Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 474: Spellbound Music Recommendation: Ice Of Phoenix by Audiomachine Henry tried to dodge the assault, but it was too late. The green wolf slammed into him with bone-crunching force, knocking him to the ground so hard the air rushed from his lungs.

He groaned, dazed, only to hear the low snort of fury and his eyes snapped up.

The wolf was gone now and in its place stood a massive, verdant bull, it's nostrils flaring and his hooves pawing at the dirt with murder in its eyes. The line had been drawn.

It was either him, or him.

And then Roman charged.

Henry barely rolled away in time, the hooves slamming down where his chest had been moments before. Dirt exploded from the impact and by the tthe bull turned, Henry had already scrambled to his feet and reached for his gun.

Roman cat him again and Henry fired.

The bull dodged the first shot and closed the distance. But Henry was faster this tas he dove aside, rolled, and aimed. His second shot landed on his target.

As soon as the dart hit the bull, it let out a guttural cry before collapsing, shifting mid-fall into Roman's naked form.

Henry laughed, boots crunching toward him. Roman yanked the dart from his side, but the paralysis was already taking hold. His limbs shook and he could barely sit up.

Henry's smirk deepened. "It's odd, my son being involved with that girl but you? No surprises there, Roman Draven. Like father, like son." Roman snarled, lips peeling back to reveal sharp teeth. His eyes blazed greener than ever, almost glowing. He might not be as feral as before but he was still very much aggressive.

Then those eyes slitted and he opened his mouth, revealing serpentine fangs, and sank them into his own arm. Venom pulsed through his bloodstream, rushing to counter the drug.

Henry's smile faltered the moment he realized what Roman had done.

Then Roman stood slowly and powerfully, a mocking smirk dancing on his lips.

A shadow fell over Henry's face. So that's how it would be. Fine.

The challenge was clear.

He tossed the gun aside, grabbed his shirt, and yanked it over his head. Then he dropped to a crouch, a guttural growl escaping him as his bones cracked and twisted, the skin tearing, and muscle reforming.

Moments later, a massive black wolf stood in his place. His thick fur bristled, razor-sharp teeth gleaming with thick saliva, and eyes burned with murder. The air around him reeked of dominance and thirst for blood. He then released a long, thunderous growl that echoed through the forest.

"R-Ro-man..." Violet rasped behind them, her body still paralyzed. Her heart was racing. Roman might be gifted, but Henry was older, stronger and far more experienced. He was not his match.

But Roman didn't flinch. Instead, he shifted faster than Henry had. And like breathing itself, his wolf emerged.

He was nearly the ssize as Henry's, sleek and majestic, his fur shining with youth, He took on a defiant stance and let out an equally thunderous growl.

He was not backing out of this fight. Yes, Roman stood before Henry undeterred and unafraid.

"Very well then..." Henry's wolf eyes seemed to say.

They lunged at each other, the wolves colliding midair.

For the first time, Griffin and his beast were in sync. They recognized each other's awareness and moved as one. But it was also heartbreaking because they both knew they were going to die.

Griffin could feel his strength draining, the silver poisoning him from within. Still, he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop. He had to protect Violet.

So far, he'd been holding off the soldiers, keeping them from reaching her and buying her enough tto escape to safety.

He wailed as another bullet tore through him.

As the toughest of the four cardinal alphas, they had singled him out. They knew once he was down, the rest would be easier to pick off.

But even Griffin had limits. Surrounded, and bleeding, he couldn't tell anymore if the blood coating him was his or his enemies'.

His vision blurred and darkened as he wrecked through another cluster of operatives until he caught one aiming straight at him. He couldn't avoid that. So Griffin braced for the end.

Then out of nowhere, lightning struck the man dead.

Alaric.

Griffin nearly wept in relief.

Almost immediately, chaos took over with mercenaries screaming as sbegan turning their weapons on each other.

Asher.

He recognized the signature move instantly.

At that moment, every ounce of strength left him. Griffin collapsed, the earth quaking beneath his weight. His form shrank back to his normal size just as Asher rushed to his side.

"Hey, Griffin," Asher called, breathless.

All Griffin could do was groan in agony.

"Care to update me?" Alaric yelled, glancing between enemies as he kept fighting.

"He's been shot!" Asher shouted back.

"Shit!" Alaric cursed, half at Griffin's state, and half because a bullet grazed past him as he missed a strike. "I'm pulling them out," Asher muttered, his jaw clenched tight. He reached behind Griffin's shoulder, his hand plunging into the wound.

