Chapter 13
Kane's POV
Deep in the forest, two wolves raced through the coniferous woods.
Blaze's limbs pounded powerfully against the needle-strewn ground. Beside me, Victoria's wolf Aurora followed close behind, her silver-white fur flowing like liquid moonlight.
The confrontation at the training grounds still echoed in my mind. Julian's damned ice element! I had to find a power that could match it. That sphere of purple-black flame Victoria had shown me...
Right now, we were heading to Stella's secluded residence—a remote area on the outskirts of the pack's territory, far from prying eyes.
The deeper we went, the more eerie our surroundings became. The once-lush ferns showed signs of severe heat damage, their edges curled into sickly shapes. Dark purple ash scattered across the ground, stirred into fine powder with each of Blaze's steps.
These are traces left by flames, Blaze murmured in my mind.
Aurora's voice suddenly rang in my head.
In that battle years ago, her tone heavy with suppressed grief, the Crimson Flame Warlord's claws left three gashes across Seraphina's face. Seraphina is my mother's wolf. The fire element he commanded remained in the wounds, burning my mother day and night.
My pace faltered slightly.
I'd seen Stella a few times as a child, back when she was still the spirited "Silver Fang War Princess," leading warrior squads to victory after victory. Who could have imagined she'd end up like this—just like my mother, destroyed by this damned pack.
In the early years, Aurora continued, Alpha Walter would still visit, using ice element to suppress the fire element in Mother's wounds. But it was only a temporary fix. Eventually, he left the flames to burn my mother and stopped coming altogether.
I could feel the resentment in her words—that fury of abandonment. I knew it all too well.
Later, Mother had to find her own solution, Aurora's voice dropped lower. She used a witch's dark magic to forcibly refine that residual fire element. Mother named it—Dark Flame. No one knows this secret.
Dark Flame...
I repeated the words in my mind, sensing some dangerous yet alluring power waiting ahead.
Further on, an iron house appeared, constructed entirely of black metal with deep purple vines crawling over its surface. The whole structure emanated an oppressive aura, as if the very air had thickened.
Victoria and I shifted back to human form before the iron house. After dressing in the clothes we'd brought, Victoria resumed her noble, cold demeanor.
I pushed open the iron door to complete darkness within.
In the depths of that darkness, a pair of purple eyes suddenly blazed to life, hovering in midair like ghostfire.
A massive wolf slowly emerged from the shadows.
Even having witnessed countless brutal scenes in Blood River, I couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Her size was nearly double that of an ordinary werewolf, her silver-white fur glowing with an eerie sheen under the purple light.
But most horrifying were the three bone-deep gashes across her face, their edges flickering with dark purple flames that seemed impossible to heal. The same purple fire burned on all four of her paws, leaving scorched marks on the ground with each step.
I dropped to one knee, lowering my head. "Lady Seraphina."
Victoria stepped forward, her tone respectful yet intimate. "Mother, this is the son of the former Luna—Chloe. Kane Argyle."
The massive wolf Seraphina's purple eyes turned toward me, her scrutinizing gaze seeming to pierce through to my soul.
After a moment, the stern expression on her face softened slightly.
Chloe... Her voice resonated directly in my mind, carrying a weary, weathered quality. My dear friend. I advised her to leave Alpha Walter, but she refused to listen, and met that tragic end.
I looked up, a sharp pain stabbing through my chest. "You knew my mother, my lady?"
More than knew her, Seraphina paced slowly, purple flames spreading beneath her feet. When she first married into Silver Moon, we fought side by side. She was a gentle yet resilient woman, but... She paused. But she loved the wrong man.
I took a deep breath, deciding to state my purpose directly. At a time like this, beating around the bush would only waste time. "My lady, I've come to ask for your assistance." I stood, meeting those purple eyes directly. "I intend to bring down Alpha Walter and reclaim what should have been mine."
The room fell into brief silence.
Seraphina suddenly let out a low laugh, filled with bitterness and rage.
Bring down Walter? Her tone sharpened. Good. Very good. I've been waiting to hear those words for ten years.
