THIRD PERSON POV:
Bella was shocked at how much strength Hazel possessed. She could sense them coming, but she wasn't sure she would have caught them before they got to her. Hazel tore off the neck of the vampire in her hand, tossing it on the ground.
Then they both turned around to see the vampires had surrounded them.
"They came just in time," Hazel remarked with a smile spreading across her lips. She was eager to try out her new powers.
They were surrounded by almost fifty vampires, but she didn't care.
"Come on!" She beckoned to Bella, and they charged at the vampires.
The vampires closed in like a wave of darkness, and the two friends charged at them. Hazel flexed her fingers, her sharpened nails glinting under the pale moonlight. She grinned as adrenaline flooded her veins. The first vampire lunged at Hazel with their fangs bared, but she moved faster than she thought possible. With a single leap, she was on him, grabbing his head and twisting it with a sickening crack. The vampire crumpled to the ground, and Hazel didn't even blink. Bella ducked under a female vampire's swipe, slashing her claws across their chest. The vampire howled in pain, and before she could make a comeback, Bella spun around and drove her claws into her neck, severing her head.
"Not bad!" Hazel called out, dodging an attack and retaliating with a brutal kick to the chest that sent the vampire flying into a tree. The impact was so forceful that the vampire broke into the tree, and a splinter pierced into his chest, dissolving him into ashes. Bella smirked, wiping the blood off her face. Hazel had become incredibly strong, and that made her happy for a change. She knew it was partly delusion, but she could almost feel the possibilities of them taking on Enzo.
The vampires swarmed them, but Hazel and Bella fought like a well-oiled machine. Hazel grabbed two vampires by their throats and slammed them together with enough force to crush their skulls. Their bodies disintegrated into dust before they even hit the ground.
Bella, on the other hand, tried to fight as much as Hazel. She allowed the anger sitting in her chest to aid her. She was doing it for her mother, Alpha Fred, and Halle. The entire time, her claws were slicing through flesh with ease, and it made her realize she had been holding back to please the vampires, but now that it was established, she was an enemy. There was no going back.
One vampire managed to get behind Hazel and grabbed her by the shoulders, sinking his teeth into her neck. She didn't flinch. Instead, she let out a low growl, reached behind her, and grabbed the vampire's head. With a quick motion, she tore it clean off, tossing it aside like garbage.
"Next," she said, turning back to the remaining vampires.
Fear was embedded in their faces, but they knew they couldn't retreat. If they did, Enzo would still kill them for running away. Bella fought her way to Hazel's side, panting but grinning. "There's still more coming," she said, glancing at the remaining vampires.
"Good," Hazel replied, brushing ash off her arms. "I'm just getting started."
Their strength was unmatchable, but they didn't realize how much time they were wasting. Two vampires rushed her at once, but Hazel moved with inhuman speed. She grabbed one by the arm, using him as a shield to block the other's attack. Then, with a quick swipe, she ripped the first vampire's heart out and slammed it into the second's face before delivering a roundhouse kick that sent him flying.
Bella took on a trio of vampires, and they continued until there was only one vampire left. The vampire hesitated and turned to run, knowing he was outmatched, but Hazel smirked at him, rushing after him. Bella was used to those portals, so she felt it open.
"Hazel, stop!" Bella shouted, her voice laced with urgency.
Hazel froze, inches from the portal. The vampire disappeared into the swirling light without a sound, leaving Hazel standing there with her chest rising and falling. They had been so caught up, and she just realized she had been consumed with bloodlust.
"Where do you think he's-" Hazel began, but before she could finish, an arrow shot out of the portal and struck Hazel square in the chest.
It was so fast that she didn't anticipate it.
Her body buckled from the blow. She staggered back, her eyes wide with shock as she dropped to her knees. Blood blossomed from the wound, and her hand instinctively reached for the arrow. The moment her fingers brushed the shaft, dark magic surged through her veins, making her cry out in pain.
"Hazel!" Bella screamed, and as she rushed to her, the sound of slow, deliberate clapping filled the air.
Bella's head shot up, her eyes narrowing as two figures emerged from the shadows.
There she saw Fae and Sebastian, with Fae clapping, a smirk hanging on her face. She was still as Mabel. "Mabel?" Hazel called out.
"No, Fae!" Bella gritted her teeth, and Fae let out a mocking laugh.
"Well, thank you, Bella," Fae said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The wolf pups put up quite the show. Aren't you impressed?" She questioned, turning to Sebastian.
Sebastian followed her closely with a smirk planted on his face. He had been in hiding for a while, and after his father died, he could no longer trust the wolves, so he went back to Fae.
"You two never fail to entertain me," Fae continued, stopping a few feet away. Her gaze flicked to Hazel, who was barely holding herself upright. "Though, I must admit, you impressed me. But you both are so foolish. You fall for every single thing."
Bella's claws extended as she rose to her feet, positioning herself in front of Hazel.
"You think this is over?" she snarled, her voice filled with rage.
Fae tilted her head, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
"Oh, Bella, sweet, gullible Bella. This is far from over. In fact, it's just getting started."
Bella swallowed hard, her heart thumping in her chest. Deep down, she felt defeated, but she was trying to hold on. She knew the vampires had their ritual material complete.
"While you were busy playing with our first swarm of soldiers, we were getting ready in the den, and the preparation needed for the four hundred werewolves has begun," Fae said, staring into Bella's eyes. "You could have joined the elite team, but you decided to be foolish!" she mocked Bella.
"I was going to die, anyway. Haven't you heard?" Bella asked, and Fae shrugged.
"Not like I care," she said to her, then she let out a yawn. "This war is getting really boring, and I cannot wait for everything to end tonight while the stupid werewolf soldiers are at the border taking care of our troops. You all love to fight and showcase your strength for nothing. No game plan, just a show of power. I am officially a vampire. Very smart population."
"You will not get away with this!" Bella gritted her teeth, and Sebastian laughed.
"Oh, Bella, I think we have done that already."
Bella's stomach dropped when he said this to her. Then she heard something like a stampede.
Vampires were approaching, and they seemed even worse than the ones they had fought off, as their arrival was heavier.
"Even if Fae does this, I do not believe this is you, Sebastian. You have a shot to be a good person," Bella let her delusion take over as she hoped she could get Sebastian on her side. He had lost his feelings for her, so it was nearly impossible.
"News flash, Bella, he no longer loves you, so drop the act," Fae said to her. "Besides, your father killed his. Isn't that something to you?"
"Wait till Ryder finds out his father is dead because of your foolishness."
Ryder was Fae's weakness. On hearing his name, she was lost, giving Bella an opening. Bella struck her down, heading for the stone, and Hazel, who had enough time to heal, drove the arrow out of her chest.
"She is heading for the rock. Stop her, you fool!" Fae yelled at Sebastian, but Bella was fast, reaching the rock and coating it with her blood.
Hazel tried to move, but she realized she was slow, and a vampire captured her at once, causing Fae to laugh loudly.
"Foolish Bella!" she mocked. "No second hybrid, then no hybrid king," she said, and Bella's heart dropped, weakening
her.
She was captured at once, and her heart dropped. The globe glowed frantically, signaling the spell was almost complete, and they needed Hazel's blood.
"There is no one to save you now," she said to Bella.
Sebastian, who stood by the rock, bit his hand at once, letting it drip on the stone, causing everyone's eyes to widen
in shock...