Ch. 276..280: Alpha King’s Lost Luna Chapter 276-280
Chapter 276
Vern
As we crossed the banquet hall and headed toward the entrance, I caught sight of Asher, who stood on the other side of the room. His eyes were on Kaleb and me, and I watched his lips draw into a thin line. His stare was sharp, but thanks to the distance and his disguise, Kaleb didn’t notice him. He seemed too lost in the daze of his drunkenness, and I thanked the Moon Goddess for this. The less aware Kaleb was, the easier the plan would go.
The king of Yur ene brought me to a small meeting room at the other end of the corridor. He closed the door behind us and then led me over to the couch on the far side of the room. He slumped down and then patted the cus hion beside him.
“Sit beside me,” he requested.
Though I didn’t want to, I did as he asked, and once I was there, Kaleb’s eyes trailed over me.
“You look really pretty tonight,” he complimented me with an earnest smile.
I didn’t know what to say, so I simply smiled back. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but something was going on here. My entire body tensed up and my stomach twisted into knots.
Kaleb didn’t seem by my lack of response.
“How do you feel about the wedding?” he asked. “Do you like all the noise? Would you like it if our wedding was just as splendid?”
He babbled at a rapid pace and my unease grew stronger. I didn’t understand what was going on and I had a really bad feeling about this interaction.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, Kaleb suddenly leaned over and narrowed the space between us. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and before I could get away, he cornered me using his muscular arms.
My breath caught in my throat and I began to tremble as I pressed my back tightly against the couch. I tried shoving myself back as far as possible, but it was no use. He was still too close to me. His nose nearly brushed mine and his breath was hot against my face.
“Did you ever like me?” he asked shakily. “Before I confessed honestly to you about what I had done… before I made myself a bad guy. Did you ever like me,
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Cas sandra?”
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I didn’t know his intentions or why he had decided to ask me in this way. The question was strange, hilarious even, if he really meant it. Given the circumstances of our meeting, were genuine feelings
d him even in the realm of possibilities? Had he deluded himself into thinking that I could ever like someone
like him, someone so deeply broad failed by this terrible country,
someone so inherently violent that he had plotted revenge against Wegalla?
Even if Asher hadn’t been the love of my life, how could I ever care for someone like that?
Before I could even part my lips to utter a word, Kaleb’s gaze shifted to my lips, as if he intended to breach the distance between us even further and kiss me. Panic swelled within me, and as my body trembled further, I felt the sudden urge to push him away. I was mere seconds away from doing so when Kaleb suddenly retreated back.
A cruel but almost defeated laugh escaped him.
“It seems like I have my answer,” he remarked. I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or not.
Kaleb then rose from the couch and ran his hand over his long hair, smoothing it down again.
“Wait here for a moment, Cas sandra,” he said as he avoided my gaze. “I have something to show you.”
Before I could protest or ask for clarification, Kaleb turned and left the room, closing the door behind him tightly. Agitation filled my mind and I leaned back into the couch and let out a heavy sigh.
What was going on?
Why had he decided to do all that and what did he want to show me? I wasn’t sure if he’d found anything suspicious and wondered if he’d seen Asher after all.
The minutes passed by slowly and Kaleb didn’t return.
I waited ten minutes before I went toward the door, but when I tried to open it, it was locked from the outside. I tugged as hard as I could, but it was no use.
My heart began to race as I tried to pry it open and then I realized it was a trap. Kaleb had locked me in the room deliberately, but why?
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I started yelling.
“Help!” I cried, and when I received no answer, I called out again. I wanted to know if anyone was there, but all I could hear was faint noises from the hall. The banquet hall was likely too loud to carry my voice.
I ran toward the window quickly, and unfortunately, it was locked as well. The glass was too thick to be breakable, and after I realized there were no tools i could use to escape, I sank to the ground in defeat.
No matter what Kaleb wanted, I knew I couldn’t stay here. I needed to get out.
I stood up and removed my shoes. I struck the window as hard as I could with my heel, but there was no use. I screamed for help, wishing someone would be on the other side. But no one was there.
