Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 895: It’s A Dragon

Roman Draven’s dragon form was both majestic and terrifying. His iridescent scales gleamed beneath the morning sun like sharpened jewels while smoke curled from his nostrils.

Jericho backed away now, suddenly feeling small. Even the witches froze in the middle of the spell, their eyes widened to the size of the moon. But the most memorable expression belonged to Angus.

"How is that possible?" he demanded, utterly stunned.

No one had told him the boy could turn into a dragon. Perhaps then he would have been far more careful.

Then Roman opened his dragon eyes.

They glowed a brilliant green, the black irises vertically slitted and ancient. But above all else, they were furious.

The dragon lowered its massive head toward the wolves surrounding him and growled his vengeance. The sound alone shook the ground.

Several weaker wolves whimpered so badly some shifted back into human form entirely from fear.

Angus immediately recognized how perilous the situation had become and shouted at the witches, "Finish the spell! Finish the spell right now!"

He could see it in the dragon’s eyes. Roman was about to lay waste to him. Angus could not allow that to happen. Not when he was this close.

The conflict was visible across the witches’ faces. They wanted to flee. They wanted to survive too.

But Angus darkened with rage and barked with Alpha authority, "Finish the spell now!"

That settled it. The witches resumed chanting with everything they had, perhaps already accepting they were doomed either way.

The remaining wolves recovered at the same time.

Jericho, now back in human form, shouted, "Fire!"

At once they fell into formation.

But Roman in dragon form did not wait around to discover whether silver bullets could pierce him. He beat his gigantic wings deliberately and the force alone uprooted several wolves from the ground.

"Stand your ground!" Jericho roared over the violent winds and terrible visibility caused by the dragon’s wings. "Just fire! Fire everything!"

Gunfire exploded instantly. But from another direction, wolves suddenly began dropping one after another before they could even properly aim.

Aeron.

Hidden somewhere within the trees, the assassin was giving Roman the opening he needed.

"You three!" Jericho pointed toward the forest. "Take out the sniper! The rest of you keep firing!"

The formation shifted immediately.

With several mighty beats of his wings, Roman launched fully airborne. But the underbelly of a dragon was far softer than the rest of his body. Two bullets struck him there and Roman howled in pain. The sound thundered across the hunting grounds. Still, he did not stop flying.

If anything, the pain only enraged him further. The fury started deep within his belly like a small stirring before rapidly growing into a monstrous heat. It expanded hotter and hotter until it became a consuming vortex threatening to burst free.

Roman opened his Jaws and released it.

Green fire exploded from his mouth. The flames burned bright emerald, violent and overwhelming as they ravaged across the hunting grounds with devastating force.

Everything in their path ignited instantly. Wolves caught fire as easily as dry paper while the sheer heat sent the lucky survivors screaming as they scrambled away in terror.

The formation scattered immediately. They fled in every direction like rats escaping a flood.

But Roman did not let them go. He came here to deliver vengeance. His dragon eyes locked onto Jericho. The beta was running now, panic having completely replaced discipline.

Jericho panted heavily as he sprinted toward the treeline with everything he had left. Unfortunately for him, no man hunted by a dragon had ever outrun one.

Jericho barely made it beneath the trees before Roman swooped lower and unleashed another torrent of green flames straight into the forest.

Jericho’s scream was horrifying as the fire consumed him entirely. He slammed himself against trees desperately trying to extinguish the flames but nothing worked.

The dragon fire refused to die.

The emerald flames reflected beautifully against Roman’s iridescent scales, making him look less like a creature and more like the wrath of a god finally unleashed upon the earth.

Nearby, hidden amongst the foliage, Aeron stared upward and muttered only one thing.

"Holy shit."

The dragon’s sharp hearing picked it up instantly. Its massive head turned toward him.

Aeron felt his soul nearly leave his body.

The creature before him looked nothing like the Roman who spent their captivity ranting about writing a book together after escaping.

Although honestly?

That book idea did not sound terrible anymore because absolutely nobody would ever believe this insane experience otherwise.

Fear finally kicked in and Aeron turned to run.

Unfortunately, Roman simply swooped lower and plucked him clean off the ground with one enormous talon. Then they were airborne again.

Roman’s dragon eyes fixed onto a new target now.

Angus.

"Almost done now, sisters," one of the witches encouraged shakily, though her heart pounded wildly against her chest.

