It Was Always Him

**Sekreta**

She screams and screams, there’s no end in sight to it. It’s like her limbs are being pulled in all directions as she stays suspended above the treeline.

I know I shouldn’t care, after all, she is evil of the highest kind, she has tricked me, lied to me and thought of no one but herself. So why did I care about her right now, why do I feel a need to help her to pull her back down to me?

I shake it off and continue to follow Ildi. He signals for us to drop low, so I do as he motions to a small crowd of wolves surrounding something almost as if they are protecting it.

*” Sekreta, Its Ivar. They are surrounding Ivar”* His voice is full of shock and concern and it spreads across his face as he eyes me.

It is then that I notice what he is talking about. In the centre of the wolves is Ivar, bound in silver chains struggling to break free of them. The blackness of his eyes show his wolf is on the brink of bursting out but he seems to be holding it back.

“Why are they holding him like that, why won’t he shift ?”

*” He doesn’t want to hurt them, they are his pack after all. He must have control of his mind”*

The realisation hits me like a punch to the gut, if he is in the right frame of mind this might be easier than I thought.

“We need to get to him Ildi. If we can reach him and get him far enough away from Salvi he won’t have to try and take control of her and I won’t have to bite him”


*” We don’t know that getting him far enough away will do that though Sekreta. There is no way she wouldn’t have thought of that she has had him under her control for years”*

“Well the ill bite him but we have to at least try this first”


I know why he’s pushing back, it is not what we agreed on and I know he wants to save his brother. I want to save him but I just don’t know if I want to make him. If there is another option then it's the one I want to take.

“Okay so how do you want to do this ?”


Salvi’s scream rips through the forest, vibrating every tree and making the ground shake under our feet. I look up to her to see the red glow slowly lowering to the ground.

*” I don’t know but whatever we are going to, we need to do it fast. When she reaches the floor after whatever that display was I do not doubt that the fighting will start”*

“You're right. So here’s what we are going to do… we just walk up to them beat them up and take him back”

He laughs almost loud enough for them to hear and we both drop lower to avoid being seen.

*” That’s an awful plan surely you can’t be serious”* It seems silly to laugh in moments like this but here we are.

“Look no one said I was the queen of fighting wars, I've spent most of my life hiding from them. Stop laughing and help me decide what we are going to do”

*” Okay okay fine. Here's what's going to happen *”
He spends the next few minutes explaining to me exactly where I have to stand and which ones I’m going to have to fight.

Up until this point I have been relatively calm but the thought of fighting against wolves that have more than likely been training their whole lives is terrifying.

Ildi walks out of the trees and straight for the group of men, they all stand firmly but just as he predicted they are more interested in talking to him. He spends a few moments explaining why he is back and answering their questions.

Larger male steps forward, his size is domineering even for someone with Alpha blood. He stares Ildi up and down before speaking.

**” You know I heard you ran to the other side, that you are fighting with those bitches”**

*” I don’t know who you are but you heard wrong. If I were fighting on the other side would I be this side of the shield?”*

Ildi does back down but the guy is towering over him. I can’t help but stare at the face of the larger man. I recognise him and I can’t place him anywhere.

**” Well that’s just it isn’t it, how exactly did you get here. I mean I don’t know about these guys but I didn’t see you travelling with us”**

He motions to the wolves around him who seem to harden at his words, a few of them mimic what the large wolf is saying. Asking Ildi where he has been and how he got here.

It starts to escalate just like Ildi said they would. I dig my fingers deep into the dirt around me praying to the moon-goddess this works, dealing with the earth is not something I’m practised at by any means.

I focus all my energy on the roots of the tree, the way they spread out beneath us twisting around each other.
“Come on Sekreta you can do this, you’ve got this come one”

As I repeat the words over and over until I hear the sound of the ground cracking. I look over at the circle of peoples willing the roots to bind around their feet.

At first, nobody notices still locked in the argument with Ildi and then they feel it, the roots snaking around each of the ankles. At first, it’s just a few and then I lift my hands as the ground opens up and swallows one of the wolves leaving just his shoulders and head above the earth.

Panic sets in like the large wolf lunge at Ildi tackling him to the ground. He looked up to wear it and now stood visible.

