Mine to Protect Chapter 145: DEADLY

*Hazel*

I use Derek’s power to reinforce the shields, and then decide to test this wind power a little more. I shift back to human, and as a start, I make all the tanks I can see levitate in the air, and then I throw them like balls into the forest outside the fence, making them explode inside a dome shield, so that no one gets hurt, apart from the forest, which is now half burnt down. Sorry trees, I swear I’ll plant new ones.

Then I focus on the enemies I can see around me, I make them levitate in the air, where I blast them to dust safely, sure that I won’t hurt any of ours in the process.

A whooshing sound attracts my attention, and tilting my head up, I see two military jets approaching our area, they appear to be armed, and I have learnt the hard way how these people work, they don’t care about their own, they will open fire, even if it means killing their people alongside ours.

I use the wind power to block the jet midair, and although the power is strong, it takes all my strength to keep it there in the air, then I blast it to nothing. But just when I am done with one, the other starts firing at me; luckily Derek is nearby, and the shield protects me from the bullets, but I can’t say the same for Derek’s mom, who gets caught in the crossfire, while struggling to get away from her mate.

The howl of pain that Hugo lets out at the death of his mate breaks my heart, I would never wish this kind of pain on anyone. He shifts to his human form, cradling Melissa’s dead body in his arms, she has shifted too after been shot. He’s bent over her, crying his heart out, not caring that they are in the middle of a battlefield or that someone could see his tears, and no one would dare see him as less, because everyone understands that the loss of one’s mate is the worst curse that can be placed on a person, a curse that eats at you slowly, taking out one bite of you at a time, until nothing is left, because we are nothing without half of our souls, without love.

Derek is also frozen on the spot, eyes wide staring in the direction of his mother and father, his lips slightly parted in disbelief.

From the corner of my eye, I see Preston taking advantage of the situation and charging at Derek from the side, ready to rip him apart; I blast him, but miss him, I try to conjure the shield, my heart sinking, knowing that I won’t make it in time, when Derek suddenly turns right, jumps up and in one swift movement rips Preston’s head clean right off his neck with his teeth.

Preston’s wolf head rolls on the ground splattered in blood, while Derek jumps again in the freight, slashing, clawing and biting every enemy that comes in his way.

I move closer to where Derek is fighting, not wanting to put too much distance between us, to maintain the powers working full force, and to keep an eye on him. He’s gone into a killing frenzy, I know it is his way to cope emotionally, and I can’t blame him, he’s just lost his mother.

Still keeping an eye on Derek, I focus again on the second jet, which is flying around, firing at people and destroying buildings. This son of a …!

I do as before, I stop it midair with my wind power, and then, when I am going to blast it, raw pain shoots through my right shoulder, making my knees buckle.

I look at my shoulder and see that claws have pierced my shoulder through; when the attacker extracts his claws, the pain is even more agonizing. I turn around, in time to see the person attacking me, before she moves to strike me again. Alice!

But she is not the cheerful Alice I am used to knowing, her eyes are now red, and her face betrays no emotion, they have turned her into a puppet, like they did to Cindy.

I avoid her claws by rolling on the ground, making my shoulder throb in pain. How did she manage to get through my shield? I have a quick glimpse at it, and I can see that it is still bluish, meaning that Derek power is still working. I guess there’s only one explanation, they have Derek’s blood too, and, somehow, they knew that is Derek’s presence that is reinforcing the barrier. But if they knew, why haven’t they used it from the beginning to get to us?

Alice attacks me again, I use the wind power to push her back, trying not to hurt her, but she keeps pushing back, trying to get to me. A dart pierces my neck from behind, I immediately feel the poison spread in my body, and although I have drank the antidote prepared by Derek’s doctors before starting the mission, I feel this poison is different, it is affecting me, I can feel my powers diminishing, my ability to heal impaired, so that the deep wound on my shoulder can’t heal, still bleeding profusely.

A laugh makes me immediately turn around, the woman I am craving to kill is here, and she just shoot me down with poison. Anger like non other boils in my veins, and although I am feeling weak and in pain, I stand up, snatching the dart out of my neck.

“You!” I roar, but she just snickers at my outburst.

“Yes, me. Now, be a good wolf, and let your friend end your pathetic life, so that we can all go on with our lives,” she says patronizingly, in that sickly sweet voice of hers.

Alice takes it as an invitation and tries to claw at me again, but this time Derek appears beside me and charges towards Alice, making her land on the ground on her back. He then attacks the blond woman, who has her dart gun ready.

“No!” I shout, seeing the dart fly towards Derek, if he’s shot, he could die; but he skillfully avoids it, and sinks his teeth into the woman’s throat, ripping her throat out.

She lands on the floor lifeless, her eyes wide in horror, her mouth slightly open in a silent scream. I can only stare at her, I can’t believe that she is dead, the woman that hunted me in my nightmares, the woman that caused my father and mother’s death, the one who tortured thousands of people, who reduced Alice to a puppet, this evil woman is now dead.

I feel numb for a second, until Derek brushes his fur on my arm to attract my attention, or to give me some comfort, I am not sure.

“Kitten, jump on my back, I’ll take you somewhere safe,” Derek says with authority, still trying to keep an edge of softness.

“No, I need to help Alice, I need to make her snap out of it,” I say firmly, watching Damon tackle Alice to the ground, trying to stop her from attacking me. Apparently, they have instructed her to kill only me, and the people who get in the way of her assignment.

She struggles under Damon’s wolf, until she shifts too, and with the momentum of the shift, manages to get Damon off her. She immediately lunges at me, but Derek stops her, jumping in front of me, and slashing her on the snout.

“Don’t hurt her, please!” I yell, terrified that Derek would kill her, or seriously hurt her.

“Come with me, or I will!” Derek roars through the link, and this time I follow his command, I straddle his back, lowering myself down to hug his furry neck.

I dare another glance at Alice and see that she is still trying to charge at me, while Damon and now even Ryder, are trying to keep her contained without hurting her.

“Don’t kill her, please,” I plead with Damon through the link.

“I won’t.”

With his assurance, I let Derek take me away, finding comfort in the softness of his fur and in his soothing smell of white musk and vanilla.