The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 55

Regents Park

+25 Points

Later that afternoon, we finish up our shopping and exit Harrods into a literal winter wonderland. Everything is bright, white and crisp. I smile at the beautiful blanket of snow that has fast covered the streets of London, remembering with a pang of guilt the time that I’d conjured snow in the greenhouse with Will. I definitely needed to apologise to him and explain myself next time that saw him, I’d he was still speaking to me, that is.

Mum pays for a taxi and we are soon back home in Camden.

Dad had decorated the Christmas tree and the rest of the house by the time we get home, which

was better late than never.

“Have I got time for a run before dinner?” I ask my mum, feeling an itch to go running around Regents Park in the snow before it got dark.

“You’ve got about an hour or so, so yes, go for it,” she replies, getting stuff out the fridge for dinner, “just make sure you are safe.”

Ten minutes later I am jogging down the roads towards Regents Park after warming up my muscles, noticing a definite decline in the speed and ease of running that I had experienced at

Exton.

The sky is white, but with a warm tinge on the horizon as the sun begins to set in the distance. The air is thick with silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of my breath and the crunch of my feet against the salted pavement.

Then, a prickling unease slithers up my spine. The sensation is subtle at first, like a whisper at the back of my mind, but it grows. It feels like something is watching me…

At a crossroads in the pavement, I halt, pulse thrumming in my ears. The world around me is hushed, expectant. I turn slowly, scanning the empty expanse of untouched snow, but there is nothing. Just the quiet. Just the cold.

I push forward, but the feeling doesn’t fade, it only deepens. My skin tightens, the hairs at my nape slowly rising in alarm. The darkness is thicker now, denser than it should be. It swallows the path ahead, the nearby ground only illuminated by a nearby street lamp. I stop beneath it, next to snow-draped bench, my breath shallow.

I am definitely not alone.

I squint into the darkness around me, trying to hone my senses the way Will had taught me, trying

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to use them to pierce through the darkness to see who or what is out there.

There, there it was…

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My heart pounds against my ribs, panic clawing at my thoughts. Austin and Atlas aren’t here, I am not as fast here as I am at Exton. Could I outrun them?

A reckless voice in the back of my mind whispers a different question-one I would never have dared consider before.

Could I fight them?

Their hulking forms close in, deliberate, predatory. My fingers tremble as I work to summon my magic, forcing it to my hands in a state of panic. It takes longer than it should, but I manage.

The air around me is thick with intense anticipation; the hunt is about to begin.

I breathe, trying to keep my senses honed while commanding my magic to my hands. It takes longer than usual, but I manage it in reasonable time.

The closest wolf surges forward, muscles rippling beneath its dark fur. A growl, deep and guttural, rolls through the air as it closes in, it’s dangerous red faced fixed into mine.

I throw my hands forward and conjure a barrier of wind, a forceful blast that slams into the creature mid-stride, hurling it backward. It crashes into the snow with a pained yelp, skidding several meters before going still. A rush of triumph sparks in my chest, but as the other two Lycans launch forward, I don’t have time to celebrate.

Instinctively, I throw up my hands-too late for any thought or control, but a sudden burst of pure white light erupts from my palms, surprising me greatly. It strikes the beast in the chest mid-air, sending it flying, crashing to the ground, limp, lifeless…

A second of stunned silence greets me, but it is a second too long. The third wolf crashes into me with bone-shattering force, taking advantage of my momentary surprise. The world spins, and then I am on the ground, the icy snow burning against my back as air is violently torn from my lungs, winding me entirely.

I feel cold and helpless as I am pinned to the floor by the great beast, its teeth dripping foul smelling saliva all over my chest. Its front paws have my wrists pinned to the floor above my head and its back legs heavily hold my thighs to the floor. I am trapped and I cannot struggle. It is too heavy and too strong. Terror settles deep in my bones. This is how the others had died-helpless, pinned, prey beneath a predator’s grip. My magic is useless, unable to formulate a thought behind my blind panic, what little strength I have, is entirely useless.

The wolf lowers its head, red eyes gleaming with hunger, saliva dripping from its fangs onto my

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throat. My pulse hammers, my body trembling violently beneath its crushing weight. Growing a rose bush wouldn’t do much good right now, neither would a flurry of snow. I wish Will had taught e fire, regardless of his insistent reservations on the matter, as I struggle helplessly against the wolf.

The wolf’s jaws part.

This is it.

This is how I would die. Here, in the frozen snow of Regent’s Park, while my mother cooks dinner,

unaware that her child is about to be torn apart.

I close my eyes…

Another savage snarl rips through the night, deep and furious, from somewhere behind me. Before I can react, something massive crashes into my attacker, tearing it away from me with brutal force. The weight that had held me down vanishes, and I gasp, scrambling to my feet, my hands trembling but raised, ready to defend myself.

