Aura followed the scent of blood and rotting flesh back to the meadow. Her body ached. Her gut was bleeding worse since Tabusco kicked her there. Aura’s body wanted to crash to the ground and sleep. She could feel darkness calling her again to sleep, but she still had work to do. Aura had to free those shifters and end Shadow. Adrenaline pumped through her body to keep her moving as the meadow came into view. 'It was such a beautiful meadow. A precious place that Dax had shared with me.' Aura thought to herself. 'Now, it's soaked in innocent blood. These shifters, royal guards, and knights didn't need to die today. God, please care for these victims and heal their wounds.' She prayed walking toward the meadow when she caught the scent of charred hair and pine needles.

  A growl erupted from her chest. Her prey was near, and she would be sure to make the kill. 'I can't rest until Shadow is good and dead.' She promised herself. Aura stalked toward Shadow’s scent, keeping quiet and low to the ground. Aura crouched and wiggled under bushes without stirring a bird in the bush. Pain caused her muscles to tense and restricted her movements once Shadow came into view. She watched Shadow release a plum of dark magic onto the meadow ahead.

  "Get up, shifters. Your job is not done until the elf queen is dead." Shadow commanded as the magic left his hands.

  Aura held in a growl. She didn’t want to give away her position as she closed the distance between Shadow and herself.

  "My pet, what a naughty little girl you are," he commented, turning around to face her. "You can hide your sounds, but not the scent of your blood."

  'Shit,' she thought. Her blood was still dripping onto the ground.

  "Surely, my pet, you can see this is a fruitless battle for you. There is no way you can win." Shadow smirked.

  Aura inhaled deeply, blocking out her pain as much as she could. Shadow shook his head at her determination. Aura didn’t wait to attack and she sprang forward to dive through his legs. She turned on her heel and bit into the back of his thigh. Blood dripped off her muzzle as she tore Shadow’s clothes and skin apart.

  "Urr… Feisty today, huh pet?" He groaned. "You need to stop now, pet." He commanded as his pink eyes glowed brightly.

  Aura felt his command pushing its way into her mind. She responded by ripping a chunk of skin clean off his thigh, causing him to break his concentration. Aura spat the mangled flesh to the ground. Even his blood tasted bitter to her. Nothing was redeeming about Shadow to Aura. He has tormented so many people and ruined countless lives today. She refused to submit to him.

  "Pet, you are making me angry, and you won't like it when I am angry." Shadow threatened. The air turned frigid around them. Shadow summoned his ice magic, causing a blue glow to form around his hands. "Time to put you on ice, pet."

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Aura began running and dodging his attacks, leaving ice spots in her wake. She was frustrated with Shadow. He was like an overpowered villain from the fairy tales her parents used to scare her with. She was convinced that he was definitely something born in Exilium from other powerful beings. Perhaps, he was a child of the King of Demons himself who ruled Exilium. These were the only explanations she could come up with for how Shadow had come to be. He was a hybrid of more than two races based on his appearance alone. How had this crazy man come to be?

  "You are becoming a pest, my pet," Shadow spat at her. He shot another burst of ice magic catching the end of Aura’s tail.

  Aura slowed as her silver tail became heavy like a giant ice cube weighing down her tail. Shadow hit the ground making the forest floor freeze over. Aura slipped and slid across the ice, scratching the ice with her claws until she crashed into a tree. Her head hit the large trunk as Shadow walked over to her, crossing the ice with ease. Shit. ‘Why did it have to be ice?’ Aura thought to herself. She had double vision as she tried to steady herself to stand. Shadow had his back to her looking out over the field. She could see another plum of dark magic roll out of Shadow over the bloody meadow. A whimper escaped her mouth as she finally stood on all four paws, catching Shadow’s attention. The pain ebbed and flowed through her body from the weight of the ice on her tail, her bleeding stomach, and her pounding head.

  Shadow was closing in on her with a smirk plastered on his face. “My poor pet, you never stood a chance,” he chuckled to himself. “Now, submit.” His eyes were like a fierce pink fire as he glared down at the silver wolf. “You are mine, pet.”

  Aura growled, feeling Shadow trying to force himself into her mind again. Would this guy ever learn? He kicked her in her side. “Obey me, pet.” Shadow looked down at her silver wolf. She was whimpering in pain as he kicked her again, trying to force her to submit. Nothing happened. He grabbed the wolf by the scruff of her neck, so her face was directly in front of him. Her golden eyes were pained but defiant. His eyes glowed brightly, “Submit, pet.” The little wolf’s eyes didn’t falter. She was determined not to give in to his power again. “Stupid pet, you will be under my control again. Just wait.”

  Aura felt magic bubbling up in her body as cold chills ran down her spine. She was determined to fight back and barked at Shadow to make her point. Her bark pulsed with magic, sending Shadow flying backward. ‘What the hell was that?’ Aura screamed in her mind. She tried to process what she had just done, but Shadow was already up again. The magic continued to bubble in her as let out a bigger bark, forcing Shadow back into the tree trunk. Blood dribbled down his face as he looked at her mystified. Aura pushed herself to move as quickly as she could, barking along the way to trap her prey.

  Shadow shot ice and waves of wind to disrupt the silver wolf’s bark. How did she infuse magic into her bark? Could all shifters do that or was she truly a werewolf, like the legend said? He had more questions than answers, and he was fuming from this battle. His pet got the drop on him more than once. If only he didn’t have to focus on the battle in the meadow, then he could have dealt with his pet properly. She smashed her tail on a large rock, breaking her tail free from the ice. He battered her with ice and wind magic. The silver wolf didn’t slow as she crept toward him. Shadow cursed under his breath, trying to stand.

  Aura leaped through the air to bite down onto Shadow’s right arm. Shadow yelled as Aura dragged him down to the ground. Shadow tried to command her, but he failed. He hit the silver wolf’s head and tried to pry her off his arm. Aura bit down harder as the man struggled to pull her off. When he finally got her off, she held a chunk of his flesh in her mouth. Blood poured out of his arm, and Shadow began to panic. Aura didn’t wait as dropped the flesh and bit down on his left shoulder. Shadow fought back with every ounce of strength and magic he could muster. Aura felt her bloody stomach ice over as magic tried to push her off Shadow. Anger pulsated through her body as she endured the bursts of magic, and she snapped down onto Shadow’s neck, crushing it in her mouth. A whimper escaped Shadow’s mouth when Aura released her hold on him. He fell back against the trunk of the tree. The light left his pink glowing eyes.

  Relief washed over Aura, and she backed away from her fresh kill to look over at the meadow. The dark magic faded from the meadow, and the shifters fell to the ground unconscious. She had finished the vile man just as she promised Karis she would do. She howled in victory until her body collapsed upon the ground. Adrenaline faded from her body as her breath became shallow. She heard the bushes rustling nearby, but darkness clouded her vision. Aura made her kill. It was over. Shadow couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.