The sound of squelching flesh filled the air. Griffin grunted in raw pain as Asher searched blindly, his fingers digging into the torn muscle. This was pure agony.

And the worst part? It was just one of three bullets lodged inside him.

Asher's hand cout slick with blood, the first silver bullet glinting between his fingers. He tossed it aside as it burned him. Normally, no bullet should be able to pierce Griffin's beast form. His body was thick-skinned, dense, and nearly impenetrable.

But silver was every werewolf's bane. Super strength or not, it ripped through them like paper.

Asher's gaze dropped to Griffin's lower abdomen, where a second bullet had punctured deep. He grit his teeth and pressed his fingers to the wound. "This is going to hurt," he murmured.

Griffin's answer was a deafening scream as Asher dug in.

"Almost there, almost there—stay with me—" Asher yanked the second bullet out, his own breath coming in hard gulps. Blood soaked the ground beneath them.

He found the last entry wound high on Griffin's shoulder. With a final push, he gripped the embedded silver, twisted, and ripped it out.

"Gotcha," he breathed.

But when he looked up, Griffin was still. His body was not moving.

God, no.

"Griffin?" Asher gulped. "Griffin!" He grabbed his face, his chest, but there was no rise. Shit. This was not happening.

"Griffin, answer me! Hey! Griffin!" Panic punched through Asher's chest. "We're losing Griffin!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "We need to get him help now!" "I'm barely holding them back!" Alaric shouted from somewhere behind, his voice tight with fury, echoing between the gunshots now raining around them. More men were flooding in from the forest line.

Patrick must really want them dead if he had pulled in this much resources.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Asher cursed, his hands pressing down hard on Griffin's bleeding shoulder. "Don't do this to me. Don't you dare. You hear me?" His eyes were burning with tears. "Don't maketell Violet you died in my arms. I can't —" A rustling sound snapped him alert and his head jerked up, already preparing to compel whatever target emerged from the trees.

But it wasn't the operatives but Adele.

And Micah? There was no tto ask how or why the school counselor was here.

"He's dying!" Asher choked. "Please—he's not breathing!" Adele dropped to her knees without a word, just like in Mary's vision, hands glowing as she pressed them to Griffin's chest.

But nothing happened.

Con. Con.

Asher's heart hammered wildly. "Please..." Then slowly the blood stopped flowing. The wound began to mend and the bruises faded. With a loud, startled gasp, Griffin jerked upward.

Asher's eyes welled as he let out a relieved, almost hysterical breath. "Oh, thank the fucking moon." Adele gave a shaky smile. "Next time, try not to die on us." Griffin groaned. "I wasn't trying to be tic..." Asher let out a laugh. He had been close to losing his mind.

"I cannot hold them back!" Alaric bellowed, drawing their attention as exhaustion began to creep in.

Asher started to rise, blood still on his hands from Griffin's wounds. "I've got it-" "No," Micah's voice cut in, "I got this." They turned, stunned, as the ever-composed Counselor stepped directly into the firing line.

Suddenly, the air shimmered.

It was subtle at first like static brushing against skin, but the sensation quickly intensified until it felt like a thousand invisible threads pulling tight around them. It wasn't just power. This was allure.

Seduction. Magic so potent it curled beneath the skin and whispered in the mind. Asher's throat dried, suddenly aching to move closer to Micah. Heat rushed through him and there was the overwhelming urge to touch Micah. To worship him. To obey.

But suddenly, he snarled and snapped out of it. "What the hell?" Was that how that guy's seduction powers worked. It was the first the felt that and it annoyed him that Griffin and Adele didn't feel the same.

But the armed men weren't so lucky.

One by one, they emerged from their hiding spots between the trees. Their guns were long forgotten and their coordination gone. They staggered toward Micah like moths to flame, the masks hiding their faces, but not the lust in their eyes. They were spellbound.

There were at least ten of them now, staggering into view with slack jaws and trembling fingers as if they'd crawl to Micah if they had to.

Micah offered a charming, careless smile.

"Oops," he said. "Sorry." Alaric's expression twisted in disgusted fury, and with a roar, released his lightning.

It didn't crash in a single burst. No, arcs of crackling blue leapt through the air like serpents with minds of their own. They split, twirled, and struck, each of it finding its mark with pinpoint precision. Ten bodies hit the ground almost at once, twitching and scorched. Alaric scowled at him, panting. "Don't pull that trick onnext time." But Micah calmly blew invisible dust off his shoulder. "You're welcome."