Fake Mate of the Enemy Shifter (Red Oak Shifters #2)

5. Grey

Chapter five

Grey

I wake up to the sound of shouting.

My body jolts straight up, my heart beating wildly. My eyes snap to the right as Cassia snaps awake, looking as dazed and confused as me. “What the hell was that?”

Cassia rubs her eyes before blinking them rapidly, still wavering between unconsciousness and stark awareness.

I turn away from her and pull on my clothes, freezing when I hear another cry tear through the air, followed by another. My heart sinks when I realize the shouts are coming from within the castle, and they sound like my people. “Something is happening at the castle.”

Cassia scrambles to get ready before joining me on the top of the hill. Her jaw then drops as her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh, no…”

Flashes of light flare within and just around the castle, the sounds of battle echoing across the hills. It’s an attack! But how is there an attack coming from inside and not from the borders?

Realization hits me like a punch to the stomach, and Cassia’s shocked, horrified look confirms my suspicions. Moonveil is attacking us.

“You betrayed us! I offered you all shelter in my own home and you do this? You attack us in our beds?” I snap at her, rage roaring through me like uncontrollable wildfire.

Cassia’s eyes start to glisten as she lowers her hand from her mouth. “I… you don’t understand, Grey.”

“Don’t understand? I understand perfectly! You lured me like a siren,” I spit at her as I stalk closer, my urge to shift and tear her apart colliding with the force magic flowing to my fingertips. “You distracted me. Lured me away from my own people so that yours could kill them!”

“We’re not trying to kill anyone!” Cassia says as she shakes her head.

“I don’t believe you,” venom seeping into every single word I say. A cold, empty feeling opens up in my chest and stomach at the thought of what took place just a few hours ago.

Our bodies and souls connected in a way I’ve never experienced before.

It was a lie .

“We didn’t come here to kill you,” Cassia assures me as she places her hands up in an innocent motion. “Surrender yourself and tell your kingdom to do the same. No one has to get hurt.”

An anguished howl rips through the air, piercing my heart like a hail of thorns. I place my hand over my chest with a wince, flickers of pain cutting into me that aren’t even my own. I can feel my people’s agony.

They are getting hurt.

“There will be no surrendering,” I growl as I stalk closer to her. “We passed that point when you crossed us after we showed you nothing but kindness.”

Cassia curls her fingers into fists as she gives me a firm look, realizing that I’m not going to back down as she hoped. She obviously doesn’t know me. “You need to stand down, Grey. Before you get hurt.”

My eyes narrow as we face each other, cloaked in moonlight and surrounded by shadows. The breeze coasting past us carries the faint scent of blood, making my eyes darken. “You shouldn’t worry about that.”

I throw my hand up, a wave of force knocking her off her feet.

Cassia gasps as she lands on her back, the breath leaving her lungs. She grimaces and sits up, her hand gripping her stomach. As I run toward her, she lifts her other hand, her eyes flashing a faint white.

I grit my teeth as I’m suddenly blinded, bright, white light flooding my vision and making me stumble. I rub my eyes and shake my head, trying to clear my vision. It’s a weak spell, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective.

“Stand down, Grey!” Cassia warns me. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is!”

My rage deepens, red breaking through the white light until my vision finally comes back. A slight haze hovers in front of my eyes, but what matters is that I can see her. I don’t have time to fully correct my vision right now.

I send another wave of force toward her, but she dives out of the way.

Cassia rotates her hands, forming a small orb of light between her palms. She launches it my way.

I narrowly dodge it, but I can feel its cold burn against my cheek as it sails right by my head. I brush my fingertips over the burn, soothing it in an instant before throwing my other hand up.

The ground beneath her feet rumbles and cracks, making her trip and fall onto her side. She tries to scramble back to her feet, but I’m faster than her.

I launch at her, straddling her body and pinning her down against the ground. Adrenaline thunders through me as she struggles and tries to lash out at me, forcing me to sway to avoid any hits. “You and your coven are going to pay for the atrocities you’ve committed. Moonveil won’t even be heard of when we get done with you!”

Cassia grits her teeth and grabs my arms, a cold burn seeping into my skin. “You shouldn’t underestimate us, Grey. That was your first mistake.”

The pain borders on agonizing, but I don’t budge. I’m not going to let her go! She can’t stab me in the back like this and expect to come out on top.

I prepare to shift so that I can finish this, my muscles tensing and my eyes beginning to glow. Pressure forms in my gums as my teeth start to sharpen, my strength increasing.

Cassia’s eyes widen, but she’s not paying attention to me. She’s looking to the left, drawing my eyes in that direction to see a large group of witches running toward us from the forest.

Moonveil witches.

My heartbeat thumps heavily as I brace myself, seeing the fire in their eyes as they prepare to bring all of the pain and force of their magic down on me.

“I’m sorry,” Cassia says, prompting me to look down at her. Instead of a faint white, her eyes flash dark red as she reaches up and places her hands on my temples.

Before I can jerk away from her, my vision glows black, and the weight of my body disappears. All of the strength leaves me, making me collapse onto the grass as the sounds of distant cries echo in my ears. My breathing slows, coldness washing over my body.

Then, everything disappears.