I was locked in this room alone.
Bad memories flooded in at once. The last time I had been locked in a room alone, I nearly died. I remembered the desperate feeling, the smell of my burning flesh…
A chill ran through me and I wrapped my arms around myself tightly.
As tears streamed down my face, the memories began to consume me, and for a moment, I swore I could smell smoke. At first, I thought I was deluded, but then, the smell grew stronger. Something was on fire.
When I turned around, I saw fire. The couch was ablaze, and before I knew it, the curtains went up in flames too.
Before I knew it, fire engulfed the room.
I started to scream, but I couldn’t move. I was so scared that my limbs had stiffened. My fear was so strong that I couldn’t think straight. As the smoke filled my lungs, I thought that this was it.
I was going to die,
I had been lucky five years ago, but not this time.
My skin began to feel like it was burning, but I forced myself not to look at it. Everything started to grow blurry. All I could hear were the crac ks of the burning furniture around me.
No one was going to save me. No one was going to notice me until my body was nothing more than ashes.
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But suddenly, I heard someone calling my name. First, they were calling for Cas sandra, and then Cora. And then there was a bumping against the door.
Was it Asher?
I wanted to answer him, but the smoke was too heavy. Even the act of opening my mouth was impossible.
With a loud thump, Asher suddenly broke in and rushed to my side. He pulled me into his arms.
“Are you alright?” he asked, and when I nodded, he gave me a bit of soaked cloth and told me that we needed to leave.
Was this all a dream?
I pressed the soaked cloth against my mouth and followed Asher anyway. We left the room, but the outside was no better. Everything was on fire. I scanned the corridor, but all I could see was flames and all I could hear was screaming.
It was like a living hell.
“Where are Finni ck and Erika?” I cried out to Asher as my heart plummeted in my chest.
“I didn’t see them,” he replied.
“They should be in the banquet hall,” I said. “We need to find them.”
We ran down the hall, but the moment we did, I nearly retched in shock.
The gates were all locked up. Guests were trapped in the hall, waiting for their death. Smoke and flames twisted everywhere, and as the screams filled my ears, I kept searching for Finni ck.
“Finn ick!” I called out in hopes of finding him, but it was no use.
Ronald and Helene were standing near one of the doors. Some men were bumping against the large door, trying to break it. Ronald looked horrified while Helene seemed crazily happy. She laughed as she grasped her fia n ce’s shoulders and said something to him. But he ignored her as if she were invisible and continued to stare at the gate.
I rushed over to them./
“Have you seen Finn ick and Erika?” I demanded. “A little boy and a middle-aged
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woman? Have you seen them?”
Helene appeared frantic when she saw me.
“It’s doomsday!” she cried as she grabbed my wrist. “No one will be able to escape. I want you to stay with me and enjoy this beautiful sight.”
The ceiling started to fall, but I didn’t notice until Asher ran over and pushed me aside. The moment I fell to the ground, Asher was engulfed by fire and a scream
escaped me.
Chapter 277
The horrible sight before my eyes was the worst nightmare I’d ever seen, yet no matter how hard I pinched myself, it wasn’t going away.
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As the fire covered Asher’s body, his skin began to peel down. Soon, the black burnt skin became ashes, and then the ashes disappeared entirely and blew down the corridor.
“No!” I screamed out of anger and sorrow. “No, no, no!”
My lungs ached as I cried out, but I couldn’t stop. Tears spilled down my face like a river, and my vision started to break out with spots as I shook.
No one was going to take Asher away from me.
This couldn’t be happening.
My skin began to burn again, and I realized the flames were engulfing me as well, but I didn’t care. There was nothing I could see but fire, endless, unstoppable fire. The screams and cries soon faded away, and as the flames danced around me, I realized that Ronald, Helene, and the other guests were gone too.
But somehow, despite my trauma and all that I’d endured at the hands of fire, my fear disappeared.
Without Asher, there was no point in going on. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I would accept my demise knowing that I did all I could in this lifetime.
