Chapter 34

Raven When I woke up this morning, I didn't think things would go to hell the way they were right now. I'm a witch—a special witch, as my mom used to tell me. I got that odd feeling first thing when I opened my eyes. That heavy weight on my chest, that premonition of something bad happening. I ignored it, thinking that maybe my instincts were wrong. After all, we were safe; what could possibly go wrong? Famous last words! I should have trusted my gut. I should have listened to what my inner self was trying to communicate. Now here we were, standing face-to-face with Alpha Alec. I'll never forget the day at his office—the day when I walked out of the bathroom only to find him holding Sadie by the neck while the other had disappeared inside her chest. I've tried banishing that image from my mind, but I couldn't. I couldn't unsee his cruel eyes or the evil smirk that had been plastered on his lips. I couldn't erase the image of Sadie giving up, as if she had accepted that she and Aspen would die at the hands of Alec. The famous Alpha Alec was truly a monster, and watching him right now as his eyes changed color takes me back to that moment in time. He moves too fast for any of us to comprehend. His hand is on her neck, just like it was that day at the office. He says something to Sadie, but I don't know what it is. Just like me, King is frozen. Everyone is frozen. "No!" I scream when I realize what he's about to do. His hand moves, and I just know that he's about to tear her throat out. My brain isn't working; it isn't functioning as I try to think of a spell that would stop him. Sadie was more than a friend. She had become my sister. My family and I would do anything for her, including going against the most feared Alpha. Besides, Aspen needed her; what would I tell her if her mother died at the hands of her father? I had just found the perfect spell to immobilize Alec when a chill ran down my back as the air around us suddenly changed. Sadie's scream was the only warning we got right before something exploded, and a force like no other knocked all of us back. My ears were ringing when I felt someone helping me up. I knew immediately that it was King. There was just no way any of Alec's pack members would help me. My eyes cleared, and what I saw made me freeze on the spot. I looked around, wondering if anyone else was seeing this. Maybe I had somehow hit my head hard, and I was seeing things that weren't there. Alec was getting up. His impact had been the hardest, given that he had been at close range to Sadie. I didn't feel sorry for him. The bastard deserved it. There was something unreadable in his eyes, but that wasn't my concern; my concern was my sister. "What the hell is happening?" King asked me, just as another of Sadie's screams pierced the area. She floated and curled into herself as her clothes fell from her body. She then switched positions, and her back arched almost painfully. I was afraid that she was going to break her spine. Her screams of pain were piercing my heart. "Sadie?" I called her desperately as I approached her. Before I could get to her, I was forcefully pushed back by an invisible force field. It didn't matter, because Sadie didn't even seem to hear me. It was like she was in a world of her own—a world of pain and agony. King was there to catch me before I could fall. "Is she shifting?" I asked King as tears filled my eyes, but deep down, I knew this wasn't shifting. I just didn't want to imagine anything else. Her screams were heartbreaking, and I felt so useless. I tried again to get to her, but I couldn't because, just like before, I was pushed back. King also tried, but the same thing happened. "Is she shifting?" I screamed. "I don't know," King finally answered. "This isn't how it usually happens. This is different. Something isn't right." I could feel the charged air. There was something strange. A powerful energy was coating the air. I could feel it all the way down to my bones. "Sadie, you fucking bitch," Alec growled loudly. "Do you think I'll spare you? Watch as I first tear up your two friends before I finish off your fucking..." Alec didn't get to finish the sentence because suddenly, the clouds turned black and the wind picked up. Right before my eyes, Sadie shot up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. "What the hell just happened?" someone whispered next to me. It wasn't King because I would recognize his voice anywhere. No one said anything. We were all speechless, staring at the sky as it continued to darken. Just moments ago, it was bright and sunny, and now it was dark and gloomy. By now, pack members had joined us after they'd heard Sadie's screams. Something was happening; I just didn't know what. "Someone better start talking!" Alec commanded, his voice as hard as granite. No one said anything, because how could we? No one understood what the hell was happening. Thunder boomed as lightning struck. There were flashes of light, and the air temperature dropped. The wind picked up, and it was so strong that I felt like it was trying to sweep all of us away. My eyes flashed in surprise when, all of a sudden, Alec was standing before me. "I remember you. Since that bitch isn't here, I'll just start with you." Alec's voice was menacing and dangerous. Before I could do a thing, his hand was on my throat, and he was lifting me up. I screamed in surprise and pain as his nails dug into my skin. I was just about to mutter a spell when a streak of light shot down, and something landed on the ground with a deafening roar. Alec let go, and I fell down in a heap, staring at where the light had shot down. When the wind and soil had cleared, a woman stood there. I heard shocked gasps all around as we felt the intensity of her powers and her majestic aura. All I felt was the need to bow to her. Her hair was long, she wore a white maxi halter dress, and she was adorned with gold accessories. She kind of reminded me of a Greek goddess. What shocked me, though, were the silverish runes running from her wrists all the way to her shoulders. They seemed to be alive, moving like snakes slithering across her skin. Her eyes were the most shocking. Her entire iris was white. Her eyes were pure white. It took me a moment to register that this wasn't just any woman; this was Sadie.