She turned, purple flames surging around her body, illuminating the entire room like an inferno.
Before the decisive battle with the Crimson Flame Warlord, Seraphina's voice brimmed with resentment, I went to Walter, begging him to teach me elemental power. With my combat skills plus elemental power, I could have killed the Crimson Flame Warlord! But he refused. Coldly, ruthlessly refused!
Her claws carved deep grooves into the floor. I could feel that rage—being rejected, abandoned, treated as an expendable pawn.
In the end, I was left like this! Her voice roared in my head. The wounds on my face burn day and night, excruciating agony! And him? He'd occasionally visit, suppress it with ice, then never come again!
I quickly said, "My lady, I understand your anger. To bring down Walter, I must first defeat Julian, the heir. I'm not afraid of his combat skills, but he's already inherited the ice elemental power, which puts me at—"
So you've come to me, Seraphina interrupted, a knowing gleam in her purple eyes, seeking to borrow the power of Dark Flame.
"Exactly." I answered honestly.
Seraphina looked toward Victoria, who nodded gently.
You are Victoria's mate. Naturally, I will help you, Seraphina said. But I'm uncertain whether you can truly master Dark Flame's power. Any elemental force can devour its host, especially Dark Flame—a hybrid of fire element and witch magic, not the purest form of elemental power.
Without hesitation, I replied, "Could anything be harsher than the hostage road in Blood River? Could anything be worse than the suffering my mother endured giving birth to me?"
Seraphina fell silent for a moment, then suddenly opened her massive jaws. A small cluster of dark purple flame drifted from her mouth, slowly descending toward me.
"Mother!" Victoria cried out. "Isn't that too much!"
I extended my hand. That tiny flame seemed weak but contained terrifying energy. The moment it touched my palm, it exploded, engulfing my entire body.
Soul-searing agony struck.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to cry out.
This was worse than any torture in Blood River—I could feel Dark Flame corroding my flesh, attempting to devour my consciousness. Inside me, Blaze howled in pain. I could sense him writhing violently in our mental space as dark purple flames scorched him too.
Victoria moved to intervene, but Seraphina blocked her with her tail.
Does it hurt? Seraphina said coldly. I've been burning for ten full years! Remember this pain, and I'll believe you can bring down Alpha Walter!
Veins bulged on my forehead, sweat instantly soaking through my clothes. Every inch of flesh burned, every nerve screamed. In our mental space, Blaze fought desperately against this force, trying to tame it.
Man and wolf, struggling together in hellish agony.
Hold on, I roared inwardly. You fucking hold on!
Time stretched unbearably long. I didn't know how much passed—perhaps a quarter hour, perhaps longer. My consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse multiple times, but each time, some stronger will pulled me back—hatred for Walter, resentment toward Julian, guilt over my mother, hunger for power.
Finally, Dark Flame's violence gradually subsided, beginning to merge with my blood. Blaze's howls also ceased, replaced by low rumbling purrs.
The purple flames slowly extinguished. I collapsed to my knees, drenched in sweat, chest heaving—but I could feel it. That power was mine now.
Seraphina shifted back to human form.
She was a woman of about forty, still beautiful despite the three horrific scars across her face. She wrapped herself in a deep purple gown and walked to Victoria's side, caressing her daughter's face.
"Remember," Stella's voice was low, "your mother has suffered the pain of betrayal. If I ever discover you've betrayed Victoria..." She looked at me. "I will burn you to ashes."
I pushed myself to my feet, though my body was weak, my gaze remained steady.
"I swear by Dark Flame, I will never betray Victoria."
Stella nodded with satisfaction.
Victoria stepped forward, supporting my swaying form, and asked softly, "Mother, you've stayed in this remote residence for so many years. Will you attend this celebration ceremony?"
Stella looked out the window. Moonlight streamed through the iron bars onto her face, making those three scars appear even more grotesque in the interplay of light and shadow.
"Of course," she said, a cold smile curling her lips. "I won't miss my child's important moment. And..." She paused. "I also want to see Walter's expression when he sees me."