But just as I resolved to close my eyes and accept my unavoidable and imminent death, a figure became clear in the inferno. They were standing not too far away from me, and when they walked forward, their features became more clear.
It was Emmett Keller.
“You’re finally here,” he remarked as the flames flicked around us. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long?
“Waiting for me?” I blurted out before I even had the chance to understand what was happening. “Why were you waiting for me, Emmett?”
His eyes remained fixed on mine and then he smiled calmly at me.
“I owe you an explanation,” he said.
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“What explanation?” I wondered as my eyebrows creased together. “Emmett, what’s happening?”
“I’ll tell you everything,” he assured me as my mind began to panic. “I just need you to come here.”
I glanced around us at the fire that was still blazing on and hesitated for a second before I complied. Once I was close enough, Emmett caught my hand, and suddenly, the burning sensation that had consumed my body vanished, and moments later, the flames vanished as well.
Once the fire was gone, I realized our surroundings had changed, and we were back in our home in Wild Crawler. Our house looked exactly the same as it had in the old days when Emmett and I were married.
“Is this… an illusion?” I wondered as I stared around.
“You can call it an illusion,” Emmett replied, and when I turned to face him, I realized he was wearing the usual flannel shirt and jeans combination he used to wear. “Or you can call it the trick of a sorcerer.”
“But you’re dead,” I pointed out. “How can you play tricks now?”
“I may be dead, but a sorcerer can do a lot of things,” he said, and then he gestured toward the kitchen table. “Why don’t you sit down?”
I was baffled but couldn’t allow myself to sit at the same table we’d shared dinner at for so many years.
“I… I can’t,” I said. “I don’t have time, Emmett. I have to save Asher and look for Finnick-”
“Asher and Finnick are alright,” Emmett interrupted me gently, but I shook my head.
“How can you be sure?” I asked suspiciously as I eyed the front door. “How do you know they’re okay, Emmett?”
“I know quite a few things,” he said vaguely, and then he gestured to the table again. “I’ll explain them all to you.”
I stared at him suspiciously. None of this made sense.
“You won’t be able to get back to them anyway if I don’t allow it,” Emmett sighed. “Come now, take a seat and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
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I frowned but complied anyway. I sat down and glared at Emmett as I settled into my usual chair at the head of the table.
“This will be our last talk,” Emmett remarked after a moment of hesitation. “I thought it would be a bit more friendly-”
“How dare you say that after what you did,” I cut him off angrily.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said calmly. “Things weren’t always under control. I’m sorry for that.”
“You took my wolf soul from me,” I reminded him angrily. “And now you think a simple apology will make up for it-”
“I understand your anger,
but I’m not sorry for what I did,” Emmett interrupted me sharply. “I’m sorry that I overestimated myself and my ability.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded as I stared at him in confusion.
My former husband sighed and then spoke.
“Everything started with Asher’s father,” he explained. “Or more precisely, with his regret about his wife’s death.”
“The old queen?” I wondered.
Emmett nodded. “That’s the reason why the king started to search for sorcerers in the first place. He wanted to bring Selene Collins back to life.”
I blinked at him in surprise.
“After searching for a long time, he finally noticed Dark Abyss,” Emmett continued. “He made an agreement with my father, the greatest sorcerer at the time. My father was going to help him bring back Selene’s soul and the old king would reinstate sorcerers and rebuild the academy.”
“Ewonmiams,” I muttered, and Emmett nodded.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Unfortunately, my father’s research didn’t go very well. He found out that if one wanted to bring back someone’s soul, they needed to find a vessel who shared the person’s blood.”
“And the vessel was Asher,” I realized.
Emmett nodded again. “My father had been too confident and too eager. He
wanted to revive the name of sorcerers and restore them to their former glory. But
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after the king had his son take the concoction, my father realized he had failed. He couldn’t link Asher to Selene’s soul. At the same time, he discovered something new. He realized he was able to control the little boy’s behavior at his will.”
“Asher’s,” I mumbled as I began to absorb this new information.
“My father was afraid that the king would be angry and decide to kill us,” Emmett continued. “So he had a horrible idea. Could he use Asher to kill the king?”