My breath catches as I take in the newcomer. A fourth wolf-larger than the others by far-stands before me, its fur a striking blend of silver and pure white, its sheer presence feels commanding. It moves with terrifying precision, a predator among predators.

With a swift, decisive move, it tears the head clean off the wolf that had pinned me down. I cover my mouth to muffle the strangled scream that rises up from my throat; for it is the most horrifying thing that I had ever witnessed.

A snarl draws my attention-the first wolf, the one I had knocked aside earlier, has recovered and is charging again, fangs bared, murder in its glowing red eyes.

Instinct takes over. I drop to my knees, pressing my palms flat against the frozen ground, ignoring the icy sting. I pour my will into the earth, urging it to respond..

The snow trembles. Then, thick, thorned vines explode from beneath, writhing upward with unnatural speed. They coil around the oncoming beast, twisting and tightening, their grip relentless. The Lycan snarls and thrashes, snapping at the vines, but they only grow stronger, wrapping around its limbs, binding it in place.

Heart still hammering, I rise to my feet, breath unsteady as I take a step toward my captured foe.

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” I exclaim furiously in an adrenaline fueled rage, my hands glowing brightly. The trapped wolf thrashes within the tangled grip of my vines, its snarls turning to desperate, frustrated growls. But it’s useless. The more it struggles, the tighter the vines constrict. A grim satisfaction flickers through me-I had caught him. I had won.

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+25 Pointé “Shift back, or you die right here,” I say menacingly, the words spilling from my lips before I can fully process them. Cold. Threatening. But the truth is, I don’t know if I can follow through. I don’t want

kill anyone don’t even know how.

The wolf whimpers, its fight draining away, and then, before my eyes, its massive form begins to contort and shrink. Fur recedes, bones crack and realign, and within seconds, a small, pale, dark-haired man is left trembling in the snow. Weak. Vulnerable.

The vines slacken around him, their purpose fulfilled. He gasps, shivering, his bare skin stark

against the white frost.

“Answer me!” I snap, stepping forward, raising one glowing hand toward him in warning.

His eyes widen in terror. “D-Daniel,” he stammers, his voice high and shaking. “I’m just… I was j-just… I was compelled to come here!”

A deep growl rumbles behind me. The grey-and-white wolf, the one who had saved me, pads forward, its presence sending another wave of fear through Daniel.

“Compelled by whom?” I seethe, my mind racing. Someone had sent these rogues after me? Someone had orchestrated this?

Daniel swallows hard, his entire body quaking. “He didn’t give a name!” he blurts. “But we couldn’t refuse-he was too strong. This… this was a test!”

A test?

The words hit me like a blow to the chest. My hands lower slightly as shock settles in.

“A test?” I echo, my voice barely above a whisper. “A test for what?”

That’s enough of this, I’m taking you away from here!

A familiar voice says to me from inside my head, surprising me greatly. The grey wolf steps toward me and lowers itself onto its front legs, its intention clear. My heart is still hammering, my body aching from being winded, but I don’t hesitate. I climb onto its back, gripping its thick fur as it rises effortlessly beneath me. With a powerful push, it surges forward, gliding across the snow-covered ground with an almost unnatural grace.

It follows my exact path, retracing the trail I had left behind on my run out here. The realisation sends a strange sense of comfort through me-it knows where I came from, where I need to go, evidently following the scent I had left some time before. The rhythmic motion of its strides, the steady, powerful heartbeat beneath me; it all grounds me. I am not alone anymore.

We reach the edge of Regent’s Park, where the wolf slows, eventually stopping beside a bench. It lowers itself once more, allowing me to slide off. My legs feel unsteady, the rush of adrenaline

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finally fading, leaving exhaustion in its wake.

+25 Points

Before I can fully process what’s happening, the wolf bounds away, disappearing behind a hedge.

I snap back into high alert. My breath catches, and I whip around, scanning the darkness, senses

sharpening instinctively. Had we been followed? Was there more danger lurking just beyond sight?

A rustling sound.

My focus snaps to the hedge. My magic flares, heat building in my palms. But then-my breath

stutters.

That aura.

I recognise it instantly.

A striking, multi-colored energy, pulsing with a vibrancy unlike any other.

“Will?!” My voice cracks with disbelief.

H steps out from behind the hedge, his hair disheveled, his bare chest rising and falling with steady breaths. He’s only wearing a pair of jeans, though he moves quickly, tugging a plain sweater over his head as he strides toward me.

My eyes flick away before they can linger too long on the sculpted definition of his torso, my mind still struggling to catch up.

“Relax, you’re safe for the moment,” he says, his gaze flicking anxiously to my hands, which are once again glowing, ready for another fight.

I swallow hard, my emotions swirling fast.

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