Chapter 105

Lucas' POV

I held my ground, forcing my wolf back, though every muscle in my body screamed for action. "Strength isn't measured by how many we kill. It's measured by how many we save."

The Lycan sneered, his eyes narrowing in contempt. "Spoken like a man who's forgotten what it means to be one of us."

Sabrina stepped forward, placing a hand on my arm. Her voice was calm, but there was steel in it. "Lucas is right. These wolves are victims. Killing them makes us no better than the witches controlling them."

My father's gaze shifted to Sabrina, his expression unreadable. For a moment, no one moved. Then, slowly, he lowered his claws, though his disapproval was evident.

"This isn't over," he warned with a cold tone. "We'll see how long your mercy lasts when it costs you everything."

With that, he turned and walked away, the other Lycans reluctantly following his lead. I watched them go.

Sabrina's grip on my arm tightened. "You did the right thing, Lucas."

"It feels like I did the stupid thing. Sooner or later, these Lycans will stop respecting me as their king. Once that happens, no one can protect the wolves from them.''

Sabrina was momentarily distracted. She looked around the forest like she was searching for someone. "The numbers don't add up.'' She muttered under her breath. "Dad, where's Mom?"

The question brings the matter to everyone's attention. We'd been so busy fighting wolves we hadn't noticed my mother slip away. My father shrugged with a practiced nonchalance, barely glancing her way. "Taking care of business."

I tensed, my fists clenching involuntarily. "What business? Did she go back to the pack to attack Elara?" The accusation burned in my throat as I stepped closer, my body coiled and ready to strike.

Our father raised a hand, his expression calm but with a sharp edge of warning in his eyes. "Calm down, Lucas. Your mother isn't foolish enough to harm the woman carrying her granddaughter. Elara is family. We're not having this fight again."

I didn't relax, my gaze locked on him, searching for any sign of deceit. "Then where is she?" I demanded, my voice low but loaded with suspicion.

My father paused for a moment, like he was amused by my anger. At this moment, I regret lifting the spell. I regret freeing him. Under the spell, my father couldn't lie to me. But now, he was free to say whatever he wanted. To act however he wanted.

"She went ahead to get a head start on the next celebration party. After all, killing the witch Amaris will be a simple task."

I didn't fully trust him, but I bit back further questions. For now.

Out of the corner of my eye, something caught the light-a flash of steel. A blade perhaps.

It was almost imperceptible, a whisper of motion against the still backdrop of towering trees. Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing down to that single, deadly point of focus. My wolf crawled to the surface, my eyes went red. All my senses were on high alert. Something was happening.

My sister's eyes widened, registering the danger a split second too late. Her breath caught in her throat, a soft gasp escaping her lips as she tried to twist away. But there was no escaping it. An arrow flew through the air and stuck itself deep into her chest.

The impact jolted her body backward, her feet stumbling over uneven ground before giving way entirely.

"Sabrina!'' I growled! She crumpled to her knees, looking back at me with shock and pain. In my sister's eyes, I saw a flash of something I've never seen. Defeat.

Pain disappeared from her features. No pain, just acceptance. Everyone held their breath, my father's roar of anguish broke the silence. He hurried between us, grabbing Sabrina's body as he lifted her into his arms and cried.

He cried.

Sabrina touched the arrow embedded in her chest like she was in disbelief. Blood began to seep through her fingers, spreading rapidly across her chest.

Her breathing became shallow, like she was struggling. The scent of something deadly stains the air.

"Silver!'' My father muttered, eyes flicking red with anger. "Lucas, she can't heal from a silver wound to the chest.''

Sabrina tried to speak, her lips parting as if to issue a command or a warning, but no sound emerged, just a faint gurgle as blood pooled at the corner of her mouth.

"Sabrina!" Our father's voice, usually so cold and detached, cracked with a desperation I'd never heard before. He knelt beside her, his hands hovering uselessly, as if afraid to touch her. He was broken. Defeated.

I stood frozen, my mind racing but my body unwilling to move. Every detail was etched into my memory with painful clarity-the way Sabrina's body shook, the slow trickle of blood trailing down her chin, the labored rise and fall of her chest.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the silence. From the shadows, a pack of werewolves came out. They were different from the bewitched ones we'd fought.

"More mind-controlled wolves?" one of the Lycans sneered.

I shook my head, my gaze flicking between Sabrina and the approaching threat. "No," I murmured.

The Lycan beside me cracked his knuckles, his confidence unshaken. "Well, they're just wolves. This'll be quick work. Might even be fun."

But the confidence wavered as a voice echoed from the depths of the forest. "Think again."

The wolves surrounding us parted, creating a path as a figure emerged from behind the tree. I glanced back at Sabrina, already calculating every way out of this. I could save her. I could save my sister. If I took her and rushed her back to Elara, touching her belly could heal the wound like it did last time.

My only enemy was time. Time, and the new threat rising behind the wolves.

Sabrina, still gasping for breath, lifted her head with the last of her strength. Her eyes locked onto the figure before the rest of us. Her lips moved, forming a name that sent a shockwave through me. The name of a person we killed and forgot about.

"Matthew," she whispered.