Collide Book 2

Lorena

The wolves are sniffing the air, their human counterparts clutching their guns tight. In a blink, they all morph into their wolf forms.

They howl in unison before darting off. Alan tenses beside me. My heart is pounding in my chest, partly from the deafening howls, partly from worry.

I may not be fond of the wolves, but I don’t wish them harm.

“What’s going on? Where are they going?” Alan’s hands grip my shoulders, steering me towards the car. I plant my feet firmly on the ground, using my wind magic to anchor me in place. He looks at me, annoyance and something else I can’t quite identify in his eyes.

“We came here together, Alan! Where are Austin and Jared?!” Panic is taking over. I hear shouting in the distance, but the words are indistinct.

I make a snap decision. Well, maybe it’s more of an impulsive reaction. One moment I’m standing in front of Alan, the next I’m sprinting towards the commotion.

That’s when I see it. Thick plumes of smoke spiraling into the sky. I hear Alan’s footsteps behind me, but I use my wind magic to propel me forward. The wind pushes at my back, my feet barely touching the ground.

I race towards the other side of the cemetery. Sweat trickles down my forehead as I skid to a halt in front of a large crowd. The wolves have shifted back into their human forms. They’re all naked, but that’s not what catches my attention.

Before me, what appears to have been an old church is ablaze. The flames are reaching skyward. I can feel the magic in the air, prickling my skin, raising goosebumps.

This isn’t just magic. It feels cold, devoid of life. It sends a chill down my spine. I quickly shake off my fear. I see the wolves hauling buckets of water towards the church, but it’s futile. The flames are too high.

I raise my hands, calling to the flames. But my magic only seems to fuel them. The flames grow higher, the air thick with smoke. Alan grabs my arm, spinning me around. He’s saying something, but I’m not listening.

“Matt’s still in there!”

“Did Austin get out?”

I can’t identify the voices. The roar of the fire and the constant splashing of water make it hard to catch every word.

Alan starts shaking his head, his grip on my arms tightening. It stings, but it’s a good kind of sting. The kind that snaps you out of a nightmare. Roots slowly emerge from the grass, coiling around Alan’s legs. He clings to me tighter, but I break free. The world goes quiet, everything else fades. In that moment, it’s just him.

His face is a mix of worry and anger as he yells at me. I see him struggling to free his legs. I give him a reassuring smile, hoping it conveys that everything will be okay. I walk away from him.

One step at a time, I move closer to the fire. The heat sears through my clothes. I use my wind to shield me from the flames. There’s a window that’s relatively free of fire.

Without a second thought, I sprint and leap through it. Inside, the heat is nearly unbearable. I glance up at the ceiling, noticing it’s barely holding up. I need to be quick.

I clear a path with my fire. I hold my breath as long as I can. Closing my eyes, I try to sense Austin. My magic reaches out for him. He’s not here. Upstairs, he must be upstairs.

I tread carefully, moving forward. The fire bends around the wind that’s protecting me. The darkness of the magic controlling these flames sends shivers up my spine.

Behind me, a chunk of the ceiling crashes down. My heart is pounding in my ears, in my throat. My lungs are screaming for air. My magic is flickering. Dark spots dance in my vision.

Everything seems to slow down. The fire is inching towards me, blocking the entrance I need to pass through.

My heart is racing, desperate for oxygen to pump through my blood. I can feel it all. I glance down and see a small trail of fire has breached my magic. It’s reaching for me.

But I’m too weak. I’m too weak to push it away. The moment it touches my leather pants, I scream. Every nerve is on fire, the smell of burning skin mixing with the smoke.

I try to escape it, but it won’t let go.

Not her.

The voices seem to be my brain’s attempt to shield itself from the pain. My tears evaporate the moment they touch my cheeks. The fire is so hot, I’m struggling to breathe.

And then it all stops. The fire vanishes before my eyes. The air is clear, my lungs greedily gulping it down. The silence is deafening.

My eyes are blinded by the sudden darkness that engulfs the house. The dark spots in my vision fade and even the pain in my leg is gone.

I blink a few times, just to make sure I’m still in the house and not actually dead. That’s when I hear the screams above me.

“Help!” I recognize Matt’s voice. Shaking off my fear, I run towards the sound. The floor creaks under me. Ashes puff up with each step I take. I leap over half-burned pieces of wood and stones that have fallen from the walls.

“Where are you?!” I can hear more people entering from outside. The house makes a dangerous, loud cracking noise. I slow my pace, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

That’s when I smell it. The stench of burning flesh. I follow the scent into a small room. Wet blankets are piled in a corner. Next to them lies Matt. He’s barely recognizable.