My jaw dropped.
Had he really just said that?
“Why would he think that?” I demanded.
“If the king was dead, we would not only be safe but Ewonmiams could be restored,” Emmett replied calmly. “So, he conspired with the Beta, Oliver Moses. However, Oliver was never a good ally. He saw the potential of sorcery and wanted my father to manufacture an army for him. Their secret alliance was noticed by Darrin Felix.”
At the mention of my father’s name, I felt a tightness in my heart.
“Darrin Felix was a man of righteousness,” Emmett continued. “He had grown up with the belief that sorcery was evil and terrible. He urged the king to capture and execute my father.”
He paused and his eyes softened.
“I believe you’ve already heard the rest of the story,” he said. “My father escaped and the king hunted him down. My father had to ask for help from Yurene’s king, Kaleb’s father. Kaleb’s father was more sophisticated and regal. He made my father believe that Yurene would provide safety and protection for our family. But it turned out that he wasn’t a good man either. So, my father coaxed him to drink that concoction.”
As the puzzle pieces began to fit together, I shook my head slowly and then frowned.
“If that’s true, Asher would have died long ago,” I pointed out. “Why had Kaleb’s father deteriorated so quickly and Asher hadn’t?”
Chapter 278
Though there was still so much doubt in my heart and mind about this entire situation, Emmett seemed to have an explanation for everything.
“It’s true that Kaleb’s father’s condition worsened quickly, but he wouldn’t have died so early if Kaleb hadn’t been the one to end his life,” he said. “As for Asher, it’s because he’d been trying to control his condition for all these years.”
I sat there for a second and then my frown deepened even further.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted as my eyebrows creased together. “What do you mean, Emmett?”
“People who drink the concoction gradually lose their own minds,” Emmett explained. “Over time, they become nothing more than mere puppets for their master. A vessel without their own souls. My father had felt sorry for Asher. He thought it was evil and unforgivable to use an innocent young boy like that. So, before his death, my father asked me to try my best to cure Asher.”
I blinked back at him in surprise. Emmett had tried to cure Asher? When had this happened?
“How?” I asked. “And when?”
“I did my best to get Asher’s condition under control,” Emmett continued on as if I hadn’t interrupted him. “Every year, I would disguise myself as one of the royal healers and give him medicine I’d crafted to help.”
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That’s why you left Wild Crawler for a while every year,” I said, and then I frowned. “But you were meeting with Kaleb…”
“Things were complicated,” he sighed as he shook his head slowly. “And they only grew more complicated as the years went by. Kaleb somehow discovered the truth behind the concoction and tracked me down. He wanted me to help him just as his father had ordered around/mine.”
He paused for a moment and his lips drew into a thin line. “I knew I was going to die by his hand one day. Kaleb was more uncontrollable than his father and far more volatile.”
“Was Kaleb the one who killed you?” I wondered as I met his gaze. Sadness bloomed within me at the thought. While Emmett and I hadn’t shared a
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traditional marriage, he had still been my friend for all of those years, and it saddened me to think that the king of Yurene had taken his life.
“Kaleb had threatened to kill me, but he didn’t follow through,” Emmett sighed. “I killed myself before he had the chance to do so. I burned myself alive so Kaleb wouldn’t be able to use my body for further research after my death.”
My voice caught in my throat as my eyes welled up. This was far more intense of a conversation than I’d expected, and while I was relieved that Kaleb hadn’t killed- him, it was still a brutal death. Despite everything, Emmett hadn’t deserved an end like that.
Silence lingered between us for a while as I searched for the right thing to say, and after a while, tightness gripped my chest. I had a question, but I didn’t want to ask it. It was too hard and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer. But Emmett himself had said this would be our last conversation. If I didn’t ask it now, I’d never
know the truth.
“Is Asher’s disease incurable?” I uttered once I found the courage to do so.
Much to my surprise, Emmett shook his head. “On the contrary. I’ve already found out what can save him.”
I gasped lightly as my heart raced in my chest. “What is it?”
