Chapter 31 Chapter 31
Sable’s POV
The smile on Caius’s face didn’t belong to him.
That was the first thought that hit me. This was not my brother.
Not the person who had raised me up. Not the one who stood in the kitchen every morning, forcing me to drink that bitter tea.
This version of him felt like something else entirely.
Someone cold, unapproachable.
Someone entirely unfamiliar.
And yet... it was still him.
"Caius....", My voice came out softer than I intended, almost like I was trying to reach something buried beneath whatever he had become.
"What’s happening to you?"I asked.
For a brief moment–
Something flickered in his eyes. Something more human.
Something I recognized, but it vanished just as quickly.
"You shouldn’t have awakened", he said quietly.
The words weren’t said with angry, they weren’t even harsh instead they were said more like resigned.
Like this had always been inevitable.
Leonidas stepped slightly closer in front of me, his body tense, every muscle coiled as he watched Caius like a predator preparing to strike.
"You need to leave", Leonidas said, his voice low and dangerous.
Caius didn’t even look at him as his gaze was focused on me.
"You think you can protect her?" he asked calmly.
Kael let out a quiet, humorless chuckle from somewhere behind Leonidas.
"That’s exactly what we are doing",he said.
Caius’s gaze flicked toward him. And for the first time–
Something sharp flashed across his expression.
Annoyance.
"You", he said slowly. "Are the least of my concerns".
Kael’s eyes darkened.
But before he could respond–
The dragon moved.
Its massive body shifted, wings spreading wider as it stepped between Caius and the rest of us, its silver eyes glowing brighter than before. A low growl rumbled from its chest, vibrating through the entire temple.
The air thickened instantly.
Heavy. Dangerous.
"You stand before the throne", the dragon’s voice echoed inside all of our minds, deeper than before, filled with ancient authority. "State your intent".
Caius finally turned his full attention to the creature. And smiled again.
"You already know why I’m here".
The dragon’s eyes narrowed.
"You do not belong in this trial".
"Neither does she", Caius replied smoothly, gesturing slightly toward me.
My chest tightened.
The dragon’s tail slammed once against the ground.
"She is the Queen".
"And that", Caius said quietly, "is exactly the problem".
The tension snapped.
Sharp and immediate.
Every wolf in the temple shifted uneasily.
Even Leonidas’s breathing had slowed down trying to control, but still ready.
He was waiting. Watching.
Caius took another step forward. This time, the dragon didn’t stop him.
But the ground beneath his feet cracked again.
A dark energy seeped from him, spreading like shadows across the stone floor.
It wasn’t like mine.
Mine burned.
His.. consumed.
"What are you?" I whispered.
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Caius’s gaze returned to me.
And for the first time–
There was no mask.
No pretending.
Only the truth.
"I am the one who kept the balance", he said quietly.
My heart skipped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means", he continued, "while the world searched for the Omega Queen.. someone had to make sure she didn’t destroy everything before she was ready".
My breath caught.
"The tea..."
"Yes".
The single word hit like a blade.
"I was suppressing your power", he said without any remorseful.
"I figured that out", I snapped, my voice shaking slightly. "What I don’t understand is why".
Caius’s eyes softened again.
But it wasn’t comforting.
"If you had awakened earlier..", he said, his voice lower now, heavier, "you wouldn’t have survived it".
Silence fell. The truth of his words settled into my chest. Painfully.
Because a part of me–
A small, quiet part–
Believed him.
But that didn’t make this okay.
"You lied to me", I said.
"I protected you", he answered me.
"You controlled me!"I snapped.
The power inside me flared again, reacting to my emotions, silver light flickering around my body like a warning.
Leonidas shifted slightly closer. Kael tensed behind him.
And the dragon—
Watched, as always watching.
Caius exhaled slowly.
"I did what I had to do".
"No", I said, shaking my head. "You did what you wanted".
Something dark flickered in his expression.
"Be careful, Sable".
My chest tightened.
"Or what?"
The moment the words left my mouth–
The air shifted violently.
Caius’s presence exploded outward. It was not like my power, nor like the dragon’s.
This was something else.
Something older.
Something that made even the dragon tense.
Every wolf in the temple dropped slightly.
They were not kneeling or bowing like they to my power instead they were reacting.
Instinctively.
Fear rippled through the room. Even Leonidas stiffened, and Kael’s expression sharpened unlike before.
My breath caught.
"What is he...?", I thought again, astonished at his aura
Caius’s voice dropped.
Cold and final.
"I am not your enemy".
The dragon growled.
"You are a threat".
Caius didn’t look at it.
"I am the only thing standing between her and what’s coming".
The words echoed.
Heavy.
Unsettling deep inside me.
My heart started racing again.
"What’s coming?"
Caius didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at me.
Really looked since he came back.
And this time–
There was no distance.
No coldness. Just something terrifyingly real.
"They felt you", he said quietly.
A chill ran down my spine.
"I know. The Alphas–" I said.
"No".
The single word cut me off.
Sharper than anything else he’d said.
"Not them", he said.
The temple went still.
Even the dragon’s breathing seemed to pause.
"What do you mean...?" I whispered.
Caius’s gaze darkened.
"I mean", he said slowly, "you didn’t just awaken the wolves".
The ground beneath us trembled again.
But this time–
It wasn’t from me.
It wasn’t from the dragon.
And it definitely wasn’t from the temple.
It was something else.
Something deeper–far beyond the forest.
Something far beyond the mountains.
Something massive.
Ancient.
And moving.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"What did I awaken?"
Caius’s answer came quietly.
But it shattered everything.
"Everything that was supposed to stay asleep".
There was total silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Then–
The dragon roared.
Loud and violent.
Its wings spread fully, shaking the entire temple as its silver eyes burned brighter than ever before.
The voice slammed into our minds again.
Furious.
"Impossible".
But Caius didn’t look surprised. He just watched me. And that was worse.
"Look at me, Sable", he said softly.
I didn’t want to.
But I did anyway.
"Feel it", he continued.
"I don’t want to–"
"Do it".
The command wasn’t like mine.
It didn’t force me.
But it... reached deep.
Something inside me responded, against my will.
My eyes closed.
And I felt it.
At first, I felt nothing.
Then—
Everything.
A pulse.
Deep beneath the earth.
Another one from far across the mountains.
Then more.
Dozens. Hundreds.
Something was awakening.
Something was answering.
My breath hitched violently as my eyes snapped open.
"No..."
Caius’s voice was steady.
"They’re coming".
My hands trembled.
"Who?"
He didn’t hesitate.
"The ones even the Alphas fear".
The dragon growled again.
Lower this time. Darker.
Like it recognized exactly what he meant.
Leonidas’s voice cut through the tension.
"Explain".
Caius finally looked at him.
And for the first time—
There was no dismissal or whatsoever.
Only warning.
"You think this is a war between wolves?" he asked.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
"It is".
Caius shook his head slowly.
"No".
Another tremor shook the temple.
Stronger this time.
The cracks spread further across the walls. Dust rained down from above.
And far in the distance—
A sound echoed.
This time it was not a howl or a roar.
It was something else–different.
Something.. wrong I could feel it.
My heart stopped.
Because whatever made that sound–
Wasn’t a wolf.
Caius’s gaze returned to me.
And this time—
There was no hesitation.
No softness. Only truth.
"This", he said quietly, "is the beginning of something far worse".
My breath shook.
"What do we do?"
For the first time—
Caius hesitated.
Then he said the one thing I never expected him to say.
"We run".
The word hit harder than anything else.
Run?
From what?
But before I could ask—
The ground beneath us split open again.
And this time–
Something answered back.