MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 65: Beast!

Chapter 65: Beast!

The night was thick with the scent of damp earth and blood. A low growl rumbled through the darkened forest, a warning, a promise of violence. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on the towering trees as Artemis prowled through the undergrowth, his fur matted, his breathing ragged. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, his transformation glitching, caught between human and beast. The hunger gnawed at him, primal and insatiable.

A rustling in the bushes snapped his head to the side. The girl had wandered too close.

"What... are you?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Her wide eyes locked onto his monstrous form..half-man, half-wolf, a creature of nightmares.

Artemis bared his fangs, saliva dripping onto the forest floor. His hunger surged. She reeked of fear, of vulnerability, of prey.

The girl screamed and bolted.

He lunged.

A powerful force slammed into him mid-air, sending him skidding across the dirt. Archer. His brother’s snarl was familiar, laced with both warning and desperation.

Archer shifted rapidly, his form flickering between human and wolf as he struggled to control the fight. He stood his ground, muscles coiled, his own golden eyes pleading even as he braced for battle.

"Artemis, stop!" Haelyn’s voice rang through the clearing. She was breathless, her hands clenched into fists. "This isn’t you!"

Artemis growled, shaking his head, fighting the pull of her voice. But the darkness inside him was stronger. The hunger demanded blood.

The girl tripped, scrambling to her feet. Artemis lunged again. Archer tackled him, their bodies colliding like titans in a war that had no victor.

Their fight was brutal. Claws raked flesh, teeth snapped inches from vital arteries. Blood spattered against tree trunks as the battle raged. They shifted constantly, their human forms barely holding, their bones cracking with every forced transformation.

Haelyn gasped, stepping forward. "Please, Artemis!"

Artemis hesitated for a fraction of a second. The moment was enough. Archer drove his shoulder into him, knocking him away from the girl. But Artemis was too strong now, too lost.

In an instant, he turned on Archer, pinning him to the ground. His claws gleamed in the moonlight as he raised them for the fatal strike.

"Artemis!" Ravi and Xander crashed through the trees, hurling themselves at him. The impact sent all three tumbling, breaking the deadly grip.

Artemis snarled, his eyes burning with an unnatural fire. He shook them off, his body flickering, glitching between beast and man. With a final inhuman growl, he bolted into the night, vanishing into the depths of the forest.

Xander and Ravi took off after him.

Archer rose shakily, his chest heaving, his arms streaked with claw marks. He turned to Haelyn, about to tell her to stay back...but then he saw her expression.

She was pale, her hands trembling as she clutched her stomach. Then, the unmistakable scent of blood reached his nose.

"Are you okay?" Archer took a step forward, dread curling in his gut.

Haelyn staggered, her breath coming in short gasps. "I... I think I’m bleeding."

Her dress was soaked in crimson.

Her body swayed.

"I don’t feel too good..."

She collapsed.

"Haelyn!" Archer caught her before she hit the ground. His heart pounded against his ribs as he cradled her limp form.

Cerius, Rowena, Seraphis, and Nyx rushed forward, their expressions shifting from battle-hardened focus to raw fear.

"She’s lost too much blood!" Rowena gasped, pressing her hands over the wound. "We need to move, now!"

Archer didn’t hesitate. He lifted Haelyn into his arms and took off toward the village, the others trailing behind him.

The night was far from over.

Artemis was still out there.

And Haelyn’s life was slipping away in his arms.

The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of blood and fury. Artemis was no longer himself..his mind was slipping, drowning beneath the weight of his primal instincts. He tore through the forest, his claws digging into the earth, his breaths coming out in ragged snarls. Everything moved in slow motion to him...every heartbeat, every rustle in the leaves, every scent in the air was an invitation to hunt, to kill.

His golden eyes, now darkened with an unnatural red glow, locked onto the terrified human girl before him. She stumbled back, her breath hitching as she tripped over a root, falling onto the damp earth.

"W-what... what are you?" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper as she stared into the abyss of Artemis’s soulless gaze.

A guttural growl rumbled deep in his chest, saliva dripping from his elongated fangs. His muscles coiled as he prepared to pounce, the primal beast inside him craving the thrill of the hunt.

Then, a sudden force slammed into him from the side, sending him crashing into the trees.

Rowena.

She stood between Artemis and the girl, her stance unwavering despite the sheer force of his impact. Her usually composed face was tense, her golden eyes blazing with determination.

"Artemis, snap out of it!" she shouted, her voice slicing through the chaos.

Artemis roared in response, pushing himself to his feet with unnatural agility. He lunged at her, his claws swiping through the air with deadly precision. Rowena barely dodged, twisting out of the way, her boots skidding against the dirt as she repositioned herself.

"This isn’t you!" she yelled again, trying to reach him beyond the madness. But Artemis was beyond reason now. The beast had taken over.

He attacked again, faster, wilder. Rowena barely had time to counter before his claws grazed her arm, drawing blood. She winced but held her ground, knowing she couldn’t afford to falter.

A blur of movement caught the corner of her eye...Xander and Ravi.

"Rowena, move!" Xander called out as he and Ravi joined the fray, their forms shifting between wolf and human as they tried to restrain Artemis.

Ravi went low, aiming to knock Artemis off his feet, but Artemis anticipated it. He twisted mid-air, catching Ravi in the ribs with a powerful kick that sent him flying back.

"Damn it!" Ravi coughed, clutching his side as he struggled to get back up.

Xander took the opening, tackling Artemis into the ground. The two rolled across the forest floor, dirt and leaves kicking up around them. Xander locked his arms around Artemis’s torso, using sheer brute strength to keep him pinned.

"Hold him!" Rowena ordered, stepping in quickly to press her hand against Artemis’s forehead. A soft glow began to form, her magic attempting to subdue the raging force within him.

But Artemis fought back.

A surge of dark energy pulsed from his body, sending Xander and Rowena flying backward. They hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.

Artemis staggered to his feet, panting heavily. His glowing eyes darted between them, his body trembling with uncontrollable rage and thirst.

Then, a voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"Artemis!"

Seraphis.

She stood at the edge of the clearing, her expression unreadable, but her presence alone was enough to make Artemis hesitate.

The moment of distraction was all they needed.

Rowena sprang into action, using a binding spell to wrap golden tendrils around Artemis’s limbs. Xander and Ravi rushed forward, using their combined strength to hold him in place.

"Seraphis, do it now!" Rowena shouted.

Seraphis moved swiftly, her hands glowing with an eerie silver light. She placed them against Artemis’s temples, her voice a soft whisper of incantations. The energy pulsed, seeping into his mind, forcing the beast within him to settle.

Artemis thrashed, growling in agony, but his movements grew sluggish. His breath hitched, his body convulsing before finally collapsing to the ground.

Silence filled the forest, the weight of the battle settling over them.

Rowena knelt beside Artemis’s unconscious form, her chest rising and falling heavily. "We need to get him back before he wakes up. We might not be able to hold him again."

Xander nodded, still catching his breath. "I’ll carry him. Ravi, help me."

As they lifted Artemis’s limp body, Seraphis glanced toward the direction where the human girl had fled.

"Let’s move. Before anyone else sees what happened."

Without another word, they vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the lingering scent of blood and the echoes of a battle fought in desperation.