Chapter 68 Alliance With the Devil
Dagnoth’s POV
The moment I stepped into the courtyard, the smell of blood hit me.
It was thick in the air, mixing with smoke and burning wood. The inner gate had finally fallen apart behind the warriors trying to hold it. Splintered beams and broken metal were scattered across the ground like bones.
My boots crushed over debris as I walked forward.
Around me, wolves and warriors clashed in brutal bursts of violence. Steel rang against steel. A wolf leapt through the air and slammed into one of my guards, sending both of them rolling across the stone.
The fight was meant for the palace.
But my eyes locked onto only one figure.
Kael.
He stood exactly where I had seen him from the window, It was calm, unmoving, like the chaos around him meant nothing.
His dark cloak shifted slightly in the wind.
The blade in his hand glinted under the moonlight.
Slowly, his gaze lifted.
And met mine.
For a moment, the battlefield around us seemed to fade.
Then Kael began walking toward me.
Unhurried.
Confident.
A few of my warriors stepped forward to block him, but I raised my hand.
“Stand down.”
They hesitated, clearly confused, but they obeyed.
Kael stopped a few feet away from me.
Up close, the man looked even more dangerous than the stories described. His presence carried a heavy pressure that made the air feel tighter.
His eyes flicked briefly over my shoulder toward the palace.
“The children are still inside,” he said calmly.
It wasn’t a question.
I crossed my arms slowly.
“You came a long way just to ask for them.”
Kael’s lips curved slightly.
“I didn’t come to ask.”
The arrogance in his voice made my wolf stir beneath my skin.
“You marched an army into my territory,” I said coldly. “You broke my gates.”
Kael tilted his head slightly.
“And yet here we are… still talking.”
My jaw tightened.
There was something strange about his tone.
He wasn’t tense.
He wasn’t rushed.
It was as if he had all the time in the world.
“You’re outnumbered here,” I told him.
Kael chuckled quietly.
“Am I?”
The single word sent a ripple of unease through me.
Behind us, the battle continued to rage, but Kael barely glanced at it.
His attention stayed fixed on me.
“You know why I’m here,” he said.
“For the children,” I answered.
“Yes.”
His voice was steady.
“But I’m starting to think you still don’t understand what you’re dealing with.”
My wolf growled inside my mind.
I took a step closer.
“You broke into my home,” I said. “Whatever you think you’re taking tonight… you’re not leaving with it.”
For the first time, Kael’s expression hardened slightly.
“Dagnoth,” he said slowly, “I was hoping you’d be reasonable.”
“And I was hoping you wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack my palace.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then Kael sighed.
Almost like he was disappointed.
“You always were stubborn.”
Before I could respond—
He moved.
It happened so fast my eyes barely tracked it.
One second he was standing in front of me.
The next—
His fist slammed into my chest.
The force behind the strike was monstrous.
My body flew backward across the courtyard and crashed into a stone pillar. The impact shattered part of it, sending cracks racing through the wall.
Pain exploded through my ribs.
I pushed myself up immediately, my wolf roaring with fury.
Kael hadn’t even moved from where he stood.
He flexed his hand slowly.
“You should have listened.”
My breathing deepened.
That strength…
It wasn’t normal.
Even for a Lycan.
I had fought powerful enemies before. I had faced Alphas, Lycans, rogue warlords.
None of them hit like that.
Kael watched me carefully.
Almost like he was studying my reaction.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he said.
I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth.
“You’re stronger than the stories.”
His smile returned.
“Finally.”
The courtyard trembled again as another section of the palace wall collapsed under the fighting.
I rolled my shoulders, ignoring the pain in my ribs.
“You didn’t come here alone,” I said.
Kael didn’t answer.
But something in his eyes shifted.
And that was enough.
My stomach tightened.
“You made an alliance.”
Still silence.
But Kael’s calm confidence suddenly made sense.
No king walks into another king’s territory without a plan.
Or backup.
My wolf growled low in my chest.
“Who?” I asked.
Kael slowly began pacing in front of me.
His boots moved through the dirt without hurry.
“You always were good at figuring things out,” he said.
My mind ran through every possibility.
Every powerful Alpha.
Every enemy who would dare attack my palace.
But only one name made my chest tighten.
My brother.
My fists clenched.
“You wouldn’t,” I said slowly.
Kael stopped walking.
And looked directly at me.
“Wouldn’t what?”
My voice dropped into a dangerous growl.
“You wouldn’t bring him here.”
For the first time, Kael’s smile widened.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
Just knowing.
“You should be more careful with assumptions, Dagnoth.”
The unease in my chest turned into something heavier.
Because if Kael had truly brought my brother into this…
Then tonight wasn’t just a war.
It was a trap.
A howl suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Deep.
Powerful.
Ancient.
Every wolf in the courtyard froze for half a second.
My heart slammed hard against my ribs.
I knew that howl.
I hadn’t heard it in years.
But I would recognize it anywhere.
Kael watched my face closely.
“Ah,” he said quietly.
“So you remember.”
Cold dread slid down my spine.
Because somewhere beyond the burning gates…
Another army was approaching.
And the man leading it—
Was the one person in this world who knew exactly how to destroy me.
Kael turned slightly toward the dark horizon beyond the battlefield.
His voice was calm.
“Looks like he’s right on time.”
My wolf roared inside my chest.
The night had just become far more dangerous.