Chapter 185: The Final Confrontation

The Final Confrontation

Hayden POV

At first, I did not want to climb the mountain at all. The air was already thin, and the climb was long and rough. I kept telling myself that whatever Mildred was doing at the top, she would finish eventually and then come down. There was no need to strain myself or act out of fear. She always found her way back to me. That was what I believed. That was what I had forced myself to believe.

But as I stared up at the silent slope, something flickered at the peak. A burst of white light shot across the sky like lightning trapped in a circle. Then another. And another. My breath caught in my chest.

Those were not regular lights. They were pulsing with an unnatural rhythm. They felt like something ancient and forbidden. They looked like magic.

A chill crawled down my spine and settled there like an ice-cold hand.

I felt my heartbeat quicken. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

I started running. At first, I moved with caution. The mountain path was narrow and scattered with loose rocks. But the farther I went, the less control I had over my own speed. Panic charged through my veins, pushing me faster, urging me forward. I climbed as if the entire world depended on how quickly I reached the peak.

By the time I got halfway up, I was panting heavily. My legs burned as if fire was spreading beneath my skin, but I refused to stop. Not even for a breath. Not even for a second.

I had to reach her.

When I finally got close enough to the top, I heard something that froze every part of my being.

A scream.

A sound sharp enough to cut through my bones. It echoed across the mountain, bounced off the rocks, and forced itself into my heart. It was not just a scream of pain. It held fear, desperation, and something that sounded like a plea for help.

My chest tightened painfully.

I sprinted the final stretch, ignoring the ache in my muscles. When I reached the top, the first thing I saw was a body sliding across the grass.

A wolf.

Brown fur. Familiar markings. Shallow breathing.

Mildred.

Her wolf lay on her side, trembling and weak. Her eyes had lost their glow. Her limbs twitched as if she had been struck with a force she could not withstand.

It felt like someone drove a spear directly through my heart.

"Millie!" I shouted as I fell to my knees beside her. I lifted her head gently and pulled her into my arms. Her fur was cold. Too cold. She looked up at me for a moment, her eyes struggling to focus. Then her gaze drifted away, and her eyelids closed.

Her body went still.

For a second, I thought she had stopped breathing.

I held her closer, my hands shaking as I whispered her name again and again. But she did not wake. She had passed out completely, drained of every ounce of strength she had left.

A laugh drifted through the air.

I turned sharply, rage rising inside me like wildfire.

Marcella was standing several feet away, arms folded casually across her chest, as if she were simply watching a performance rather than standing in the middle of a carnage she caused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice cold and mocking. "I was actually on my way to find you. I wanted to bring you to your twins." She pointed toward the ground as if what she was showing me meant nothing to her.

When I followed her gesture, my breath caught.

My twins.

My children.

They lay side by side on the grass, pale and unmoving. Their tiny chests rose and fell with shallow, uneven breaths. Their skin had lost all color. Their lips looked almost blue.

It felt as if my soul cracked open.

"You had them all along," I whispered, my voice shaking with grief and fury. "What did you do to Mildred? What did you do to them? Answer me!"

My voice echoed across the mountain.

But Marcella did not flinch. She smiled. A twisted smile that showed no remorse, no shame, no regret. Only satisfaction.

Nearby, I noticed movement. An old figure crawled from behind a boulder, clutching her arm. The old witch. I recognized her immediately. The same witch who had once approached me before the war, promising her help if only I would give her a position in my pack. I had refused because something about her felt off. Dark. Corrupted.

She was here now. And she was injured.

Which meant Mildred had fought her.

I felt a surge of pride and sorrow at the same time.

"You," I said through clenched teeth. "You are behind all of this."

The witch looked away but said nothing. Her guilt was already written across her trembling posture.

My eyes drifted back to the twins. Their tiny hands were cold against my palms as I gathered them into my arms. I pulled them closer, my tears falling freely now. I did not care if I looked weak. No father could see his children like this and remain stone-hearted.

"What did you do to them?" I asked again, my voice breaking. "They are innocent."

Marcella shrugged as if the entire situation was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

"I do not care if they are innocent," she said. "They belong to Mildred. And everything that belongs to her disgusts me. Besides, these children were born with enormous powers. Power that could threaten me one day. Did you know that, Hayden? Did you know what they were capable of becoming?"

I looked up at her slowly. My eyes burned with hatred.

"And so what?" I said. "They have a strong mother. They have a strong father."

She smirked and raised her hand.

"Enough. I do not want to hear any more of your lies. I have done what I needed to do. Now I want you to step down from the throne. If you refuse, I will take it from you by force."

I gently lowered the twins to the ground, brushing their hair back before standing up fully. My hands curled into fists. My chest rose with steady breaths.

"I prefer the hard way," I said. "You have done enough damage. Mildred gave you a second chance, and you repaid her with betrayal."

Marcella scoffed loudly.

"She did not give me a second chance. She humiliated me. And you watched it happen. You sided with her. You believed her. You followed her like a puppet. You acted like a king, but you were nothing more than a puppet on strings she controlled."

Her words were nothing but poison.

I took a step forward but the witch moved before I could get close. She stepped in front of Marcella, protecting her like a guard dog protecting its master.

"You will go no further," the witch warned. "I am protecting what belongs to me."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"You are not even a witch anymore. You have become something worse. You use dark magic and manipulate everyone in your path. But this time, you will not escape. I have been waiting for this moment."

My claws extended instantly. I moved faster than even the witch anticipated. With a single slash fueled by fury and years of pent up strength, I tore through her.

For the first time, she looked genuinely shocked. Her body dropped to the ground, lifeless.

"Do not stand in my way again," I said coldly.

A vibration buzzed in my pocket. My phone.

I answered quickly. "Trace my location and come to the mountain now. I found the twins."

But before I could finish speaking, a blast of heat shot through the air. My phone melted in my hand.

I snapped my head up.

Marcella was cracking her knuckles, her eyes glowing with a flame like intensity.

"I am ready to take you down," she said calmly. "Even though you were my best friend in the world."

I stared at her, the mountain wind sweeping between us, carrying the scent of blood and magic.

She had taken my children. She had nearly killed my mate. She had betrayed everything we ever were.

This was the final line.

I shifted my stance, letting my power rise. This time, I would not hold back. This time, she would not

walk away.

She wanted a final confrontation. She was about to get one.