Page 27 of BeWolfed

Outside, chaos had erupted across the quarry. Lola's wolves had penetrated deeper than planned, engaging directly with pack enforcers in a series of running battles. Near the ritual circle, Oscar appeared to be arguing with the alpha, gesturing emphatically at the crystals, which now pulsed with unstable energy.

"Something's wrong," Rose murmured, pausing to study the scene. "The ritual—it's accelerating despite the sabotage."

As if confirming her words, the air around the ritual circle began to distort, reality itself seeming to bend and warp. The alpha raised his arms, his hood falling back to reveal a face no longer fully human—features elongated and shifted, eyes glowing with sickly red light that had nothing to do with normal wolf characteristics.

"It's coming through," Rose whispered, horror in her voice. "The entity—it's using him as a conduit even without the full ritual. We need to disrupt the circle completely."

I felt the truth of her assessment through my magical senses. Whatever lay beyond our reality was pushing through the weakened boundary, using the alpha's corrupted form as an anchor point.

"The extraction—" Rudy began, his protective instincts flaring through our bond.

"Will fail if that thing fully manifests," Rose cut him off. "Get the others out. Elowen and I will disrupt the circle."

Though everything in him rebelled against the idea of leaving me, Rudy recognized the necessity. Through our bond, I felt his struggle and his ultimate decision to trust my strength and Rose's experience.

"I'll create a distraction to cover you," he said, already shifting his approach. "Get to the circle, break it, then retreat immediately to the western exit. I'll meet you there."

The plan adjusted on the fly, we separated—Rudy leading the other witches toward safety while Rose and I moved toward the increasingly unstable ritual circle. Through our bond, I maintained awareness of Rudy's position and status, the connection providing reassurance even at a distance.

"The crystals are the key," Rose explained as we darted from cover to cover. "They're channeling the entity's essence. Break the pattern, and the connection destabilizes."

"Oscar was supposed to be sabotaging them," I said, watching as the professor continued his apparent argument with the transformed alpha.

"And he has been," Rose confirmed. "But something's accelerated the process. The entity must be stronger than we anticipated."

We reached the edge of the ritual area, hiding behind abandoned mining equipment as corrupted pack members gathered around the circle. The nine cages stood empty—whatever role the wolves were meant to play in the ceremony had either been abandoned or changed in response to the accelerated timeline.

Oscar finally backed away from the alpha, his expression revealing genuine concern beneath the academic facade. For a brief moment, his gaze found ours, recognition flashing across his features before he deliberately looked away, refusing to betray our position.

"We need to break the crystal directly across from us," Rose whispered, pointing to the furthest pillar. "It's the anchoring point. Disrupt it, and the others will destabilize."

"How do we get there?" The space between us and the target crystal was exposed, crawling with corrupted pack members and increasingly distorted by whatever was attempting to manifest.

Rose smiled grimly. "Directly. With everything we have." She took my hand, her familiar magic connecting with mine. "Let me guide your power. Together, we can channel enough force to break the crystal from here."

I understood immediately.

We joined hands, Rose's familiar magical signature merging with mine as we had practiced countless times in training. But this time, instead of the usual resistance and unpredictability, my magic flowed smoothly, responding to her direction with perfect harmony.

Together, we gathered power, drawing from the ley lines that ran beneath the quarry, channeling energy through our combined witchcraft. The spell built between us, focused and controlled, aimed directly at the anchoring crystal across the circle.

Just as we prepared to release the gathered magic, a howl of rage split the air. The alpha had sensed our presence, his distorted face turning toward our position with supernatural awareness. Through whatever connection he shared with the entity attempting to manifest, he had detected our magical gathering.

"Now!" Rose commanded, and we released the spell together.

Power erupted from our joined hands, a concentrated beam of witch-magic that streaked across the ritual circle and struck the anchoring crystal with pinpoint accuracy. For a heartbeat, nothing happened—then the crystal fractured, spiderweb cracks racing across its surface before it shattered completely.

The effect was immediate and catastrophic. The remaining crystals pulsed erratically, their carefully calibrated energies thrown into chaos. The air around the ritual circle warped violently, reality itself seeming to tear and mend in rapid succession.

The alpha screamed—not a human or wolf sound, but something otherworldly and terrible. His body contorted as whatever had been using him as a conduit fought to maintain its tenuous connection to our world.

"Time to go," Rose urged, pulling me away from the rapidly deteriorating ritual site. "That won't hold it for long."

We raced toward the western exit, pack members too distracted by the collapsing ritual to pursue effectively. Through our bond, I felt Rudy's relief at our success and his anxiety for our safety, his position ahead of us with the other rescued witches.

Behind us, a final, reality-bending explosion erupted from the ritual circle as we reached the edge of the quarry. The shockwave threw us forward, magical energy washing over us in a tide of corrupted power before dissipating into the night.

When I looked back, the ritual circle lay in ruins, the crystals shattered, the elaborate magical constructs collapsed. The alpha was nowhere to be seen, though several pack members lay unconscious around the periphery.

---