Chapter 154

[ 1,189 words ]

Zion

71

The roar ripped out of me before I even knew it had left my chest. Theo went down, my Beta, my brother in all but blood, sprawled in the dirt with a witch’s fire still crackling across his ribs. He had been fearless, unyielding, but even steel bends when struck too

many times. I felt him falter, and my own wolf staggered inside me. Just a moment. Just one breath of weakness. And that was all it took. Light slammed into me from three

sides at once, jagged bolts of red and white that cracked bone and sent me to one knee. My black wolf buckled, teeth snapping at empty air as the force drove me into the mud. The witches saw it, my hesitation, and they pounced. Their chants rose like knives

scraping stone, the ground itself trembling with their call. I forced my head up, vision

blurring through blood and smoke. Around me, the battlefield churned, Lycan giants

tearing through ranks, wolves snapping bone, men screaming as fire and frost tore

across the field. Envy lay still in the centre of it all, Felix bound to her, his life bleeding

into her with every breath. The Alpha Kings were holding the line, their power shaking

the air, but even they couldn’t block every strike.

Theo’s body lay yards away, too still. My Beta. My anchor. The one who’d kept me from

breaking more times than I could count. Fury rose, a tidal wave in my chest, drowning out the pain. My wolf howled inside me, snapping the chains of weakness. “ Up. Fight. For

him. ”

I surged back to my feet. Magic seared across my flank, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I

barreled into the nearest witch, jaws clamping down on her arm. Bone snapped like dry wood. She screamed, but the sound was lost in the storm of my rage. I shook her once,

twice, until she crumpled into a heap.

“Zion!” someone shouted, but I barely heard. My eyes were on Theo. His chest rose shallow, too shallow, but it moved. Alive. He was still alive. That was enough. I planted myself over him, hackles raised, teeth bared at the witches circling.

Bolts of light rained down, striking the earth around us, but I stood unmoving. Even if the sky itself fell, I’d stand between Theo and death…and death, I think it’s coming,

soon.

1/3

9:25 Sun, Sep 7 B…

Chapter 155

Aleisha

71

We were meant to see them coming. Meant to be the eyes in the dark. But they covered themselves, no sound, no scent, no warning. And now chaos tore the clearing apart. Wolves clashing. Magic burning the sky. Envy writhing on the ground, her body buckling with the shift that could kill her and her pup. Tommy shifted first, his wolf leaping forward. I was right behind him, my bones breaking into fury and fur. My eyes locked on her, the girl who was my anchor, my friend, my Luna, and I swore I’d make it to her. We made it no more than five steps before the world caved in. A blast of raw magic slammed into Tommy’s side. The sound that left his wolf cracked my chest in half. He careened into me, the force so hard it knocked us both off our feet. We tumbled into the dirt, tangled, the breath ripped clean out of me. By the time I forced my head up, he wasn’t moving. His chest rose, shallow but there. His eyes closed. His wolf whimpered low in his throat. No, no, no, I thought, my own wolf keening inside me. I nudged him, frantic, nosing under his jaw, desperate to feel him answer. A shadow fell over us. I dragged my eyes up and there he was, a warlock, tall, and hands raised high. Magic pulsed between his fingers like a living blade. He smiled like he’d already cut us down. I didn’t think. Didn’t weigh choices. I threw myself over Tommy’s body, pressing every inch of my wolf against him, covering as much as I could. His warmth soaked into me, my heart hammering against his chest as if I could lend him its rhythm. Please, I prayed, though I didn’t know who to. The Moon. The Mother. The dead. Anyone. Not him. Take me instead,

but not him.

I shut my eyes, bracing for the strike, for the burn of magic tearing through us both. My wolf growled low, a final vow. If the warlock wanted him, he would have to go through me first.

Felix

I hold on to her with everything I have left. My fingers are locked around hers, though the strength in them trembles. Each time another piece of my life force is pulled from me, I feel it, like threads snapping inside my chest, unraveling what little time I still have. But I do not let go. Around us, chaos reigns. Our people are falling like trees in a storm. I see her mother–in–law already down, her body limp, Charles‘ wolf standing bloody and broken over her, taking blow after blow just to keep her breathing. My gaze drifts further, and I find Aleisha. My heart clenches. She has thrown herself across her mate’s body, small wolf frame spread wide to protect him, even as witches close in. She

2/3

9:25 Sun, Sep 7 G…

Chapter 155

looks so much like her mother in that moment. Sacrifice runs through this family like blood.

71

Then the sound that tears my soul in two. My boy. Theo. His body crumpled under a strike, the weight of him hitting the ground. For one terrible heartbeat, I nearly tear free from Envy’s hands to reach him. My chest caves with grief, but then I see Zion’s wolf planting himself over Theo’s fallen body, roaring his defiance at death itself. Zion takes the blows that were meant to end my son. I can’t tell if Theo is alive. I pray. And if he isn’t, then I know we will meet again in the afterlife. Envy’s mates are no better off. They are scattered across the field, each one fighting with everything in them, but I see the toll it takes. Their bodies buckle under every spell, their teeth and claws flashing but never fast enough. One by one, they are driven back, dragged farther away from her, until they can no longer shield her. The Alpha Kings, are now held high in the air like puppets, their Lycan forms suspended, their massive bodies straining and writhing. Below them, covens of witches chant in unison. They are rendered useless, powerless, their strength caged.

Which leaves only me. The battlefield narrows until it’s just her and me, her body convulsing, bones cracking as the shift tears through her. She is helpless. The child is helpless. And I…I am her last defense. Then it comes. The strike that sears through me so hard it feels like my very blood ignites. Fire courses through my veins, my body arches, jerks, and then collapses, my head hitting dirt I don’t even feel. Darkness rushes in. The last thing I see is her, my little warrior, screaming, her body torn between worlds.

The last thing I think is that I have failed her. Again.

Chapter Comments

31

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.