Emmett studied me carefully. “I hadn’t figured it out until I met you. After I’d saved you from the inferno and realized you were Asher’s fated mate, I discovered something. If I wanted to cure Asher and stop his soul from diminishing, I needed to find someone who shared part of his soul or a bond with it. For most people, it’s impossible, because they don’t have a fated mate. For normal pairs, their wolf souls exist alone, and the mate claim doesn’t truly bind them together. But for fated mates, their wolf souls are entwined with each other’s since birth.”
My lips parted as I realized the truth. “You mean Asher could be saved if we claim each other?”
Emmett nodded, and while I should have been overjoyed by this revelation, all I felt was anger. It burned deeply within me and before I could stop, I shouted at him.
“If you knew this, why would you take my wolf soul from my body?” I demanded as my hands curled into fists. “Why hadn’t you told me all of this before? Everything would have been sorted out long ago if you’d told me-‘
Emmett shook his head. “Not everything. I’m not a selfless man. It’s true that if I’d
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told you all of those things, all of your problems would have disappeared… but not mine. I didn’t care if I died, but I didn’t want the great sorcery I’d taken from my father to disappear from this world.”
“Sorcery caused centuries worth of problems,” I pointed out as I began to lose my temper. “And you still wanted to preserve them? I don’t understand at all, Emmett.”
“You might not understand, but a sorcerer is always proud of his abilities,” he said quietly. “Besides, it isn’t sorcery that caused trouble. There is no such thing as evil magic. Only evil intentions.”
His eyes locked on mine and a chill ran down my spine. There was something more, something he hadn’t told me yet, and I wasn’t too keen on finding out what it was. This was unbelievable. He had kept such big secrets from me, and they were stacking higher and higher by the moment. I didn’t want to be here in this kitchen with him, but I knew there was more and I needed to find out what he wasn’t saying.
“What did you want from me then?” I asked as evenly as I could manage.
Emmett let out a small breath. “When I took your wolf soul, I realized I could combine part of my soul with yours.”
My eyes widened and my heart dropped. “What?”
He nodded, his expression solemn. “I realized I could do it and then actually made it happen. In doing so, I sealed my abilities as a sorcerer within that bit of my soul. I combined with yours. I wasn’t able to use magic after that-”
“Crazy bastard,” I growled at him. It took all of my restraint to keep from jumping over the table and launching myself at him. I felt violated in every sense of the word. Part of Emmett’s soul was within me? This was too much to process.
“You’re right,” he said, and then his lips curled into a smirk. “But I would like you to consider it a gift.”
“A gift?” I repeated back angrily, and this time, I jumped up from my seat and lunged at Emmett. I wanted to grab his throat, but I couldn’t do it because suddenly, Emmett wasn’t tangible.
Much to my surprise, I noticed my body had changed. Snow white fur had grown over my hands and my nails had sharpened into claws. But somehow, I knew it was more than just my body. There was a wildness within me, a primal feeling I hadn’t felt in years.
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Emmett smiled at me. “It’s time to say goodbye now. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain this to you sooner. I believe you’ll be better than me at using these abilities.”
The house around us started to disappear and flames began to engulf everything. Emmett’s figure became fainter and fainter.
“Goodbye,” he said before he disappeared, and seconds later, I was back in the burning banquet hall.
Chapter 279KALEB
The whole main building was on fire.
watched it burn from a distance, admiring the plumes of smoke as they rose high into the air. It was a gorgeous sight, though dark given the circumstances. Thankfully, I couldn’t hear the screams and cries within because the tightly shut windows and doors had blocked them. As I stared at the building, I wondered if this was what those people felt when they locked my siblings and me in the dungeon, leaving us to our demise.
Had they stood outside the doors, wondering who would be the victor and who would meet a violent death at the hands of their family members? Had they felt satisfaction at the idea of us fighting one another?
All of my enemies, as well as those with the potential to be my enemies, were there in that burning building, but I couldn’t feel even a tiny bit of happiness at the sight. Nor did I feel regret or horror.
I felt absolutely nothing at all.