He’s naked, his body covered in blisters. It’s a horrifying sight. I nearly gag but manage to keep it together. I sit on the floor next to him, ashes sticking to my clothes, but I ignore it.

My hands tremble as I lay them on Matt, channeling my healing powers into him. His skin begins to mend itself, the blisters fading away. Suddenly, a dangerous snapping sound makes me jerk my head up.

A foot is sticking out from under the blankets. I release Matt, confident that he’s healed enough. Wolves recover quickly, his body will take care of the rest. I struggle to remove the blankets from the body underneath.

When I can’t free the last of the blankets, I realize they’re fused to the skin of the person beneath. I grab the exposed foot and an arm, pouring my energy into healing them. Sweat trickles down my face, exhaustion creeping in.

The sound of commotion grows louder. Alan’s voice rings out, barking orders. He’s calling my name. I shut my eyes, focusing on healing the person under the blankets. He’s barely hanging on.

My powers are slowing, exhaustion taking over. I push it aside as best I can, drawing strength from the trees around the building. They’re weary too, covered in gray ashes, their life-giving water evaporated into steam. Suddenly, the foot I’m holding twitches.

I open my eyes as the man underneath pushes away a blanket that was covering his head. Deep brown eyes meet mine. His hair is burned off, but I recognize him instantly; it’s Austin. There’s no time for words.

One moment I’m on the ground, the next I’m being hoisted up so quickly it makes my head spin. Hands are all over me, checking for injuries.

“Thank the Goddess, you’re okay.” Strong arms envelop me in a hug and I catch a familiar scent. Christmas cookies. I pull back to find myself staring into Alan’s face. Around us, wolves are helping Matt, who’s slowly regaining consciousness.

My limbs feel like lead, so I let Alan support me. He seems to understand my exhaustion, because the next thing I know, he’s carrying me bridal style. For once, I don’t protest. My head feels too heavy to argue.

When we reach the car, both Matt and Austin are awake. They’re covered in ashes, black smears all over their bodies. Austin’s gaze is fixed on me. I try to smile at him, but it’s a feeble attempt.

Alan carries me to the car and settles down with me on his lap in the back seat. Austin takes the seat next to us, while Matt slides behind the wheel. His movements are swift and smooth.

He’s clearly healed up. Austin, however, is clutching his leg, his face twisted in pain. I reach out to heal him, but Alan catches my arm.

I look up at him, finding him frowning down at me. He shakes his head slowly, and this time, I let him win. I withdraw my hand.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Matt’s angry voice fills the car as we start driving. Austin shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his hands clenched into fists on his lap.

“We had to get him.” His voice is soft but firm. Matt slams his hand on the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve slightly before he regains control.

“Your orders were to grab the girl and protect the witch! You ran in without permission, without backup, without a plan. You were reckless and it nearly got you killed!” Matt’s voice is loud, but I can hear the fear underneath.

They’re brothers, after all. And while I understand Matt’s point, I ran into the fire myself. The need to catch that monster is a powerful force. But Matt is right, we nearly got ourselves killed.

“I was okay, I would have gotten out. I would have healed.” I look at Austin, my eyes narrowed. I’m not sure if it’s from emotion or exhaustion.

“No. You were almost.. dead. Your heart was beating so slow. We.. we would've lost you.” My voice is barely a whisper, but the car falls silent. Austin looks at me, concern etched on his face. And something else I can’t quite identify.

“I owe you my life. You saved me.. Me, a wolf. You could've let us die. But you didn't. Thank you, Lorena. Thank you so much.” He reaches across the backseat and takes my hand. I give it a gentle squeeze.

A low growl rumbles beneath me, and I realize Alan is growling again. My laugh is weak and shaky, but soon Matt and Austin join in.

“Big bad wolf.” A smile he tries to suppress still surfaces. He winks at me, and just like that, I feel a little better. My body is slowly healing itself. I sit up a bit straighter and gaze out the window for the rest of the ride. The voices in my head won’t stop.

Not her, not yet.

The more they replay in my mind, the more I realize the voices weren’t mine. They were coming from the fire, from the magic within it. But that’s impossible.

I didn’t sense another witch on site, except for Maggie. And a wolf using magic? That’s unheard of.

Yet, there’s this nagging feeling in my gut that we’re dealing with more than we think.

When we arrive back at the packhouse, everyone is waiting outside. I manage to get out of the car on my own, but Alan insists on keeping his arm around me. Victoria rushes towards me.

She pulls me into a hug, her face etched with worry. I wince; my body is still tender. I try to hide it, but she’s already noticed.

