Chapter 55 Blood In The Dark

Chapter 55 Blood In The Dark
CHAPTER 55: Blood in the Dark

Darius’s POV

We raced down the narrow stairs, boots slapping against stone. My chest burned with every breath and Aric’s urgent orders still echoed in my head.

Get to the armory.

Hold the tunnels.

Don’t let them break through.

I kept thinking about him up there on the balcony, shielding Seraphine with his own body while the mob screamed for blood.

She had looked so scared and small. I couldn’t let them down.

“Faster,” I called back to my ten loyal soldiers.

Their heavy breathing filled the passage behind me.

“If they reach the weapons first, this palace is finished.”

Lucas ran right beside me with sword drawn.

“We’re with you, Prince. These men would die for Aric and his mate.”

The air grew thicker as we neared the bottom level. Then the smell of fresh blood hit me.

My wolf stirred inside, restless and angry, pushing at my skin. We rounded the last corner and froze.

Two palace guards lay dead on the floor. Their throats had been cut wide open and blood still spread slowly across the stones, dark and shiny under the torchlight.

One guard had his hand stretched toward the alarm bell, fingers curled like he tried until the very end. The sight made my stomach twist.

“Gods,” Lucas whispered.

He knelt quickly beside the closest body but we all knew there was no life left.

“These cuts are fresh. Minutes old at most.”

I swallowed hard. My wolf growled low in my mind.

“They came from inside. Look at the doors.”

The heavy iron locks hung open. Worse, the secret lever for the hidden escape tunnels stood pulled out and stone dust still floated in the air around it. Someone who knew every corner of this palace had opened the way for the enemy.

“Traitors,” I growled.

My hand tightened on my sword.

“They let them in from within. Stay alert.”

We stepped forward carefully as the scent of blood grew stronger. Before we could even check the armory door, shadows exploded from the side tunnels.

“Ambush!” I shouted.

A pack of rogue Lycans burst out, eyes glowing yellow in the dark. They were already partially shifted. Claws lengthened on their hands and fangs flashed when they snarled.

In these narrow tunnels there wasn’t enough room to shift fully, so they stayed in that dangerous half-form, powerful and wild.

The first one slammed into me as his claws raked across my shoulder. Pain burned hot and I roared then drove my elbow into his face.

Bone cracked as he staggered but came back swinging.

“You fight for a weak king!” he snarled, voice distorted by his fangs.

I grabbed his arm and twisted hard. “I fight for my family. What do you fight for? Lies?”

We crashed against the stone wall. Around us the tunnel turned into chaos as my men clashed with the rogues in the tight space.

Claws tore flesh and bodies slammed into walls.

Swords only came out when there was no room to use claws properly.

Thorne fought beside me, his blade flashing as he cut down one attacker.

“Hold the line!” I yelled. “Don’t let them pass!”

A rogue with longer fangs lunged at me and I caught his wrist, muscles straining.

His claws scraped my chest, drawing blood and the pain made my wolf surge stronger.

I headbutted him, felt his nose break then drove my knee into his stomach. He doubled over as I slammed him against the wall and pinned him there with my forearm across his throat.

“Talk,” I demanded, breathing hard.

Blood trickled down my arm. “Who sent you? How many are inside?”

He laughed, a wet ugly sound and his glowing eyes met mine. “This palace invasion is only the beginning. They’ll tear everything down. The king, his human mate and the whole pack if they have to.”

My blood ran cold as I pressed harder against his throat.

“Names. Give me names right now or I’ll make this slow and painful.”

His grin widened even as he struggled to breathe.

“You’ll never stop them. This riot is just the spark. The real fire comes….”

A sharp whistle cut through the noise. The rogue jerked violently in my grip as a poisoned arrow struck his neck.

His eyes widened in shock. He twitched once, then went limp. Dead.

I spun toward the darkness where the arrow had come from. “Coward! Show yourself!”

Only silence answered. Then the faint sound of footsteps fading deeper into the tunnels. Whoever fired that shot had perfect timing. They killed their own man before he could say too much.

“Damn it all,” I muttered.

My hands shook with anger and frustration. We had been close, one more minute and I might have learned who pulled the strings behind everything.

Lucas wiped blood from his face and stepped closer. “You alright, Darius? That was too clean. They don’t want us knowing the full plan.”

“I’m fine,” I said, though pain burned in my shoulder and chest.

“Check the armory. I need to see how bad it is.”

We moved forward together, stepping over bodies. The main armory door stood wide open and my stomach dropped the moment I looked inside.

Empty.

Every single rack stood bare.

Swords, spears, armor were all gone. Only a few broken blades and scattered arrows remained on the dusty floor. They had taken everything.

“No,” I whispered.

My voice cracked despite myself. I walked deeper into the room, boots crunching on debris.

“How did they move so much steel so fast? Someone planned every second of this.”

Killian one of the younger soldiers, stared at the empty walls with wide eyes.

“What do we do now, my lord? The mob is still pushing upstairs. Without weapons…”

“We fight with what we have left,” I told him firmly.

I turned to face all of them. “Our claws our swords, our loyalty to Aric and Seraphine. They need us, we don’t let these rats win.”

The men nodded but I saw the fear and doubt in their faces.

They were tired, bleeding and badly outnumbered. I felt the same heavy weight on my shoulders too.

I had always been the friendly cousin, the one who smiled and welcomed Seraphine when others glared. Now I stood here in blood and shadows trying to hold everything together.

Lucas put a steady hand on my shoulder.

“We’re with you. Till the end. Just say the word.”

I managed a small, tired smile. “Good because I think…”

Suddenly every Lycan in the room went still. We all heard it at the same time. Dozens of powerful heartbeats, heavy footsteps and low rumbling growls coming through the darkness ahead.

They were many of them.

I raised my sword, muscles tense as my wolf paced inside me, ready to fight. “Form up. They’re almost here.”

My men moved quickly and formed a ragged line across the armory entrance. Blood still dripped from cuts on their arms and chests.

I wiped sweat from my eyes and gripped my weapon tighter. The footsteps grew louder and growls echoed off the stone walls.

Whoever led this betrayal wasn’t finished. They had taken our weapons, killed our brothers and now they wanted to finish us in these dark tunnels.

I thought of Aric protecting Seraphine with everything he had, the quiet strength in her eyes and the love I had watched grow between them.

This fight mattered more than anything.

“Come on then,” I whispered under my breath, staring into the black tunnel. “I’m ready for you.”

The footsteps kept advancing. Closer and heavier.

Growls mixed with the sound of claws scraping stone.

Then the first pair of glowing eyes appeared deep in the darkness. Yellow and hungry and coming straight to us…