Those who had stood loyal to my side of the conflict had been evacuated out of the building and stood beside me, watching the structure burn with expressions of wonderment. Some were excited, like Raven. The young, dark-haired sorceress had been excited from the moment I’d revealed my plan to her.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she remarked, her bluish-green eyes enormous as they stared ahead. “It’s even more incredible than I’d imagined it would be, Kaleb.”
As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t call her crazy this time, because I was just as insane as her.
Raven had said there would never be a more perfect opportunity or idea to provoke Cassandra’s wolf spirit. She believed that the inferno and the burning were the keys Emmett Keller had used to seal Cassandra’s wolf. It was genius, really, to use her fear and trauma to lock away that vital key to her shifting, but we hadn’t known how to get it out of her. It wasn’t every day that one came across an opportunity for a fire big enough to elicit such a fear response, but this one had presented itself at the right moment.
When else would so many people gather in Vlokwell?
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Rain fell steadily from the sky, yet the fire didn’t cease. I wasn’t sure what kind of sorcery Raven had used on the building, but the fire had been so precisely controlled that it hadn’t spread beyond the intended point, nor was it ending until she said so.
“It’s like an oven,” she had said.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and Cassandra hadn’t escaped yet. Her small son and her maid were crying beside Raven, their faces filled with fear and shock as they stared at the building. The maid managed to keep herself steady, but Finnick’s chest wracked with s obs and his cries filled the air around us. It was heartbreaking to hear, but this was a necessary task. I couldn’t put an end to it simply because a child was crying.
Despite my indifference, Raven crouched down beside him and rubbed his back.
“Your mother will be just fine,” she assured the little boy repeatedly, but the more times she said it, the more horrified Finnick looked.
There came a point where I couldn’t look at him any longer. The child was a distraction. I couldn’t let his sorrow and pain affect me, not when I needed to stay so focused. My only worry was the sorcery that Emmett had hidden within Cassandra. There had been no conceivable way of extracting it, so we had come up with this plan. My mind swam with a million thoughts, but I forced myself to concentrate on the task at hand.
The smell of smoke soon became suffocating, and I loosened the tie around my neck. It was excruciating, and my throat began to ache the more of it I inhaled. Behind me, the voices of those loyal to me began to make comments about the acrid smell around us, and as they coughed, I knew it was time to call it.
“It’s time to get her out,” I remarked. If Cassandra died, our efforts would be in vain. We would have done all of this for nothing.
I raised my hand at the soldiers in special protective suits beyond us awaiting instructions, but before I could utter a word, Raven stood up and shook her head
“Not yet,” she insisted, but as soon as she finished her sentence, a loud growl escaped the building. It was an intense sound, so clear and strong that the air around us felt as if it had vibrated. The hairs on the back of my neck raised I straightened in place.
up
and
Before any of us could properly react, the intensity of the fire decreased all of a sudden. Mere moments later, it was quickly smothered.
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eyes e
and angry as they stared
“What happened?” Raven shouted, her ahead of us. She frowned deeply and raised both hands high in the air. The veins at her temples tensed as she strained, but no matter how she tried, nothing happened. All of her attempts at magic failed, and with every try, her agitation
grew.
Another growl rang out and was quickly followed by a heavy thud. The front doors of the building flew open, and thick smoke billowed out onto the grounds. Among the thick trails of smoke was a gray wolf.
My eyebrows knitted together as I stared in confusion, and as I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t gray, but white. It had only looked gray because of the smoke, but its fur was actually snow white.
A white wolf.
That was a rare color to see indeed. White werewolves were exclusively female and usually highborn. It was a fur color reserved for royalty and nobility, and I had never seen a wolf that shade in person.
Guests who had been trapped within the building followed the wolf, coughing as they stumbled out.
The white wolf crawled closer toward Raven and me, its body lowered and its eyes
red as rubies.
Everyone around me froze, unsure of how to react.
With another growl, the wolf lept into the sky and launched an attack at me. I was swift enough to avoid its sharp claws, but Raven wasn’t. The young sorceress’ was ripped open, the deep wound instantly oozing rivers of blood.
