That quiet from before was nothing short of a memory as the distant sounds of commotion could be heard like the rumbling of thunder of an oncoming storm. Mira could only imagine what was occurring.. But she was blind, out in the clearing. She should have been there instead of here. At least the commotion was enough to know that Tetradore was okay, not that she doubted his abilities. He could handle himself. Even while she had to stand in the middle of the clearing and wait. Yet those thoughts were forced from her mind in the face of her immediate danger in the form of Nolan and what she could only deduce were his chosen packmates at the time. Men she didn't recognize when she sized them up from a distance. It would seem that he had a higher turnover rate of people these days or maybe lowered the bar of who he accepted in his ranks. It didn't matter. His business didn't matter to her.. At least not until it involved what was hers. The brunette woman remained where she stood, standing tall despite her climbing heart rate in that clearing, working within that planned space. Her job as bait was effective, not that she doubted it would be. She narrowed her golden eyes which were flecked with embers as those two men wasted no time invading that space within the forest clearing. Something the men heard in the distance seemed to cause Nolan's men to curse. This could have all been avoided if Nolan could have just left her alone. Left her family alone. She stared at Nolan, his face shifting to an angry scowl as he barked his orders to collect her. Like she was just a parcel to tuck under an arm and cart away. Well, he was in for a rude awakening. Mira took several steps back, to put as much distance as she could between them, uttering that word of warning that no one seemed to listen to. Why would they? Nolan stood back at the opposite side where she stood as the two men attempted to flank her from either side. Nolan seemed to weave between the trees just outside the clearing, but his eyes on her were honed on her. He was biding his time for something... or he was playing. She couldn't decide what. She could have run... yet to do so gave them her back and put her at a disadvantage. They knew those woods better than her now. But she could not ignore that anxious prickle at the base of her neck. She did not doubt that she was faster than them, her smaller form made her more agile, and quick on her paws. But she could not outrun her lava.

Her body braced for the assault that would come, trying to work out exactly how she would take on not just one but two much larger men. That thought prodded at the back of her mind. Would Tetradore be back in time? The only fortunate thing was Nolan didn't exactly want her dead at this very moment unless he was out of options, but the other two almost looked excited...In that moment it felt... like the end. It happened too fast.. leaving Mira with little choice but to claim the life of the one that lunged for her first. She was out of options.. And her powers lashed out too quickly to be truly controlled. He was engulfed. The other's eyes widened in horror. "Fuck that, I didn't sign up for this.." He yelped and ran with no one to stop him, She took no pleasure in the killing. All she wanted to do was claim his shoes...

If only she had these powers to protect her when Nolan chased her down in the woods at night like it was sport.. Several women died that night. Some survived only to not make it through their first shift... and there were a few like her left to survive with it all. If only she had a way to defend herself then. It was never easy to claim a life, she knew that and yet.... Going anywhere with them wasn't an option she could allow. She knew she was breaking bait protocol, but she wasn't exactly just bait anymore, was she? Nolan stood back watching the scene, even as one of his men fled and the other was reduced to ashes, her breath came in fast. She had smite a man from existence, and the adrenaline surged, echoing remnants of it through her entire body. The smell of burning flesh was enough to make her stomach churn. She couldn't help that her hands trembled like the rustling trees. She looked to the ash that was once a person.... Before she looked up to Nolan after swallowing her own emotions, her eyes glowing like the lava that flowed hotly within her veins. Now was not the time to think of it. She had no idea what she looked like to cause the alpha to smile.. but it was far from kind. Not that she would expect any less from this man. There was no time to rake through regret to replay what happened. She would have to live with that. She faced the dark eyes of a man who could not be underestimated. She could practically feel his rage simmering just beneath the surface even despite the mask of arrogance he wore. His words impeded upon her as she used those ashes and the incinerated trees to make what was like a wall of a tornado spinning around them in an almost dizzying speed the moment he stepped into that clearing with her. It took more concentration than she realized, her jaw clenched from effort. But he seemed far from worried, that this little display was nothing but that.

"Look what you did Mira. You killed one of mine even though you know the cost to kill one someone of my pack without my order. The other one running will die too, thanks to you. So how many have you killed now, hm? You're so fucked." He even chuckled as if he was only amused by those words. "Amusing to know that you have been holding back on me after all these years..." Mira did not take the bait, even if his words hit where it hurt.. her teeth gritted together. She backed up with every step he stalked toward her, close enough to the cyclone of ember, ash, and electric static that roared behind her. There was so little space and less time.. "Your powers won't work on me by the way but the display... was nice, little wolf. Could use some work though. We can work on that after we work on a few other things first. You'll be mine and nothing will fuck with us." Nolan rapidly shifted before her eyes, into an imposing onyx-black wolf, his clothing shredding from the force of it. " Your delusional.. That is not happening, Nolan, Not in this lifetime, or any others that might follow." Mira ground out, before the sound of his howl pierced the air. Any move she was about to make ceased. For the only reason that she was unable to move! His wolf spirit had left from that disturbing howl, encircling her legs... transparent and binding with an ectoplasm-like substance that climbed ever higher. Unable to get away from him no matter how she struggled against it. She swore even in his wolf form he seemed to smile a split grin twisted grin on a wolf's face, like he already won.