Her hands move over my body, her magic flowing into me. The pain in my joints fades away. I smile at her gratefully.

“Meeting room, now.” The Alpha’s power radiates off him. The men around us all bare their necks, a sign of submission to their Alpha. I notice now that the other wolves from the mission have arrived too.

Most of them look okay. Their faces are grim, but they’re all walking on their own. Victoria keeps an arm around me while Alan walks on my left. From the corner of my eye, I see him watching me.

As if he’s afraid I’ll vanish any second. Big protective wolf.

“Where is Maggy?” Victoria smiles at me, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.

“She’s okay. You saved her. She’s the first one we’ve managed to save.” Suddenly, a searing pain rips through my stomach. It’s so intense that I drop to my knees, pulling Victoria down with me.

High-pitched screams echo in my ears, bouncing around my skull like shards of glass. My entire body feels like it’s on fire. Black spots start to cloud my vision. I can hear distant voices, but they all blend together into one agonizing noise.

I cover my ears as the fire pulses through me. I can feel my magic reaching out. My hair comes loose from my braid, whipping me in the face. I can smell the fire, and the wind keeps slamming into me.

But nothing compares to the pain that’s now stabbing me in the heart. And then, just as quickly as it came, it’s gone. I take a deep breath, not realizing I’d stopped breathing. I feel hands on me, magic flowing through me. When I open my eyes, I see Victoria’s face streaked with tears and a burn mark on her cheek. She’s trying to heal me, but I don’t feel any pain. I cup her face in my hands, her burn slowly fading.

“I’m okay, I’m fine. I’m okay, it’s okay. I’m right here.” She blinks rapidly, her tears falling faster. I’m lifted by two strong arms again. Despite the serious and concerned looks on everyone’s faces, I can’t help but giggle. I look up at Alan and roll my eyes.

“Big bad wolf. I’m okay. See? I’m alright.” But then I feel it. Or rather, I don’t feel anything. There’s a void inside of me. I leap out of Alan’s arms. Once again, I start running away from them. I run away from everyone.

My feet barely touch the ground as I sprint through the packhouse to the back. Before I reach the medical wing, I already know. I open the first door I see. Behind it, healers are screaming, their magic filling the air.

It’s the witches who joined the pack after the war. But the flatline of a heart monitor drowns out the noise in the room. It’s all I hear, the long, piercing sound drilling into my ears. I push forward, hearing footsteps behind me.

I lay my hands on Maggie, pouring all my magic into her. Her skin is as white as a ghost and she’s cold. Too cold for someone who just died. Too cold for someone whose heart could start beating again.

My magic reaches out and it meets… nothing. There’s no sign of life in her body. There’s no soul. She’s dead. Maggie is dead.

All the stress and fear come rushing back. Deep inside me, there’s a pain. I saved her, I had to. I start crying, not caring about anyone in the room.

I throw myself onto Maggie and cling to her. She was innocent, she didn’t deserve to die. She shouldn’t have died. A rage deep inside me awakens. The same rage I felt when my parents were slaughtered, when all those witches fell at the hands of wolves. I can feel the fire stirring in me.

I slowly turn and look at the faces in the room. Alan, Austin, Jackson, even Matt. The witches look away because they know. They’ve felt it.

They’ve seen their loved ones fall. Jackson stands a little taller. He takes a step forward. I raise my hand, leaving it hanging in the air in front of me.

Fire surrounds it, so bright that the fire alarm goes off.

“Lorena… it’s not their fault.” My sister’s voice is soft and soothing, just like when we were kids and I was upset. But this time, it doesn’t calm me.

“No? Isn’t he your brother?” I look at Alan before shifting my gaze back to Jackson.

“Wasn’t he your little slave? What did your Alpha powers do for him, huh? What did they do for Maggie or the countless other girls he’s taken? Or are they just collateral damage in a power struggle? Don’t they matter?!”

I can smell my clothes burning as the fire from my hand slowly spreads up my arm and chest. Austin steps forward. I watch him warily. But he doesn’t stop walking.

Before I can attack him, his arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hug. I can smell the flesh burning, but he doesn’t let go.

“It's okay.. I know it hurts. It's okay.” His voice is strained, but also soothing. “It's okay, just let it go.” The fire slowly dies down. I try to hold onto it, but it doesn’t listen.

I dissolve into tears again. Austin lifts me and I wrap my legs around him. Like a child, he carries me out of the room, away from everyone.

“I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..” I whisper over and over again between sobs. But all he ever says is that it’s okay. It will all be okay.