I inhaled sharply.
Raven had put that arm on Finnick’s shoulder.
arm
The crowd drew backward in the chaos, and I half expected the boy to burst into tears, but instead, he widened his slate-gray eyes at the wolf and ran toward it.
“Mommy!” he cried out, and the wolf lowered her head, letting Finnick place a kiss on her cheek.
It was Cassandra?
Did that mean Raven’s plan had succeeded?
Moments later, the wolf raised its snow-white head and stared at me. Then, it bared its pearl white teeth and road at me angrily.
arrows, but
The soldiers realized what happened and started to attack the wolf without instruction. They sprang into action and tried using their guns and arrows, nothing seemed to hurt the wolf, because the bullets and the arrows changed directions right before they could make contact with its body.
I inhaled deeply and knew the cause at once.
The soldiers began to reload, but I held my hand up and stopped them. They took a step back obediently, and once they were a safe distance away, I shifted into my wolf form. I hadn’t taken this shape since I’d won the battle in the dungeon, and it felt good to be back in it.
Once I was a wolf, the soldiers changed forms as well, and Cassandra pressed closer.
As she advanced, a strange feeling formed in my belly.
Would I win this time?
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Chapter 280
CAS SANDRA It had been five years since I’d been in my wolf form. It was strange, this feeling of pure, primal instinct, and yet it was still so familiar. I thought I would forget how to run and how to fight, but on the contrary, I remembered them quite well. The muscle memories, along with the fighting skills my father Darrin and my brother Ector had once taught me were still so clear in my mind. As my claws dug into the damp earth beneath me, a shiver ran down my spine. I could feel the power flowing through me, electric and tense. It was exhilarating but admittedly a little scary since I wasn’t used to this sensation. I lowered my head and growled, glaring at the wolves circling me. Kaleb’s guards, no doubt, each ready to take me on. I attempted to count them all but soon lost track. Of course, I didn’t care all that much about how many adversaries stood against me. My wolf instincts had kicked in and taken control of my very being. These wolves could try to fight against me all they wanted. They would pay dearly for that mistake, likely with their lives. As strange as it was to admit, I yearned for a good fight. The power that Emmett had left in my body made me feel capable and strong. I had never learned how to wield magic, and yet, when I’d left the main building, all I’d had to do was think about deflecting the bullets and arrows that had come my way. The magic did the rest of the work. I was more in control than I’d been in years and I was thrilled and fascinated by this magic feeling. I wasn’t powerless or weak anymore. I was a fighter. With a roar, one of Kaleb’s wolves lept toward me and bared its long canines. Saliva dripped from its mouth and spilled onto the grass, and then it lunged forward and tried to swipe at my chest. Before it could make contact, I shifted aside swiftly and ducked behind its back in one fluid motion. Once I was in position, I sprang forward and buried my teeth in its neck.
Blood gushed from the wolf and after it let out a pained cry, it collapsed to the ground. 1/4 III O < 11:18 Wed, 20 Chapter 280 All around me, the other wolves let out growls and snarls of agitation, and then they launched their attacks in unison. Each of them was huge and incredibly strong, but their size and bulk didn’t make them more skillful in fighting. I was able to evade and duck deftly without getting a single scratch on me.
+5 Maybe the soldiers and guards had been relying too much on weapons and forgot how to fight as werewolves. Their movements were clumsy and none of them could even lay a claw on me. But as I got caught up in the flurry of movement, one wolf stood out among the crowd. Kaleb. The king of Yurene hadn’t jumped into the fray initially. He had stood back and let his men come after me first, simply watching the fight from a safe distance. Then, when I had dealt with half of his pathetic soldiers, he shifted into his wolf form. I was a little surprised by his appearance. He wasn’t nearly as physically imposing as his men. Sure, his wolf form was larger than mine, as he was a male, but his body was leaner than the others. His muscles were understated, but when he sauntered forward, power radiated from him. His fur was the same golden-brown as his hair was in human form but his eyes were pitch-black. The darkness of his irises was chilling, and as he circled me, his gaze focused on me sharply. Kaleb moved like lightning.
