Flawless 27

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The twenty of us traveled in our werewolf forms to scout out our enemies in the Willow Wetlands. 

The air was thick and rancid. 

The brown–green moss clung to the twisted branches like spiderwebs made of rot. The sky above the wetlands was a pale gray, like the sky was getting ready for a storm. 

I tried to stay sharp, but Remus was distracted. I couldn’t lie, so was I. 

Becca haunted our thoughts. I tried to keep my cool, but Remus kept growling inside my skull. 

‘Would you keep quiet,’ I warned him. 

‘I can’t stop thinking about her. Father cannot give her to that bastard Alcide. 

‘Remus, I know you’re angry, but you can’t get distracted now. Especially since we could be walking into a war. 

‘The thought of another man kissing her… it makes me want to tear into something that bleeds.‘ 

I gulped. Because I felt the same. 

‘I know, buddy. Just hang on. We’ll figure something out? 

Remus’s voice dropped lower. ‘Do you really believe she’s our mate?‘ 

‘That’s what my cells are telling me. But we can’t be too sure until she turns eighteen.’ 

Remus let out a heavy sigh before he retreated into my head. 

We moved in silence, fur brushing against ferns as we went deeper into the Willow Wetlands. 

The further we went, the more disgusting it became. 

There was thick fog everywhere and it settled to the ground like a blanket. It moved like clouds as it slithered around twisted tree roots that jutted up like jagged bones. 

The trees were freakishly tall and leafless with ugly barks hanging like shredded skin that twisted into grotesque shapes. 

The air reeked of sulfur, rotting vegetation, and something else… something metallic, like blood and bile. stewed together. 

The thick, tar–like mud stuck to our paws with every step and the murky waters around bubbled nearby like a witch’s brew. The bubbles popped with a hiss, releasing a stench that turned my stomach. Steam rose from some parts of the marsh, while other patches felt ice–cold. 

Deformed creatures blinked at us. 

I even saw a few frogs with two heads and around a dozen uneven eyes. Their tongues flicked out to catch insects we couldn’t even see. One had a snake wrapped around its leg like a leash. 

We tried to be careful as we leapt onto moss–covered boulders to avoid the sludge. Remus’s nose wrinkled. 

‘Even the mud smells like death.‘ 

My father’s massive brown wolf, Gunther, raised his tail and gave a low growl…the signal for us to stop. 

‘What’s wrong?‘ I asked through the pack link. 

Gunther’s silver eyes flicked to the bubbling water ahead. 

“The water is acid,‘ he said. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

Without warning, a bloated, grey–skinned arm shot from the muck and latched onto the leg of one of Alpha Felix’s wolves. 

The wolf snarled and snapped, clawing at the air, but it was no use. 

The hand pulled him down fast into the black water, and he was gone before he could even howl. 

My father threw his head back and let out a howl so loud it shook the trees. It was a warning for us to get the hell out of the swampy water. I looked ahead and saw that there was mostly dry land on the other side. 

The swamp exploded with motion. 

More long, skeletal hands with sharp claws burst from the sludge, clawing at our legs, trying to drag us under. 

One latched onto my hind leg. 

‘Shit! It burns!‘ Remus screamed. 

Agony tore through me as the hand sizzled against my fur. 

I jerked and twisted, snapping my jaws around the rotting arm. My lips burned from the contact, but I didn’t stop. I ripped through tendons and bone until the creature let go. 

Remus and I launched ourselves onto the nearest boulder. Then another. Then another until we landed on solid earth. 

Gunther made it to the banking next, mud sloughing off his fur. Thunder, Felix’s wolf, and Cody’s wolf, Storm, followed behind us. They huffed as they made it to safety. 

But I froze when I saw Scott. 

His wolf, Arrow, was tangled in two of the arms. One clutched his midsection, while the another was wrapped 

Chapter 27 

around his neck. His legs thrashed but he couldn’t shake free. 

‘Arrow!‘ I howled. 

‘Remus! No!‘ Gunther growled in the pack link. ‘Stay put!‘ 

But I was already running. 

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I launched back into the swamp with my teeth bared. My paws hissed as they landed in shallow patches of the acidic water. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to let Scott die. 

I reached him before they could drag him under. I clamped my jaws down on one of the arms. The skin was slimy and foul. It was like I was chewing on battery acid and sewage. I ripped it off, shaking my head until the 

limb flew. 

Scott’s wolf managed to tear the other off and staggered free. 

I nudged him with my head, urging him forward. We leapt together from stone to stone, pushing our bodies to make it to the dry land. My heart ached because of all the screams and snarls of our fallen echoing through 

the marsh. 

Alpha James’s wolf, Bunny, was still out there ripping arms off one after the other. He spat them aside like wet rags until he burst through the fog and made it to the safe side, his fur blackened from acid burns. 

Dante’s wolf, Lava, limped to the clearing a second later, his right paw singed raw. 

The howls of those who didn’t make it still rang in my ears. As we stared back at the water, bodies of wolves with their bones picked clean floated to the top. 

Then, one by one, they dissolved in the acid, sizzling into nothing. 

We shifted back. 

“What the fuck were those things?” I asked, still gasping. 

James wiped blood from his mouth. “Drekahls.” 

My father looked stunned. “But those are just myths.” 

“No. They’re not,” James said. “They’re real.” 

“What the hell is a Drekahl?” Cody asked, his jaw tight. 

James looked around. His voice low and grave as he spoke. “They’re ancient predators that hunt in the marshes where no sunlight reaches. These creatures are born from curses and fed by blood. They sweat acid and they drown their prey by dragging them under the swamp, then they swallow them whole and spit out their bones after they feast on the flesh.” 

Just then, as if on cue, more bones bubbled to the surface. They cracked and sizzled in the acidic water until nothing was left but steam. 

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Chapter 27 

“They eat their prey whole?” Dante asked, his voice grim. “How big are these things‘ mouths?” 

“Very big.” James added. “Their favourite meat is werewolf.” 

“Let’s kill them all,” Cody snarled. “Those fuckers deserve to die.” 

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Felix’s face was pale. “There’s nothing we can do, son. We don’t even know how to kill them. Plus, we lost over half our scouting party. I think the seven of us should just turn back.” 

“No,” my father barked, fury flashing in his eyes. “We finish this mission. We just lost thirteen good wolves. Their deaths won’t be in vain.” 

“Alpha Devon is right,” Dante said. His voice was heavy but firm. “We must finish what we started.” 

Everyone else nodded. Except Felix. “This is suicide.” 

“Come on, I hear running water ahead, and it smells fresh too. Maybe we can wash off some of this muck,” my father said. 

I could feel my burn marks healing, and I could see that the others were healing as well. 

Alpha Felix was still protesting for us to go back. 

James knocked shoulders with him. “Just shut up, you pussy,” he snapped. 

Felix growled but said nothing. 

I took one last look at the swampy water. It was still bubbling like it was laughing at us. 

I felt my father’s hand on my shoulder. “Are you good?” 

“Yeah. Let’s go,” I said as I walked off. There was this thrumming in my bones telling me that there was worse danger up ahead. 

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