They could feel the dragon approaching.

He was close now.

Even as they chanted, their voices trembled with fear. The final incantation left their lips and the runes across Angus’s body suddenly activated with a dark glow— Right as Roman unleashed his flames upon them.

The witches remained hand in hand as the fire consumed them alive. Their screams echoed across the space in pure agony.

Roman did not stop breathing fire. Not until they were burned completely into cinders and all that escaped his jaws afterward was smoke curling from his lips.

Then the dragon suddenly pulled upward.

Roman could feel it now. He was weakening.

He needed his Mate, Violet. He needed to go back to her.

"This is seriously not how I envisioned our dramatic escape!" Aeron screamed, clutching desperately against the dragon’s talon while the wind nearly tore him apart.

He looked down toward the ground far below and all he could think about was becoming a human puddle if Roman accidentally let go.

His stomach rolled violently and his vision darkened. Aeron passed out entirely in Roman’s grasp. Or more specifically, the dragon’s talon.

Meanwhile, back across the hunting grounds, nothing remained except smoke, burning flesh and screams of torment.

Chaos had fully broken loose.

The surviving wolves desperately tried dragging wounded comrades away from the flames though there were not many left alive to save.

Edward, one of Angus’s generals, rushed through the devastation coughing heavily while squinting through the thick smoke.

The ceramic tub had been blackened completely. At first all he could make out was a dark silhouette sitting motionless within it.

"Your Majesty!" Edward shouted in panic, fearing Angus had perished in the flames too.

Suddenly, the silhouette opened its eyes.

Edward immediately dropped to his knees.

Angus quietly stepped out of the tub.His body was coated not only in soot but in the ashes of the witches who had sacrificed themselves for him. Only his eyes remained clearly visible.

"Alpha?" Edward questioned uncertainly.

Angus barely spared him a glance.

"Prepare our people," he ordered coldly. "Our enemies will be here soon."

******

The urgency around Lunaris Academy could practically be felt in the air.

Everyone was making last-minute preparations for departure. Wolves moved rapidly across the grounds carrying weapons and supplies while orders were barked from different directions.

Violet had been discussing with Samantha the witch about the best way to teleport their forces outside the academy without burning herself out too quickly when two familiar voices suddenly reached her ears.

"Violet!"

Violet turned sharply only to see Daisy and Ivy running toward her. Her heart leapt instantly.

She met them halfway and the three girls practically crashed into one another, gripping each other tightly with excitement.

"You lucky bitch!" Ivy cried out. "How could you leave us hanging like this?!"

"You never reached out to us!" Daisy accused right after.

"I’m so sorry!" Violet apologized sincerely. "I genuinely have no excuse."

There had simply been too much happening at once. Even after returning to the academy, she barely had time to breathe.

"It’s alright," Daisy assured her while hugging her tighter. "I’m just happy you’re alive and okay."

A strange feeling suddenly bloomed deep inside Violet’s chest, warm and intense. At first she mistook it for the excitement of seeing her friends again after so long, then the mate bond violently surged to life.

Violet froze. Her breath caught.

"Roman," she gasped suddenly, immediately pulling away from the embrace.

Her heart began racing wildly now with overwhelming excitement. Violet’s eyes snapped toward the sky instinctively even though she had no idea what exactly she was looking for.

Then she saw it—Wait a minute ....was that... A dragon?

Massive wings cut through the sky overhead casting shadows over them.

"How?" Griffin’s stunned voice echoed through the mate bond.

At the same time Violet felt Asher and Alaric’s presence flare strongly through the connection.

"He did it," Asher said mentally, pride obvious in his tone.

"He made it out in dragon form?" Alaric sounded completely blown away. "That brilliant rascal."

By now others around the academy had spotted him too. Shock immediately spread through the grounds.

"It’s a dragon!"

Several wolves pointed upward now while panic began spreading rapidly through the students and warriors alike.

Most of them had never seen Roman’s dragon form before. Roman himself had never taken that form until now. Immediately they assumed the creature belonged to Angus.

But Leon Draven stepped out, staring hard at the dragon overhead before recognition crossed his face.

"That’s my son," he said at first.

Then louder.

"That’s Roman!"

He turned toward the others immediately.

"Someone let him in right now!"

That was when Violet suddenly remembered something extremely important.

The protective dome surrounding Lunaris Academy was electrified.