Chapter 37 Brother's Betrayal
Chapter 37:
Dante's POV
I reached Aurora first. Shifted back to human, staring at devastation.
The walls were breached in three places. Fires burned. Bodies everywhere. And the corrupted army, massive, organized, killing everything that moved.
"ASHER!" I roared, charging through the chaos.
Rhett appeared beside me. "Safe room. He was in the safe room-"
We ran. Fought through corrupted warriors. Every second an eternity.
The safe room door hung open. Ripped apart.
Empty.
"No." The word came out broken. "No, no, no-"
"Papa!"
I spun. Asher stood across the courtyard, Maya beside him. Both surrounded by corrupted wolves closing in.
"Run!" I charged. Wouldn't reach them in time...
An explosion of silver light. The corrupted flew backward.
Asher stood glowing, power radiating. "Stay away from my friend!"
"That's it, boy." A man stepped from the shadows. Tall, scarred, radiating corruption. Kaine. "Show me that power."
"Get away from him!" I threw everything I had, everything i could. I had to save my son.
Kaine caught my attack one-handed. Smiled. "The father. How touching." He moved impossibly fast and grabbed me by the throat before I could respond. "Watch your son become mine."
Asher screamed as he lunged forward.
Kaine's other hand shot out. Caught him. "There we go."
"Let him go!" I struggled against the grip but it was all useless, either way, I wasn't willing to give up. I won't.
"Why? He's perfect. Young, powerful, moldable." Kaine examined Asher like livestock. "He'll make an excellent weapon once corrupted."
"NO!" Without thinking, maya threw herself at Kaine before anyone else could react. A mere human child attacking a corrupted god. The bonds are really unique.
He swatted her away and she hit across the wall hard. Then stilled, Didn't move.
"MAYA!" Asher's power exploded again. Pure, raw, uncontrolled and devastating.
Kaine staggered but held on. "Strong. Yes. You'll do nicely." He smiled.
Then a howl cut through the chaos. Sera.
She crashed into the courtyard wolf-form, shifted mid-air, and struck Kaine with everything she had.
Immediately, He dropped both of us then turned to face her.
"The Queen." He smiled. "Right on time."
"Run," Sera gasped at me. "Take Asher and run."
"Not without you-"
"I said RUN!"
Kaine attacked her and they collided in an explosion of power. Sera was already weak. Pushed beyond limits. She couldn't win this, it was obvious.
But she fought anyway. Buying time for us to escape.
"Come on." I grabbed Asher as I checked Maya who was still unconscious but breathing then scooped her up too.
"We can't leave Mama!" Asher struggled, not willing to leave him mother behind.
"She'll follow." I prayed it was true. "Move!"
We ran through burning corridors, and behind us, the battle raged. Sera's screams echoes along side Kaine's laughter.
Reached the hidden exit. Wolves waited, Lyssa, Thane, remnants of the guard.
"Where's the Queen?" Lyssa demanded.
"Fighting Kaine. Alone." The words tasted like failure. "We need to regroup-"
An explosion shook the compound. The courtyard collapsed.
"SERA!" I started back.
Lyssa grabbed me. "You can't help her like this. We need a plan-"
"I need my MATE!"
"And she needs you alive!" Lyssa shook me. "With Asher safe! That's why she stayed!"
I knew she was right. Hated it anyway.
"Form defensive positions," I ordered through rage and fear. "When Sera comes out-"
"If she comes out-" someone muttered.
"WHEN she comes out," I snarled, "we cover her retreat. Prepare for-"
The wall exploded outward. Sera flew through, hit the ground hard, didn't get up.
Kaine walked after her. Casual. Victorious. "Brave. Foolish. But brave."
I ran to Sera. She was breathing. Barely. Burns covered her body. Blood everywhere.
"Touching." Kaine approached. "Now give me the boy, and I'll let the rest of you live."
"Never." I stood over Sera. "You'll have to kill me first."
"Done." He raised his hand.
Silver light erupted. Not from me. From Asher.
My son stood between us, small body blazing with power. "Don't hurt my papa."
"Asher, no-" I tried to grab him.
Too late. His power hit Kaine like a battering ram.
The corrupted general staggered. Actually staggered. "Impossible. A child shouldn't-"
Asher hit him again. Harder. "I SAID NO!"
Kaine's corruption started to crack. Purify. The boy's pure power burning away darkness.
"You little-" Kaine lunged.
The Trinity Bond activated. Instinct, not choice. Sera's remaining power, my Alpha strength, Asher's raw magic merged.
We hit Kaine together.
He screamed. Corruption purging. But he wasn't like the others. Wasn't human underneath.
He was corruption. Nothing but. Remove it, and nothing remained.
He dissolved. Gone.
Asher collapsed. I caught him.
"Did we win?" he whispered.
"Yes." I held him tight. "You were so brave."
"Is Mama okay? Please don't let anything happen to her. She has to be fine"
I looked at Sera. Lyssa was already working, healers rushing over. "She will be fine, alrigh? So don't worry."
I hoped. She had to be.
Around us, the corrupted army fell. Without Kaine, they were just confused, twisted wolves and all defeated.
But across the pack link, I felt it. Dante's forces engaged Ravenna. It was a battle raging in the west.
Two generals down. One to go.
And we were barely standing.
"Majesty." Thane approached. "Ravenna's forces are overwhelming Dante's position. They're requesting immediate reinforcement."
"We can't." I looked at our devastated forces. "We have nothing left to send."
"Then they'll fall."
"No." Sera's voice. Weak but determined. She forced herself to sit. "We go. Now."
"You can't even stand-"
"I can stand." She proved it. Barely. "And I can fight. One more battle."
"Sera-"
"My mate needs me." She met my eyes. "Our allies need us. We go."
She was insane. Suicidal. And absolutely right.
"Everyone who can still fight," I called out. "With us. We end this. Tonight."
Maybe a hundred answered. Out of thousands. But they were enough.
Had to be.
We marched west. Toward the final battle.
Toward Ravenna and the last stand.
Together.
Broken but unbeaten.