Amber immediately jumped off Erick's back and walked around in front of him. Her eyes widened when she saw the changes in him.
The others quickly rushed in front of Erick and was surprised to see what had happened, as well. Fergus, who has the strongest senses among them all, felt that the wolf inside of Erick was reacting to something nearby, which caused this reaction.
It was then he recalled something his Alpha had told him before they left for the Oaks. The latter had warned him that there was part of Erick's soul that was probably trapped somewhere in this forest and that, he, Fergus, needed to be cautious, should there be any danger that may occur.
Even with that warning, Fergus did not expect this kind of reaction.
At that moment, Erick's eyes were bloodshot, shimmering in amber light. His teeth had grown longer vertically downwards into fangs. And his hands had transformed into sharp claws… yes, it was as if Erick was shifting into Dane. His clothes had been torn off as his body continued to grow wider and bulkier.
What worried Fergus and the others was that Dane did not seem humane and conscious. It was as if he had submitted to his wild side as he snarled and growled. When Dane snarled, the others, excluding Fergus, immediately took a few steps back unconsciously.
Soon after, Amber and Hamish wanted to take a step forward towards Dane but were stopped by Fergus, who ordered them to not come closer. He was worried that they might get hurt.
However, just as Fergus was about to say something to Dane, the latter had jumped up and before they could do anything, he had grabbed Amber by the arm and ran off with her.
"SISTER!"
"AMBER!"
-----
Amber winced in pain after Dane had roughly grabbed her by the arm. And then she felt the weight underneath her lightened as she was thrown up into the air. She let out a little shriek of fright, tightly closing her eyes.
She had thought that she was going to die at that moment but soon after, a warm and furry arms enveloped her into an embrace.
She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in Dane's arms as he ran ahead in full speed.
"Dane?" she said softly, peeking at him hesitantly.
Dane just growled softly as he continued to run.
Shortly after, they arrived at what seems like a large clearing, nothing but green grass. However, when Amber finally took a second look around her, she realized that there was a huge tree in the middle of the clearing. Its uprooted roots could be seen protruding above the ground, making it seem like small hills. The leaves growing on its branches were so thick, it spanned out widely up in the sky.
Amber was so in awe with the tree that she did not realize that Dane had gently released her.
She also did not notice that there were several shifters surrounding the tree as if to protect it. But Dane did as he began to snarl angrily at them.
And before Amber could react, Dane was gone from her side. And the next thing she saw was Dane attacking the shifters.
At first, she was worried because Dane was alone and outnumbered. But then again, it seems like she was worried for nothing as she watched him easily defeat all of them.
Amber became flustered, not knowing what to do while Dane continued to fight the shifters. She doesn't know who the shifters were and why Dane was attacking them.
As she looked around her, she just recalled that they were separated from the others. She began to fret, thinking whether Remi was alright or not.
She turned around, thinking that perhaps she could go back and looked for her brother.
But as she looked ahead, she found that she had no idea where Dane had brought them.
Behind her, Dane was still fighting the shifters until a loud shout could be heard over the fight.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Dane managed to kick one of the shifters before turning his displeased look at the intruder interrupting his fight.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the Cairin Alpha walking towards him, followed by his Beta and granddaughter. Apparently, Fergus and the others managed to reach the Oaks since Dane and Amber could see them following behind the three Cairin packmates.
Amber felt extremely relieved when she saw her brother among the entourage. She was about to rush over to him when she saw Dane snarling at the Alpha.
Amber was confused as to why her mate was angered by Isaiah's presence.
Dane growled dangerously under his breath as he studied the expressions of Isaiah. He saw the shocked look on the latter's face before changing his expression. Dane could still see the guilt in the old shifter's eyes.
He knew!
"You--"
Isaiah immediately bowed his head, shocking the shifters around him. "Please, Lycan Prince. Let's talk at my residence."
He waited for Dane's answer, tension could be seen in his posture as he awaits.
When he finally heard the other shifter's agreement, Isaiah let out a breath of relief. He immediately turned to Ezekiel, ordering him to go and make sure things were going smoothly at the festival whereas to Makena, he told her to attend to the injured shifters, who were protecting the tree.
Nearly an hour later, they found themselves inside the Alpha's house, in the receiving room. Dane sat on one sofa, together with Amber, who looked awkward. Probably because Fergus and Roel were standing behind them as if they were the subordinates and Dane was the boss.
Isaiah sat across them, a solemn look on his face.
The atmosphere in the room was so tense and thick, one could cut the air with a knife. Isaiah could sense the fury and killing intent in Dane's eyes as the latter continued to brood in his seat.
Isaiah felt it was fortunate that the Lycan Prince's mate was there with them or he knew that he would probably breathe his last breath at that time.
"So, tell me… how did part of my soul become the lifeline of that damned tree?" Dane barked.