Chapter 192 192|A fight to the death

Chapter 192 192|A fight to the death
Lilith pov

“Lives are bestowed by the goddess. No one has the right to take them,” the man with the kind smile had said, sunlight glinting off his face as he looked at me. I was twelve, staring up at him with wide, curious eyes.

“But… what if there are bad people?” I had asked cautiously. “What if I have to fight, or kill, to protect myself or someone else?”

He had crouched slightly to meet my gaze, his smile unwavering but his eyes sharp, serious. “If it ever comes to that, Lilith… then do it without hesitation. Protect yourself. Protect what you must. But know this, never do it out of cruelty. Only to survive, to protect, or to preserve what is sacred.”

Those words had carved themselves into my bones. For all these years, I had believed them, lived by them. Every soul belonged to the Moon Goddess, and no one had the right to take it.

Even when Dravena justified her killings, deep down, I knew she was right. Some people deserved to die, some deaths shouldn't be questioned and should be done out of cruelty but all I wanted was to make him, my father proud, to be strong, kind, pure—the daughter he had left behind.

Yet here I was, laughing harder and harder, tears blurring my vision. The beating heart in my hand throbbed between my fingers, warm, dripping with blood.

My laughter mingled with crying, emotions that I had never felt before surged through me with each breath I took.

All eyes were on me, but none of it mattered. Rage surged through me, a sharp, burning intent that screamed to be unleashed. My gaze locked on him. Samuel’s smile widened, slow, deliberate, his eyes glinting with excitement, with interest, even delight. Behind me, faintly, I heard a soft voice

“Lilith…”

But it was drowned out by the deafening rhythm of my own heart.

The heart in my hand dropped, thudding to the floor, and the next second, I was gone from where I stood. In a blink, I appeared in front of Samuel, my body moving as if it had a mind of its own. My hand surged forward toward his chest, toward his heart…

And then—snap.

The air cracked. My hand froze in midair, gripped firmly. Samuel shifted his gaze beside me casually, his smile widening as he saw who had held me back.

Silas.

His brows furrowed, lips curved into a sad, almost guilty frown as he held me back.

“You shouldn’t do it, Lilith,” he said, voice low but steady. “Don’t get your hands dirty. Let me…let my brothers take care of him.”

Lucien and Claude appeared beside him, their eyes sharp, carrying the same sad glint. For a moment, I said nothing. My hands were already stained red with the life I had taken. And yet…

“Lilith…Lilith…”

The desperate, ragged sound reached me. It didn’t sound like my name, but somehow I knew it was him, my father, reaching through the chaos, trying to call me back, trying to find me in the room.

And then everything shifted. The air around me thickened with a killing intent so fierce it almost burned my skin. My eyes narrowed, glaring daggers towards the three men before me. Silas drew in a sharp breath, but I jerked my hand free—faster than anyone could react.

Thud.

He slammed into the wall with such force the building shuddered and the wall behind him shattered, crumbling to the ground as sunlight spilled into the room, bathing everything in blinding gold.

Silas doubled over, coughing up blood, sliding to the ground. Lucien barely flinched, Claude stared, stunned.

I didn’t even glance at him. My eyes snapped back to Samuel, fury and intent blazing. “Stay away,” I hissed, voice low and venomous, my hand trembling but ready.

“All of you. Stay away!”

Samuel doubled over suddenly, and then he laughed. Loud. Unrestrained. Dripping with raw amusement. The sound echoed through the air, bouncing off the walls, filling every corner with a dangerous, magnetic energy.

“You have impressed me, Lilith,” he said between chuckles, leaning back, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Even without your wolf…you shoved Silas straight into the wall. Maybe…maybe it is true that rage is another kind of strength.” His eyes glinted, hungry, electric. “I love this. The sight of you finally taking a life. Tell me…how does it feel?”

His hands clenched into fists, slow, deliberate, and I felt the tension in the air coil tighter around us.

“I will kill you,” I hissed, moving forward, every ounce of fury focused on him. Lucien and Claude shot forward instinctively, trying to restrain me. But then…he was gone.

A blur. Faster than my eyes could track, Samuel reappeared on the other side of the room, impossibly swift, almost at Alphas’ speed. His voice cut through the chaos, ringing clear as I jerked my head toward where he stood.

He stayed there, finger wagging slowly in front of everyone, a teasing grin on his face.

“No, no… I understand,” he said, voice dripping amusement. “My cousins don’t want their innocent little maid to kill anyone. They want to protect her from becoming a killer. But this…” He gestured between us, eyes sparkling. “This is my fight with Lilith. So you guys will just have to excuse us for a moment.”

And just like that, the next second, the world shifted. Before anyone could react, walls, doors, windows, rogues surged through them. In seconds, the entire building began collapsing.

Dust and rubble filled the air, ceiling chunks crashing down. I froze for just a heartbeat, intending to move toward my father but out of the corner of my eye, Lucien reached him first, lifting him high as the building crumbled around us, breaking apart completely to the ground.

And then we were outside. The rubble had vanished, the desert stretched endlessly in every direction, red-gold sands rippling under the hot sun. But we were surrounded. Not just a handful—thousands, endless. Rogues as far as the eye could see, forming a circle around us, stretching beyond the horizon.

The Alphas were at my side. Silas had stood, wiping the trail of blood from the corner of his lips, eyes cold and piercing, scanning the endless crowd. Claude’s lips curved into a tight frown, amusement gone from his gaze. And Lucien, carrying my father in his arms, who twitched and called for me, his eyes burned with sharp, lethal intent, warning every rogue who dared step closer.

At first glance, it was obvious: these were all Samuel’s men. Every last one, summoned, gathered, and loyal. And then his voice rang out, confident, commanding. Every head turned. Every eye searched for him.

There he stood, atop a small rise, arms spread wide, bright smile cutting through the tension. He looked like a king addressing his subjects.

“The day we’ve been waiting for has arrived!” he called, voice carrying over the masses. “The climax I have promised…this is it! Today, everything changes! This fight will be the last! The victory we have waited for! This is it. This is the new world I promised you, my children!”

The rogues beneath him roared, chanting, hooting, the words of allegiance ringing across the desert.

“Long live the King! Long live the King! The king of all packs! The king of all kingdoms!”

Samuel’s eyes turned to us, the Alphas. A frown curved his lips, not with anger, but calculation as he continued, still addressing the crowd.

“After this, our obstacles would disappear. No one will be powerful enough to defeat us as long as they all die, as long as we defeat the Alphas of the Fangspire pack!”

“Crazy bastard…”

He smiled wider and Claude muttered, low, under his breath as everyone turned towards them, some shifting into their wolves, some holding their weapons, ready to attack.

The rogues began advancing.

Step by step, relentless.

And Samuel?

He turned to me. His finger traced a slow, teasing arc through the air.

“Now…where were we? Ah, yes…” His smile was dangerous, predatory. “Come. Kill me, Lilith. Let's have some fun.”

My gaze darkened.

In the next heartbeat, I was gone, surging toward him without hesitation. The Alphas moved to follow me, but the rogues were ready. Like a living wall, formations snapped into place instantly, blocking every path.

The desert trembled with their movement, the air thick with tension and Samuel’s amused grin met mine mid-charge and in that instant, everyone knew this was it.

The fight to the death