Chapter 196 — The Night of Blood and Healing

Chapter 196 — The Night of Blood and Healing
The moment the Ironclaw pack stormed into the battlefield, everything shifted.

The air changed, the balance changed and now I knew we had a chance.

I could feel their strength immediately–disciplined, fierce, relentless.

They didn’t hesitate, they didn’t question. They just attacked.

Claws clashed. Teeth tore through flesh. Howls filled the night like a war song.

I stayed focused, my wolf sharp, alert–moving, striking, defending.

And then, I felt a presence. Dark, focused and burning with intent. My head snapped to the side. Felix.

Even in my wolf form, I could tell by the way he moved… by the way his eyes locked onto me.

He knew… he knew it was me. And the hatred in his gaze, It was real.

It was deep, It was justified. He lunged fast. Deadly.

I barely dodged in time, his claws grazing past me.

We circled each other. His breathing was heavy.

Mine was steady. “You want me dead,” I thought and honestly… I didn’t blame him.

But this wasn’t the time. Another wolf suddenly launched at him from behind–fast, brutal, aiming straight for his neck.

Felix didn’t see it but I did and I moved without thinking, without hesitation. I threw myself between them.

The impact hit hard. I slammed into the attacking wolf, knocking it off course.

We rolled across the ground, snarling, biting, fighting. I tore it away and ended it quickly.

When I looked back, Felix was staring at me. Shocked.

For a split second, something changed in his eyes. But there was no time.

The fight was still raging and we both turned back into it.

The battlefield was chaos. Bodies falling. Blood staining the earth.

The Nightfall pack was weakening. We were pushing them back. We were slowly winning.

“They’re breaking!” Kian’s voice echoed.

“Don’t let them regroup!” I roared. We pressed harder. And then, Damien. He came out of nowhere.

Before I could react, he struck. His claws sank into my side.

Pain shot through me instantly. I staggered. He didn’t stop.

“You should have seen this coming,” his voice was low, cruel.

I growled, trying to regain my footing. “You betrayed everything,” I spat.

He smirked. “I chose power.”

He attacked again. This time, faster. Stronger.

I fought back, but I was already wounded. He had the advantage.

His claws raked across me again. I dropped to one knee.

The world blurred for a second. I saw his claws rising. Aiming straight for my throat.

This was it and for a split second I accepted it.

But then a blur force, a sudden impact. Damien was thrown off me.

I looked up. Felix. He was on Damien in seconds. Ruthless and furious.

Their fight was brutal. Claws tearing, teeth snapping, growls shaking the ground.

Felix moved like pure rage. Damien tried to fight back, but Felix was faster now.

Driven by something deeper. “You!” Felix’s voice echoed in my mind, filled with hatred.

One sharp strike, he tore into Damien’s side and forced him down.

Damien struggled but it was too late. Felix didn’t hesitate.

He slashed his throat. Clean and final.

Damien’s body went still. Silence.

For a moment everything slowed.

Then the Nightfall wolves began to retreat.

One by one. They ran. Defeated.

We had won. The ground was a bit quiet now.

Heavy, filled with the aftermath of war.

My body was aching and bleeding. My vision blurred slightly.

But I was alive. Felix stood a few steps away. Breathing hard, his eyes met mine.

There were no words. But something had changed.

He looked away first and that was enough.

That night we celebrated. Not loudly or wildly but deeply, because we had survived.

Because we had won. Later… I was in my room. Wounded and tired.

The pain in my body still fresh. The door opened softly.

“Elara…” She walked in slowly. Her eyes filled with concern.

“You’re still hurting,” she whispered.

“I’ll live,” I said lightly. She didn’t smile. Instead, she moved closer.

Carefully, gently, she sat beside me and started tending to my wounds.

Her touch was soft and warm. Healing in ways I couldn’t explain.

“You scared me,” she said quietly. “I scared myself,” I replied.

She shook her head slightly.

“You always do this… putting yourself in danger.”

I smiled faintly. “I had to.”

For Felix?” she asked.

“For you,” I said.

She paused. Her hands stilled for a moment.

Then continued. Silence filled the room. But it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was… peaceful. And then something changed. A warmth, strange feeling spreading through my body.

I frowned slightly.

“Elara…”

She looked up. “What is it?”

“I… I feel something.” Her brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“My legs…” I swallowed.

“I think I can feel them.” Her eyes widened.

“What?” I shifted slightly.

And for the first time in months I felt it.

“I can feel my legs…” Her hands trembled.

“Edward…” I didn’t think.

I just moved and then I stood up. For a moment… the world stopped.

I was standing on my own. No wheelchair, no support. Just… me.

“Elara…” my voice broke.

Tears filled her eyes instantly.

“You’re… you’re standing…” I laughed softly.

“I’m standing.” The joy hit me all at once.

Overwhelming and uncontainable. I reached for her. Pulled her into my arms.

Lifted her slightly off the ground. “I can walk…” I whispered.

She laughed through her tears. “I did it… I healed you…”

I looked at her. Really looked at her. “You gave me everything,” I said softly.

And then, I lowered her gently onto the bed.

Our eyes locked. No words, just feeling.

I leaned in and kissed her. Soft at first, then deeper and warmer.

Full of everything we had been through. Everything we had survived.

Her hands held onto me tightly. Mine wrapped around her like I never wanted to let go.

The world outside didn’t matter anymore.

The war, the pain, the past. Everything faded. It was just us.

Just this moment, just this love and for the first time in a long time, I felt whole.

The night… it wasn’t just about victory. It was about healing. It was about love.

It was about finding ourselves again and as I held her close, I knew one thing for sure.

No matter what came next… we would face it together.