It was clear what he was going to do. She had seen him do it to other wolves too. To break the bond with their packs.. to replace it with his mark. He sought to rip her bond and then pull out her wolf..not by choice.

He lunged toward her, teeth snapping spittle spraying with the violent bear trap maw clacking away as teeth collided. She struggled to pull away, nearly falling onto her ass in the clearing.... She was unable to rip herself from that unyielding hold. Shit.. She cursed again under her breath before she felt it. The feel of whatever sinister force that assaulted her, the moment that shit that held her in place touched her skin. That cyclone of ash and ember ceased in that single moment. The feel of it stole her breath and made her unable to think or focus. Was she going to black out? She could not ignore that feeling, that violation of having something so cherished suddenly stripped away. Her inner wolf roared its turmoil as her powers were rendered useless as she was at that very moment... There was little time to truly feel it as the she-wolf fought for clarity, grounding herself. She could no longer feel them, any of them. Not Tetradore, not the pack. A whimper tore from her lips. No! She barely had a moment to consider what had been done to her as she knew what was going to come next. She had no choice but to wait for that final clash she knew was coming when those teeth found flesh.

Her powers were nullified and she was forced into place. Something was different. Something was wrong. Empty.

That was when an inky shadow bloomed before her. That impending collision she was sure was about to occur never happened and it all stopped with a sickening thud. She nearly choked out a sound of relief when she saw who emerged from those shadows. He was the closest damn thing to a saviour she had ever known. There stood Tetradore in his regal feline grace between them.

Did he feel it? That Nolan had somehow ripped out or blocked that pack bond that once tethered them together? The thought of it caused her stomach to sink when she searched for any small tether she could find. Only it was futile. The clash was brutal in its violence. Blood seeping into the air... Was it Tetradore's?

She could hear Nolan claim that she was his. Not even she could hold back that rumble as her wolf growled within her chest. Like hell she was. But Tetradore remained stoic, almost calm. Nor did he seem concerned with Nolan being a threat at all. Every chance the alpha wolf got, he interjected between Tetradore and her. A fight for her. It was dumb, that Nolan sought to fight for something he never had in the first place. He could have his pick. Someone who might have wanted his advances. He surely had no shortage of women who wanted him. Yet there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Nolan didn't stand a chance against Tetradore. Nolan snarled as if he heard her thoughts.. It was safe to assume that Tetradore's power had been stifled too, even though he showed no obvious signs that something was amiss. Although, he merely looked to the treeline as if someone was there... Mira's golden gaze followed it and saw nothing but the shadows beyond the trees.

A heartbeat later in that split second that Tetradore looked away, Nolan caused the ground to heave before roots pierced through the surface of the damp ground. Shit. The trees didn't seem to move, their presence still like immovable giants but those roots were out for blood. It took little time for them to lift, five to be exact all rising and wasted no time to aim rigidly like sharpened deadly spears, striking in succession toward the black panther that it sought to impale. They struck like cobras, only she knew her boyfriend's reflexes were unparalleled but it was still unnerving to watch and not be able to do anything. They completed the same pattern, one after the other, stab retreat as if learning him, testing him. In the midst of that.. She realized that the thing that kept her still no longer could. She stepped forward until two more vines tore from the damp ground beneath her feet. How did Nolan see her move so fast? As if sensing movement, those vines began weaving rapidly around her body possessively until just in time for one of those other vines to attempt to impale Tetradore's side. She tried to pry from it but it only pulled her back in place, its grip tightening like a boa constrictor.

It was as if Nolan could only focus on one power other than the passive nullifying power at the same time that the wolf spirit seemed to retreat as the other emerged. Well, at least that was a small relief. The roots continued to weave around her until a single tendril wrapped around her neck, it only grew more gently once it knew it had her, such a contrast to the vines that ruthlessly went for her boyfriend. How she wished she had the chance to use her powers on those stupid vines. Oh, how she tried, only to be met with a metaphorical wall she could not break. How easy they would have been to melt away with only an intention and a thought. The more she tried, the more those vines tightened. That very act chiding at her like a child.

The alpha wolf snarled, paws bracing into the soil slightly splayed behind those vines. The ground looked uneven everywhere those roots burst forth and retreated... But the rumbling in the ground below caused the earth to tremble like a small earthquake. Just before those vines then lunged all at once towards Tetradore at an alarming rate. "No!" Mira rasped, worry indenting into her. Waiting for the clash that never happened. It was hard to see from the tangle of vines..

But where was Nolan? He was nowhere to be found.. Those vines were a distraction!

"He ran!" Mira called out to Tetradore who probably already discovered that very thing. Nolan was no longer in that clearing. That could mean one of two things.. He knew he was going to lose, or he was planning something. Without the use of their powers, it gave the alpha wolf the headstart he needed, but it wouldn't be long before those powers returned. At least as long as he wasn't close. But one thing for certain, Nolan would be at an advantage in the dark wooded forest he knew so well.

mira ramos