Chapter 217: This Isn't Over

Chapter 217: This Isn't Over
Evelyn's POV

Brandon stayed down for maybe ten seconds.

Everyone was watching. Nobody said anything. All those battle sounds—weapons clashing, footsteps, heavy breathing—just stopped, like someone had hit mute on the whole field.

Then he started shifting back to human.

Slow. Like it took everything he had left just to make his body cooperate. The sound of bones reshaping carried too clearly in the quiet. Made my skin crawl.

He ended up on his knees, hands braced on his thighs, head lifting.

I looked at his face. Pure shock—the kind you get when someone half your size just dropped you and you're still trying to work out how.

His eyes locked on me, like he was replaying the whole fight, hunting for where it went wrong.

I stood there. Didn't move. Didn't speak.

He's gonna stand up, my wolf said.

I know.

Brandon sucked in a breath, then slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Shaky. His legs didn't want to cooperate, but he got upright anyway.

I didn't charge. No point. He wasn't a threat anymore. That much was obvious.

Careful, my wolf said. Cornered animals bite.

I'm watching.

Brandon didn't shift again. He didn't have the juice for it. I could feel the magic around him running on fumes.

He took one step forward, trying to keep going on two legs, but they were shaking bad.

He felt it. Everyone else saw it.

He stopped. Scanned the field.

His guards were down or tied up. The control field had collapsed. The vanguard got wiped twenty minutes in. Now he was standing alone on this territory with absolutely nothing at his back.

He's gotta see it by now, I thought.

Everyone waited for his next move.

Right when I figured he'd give up, he glanced sideways. Spotted Griffin.

Then he went for it.

Griffin beat me to speaking. Voice stayed calm, but you could hear the steel. "Only thing you're doing right now is standing still."

Brandon didn't listen.

He rushed Griffin.

I moved the same second, cutting his line before he got close. We collided near Griffin's position.

This time I didn't get bounced back.

Brandon didn't have that kind of power left. I caught the impact, shifted his weight sideways, then used it to chuck him.

Brandon hit dirt and rolled twice.

This time, he didn't bounce up.

He got his upper body off the ground, head hanging, breathing hard. Both hands flat on the dirt. Trembling.

He's really done, I thought.

I walked over. Stood in front of him, looking down.

Then I pressed my Beta aura onto his will.

Didn't take much. He had nothing left to push back with. The pressure sank in like water hitting dry ground—zero resistance.

Brandon slowly raised his head.

Something in his eyes was still fighting—that stubborn refusal to quit. But his body wasn't listening to his brain anymore.

His hands pressed the dirt, trying to push up.

Once. Nothing.

Twice. Still nothing.

Third time, his hands buckled. He went flat and stayed there.

I stood over him for five seconds, making sure he was done.

Then I stepped back.

"Tie him up."

Alpha Adam, Magnus, and Lucian came from three directions, hauling Brandon upright and locking him down. Magnus got his wrists. Lucian controlled his other side. Adam stood front and center, staring down at him.

Brandon lifted his head. Saw Adam. Went quiet for two beats.

Then his eyes cut to me. Using whatever he had left, he got out one sentence:

"This isn't over."

I looked at him.

"Yeah," I said. "But you are."

Griffin walked over, taking Brandon from Magnus and Lucian. "I'll take him. You guys handle cleanup."

Magnus nodded and backed off. Lucian dusted his hands, turned around, walked over to me. Glanced down at my arm.

"That needs wrapping."

"I know."

"Now."

"In a sec."

"Now."

"I said in a sec—"

Lucian just grabbed my wrist and started walking. "Sophia!"

Sophia called back from somewhere close. Lucian pointed at my arm. Sophia said she saw it and came over with supplies.

I said, "You two—"

Lucian said, "Thanks, Sophia."

Sophia said, "No problem."

She started wrapping my arm.

I stood there watching cleanup spread across the field. Didn't say anything else.

Mark's voice hit the mind link. She put him down twice. Second time he stayed down. Everyone catch that?

Milo said, Caught it.

Elliot said, Caught it.

Nadia said, Everyone caught it.

Mark said, Just making sure we're all on the same page.

Freya said, You done emphasizing?

Mark said, Yeah, I'm done.

Freya said, Good. Come help me finish up over here.