Page 77 of Brutal Alpha Beast
“You don’t have to ask me that.”
Ellis gives me a look, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Just being polite, because, you know, you won’t have anyone to talk to.”
I smile. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“Suit yourself,” he nods. I turn away, pretending to inspect an area of forest land, and then there’s the sound of rustling, accompanied by a loud, resounding thud.
Ellis drops down in his coppery wolf form beside me. He shoots me a look, illuminated by the orb, as though I’m supposed to know what it means, before he trots on ahead further into the night.
“Show off,” I mutter, trailing behind him.
I look around again for the special vines. Maybe this whole idea was stupid, I think to myself. Maybe we should have come when it wasn’t night.
Then suddenly, I see something in the distance; it’s faint, but there’s a light coming from the sky.
“Ellis, wait,” I say.
His wolf stops.
I raise my orb a little higher, directing it through the surrounding trees. I squint my eyes to look.
What the hell is that?
The white light is brighter, an external one, that’s not coming from my orb. Once I’m able to make out what they are, it's too late.
“Shit,” I call, “Ellis, hold—“
But he’s already rushing toward the monsters as they fall to the ground. There are six of them, growling and screeching with a deafening sound that pierces through the night.
My heart thumps.
I have a spell, but it requires Ellis to stay back. Something I know he won’t do.
They’re closing the distance, Ellis charging at them, the shadow monsters pacing toward him. If he bites one, the spell won’t work, and they’ll keep multiplying again.
With my orb in one hand, I cast the spell with the other. I have a clear shot, and I murmur the words I’ve practiced beneath my breath.
Twisting my fingers in a circle, I fire, a green zap pierces through the night, looking as though it’s heading for the back of Ellis’ wolf.
“Ellis duck!” I yell.
Just as it’s about to hit him, and as he’s about to hit the monsters, he leans forward.
The green light slices the shadow monsters in two, and they disintegrate around him.
I release my breath. My heart is pumping. I rush toward him.
“Ellis, are you okay?”
He shifts back into his human form as he shakes and regains his balance.
“Woah,” he says. “What the hell was that?”
I open my mouth to speak, but then close it. I still can’t believe that the shadow monsters are gone. That he’s okay.
“That was a new spell,” I finally say. “I figured out how to get rid of them without them multiplying. But it requires the spell to come first, not your bite.”
“So I almost ruined it?” He asks.
