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“No.” Lothair grabbed my arm, maintaining eye contact with David. “I won’t give you the satisfaction of killing me and proving anything, David.” He lowered his voice for me. “You have balsam resin. I know you do. I can feel it. Use it.”

My head spun. I didn’t know what he was talking about until Lothair’s eyes flickered down to the dart in my hand. That must have been why Colt had the darts—they’d prepared weapons to use against the dragons! At the exact moment that David realized what Lothair was telling me, Lothair tilted his head and exposed his neck, and without thinking, I stabbed the dart into his jugular.

The dragon grunted in agony, stumbling away while David leaped in a latent attempt to stop me. But the damage was already done, and I dove out of the way while David crashed into Lothair. Now was my chance. I had to get out of here!

As David picked himself up off the ground, I bolted through the tunnel, running as fast as my feet could take me. I summoned the final vestige of my strength to flee, hearing David scrape through the mine after me. All I could think about was how Lothair had sacrificed himself to give me a chance to escape. I never would have expected that, but these Alphas were so petty they would give up their own lives to screw each other over.

“Get… back… here!” David snarled after me. He was so close I felt his hot breath on me and heard the rasping of his malformed lungs squeezing out of his throat.

Moonlight illuminated the entrance of the mine. I was so close to freedom. And then a body appeared at the entrance, and my fated bond magnetized me to it. “Colt!” He’d followed us all the way here—he made it!

“Kiara!”

An explosive cacophony rocked the mine, knocking me off my feet. David crashed into me, pinning me beneath his massive hands. All at once, a blinding fire ripped through the tunnel, and the world quaked.

I had no idea what had happened. All I knew was that everything was about to come crashing down.

Chapter 30: Colt

L

othair was right. My father had gone back to the mine, intending to make an example of him. But it wasn’t going to prove anything, only bring both of them to their deaths. And if I weren’t fast enough, then Kiara would join them. 

While the Mythguard retreated to their vehicles, Gavin, Everett, Billie, Aislin, and I shifted into our wolves and followed my father’s trail. We told the Mythguard to send half of them into town and the other half to the mine, operating off an educated guess of where David would go. As it turned out, my father led us right back to the mine nestled in the mountains, and we ran as quickly as possible after him. He had some distance due to us stalling to transform, but we were only a few minutes behind. His scent vanished as we approached the mine, while the deformed footprints of his massive feet in the dust promised he was there.

I transformed back, reclaiming my human form and dressing myself in the clothes I had carried in my teeth here. Aislin, Everett, and Gavin remained as wolves while Billie turned human as well. I had just barely finished my transformation when I heard something monstrous clawing its way through the mine, scattering rocks and snarling in vicious pursuit. Skidding into view of the mine’s entrance, I saw bodies moving in the darkness, recognizing my fated mate running toward me. Her voice reached out desperately to me. “Kiara!” I called back, moving toward her even as the horrifying shape of my father materialized in the dark.

Then from behind them, a white-hot blast. Blinding light flooded the tunnel from deep within, accompanied by a shockwave of scorching heat that swept Kiara and my father’s feet out from under them, knocking me backward. I hit the ground hard, disoriented by the explosion—for a moment forgetting that it was ever supposed to go off. As I staggered back to my feet, I saw my father braced on top of Kiara, his gaping jaws reaching for her face.

I thought of nothing else but saving Kiara. I had to. Even as the cave rattled and the cracks ripped through the ceiling, as rocks and dust dislodged from above, I ran for Kiara. Throwing myself at them, I wrapped my arms around my father’s head and yanked him sideways, trying to pull him off of her as the ceiling began to collapse. Heavy boulders crashed through the mine further in the tunnel. At the same time, Billie joined my side, gouging her fingers into David’s eyes. “Get off of her!” she shouted.

“You’re not going to win this!” I snarled at my father.

He roared and thrashed until a rock landed on his hind leg, crushing it. Gavin and Aislin both grabbed Kiara’s shoulders and dragged her out from under my father. Everett grabbed Billie’s arm and yanked her away, and I tried to back away before my father reached out and grabbed my arm, holding me in place. The mine began to crumble around us both. I clawed at his hand, desperately pulling myself free, but my father clutched me like I was his last chance at victory.

“Colt,” he choked, trying to push himself up off the ground.

More boulders broke free, crushing him beneath their heavy weight. He growled and hissed out animalistic sounds, unlike anything I’d ever heard before. His claws dug into my skin, shearing me open, refusing to let go. He wanted to bury us both alive.

The entrance of the mine shattered apart, stealing moonlight with each millisecond. “No! I won’t be trapped in here with you, Dad!” I shouted, kicking him hard in the nose. That was enough to loosen his grip so I could wrench myself free. “I’m done with you. You deserve to die in here—alone! You’re not going to make anyone suffer anymore!”

I caught his eye one last time. As rocks tumbled above him, pinning him to the ground, my father gazed up at me, finally helpless. In the last few moments of his life, he would know how it felt to be trapped. I stared defiantly back at him.

Perhaps I’d spent too long relishing that he got what he deserved.

As I turned to escape, the roof broke apart and crashed down on me. I barely glimpsed the moonlight one last time before everything went dark and crushing pressure entombed me.

Grating stones brought me back to consciousness. Voices shouted commands at one another to ‘Move that rock,’ ‘Lift that corner,’ ‘Grab his arm,’ I winced as pain filled my body. But it wasn’t anything new, just another dull annoyance in the grand scheme of things… realizing that I became suddenly aware that I was still alive. Groggily, I watched as a group of humans pulled me out of the rocks and onto flat ground, sucking in a grateful breath of fresh air.