Chapter 410

Morrineth’s gaze flicked to Selene and then back to Inez. “Do you want to tell me that you have been speaking the truth till now? Puh-lease, there is no way that you are speaking the truth. I am quite certain that this is nothing but a rather grand attempt of yours at theatrics.” She rolled her eyes and then said coolly, “You just want to make yourself look indispensable. Useful. Someone worthy of being the luna of this pack.”

Her words cut deeper than any insult could have ever.

Inez clenched her fists. She narrowed her eyes and asked softly, “So this is why you are going against me so desperately? You think that I am trying to prove that I deserve to be the luna of this pack? You are afraid that I am snatching away the position that belongs to your daughter.”

Morrineth’s eyes hardened, but she didn’t respond.

Her silence was enough to answer Inez’s question.

Gritting her teeth, Inez controlled herself as well as Nerina. Her siren was furious at the mere audacity of these shifters who had dared to question her considerate help that she was giving them, oh so generously. And so was Inez. She could have let her siren speak to these people. If she had allowed even a fraction of her siren instincts to slip into her voice, then these people would have had no other choice but to listen to her.

But she had given them the respect that they had never shown. She had stopped herself from crossing that line and snatching their will and souls. She was not willing to stoop to that level. Not when she knew that if she let the truth of her identity slip, there was a very good chance that her siren blood could turn her into prey that was destined to be hunted.

“I don’t care about being the luna.” Inez sucked in a breath and exhaled heavily. She couldn’t believe that she was clearing the air at this point and moment. “What I care about is survival, and you three are totally ruining it for me. I just thought that I should tell you that.” Inhaling deeply, she went on, “But you know what? I am done. If you want to die, then be my guest. Just don’t drag us down.”

Inez knew that she was being rude, but she had run out of patience, and she couldn’t summon any kindness at that very moment.

She then turned to look at Selene and asked her, “Are you coming with me or not?”

Before Selene could say anything, Fenric stepped forward, blocking the path to the RV. “You are not taking Selene anywhere.”

Selene’s head snapped up, and she looked at the man. Her beast surged to her surface, and her eyes turned red momentarily. She was furious at Fenric and more than that at his audacity. “Excuse me? Who gave you the right to make the decision for me?”

“No one but I am sure that Killian would agree with me.” Fernic crossed his arms and stated, “Killian entrusted your safety to the pack’s enforcer, which means me. And I am not going to let this woman drag you into another one of hers—”

He was still speaking when the ground convulsed again.

But this time it was not a tremor.

It was a harsh, forceful tug. A lurch.

One that made everyone stagger as the earth buckled underneath their feet. Morrineth reached out and caught the tree next to her. Ally stumbled backwards with a sharp cry. The men lost their footing for a while before regaining their stance. They raised their hands as they instinctively took a defensive stance. Their eyes flashed as their beasts surged to their surface.

Then all of a sudden the forest turned silent as if what they just felt just now was nothing more than their imagination.

But as they paid careful attention to their surroundings, they realised that the silence was way too eerie. There was no sound of wind, insects or anything.

It was as if even the trees were holding their breath.

All of a sudden, Inez’s blood ran cold just as Nerina let out a whimper. She instinctively took a step back and whispered in a dreadful voice, “It’s here. Oh, it’s here—damn it, Fenric. If we make it out of this alive, I am going to kill you.”

Her shield screamed.

Not audibly, but in a way, glass screamed when it was about to crack under intense pressure. The suspended droplets churned and whimpered under the impact, trying their best to withstand whatever was trying to break them, but they couldn’t. They were just as weak as the one who had cast them. They exploded outwardly, dissolving into fine mist just as something slammed against the barrier from outside.

The thing, however, didn’t give up. It continued to slam against the surface of the barrier.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Soon, a shape started to form beyond the mist.

The more they looked at the thing, the more they realised that it was wrong in every conceivable way—it was too tall, too wide, and its edges were constantly shifting as if it couldn’t decide what kind of form it wanted to take. Limbs continued to emerge and dissolve. Faces continued to press against the mist. Sometimes it was a goat, and then it was a rat, and then it was a mix of both. Half-formed mouths kept opening in silent agony before melting back into the mass.

Ally gagged. “What—what the hell is that?”

“What do you think?” Inez snapped hoarsely. “It is amorphous. Or it was supposed to be one, but it’s unfinished. It was never supposed to even exist.”

The amorphous surged forward, its body rippling like thick oil had been poured over every bone. Wherever it touched, the earth blackened and sank. The roots started to shrivel as if they had been drained of life itself.

“Dark Witches,” breathed Selene. “They really—they are really trying to reawaken the amorphous.”

Morrineth stared at the thing; every bit of blood drained from her face. “This is not … this is not possible. How can this be?”

As soon as she finished, with a bang the shield shattered.