t back the fuck off!”

The words seemed to have no effect on Oliver it was clear that the magic was already twisting his brain. No matter what Cooper or Chloe said he was going to continue to adamantly try to get to Adalyn. He likely thought he would help her deal with the fear and distress she was feeling but in fact he would expose her to the deadly magic. The magic was really messing with his mind and his body. He was acting crazy and he too like the wolf he pulled from the water was bleeding from his ears, nose, eyes and mouth.

Cooper was right. To Oliver his words just sounded like some kind of gibberish that only proved to make Oliver more confused and angry. His emotions like Adalyn’s were going into overdrive. Oliver wanted to help Adalyn and take away her feelings of despair. Being this close to her but not providing reassurance was pure torture to him. He felt a buzzing sound in his ear just as Adalyn’s emotional pain smashed into him again. Oliver grappled to his feet with the intention of doing whatever was necessary to reach Adalyn and provide her with comfort.

Chloe watched Oliver swipe the blood from his mouth just as he started to charge at them again. This time he managed to knock Cooper to his feet and charged directly at her. Chloe was prepared to take the brunt of the hit but was disappointed that she too would become infected. Just as Chloe expected to feel the impact Cooper lunged to his feet and again placed himself between them and Oliver. Chloe felt overwhelming gratitude at her husband for taking the brutal hit from her brother. Chloe had to smile since Cooper didn’t even look like it fazed him. Cooper hit him hard and knocked him back down to the ground.

The hit was hard. Even for an Oni that should have taken the fight out of Oliver. Yet, he stood again. Once up however, his feet but felt too heavy to move. His body was refusing to listen to his commands. Oliver felt something wet oozing from his eyes and he his ears and his heart started beating erratically. Oliver growled in pain and fury. He managed to make himself look even more dangerous and enraged. Then he charged towards them again. This time in his full armour with his Ninjatō sword drawn.

It was clear Oliver meant to cause severe damage to Cooper and Chloe. Chloe swallowed and tried to prepare for the onslaught of pain. Chloe too materialized her armour and Ninjatō sword. Seconds clicked by… Instead of the sound of swords tapping together she heard Oliver drop back to the ground as he fell unconscious. Chloe could only drop her head in relief as she realised Cooper must have invaded Oliver’s mind and took charge.