Chapter 142: WAR IS OVER
He lifted the struggling King off the ground, and he threw the heavy man down the tall black steps.
The High King tumbled down the hard stone stairs, and he crashed onto the ruined red carpet right near my leather boots.
His heavy gold crown fell off his head, and the expensive jewelry rolled away into the dirty grey ash on the floor.
The ruler of the southern courts groaned in pain, and he tried to push himself up from the ground with his bruised hands.
Vladislav walked slowly down the stairs, and he held his sharp steel sword ready to strike, but he stopped walking when he reached the bottom step.
He looked at me, and he lowered the tip of his blade toward the stone floor to show he was stepping back from the fight.
"He is all yours, Bellatrix, because this is your victory to claim," Vladislav told me, and he offered me a very proud and supportive nod.
I understood what he meant, and I knew I needed to end this war myself to secure the absolute safety of my northern pack.
I walked toward the fallen King, and I stopped right in front of him so he had to look up at my dirty face.
The High King stared at the sharp edge of my iron sword, and the true fear made his dark eyes tremble.
He knew his royal guards were gone, and he finally understood that his dark magic could not save his life anymore.
"You can have all the gold in my royal vaults, and I will give you control over the eastern trade routes," the King tried to bargain with me.
"I will sign a peace treaty today, and my armies will never cross into your northern borders again," he promised with a desperate and shaking voice.
"You do not understand the value of life, and you think you can buy forgiveness with stolen gold," I answered him with pure disgust.
"I do not want your dirty money, and my people do not want to trade with a corrupt empire," I stated firmly, and I raised my heavy iron sword.
"Please do not kill me, because the southern courts will fall into total chaos without a strong leader," the King begged for mercy.
"The courts will learn how to live in peace without a tyrant ruling over them," I replied, and I felt the heavy weight of the iron hilt in my hands.
I thought about the young wolf pup crying in the muddy war camp, and I remembered the heavy iron chains cutting into my bruised wrists.
He would never stop hunting us if I let him live, and he would always find a new way to hurt the innocent mortals.
I locked my eyes with the cruel ruler, and I did not show him a single ounce of fear or hesitation.
"Your reign is over," I declared, and I swung my heavy iron sword down with all of my raw Alpha strength.
The sharp metal struck true, and the final heavy blow ended the High King's dark life in a single second.
The cruel ruler collapsed onto the ruined red carpet, and the giant throne room fell into a very deep and sudden silence.
I pulled my sword back, and I took a deep breath of the cold morning air as the massive burden of the war finally lifted from my shoulders.
The wealthy southern nobles hiding near the walls saw their King fall, and they immediately dropped to their knees on the hard stone floor.
They bowed their heads to show their absolute surrender, and the remaining shadow-weavers threw their hands up to give up the fight.
The northern wolves lowered their heavy leather shields, and Elder Silas let out a long sigh of pure relief.
We won the brutal war, and we secured a safe future for our green valley without losing our families to the dark magic.
I dropped my heavy iron sword onto the ground, because I did not want to hold a weapon anymore.
Vladislav walked across the ruined carpet, and he stopped right in front of me with a very soft and gentle smile on his face.
He dropped his own steel sword, and he reached out to pull me into a tight and warm embrace.
I rested my head against his broad chest, and I closed my eyes to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, and he held me close to chase away the terrible memories of the underground dungeon.
Vladislav pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead, and he held me tight in the quiet throne room.
"The war is over," Vladislav whispered to me, and his deep voice was filled with endless love. "Let's go home."