Chapter 194

ALPHA PARTHE.

I moved quickly through the corridors, my boots slamming against the floor as I made my way back to my chamber. Chaos reigned outside—screams, war cries, the crackling of flames eating through wood and stone. The scent of blood was thick in the atmosphere, mingling with the acrid burn of smoke.

As I entered my chamber, my gaze landed on the weapon mounted on the wall.

A black-handled axe, the blade forged from dark steel, its edges still gleaming with the polish I had given it weeks ago.

It was my father's axe, which was passed down to me. It was a weapon that had tasted war, that had been passed down through generations of Wild Wolf Alphas.

I reached for it, my fingers curling tightly around the worn grip. The second it was in my hand, a strange sense of steadiness settled in my chest.

But who the fuck was attacking us? And for what reason? We weren't weak. We had made no foolish moves that would warrant such an invasion. So why—

My thoughts cut short as I turned toward the door, ready to join my warriors, when I stopped dead in my tracks.

Shikta stood in the doorway.

My blood boiled instantly.

"Get the fuck out of my way," I growled, my grip on the axe tightening.

She didn't move. Didn't even flinch.

Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into something resembling a smirk.

"I warned you," she said in a calm tone.

I lunged.

My hand snapped out, grabbing her by the throat and shoving her against the wall. She gasped, but there was no fear in her eyes—only something that made my rage burn hotter.

"And yet here we are," she had the nerves to say.

I clenched my jaw, fury surging through me like wildfire. "You think this is the time to be smug, witch?"

"You never listen, do you, Parthe?"

A snarl tore from my throat as I yanked away from her, shoving her aside so hard she staggered into the wall.

"Stay the fuck out of my way."

I stormed past her before she could say another word.

The second I stepped outside, the full horror of the attack slammed into me.

There was fire everywhere, eating into rooftops and houses. The ground was slick with blood, bodies of my warriors and innocent pack members littering the floor.

Children shrieked out of fear, scampering for a safe place to hide.

This was a full-blown war.

And we were losing.

My gaze suddenly snapped to the distance ahead of me, where I saw more than a thousand warriors marching into the pack from the main entrance. Some were on foot, while others were on horses.

Just like in my dream.

A sickening wave of dread settled in my gut.

I turned, my gaze darting toward the seven entrances of my pack, and my stomach twisted.

Fire.

Each one was burning.

My warriors fought, but the enemy forces outnumbered them.

Just like in my dream.

No.

I would not allow this.

A deep growl rumbled from my chest as I turned back toward the approaching army—

But then I saw him... My cheat went tight.

Seated atop a black horse, his armor marred with streaks of soot and blood. His face was marred with black ink, but I knew it was him. I'd know that face even in my sleep.

Rorden.

No. What the fuck was going on here?

My fucking cousin?

Leading this?

My fingers dug into the hilt of my axe as my mind tried to piece it together.

Was he the trusted friend I had seen in my dream? But Rorden wasn't exactly my friend... We were never really on good terms.

Maybe this was it. It wasn't someone I actually took as a friend who had betrayed me the way I had interpreted my dream.

But then, my eyes fell on someone else that made my heart both flutter and skip a beat at the same time.

Luxuria.

She was bound.

Her wrists wrapped in thick rope, her figure slightly slumped, as if she wasn't fully aware of what was happening around her. Her face was blank, her eyes distant and unfocused.

Something was wrong.

She wasn't fighting. She wasn't resisting.

It was as if… she wasn't there.

My muscles tensed, my instincts screaming at me to rip her from their grasp. To burn everything in my path until she was safe.

But then—

I saw someone else. Standing beside Rorden. Someone who made me doubt my sanity... Who made me think this was all just a bad dream I'd wake up from, and we'd all laugh about it.

My breath left me.

What the fuck was he doing there? Why wasn't he fighting them? I'd been waiting for him to return and join me. How did he end up on the other side of this war?

My mind spiraled with questions that had their answers staring right back at my face, but I refused to believe them.

It could be anybody but not him... Not Tervan.

He couldn't be the enemy I saw in my dreams.

My right hand. My most trusted warrior. The one I relied on.

The one I trusted with my life.

The betrayal hit me harder than any blade ever could.

My hands went numb.

I felt my heart pause for a moment before rage took over and swallowed me whole.

He looked at me.

"Tervan?" I called through the mind link. "Why?"

For a second—just a second—there was something in his eyes. Something that might have been regret.

"This is for my father, Parthe." He replied and turned away.

Just like in my dream.

A snarl tore from my throat, and my grip on my axe was so tight that my knuckles went white. My beast surged within me, begging for a release I didn't deny it, while my powers rolled through my veins in waves.

This was war.

And I was about to paint the ground red.