**” See I told you he was working with them. She’s over there!!”**

He shouts loudly and then several sets of eyes are on me, some try to move but they are bound by their feet. A few seemed to have escaped the roots grasp. I open the palms of my hand as each one gets closer pulling them into the ground.

“Ildi are you okay ?”

He’s fighting with the big guy while I trap more and more under the ground. I’m momentarily distracted as I watch the man sink a claw into a now shifted Ildi, he lets out a howl of pain and I lose focus just long enough to be tackled to the floor.

The Wolf snaps at me as I hold my hands up in a but to get up, I summon everything I have once again feeling power bubbling in the pit of my stomach. It flows from out of me, extending to the tips of my fingers I struggle to hold it in.

**Sekreta. You have to let it out**

Savea's voice is like sweet music among chaos and fighting. I follow her lead letting the power flow out of me. The wolf on top stops trying to fight and instead watches me with widened eyes.

He moves off of me and runs in the other direction leaving me to stand up. Blue light filters from my fingertips and out to each of the wolves holding them in place before the earth swallows them.

It is in that moment I lock eyes with Ivar, who is still chained in silver, I can see him trying to fight it but with every touch on his skin, I watch as it burns.

I begin walking towards him, making light work of every wolf that comes at my making light work of each of them. I’m so close and then I hear the voice of the larger wolf.

**” You know for someone so powerful your pretty fucking stupid”**

I stop in place and turn around to face him. My eyes widen at the sight but I do my best not to let him see. He has Ildi gripped at the throat, his claw ready to rip it out, behind me, I hear the clink of chains as Ivar has become seemingly enraged at the sight.

“I’m not sure you are in any position to call me stupid” I motion to all the wolves stuck in the ground. While it may only be a few it’s still quite an achievement in my opinion.

**” You know I always told Arlo he should have spent more time investigating you “** At the mention of Arlo’s name where I have seen his face suddenly clicks.

He was the one who always brought my mother back to me, he would throw her on the ground in our small room after having his way with her outside. I would have to listen to her cries unable to help her.

**” Ahh it seems the little girl has just realised who I am. What’s the matter, did you miss me? I sure as hell miss your mother “**

I try my best to contain the anger building up inside me, memories of those days are coming back to the forefront of my mind and it's a place I don’t want to be.

**” You know it's quite a shame we were never allowed to touch you, Arlo’s rules you see. I almost did once or twice though when you got older and you started to fill out. When you see your mother you should thank her, she took those hits for you”**

Something in me breaks. Before I realised what’s happening I stood in front of him. He drops Ildi to the floor as my hand clasps tightly around his neck.

“How dare you. How dare you speak of her, of that time.”
He lifts his hands gripping them around my wrist tightly trying to pull away, his eyes wide. It’s quite obvious he did not expect me to be able to hold him in this way.

**” You are foolish if you think you can win this, even more so if you ever thought Arlo was the one in charge before”**

I’m momentarily taken aback by his words as he struggles for breath between each word.

“It doesn't matter who was behind all of this and who attacked last time. This will end today”

**” Still so naive. This will never end, Marel is too powerful. He will not stop until he gets what he wants he’s been working towards it his whole life. The likes of you and those little glow in the dark bitches won’t stop him”**

Everything clicks into place in that one moment. How have we not made the connection before. Marel coordinated all of this. All of the attacks on our parents when they were younger, he kidnapped his sister to try and take her power. That's what Arlo never gave up trying with my mother, he already knew she had power.

Everything boils down to him. This one man who has caused so much chaos, who has murdered and destroyed so many lives over the years.

Ivars chains clink behind me and I’m pulled from my thoughts once more, I see Ildi standing to the side of me watching me intently.

**” You are going to..”**

I don’t wait for him to finish his sentence. The goals have changed now, everything has changed now/ Salvi and Ivar no longer have to find Marel.

I let the power in me rise to the top about to spill over as I snap the wolves neck and head away from Ivar and Ildi in search of him. Ildi calls me to come back, begging me to tell him what’s going on but I pay no attention. I am focused on my one goal.

I feel the power surging towards me from the ground and through the air, I take all of it in letting it flow through me, letting it build as I make my way to him.

I will die before he hurts another living soul, and this power will help me end it.


*A/N
Thank you so much for reading the next update for this story will be monday.
Hope you are enjoying it :)