I was proven wrong the moment Floyd suddenly shot forward, closing the distance between us in a matter of seconds.
Vincent
The moment Floyd charged; I felt an electric snap in the air. It felt as if an invisible barrier shot up from the dirt road and surrounded us. I watched in fascination as Floyd stopped in his tracks as he came up against a giant wall of pulsating red energy. Looking around, I saw that it ringed us on all sides, glowing like an otherworldly barrier holding us in and keeping the werewolves out. We were trapped inside some sort of protective bubble.
Sally’s face lit up with a reflected purplish red glow as her eyes went wide. She still had her gun in both hands, pointed in front of her. I held my sword high in the air, purple magic swirling around it. I imagined cutting through the protective barrier with one broad stroke, letting the sword come down on the werewolf’s neck, but somehow bursting through the barrier seemed impossible.
“What is this?” Romeo asked, reaching out toward the red bubble.
“A sheet of protection, unicorn,” Sid said from beside us. “I can’t hold it very long, so decide what you’re going to do…kill the alpha or deal with him another way.”
I turned to look at the witch and noted for the first time how he held his staff out in front of him, a whirling magenta red light reaching out long twisting tendrils from the end of the thick club. I realized that what I thought of as his staff was actually a wand of some sort. Even though I’d seen it before, it was like I noticed the tremendous power radiating from it for the first time. The glowing light stretched from the end of the wand to the skin of the protective bubble. From there, the glow spread out from top to bottom, encircling us within its confines.
I felt equally relieved and worried because what the old witch said was true. Romeo had to decide what to do, and he was the only one who could.
I glanced at my mate and spotted the determination on his face. I knew enough of him now to see that he had made up his mind. He turned to Sid.
“Drop the barrier, Sid. The wolves have a choice to make here. They can fight or they can call for Floyd’s ousting and a new alpha.”
I almost smiled. Romeo had made a similar decision the last time he’d faced off with Floyd and his pack. In front of my house that night, Sid had challenged him to go down a similar path. I realized that Rome had deliberately dismissed the witch’s suggestion of killing Floyd outright both times, choosing not to destroy the alpha but to encourage the pack to make their decision. I knew if the choice was a consensus within the pack itself, they’d accept a new alpha. And they wouldn’t look to avenge their former alpha even if he was evil and no good for his wolves. The brilliance of Romeo’s decision was not lost on me.
“That’s not how it works, unicorn,” Sid said. “The wolves need a challenger. If no one wants to step up and take Floyd on, this will go no further than this standoff. I think we both know Floyd isn’t walking away from this with his tail between his legs.”
I looked over at the alpha who had changed to his full werewolf form. Even in this form, he was massive, larger by far than any of the other wolves in the pack, on par with Greg’s huge form but only barely. He paced back and forth in front of the barrier, fangs bared, eyes glowing with rage, anger, and hatred snapping off his back with sparks that made his fur rise like he’d walked across carpet in wool socks. Every so often he lifted his jaws and howled his fury and his pack immediately responded with eerie answering howls. Greg and Sam paced inside the bubble, growling like insane beasts, baring their teeth at their former alpha.
“Drop the barrier, Sid!” This time, Romeo’s words were a command, and I felt a chill go up my spine.
Sid nodded and lowered his staff. Instantly, the barrier dropped, the red glow fizzling with a pop in the air as it vanished. I also dropped my sword, planting the tip into the ground beside me as the swirling purple lightning disappeared.
Floyd stopped his pacing as he lifted his face to the sky, perhaps stunned by what he was seeing. I couldn’t read his face in this form. I turned back to Romeo as my mate spoke.
“Werewolves! I think you all know your alpha is immoral. He wants you to fight a war when all we want is peace. You’ve all seen our power. Is there anyone who despises thoughts of war? Do you detest the idea of your families being torn apart for one man’s vicious vendetta against the vampire by my side and against those of us who stand by him? Have any of the people you see here ever threatened you? Or have we left you alone to live your lives in peace? Who will stand up to this alpha who shuns two of your own for breaking bread with a vampire? Who will stand up to this alpha who hurts your females?”
The wolves behind Floyd stopped howling, and the road was suddenly so quiet
