Chapter 10 A Mother's Roar

The feral creatures were a nightmare made real. Smaller than Lucien in his shifted form, but with a viciousness that belied their size. Their glowing red eyes fixated on Elara and Goldie, their snarls echoing in the confined passage, a chorus of hunger.

Lucien moved with a speed that belied his injuries. A blur of dark fur and snapping teeth, he met the first wave of the attack head-on. He was a whirlwind of primal fury, his golden eyes blazing with a protective rage. The air filled with the sickening sounds of snapping bones and desperate yelps.

But there were too many of them. They swarmed him, their smaller size allowing them to dart in and out of his reach. One managed to nip at his flank, drawing a low growl of pain.

Elara clutched Goldie tightly, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt utterly helpless, a fragile human caught in the middle of a supernatural feeding frenzy.

Then, something primal stirred within her. A fierce, protective instinct for her child that eclipsed her fear. This tiny being, a part of her, was in danger. And she would do anything to protect it.

Ignoring the trembling in her limbs, Elara scrabbled for anything she could use as a weapon. Her hand closed around a jagged piece of rock, dislodged from the tunnel wall. It was small, insignificant, but it was all she had.

As a feral creature lunged towards her, its red eyes gleaming with hunger, Elara screamed. It wasn't a scream of terror, but a raw, guttural roar that surprised even herself. And with all her might, she swung the rock, connecting with the creature's skull with a sickening crunch.

The feral creature yelped and fell back, stunned. Its glowing red eyes flickered, then went dark.

Lucien, momentarily taken aback by Elara's unexpected defense, redoubled his efforts. He used the brief respite to his advantage, tearing through the remaining ferals with brutal efficiency. Silver streaks of moonlight, filtering through cracks in the tunnel ceiling, glinted off his snapping teeth.

Within moments, the passage was littered with the twitching forms of the defeated creatures. The air hung heavy with the stench of blood and the low growl of Lucien's exertion.

He turned to Elara, his golden eyes narrowed, a mixture of surprise and something akin to respect in their depths.

"You... you fought," he rumbled, his voice still rough.

Elara's chest heaved. Her arms trembled, and the rock felt heavy in her hand. "He's my son," she said, her voice hoarse but firm. "You hurt him, you hurt me."

Lucien's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Goldie, who had remained surprisingly quiet throughout the chaos, his golden eyes wide and observing.

"They will be drawn by the scent of their fallen," Lucien said, shaking his massive head. "We cannot stay here."

He led the way deeper into the mine, the passage narrowing and descending sharply. The air grew colder, and the silence returned, heavy and expectant.

They eventually reached a large cavern, the floor strewn with rusted mining tools and the skeletal remains of carts. A narrow shaft descended further into the darkness.

Lucien hesitated at the edge of the shaft, sniffing the air cautiously. "This leads to the lower levels. It's treacherous, but it's the only way to lose their trail."

He looked back at Elara, his golden eyes filled with a newfound understanding. She was no helpless human. She was a mother, fierce and protective.

Without a word, he carefully descended into the shaft, his powerful limbs finding purchase on the crumbling rock. He looked back up at Elara.

"Can you manage?" he rumbled, his voice echoing in the cavern.

Elara looked down at the seemingly bottomless pit, then at Goldie nestled securely in her arms. Fear gnawed at her, but the image of the feral creatures' glowing red eyes spurred her on.

"We have to," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

With Lucien guiding her from below, his massive form a reassuring presence in the darkness, Elara began her perilous descent into the unknown depths of the mine, a mother and her half-werewolf protector venturing further into the heart of the earth, their unlikely bond forged in blood and fear, their future shrouded in the echoing silence of the abyss.