When Luz finally decided to leave the water, she walked toward the shore with her white petticoat now translucent, clinging to her slender body, revealing her ample curves and narrow waist, her long, thick hair cascading down to cover her breasts. She sat down on a rock with her back to the Alpha. Slowly, she removed her petticoat, letting it fall from her shoulders to her hips. The Alpha watched her from a distance with an intense gaze as his heart pounded in his throat and his breathing became ragged. A painful, throbbing heat rose between his legs, and the animal urge to throw himself on her was almost uncontrollable. The instinct to claim her as his was a struggle, but he was aware that what he wanted was not what he should do at that moment. He closed his eyes to calm himself and prayed that the girl would get dressed quickly.
Luz finished getting dressed in three agonizing minutes, grabbed her wet petticoat, and wrung it out as best she could. She stopped abruptly, an indecipherable sound catching her attention. She looked in Aliana's direction but saw that she was still lying peacefully. Something wasn't right. She had this sinister feeling that began to envelop her heart. The horses began to grow restless. As the creature cautiously approached Aliana, the Alpha finally opened his eyes, grateful to see her dressed, while his gaze followed Luz's movements. Something alerted him; the horses were restless, and he saw fear on Luz's face, her pupils completely dilated in the face of fear. She crouched down to wake Aliana, leaning close to her ear. "Aliana, wake up, we have to go, something bad is going to happen."
Aliana jumped, but didn't scream, her survival instincts kicking in. She put her index finger to her lips to tell Luz not to speak, then motioned for her to take the horses. She looked up at the Alpha, who chose to reveal himself only to her and communicated through their mental link. He reassured her, knowing that something was wrong, but if anything happened, he would be nearby to defend them. "This stays between us," he told his sister, making it clear that he didn't want the creature to know that he had been following them the whole time.
They mounted their horses and hurried toward the herd. Suddenly, they heard something like a deafening roar from the underworld. Their skin bristled. They didn't know which direction the thing was coming from because the roar was all around them. The girls galloped faster toward the herd, unaware of the danger ahead.
Garañon stopped dead in his tracks, almost causing Luz to fall off. He whinnied and stamped the ground hard with one of his hooves.
"There's something in front of us that we can't see, but he can sense it," Aliana said in a low voice.
The mare also stopped and took a few hesitant steps backward.
Suddenly, a huge Antrax emerged from the front. It was as dark as the evil it harbored. The mare reared up on her hind legs, knocking Aliana off, but even though the She-Wolf was close to the monster, it paid no attention to her and went straight for Luz.
"Run, Luz, run! That thing wants you, not me. RUN!"
Garañon didn't even give Luz time to process the information and galloped away from the monster.
Caspian, in his wolf form, pounced on the thing and attacked it ferociously. Aliana recovered her mare and went after Luz. Everything was confusing. Why was this thing in the safe zone? Why was it only attacking Luz? Aliana let these thoughts pass as she caught up with Luz.
Both looked on in panic. Cas mentally ordered Aliana to stay away.
The fight was brutal. The monster inflicted severe damage on the wolf's body. Between growls and attacks, the wolf tore off one of the Antrax's arms, which filled it with rage and intensified the monster's darkness. It swiped at the Alpha, sending him flying through the air and slamming his body into a tree trunk, leaving him unconscious. The thing turned its attention to the women, specifically Luz, let out a bloodcurdling roar, and lunged forward. Garañon backed away, but the thing was very fast, and as it lunged forward, Luz screamed in panic, "Stop!" For a couple of seconds, she felt the monster halt its advance, and then she saw the great wolf pounce on the monster, tearing its skull apart. Luz instinctively closed her eyes at the brutality of his actions. She felt as if everything was spinning around her and she almost lost consciousness, but she clung to the reins and forced herself to sit up straight, her face pale and her eyes still closed.
Suddenly, everything was silent. She heard a pitiful howl and saw Aliana lunge forward on her knees next to the wolf. Luz, still in shock, got off her horse and moved toward the wolf, who was struggling to stay awake. He was covered in blood, and his body was lacerated by the monster. His wounds were so severe that not even his werewolf healing powers would be able to heal him without the help of magic.
"Get help," the Alpha instructed his sister through their bond.
Aliana held back her tears and stood up. In a firm voice, she told Luz that she would go for help, as it was impossible for them to carry this enormous animal with them, and its wounds were serious. It needed Roxi's urgent help, and Aliana would find her quickly.
Luz understood the urgency and nodded her head in approval of the decision.
As Aliana disappeared into the distance, Luz gazed at the wolf lying on the ground. It was the same one that had saved her last time. She sensed his pain, and the girl's eyes filled with tears, her chest aching in agony. She stroked his head and began to assess his wounds. She noticed the heavy blood loss from some of his paws, so she decided to apply pressure to his wounds. She took the damp petticoat out of her bag and tore it into long strips. She performed basic first aid as her mother had taught her in childhood, wrapping the strips around the wounded paws and applying enough pressure to stop the bleeding for the time being. While she worked on his wounds, she stroked the wolf and spoke softly to him, thanking him for saving her and apologizing for putting his life in danger. She felt remorse. She continued to speak softly to him, just as she would to any person or animal in need of help.
Despite his injuries, Caspian was completely mesmerized by his partner's voice. His heart was filled with joy when the girl finished bandaging him and sat down right next to his head, allowing the animal's muzzle to rest on her lap as she stroked him and comforted him.
The wait seemed like an eternity, and Luz was distraught at the possibility that the wolf might die or that another monster might appear.