As we danced around one another, it was as if he could predict my every move. He would react before I could fight back, and he took the opportunity to lunge at me when I was busy dealing with his desperate soldiers. The Northern king’s claws scraped down my back, leaving a long wound near my spine that stung the moment the cold air hit it. I cried out, pain washing over me as I howled. Dizziness flooded my senses for a moment, but I pushed through the pain and instead focused on the anger swelling in my veins. I growled and leaped, aiming for his neck as I sprang into the air. But before I could make contact, I was stopped by a group of his soldiers. Their large bodies blocked my path, and I was forced to take a step back. I snarled, irritated by this interruption. These wolves were annoying pests keeping me from my real target. I decided to deal with them immediately. 2/4 ||| 11:18 Wed, 20 Mar Chapter 280 66% +5 I took on a group of wolves, but as we fought, I soon realized that this deflection had been a part of Kaleb’s strategy. But I discovered the truth far too late. Kaleb’s claws appeared before my left eye. I closed my eyes instinctively, bracing for a great deal of pain and the potential loss of my vision when those claws met the soft membrane, but for some reason, the pain never came. When I opened my eyes, I saw an arm near my snout. An arm covered in black marks. It had been pierced by Kaleb’s sharp claws. I widened my eyes as I realized Asher was beside me. His brows were furrowed from the pain and his lower lip trembled. Horror traveled through me. Asher had blocked the Northern king’s attack.
Kaleb moved to strike again, but before he could, Asher’s nails swiftly became claws, and he ripped into the Yurenian’s stomach, leaving a deep wound. A loud howl of pain escaped Kaleb, and he retreated quickly. Despite the blood streaming down his arm, Asher held his head up and glared at the king. “I suppose it’s true what they say about the North,” he called out to him. “There are no gentlemen here. Only a group of cowards would take on a lone lady wolf.” Kaleb growled lowly, his dark eyes narrowed. He retreated a few steps and continued to glare. I could tell there was a wide range of emotions within him, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. My gaze turned back to Asher, and when I noticed his arm, I let out a cry. The wound Kaleb had inflicted was deep. Asher removed his shirt and used his shirt to bind his wound. “We need to leave right now,” he said urgently, just low enough for me to hear. “Ronald is calling an army to come, so there’s surely going to be a battle here. I might not be able to stay conscious for long. I can feel the stiffness within my body. Cas sandra, we need to get out of this place before the disease gets me.” Tears welled up in my eyes but I forced myself to remain strong. 3/4 O < 4/4 11:18 Wed, 20 Mar Chapter 280 66% “I’ll take Finnick before I shift into my wolf form,” he said, and after I nodded, he reached out, stroked my shoulder, and then began to change. Asher’s wolf form was more intimidating than I remembered. His fur was a deep, rich black, and his
gray eyes He was tall and strong and turned a brilliant silver radiated power. All of the remaining soldiers moved backward once he was done shifting. It was clear from their eyes that they were afraid he was going to join the fight. But instead, Asher stepped toward Finnick and then lowered himself down so our son could climb on his back. Once Finnick was seated, Asher eyed nodded in his direction again. and I I spotted Erika not too far away and rushed over to her. My maid seemed to understand my intention and quickly shifted too, taking on the form of a smaller, sandy-colored wolf. Her eyes met mine, and after we glanced at Asher, we took off in the direction of the gate. We needed to move and we needed to move back. As we ran, I heard Raven screaming behind me. “Don’t let her get away!” she cried to Kaleb’s soldiers. “Get her!” I remembered my original mission and made a split-second decision to turn around. Erika continued toward the gate, but I rushed to Raven. Just as the sorceress’ blue-green eyes widened in surprise, I knocked her to the ground, and as she lost consciousness, I mannered her onto my back. Once I was sure she was secure, I ran and joined Asher. Movement and commotion began behind us, but I didn’t care. I thought I heard Ronald’s voice and the sound of firing guns, but I didn’t stop and I didn’t look back.