Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Nivaan's POV

"That bastard! He dared to hurt YOU! I will teach him such a lesson that he will be begging to die!" Norton's furious voice broke through the darkness that surrounded me. The light of consciousness seeped slowly bringing me back to the world of the living.

"Don't bother. Emilia has already agreed to the deal. There is no point in torturing him now," the woman's words hit my core like a bolt of lightning. Why in the freaking hell did Emila agree to her? Was she out of her mind?

A muffled gasp escaped my lips. I couldn't let this happen. I had to get out of here and stop Emilia before it was too late. The sound of receding footsteps flared the flame of hope that had been subdued by the endless torture.

I cracked my eyes open to find that they had indeed left. This was the best opportunity to get out of here. I tugged and pulled against the chains with all my might but no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't budge.

There was only one option now. I had to shift. Shifting with silver chains was highly risky. If I got stuck mid-shift, I would have to suffer immensely. I wouldn't be able to shift back to my human form without any assistance. However, I had to do this. I couldn't stand by and watch while she fell prey to that vicious woman.

Taking deep breaths, I focused on relaxing. I had only one chance and I couldn't afford to mess it up. Slowly and steadily I let my wolf's power infuse my veins. It wanted to burst out like a smoldering volcano. It took every ounce of my concentration to make sure that it spread slowly.

My jaws clenched together as I shifted one part at a time; starting with my claws, fingers, arms, then legs. This was way more difficult than I had imagined.

Black hair covered my body as the process continued at a painfully slow pace. It took everything in me to keep up the pace. My heart had started throbbing erratically making it difficult to control the surge of power.

Gasp! The resounding voice of the terrified guard broke my focus and my wolf surged forth with a ferocious growl. My head was yet to change and my internal structure was still human. I tried to concentrate again but my wolf was restless. The chains clanked against each other in a chaotic symphony. The silver in them bound my powers and repressed it; halting the shift. F***! I had messed it up even after trying so hard.

The guard let out a scream and ran outside; his footsteps fading rapidly. He would soon return with reinforcements. I had to get out of here before that happened.

With a loud scream, I tugged at the chains with every ounce of power I possessed; both human and spiritual. The chains crackled as they got stretched further and further. My bones charred to match the symphony. I fixed my feet on the ground and increased the pressure on the snap; all the while ignoring the scorching burns of silver.

Snap! There was a resounding pop as a loop broke. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I was finally free. Taking off the shackles, I ran out of the room as fast as I could.

My nose twitched hoping to catch her scent but all I got was the damp and musty scent of the downtrodden warehouse. I was running through the corridor when I bumped into two guards. I had no time to play with them.

With a swift move, I grabbed the neck of the man to my left and snapped it. The other guard got scared and bolted in the opposite direction calling for help. My pace increased as I scoured through the warehouse.

There were no signs of Emilia, Norton, or even that weird lady anywhere. They had probably taken her elsewhere. My long foot, large legs, and half-shifted body would draw too much attention. So, I paused to shift back. Drawing in a deep breath, I closed my eyes; visualizing myself as a human again.

My wolf shifted restlessly and an agonized growl escaped my lips. It felt suffocated by the invisible silver barriers though they were not binding me physically now. It considered this a threat and refused to give me back my control.

Kiara had told me that this was like a psychological barrier. However, I had no time to analyze it. Letting out a deep sigh, I waddled out of the warehouse in my monstrous form. Luckily, there were no guards outside.

Taking advantage of my heightened senses, I scanned the place; assessing all scents, sights, and sounds in as much detail as possible. There was nothing unusual around but I did sense a dark presence to the east. Following it, I reached a dilapidated building; the paint had been washed off, a section of the roof had fallen and wild plants grew wantonly around it.

I almost ignored the building but the evil energy started fading as I moved further. So, I decided to check inside. Once I got in, my wolf could sense the pine and lemons. It was very faint but it was there. I walked in the direction of the fragrance as discreetly as I could. It was eerily quiet; almost as if someone had sucked out all the noise from this building. The wooden stairs crunched every time a step was taken. They echoed all over the place resounding a couple of times before fading into the silence.

I expected an army to barge onto me any moment but that never happened. The scent was the strongest near a wooden door but it was heavily guarded. The men stood there, erect and upright. They were uncharacteristically quiet; probably due to the creaky noises echoing all the time. Even with no one walking this place often erupted with strange noises interspersed between long silent spells.

There was no way, I could take down an entire group of guards secretly. So, I attacked them with full ferocity; biting, tearing, snapping.... Within a few minutes, they were lying in a pool of blood. Wiping off the blood from my face, I shoved the weight of my entire body against it. Dust flew off in small clouds as the old wooden piece crashed against the wall.

When the dust settled, the scene became visible with earth-shattering clarity. A woman was sitting in the middle of the seven-pointed star. Her eyes were closed and a soft purple orb surrounded her. At the end of every point was a small bundle and lying right next to her was none other than Emilia.

I stepped forward intending to walk inside the formation but stopped mid-air. I didn't know what this spell did or how to block it. If I did something wrong, the results could be disastrous.

The orb around the woman glowed brighter as her lips quivered. Her eyelids fluttered as she chanted a spell in some ancient language. Her low voice with a deep timber reverberated through the room creating an entrancing effect.

I had seen Ariana perform many spells but never seen or heard anything like this. I stood still for a moment; unsure about my next move. I was still contemplating when there was a sudden surge of energy. Emilia along with the other babies was lifted into the air; hovering a few feet from the floor.

This didn't seem good. I had to stop her and soon. I grabbed my forehead as I paced up and down. The sure shot way to undo any spell was to break the magical circle. A growl escaped my lips as I dug my sharp claws into my skin. Clenching my fist tightly, I let my blood drip over the white line.

Black smoke dissipated with a sizzling sound the moment, my blood made contact with the line. The candle in the center went off and everyone dropped to the ground with a thud.

Rushing toward Emilia, I gathered her in my arms. Her face looked pale but her vitals seemed alright. I adjusted her to a more comfortable position and was about to leave when the woman's eyes snapped open. I couldn't make out her face through her veil. But something about that look was oddly familiar.

"Nivaan Lovelock! How dare you! How dare you ruin six months of my effort with one move." She got to her feet and lifted her arms towards the sky. "I am going to make you pay for this!"

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that posture so well. She was going to summon the forces of nature. I had like moments before being hit by the force.

My eyes darted to the ring of dark stone on my finger. I knew that it would protect me from magic but I wasn't sure it would protect Emilia too. Shielding her body as much as I could, I made a mad dash out of the door.

Using my foot to slam it shut, I ran as fast as I could. The noise of static crackled behind me but I didn't stop to see what it was.

I kept running faster and faster; meeting the howling winds head-on. I had barely run a mile when the muscles in my arms and legs started protesting. My knees became weak and I dropped to the ground.

A gasp escaped my lips as I tried to regain my balance. I scratched my elbows but I didn't let her fall. The sudden jolt must have pulled Emilia out of the coma. She cracked open her eyes and looked at me with such love that my insides melted.

Her lips lifted in a weak smile, "I don't know if this is heaven or hell but I don't mind as long as you are there...." She raised her hand and placed her palm against my cheek before passing out again. Her gesture evoked a turmoil of emotions within me. I tried hard to resist but failed. With a pained whimper, I placed a soft kiss on her forehead....