Chapter 88 not ready
The flames answered my call before I even finished the thought, roaring to life in a burst of searing heat. Logan’s charge faltered, his eyes widening as fire arced between my fingers.
I didn’t hesitate.
I twisted, dodging his outstretched claws, and slammed my palm against his chest. The fire surged, licking at his skin, forcing a pained snarl from his throat as he stumbled back.
The other warriors hesitated.
They had seen me weak before. They had seen me bleeding, broken, crawling away from the Alpha’s judgment.
But now?
Now, I was something else.
Logan clutched his chest where my fire had seared through his shirt. His breathing was ragged, golden veins shimmering where the flames had touched him.
I took a slow step forward, watching the way the warriors tensed. Their confidence wavered.
Good.
“I didn’t come here to fight,” I said, voice steady. “But I will burn anyone who stands in my way.”
Lena stayed silent beside me, but I could feel the tension in her stance. She was ready—waiting for the moment this turned bloody.
Logan exhaled sharply, the fury in his expression shifting to calculation. His gaze flicked toward the packhouse. Toward the Alpha inside.
“If you want an audience with him,” Logan said, voice rough, “then you’ll have to earn it.”
I huffed a humorless laugh. “That what this is? A test?”
“No.” Logan’s lips curled. “A reminder.”
He snapped his fingers.
From the shadows, more warriors emerged—twice as many as before.
The trap had already been set.
Lena’s fingers twitched at her sides, but I didn’t move. I let my fire pulse higher, let the heat shimmer in the air around me.
I met Logan’s gaze, unblinking.
“Then let me remind you,” I said, voice low. “I’m not the same wolf you tried to kill.”
And then I struck.
Logan barely had time to react before I moved.
Fire surged through my veins, raw and untamed, answering my call with a violent burst of heat. The ground beneath my feet scorched as I lunged, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat.
Logan braced himself, but he wasn’t fast enough.
I drove my fist into his ribs, fire crackling between us. He let out a choked snarl as the flames seared his skin, staggering back. But I didn’t stop.
I spun, catching another warrior off guard with a well-placed kick to the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground with a grunt.
The others hesitated.
They had underestimated me.
They wouldn’t make that mistake again.
A snarl ripped through the air as Logan recovered, his golden eyes blazing with fury. He lunged, claws swiping toward my throat. I twisted, barely dodging, the heat of my own fire licking at my skin as I countered.
The fight turned brutal in an instant.
Lena moved beside me, a blur of silver and steel, cutting down warriors before they could flank me. Blood sprayed across the ground, mixing with the scent of burnt flesh.
But we were outnumbered.
More wolves poured from the packhouse, drawn by the sounds of battle.
I gritted my teeth. If this kept up, we’d be overwhelmed.
And I wasn’t here to kill my way to my father.
I was here for answers.
With a growl, I raised my hand—and let the fire explode outward.
Flames roared to life, carving a burning circle between us and the warriors. The sudden heat forced them back, their snarls turning into startled gasps.
Logan shielded his face from the flames, his breath ragged. “Damn you.”
I stepped forward, fire flickering around my shoulders like a second skin.
“I told you,” I said, voice cold. “I didn’t come here to fight.”
Logan’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t stupid—he knew I could end this right now if I wanted to.
The packhouse doors slammed open.
A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.
And then—
A voice I hadn’t heard in months.
“Enough.”
Every muscle in my body locked.
I turned, fire still burning at my fingertips, and met the gaze of the man who had ordered my execution.
The Alpha.
My father.
His silver eyes were unreadable as he stepped onto the porch, his presence commanding instant obedience from the warriors around us. Even Logan straightened, tension rippling through his stance.
I stared at my father, heart pounding.
The last time I had seen him, I had been on my knees, bleeding out in the dirt, his voice a cold decree of death.
Now, he studied me like I was something foreign. Something wrong.
And then, he spoke.
“I should have known you wouldn’t stay dead.”
A slow, sharp smile curled at the edges of my lips.
“You should have,” I said, voice steady despite the fire roaring in my veins.
My father didn’t flinch. He stood at the top of the steps, his silver eyes unreadable, the weight of his authority pressing down on the warriors around us. Even Logan, despite his rage, remained still.
But me?
I wasn’t that obedient boy anymore.
I let the flames dance higher, crackling around my fingers. “I didn’t come here to fight,” I repeated, my voice carrying through the tense silence. “But I will if I have to.”
The Alpha studied me, his expression impassive. Then, he tilted his head slightly. “And what exactly did you come for?”
I took a step forward, the fire casting flickering shadows over my face.
“The truth.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “The truth about what?”
I laughed, a harsh sound. “Don’t play dumb. You knew what they were. The Wardens. You knew what I was before I did.” My voice sharpened. “Didn’t you?”
For the first time, something flickered behind his gaze.
Lena shifted beside me, her tension clear. She was waiting to see what he would do—if he would lie, if he would attack.
But my father didn’t move.
His eyes swept over me, lingering on the way the fire didn’t burn my skin. On the way it obeyed me.
And then, finally—
“I did.”
The admission hit harder than I expected.
My fingers twitched. The flames crackled.
A slow breath. A steadying inhale.
“And you still tried to kill me.”
My father’s gaze didn’t waver. “You shouldn’t exist, Elias.”
The words shouldn’t have hurt. Not after everything. Not after he had already made his choice.
But they did.
Lena stiffened beside me. Logan remained quiet, his own expression unreadable. The warriors barely breathed.
The fire inside me flared, wild and untamed.
I forced a smirk. “Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it?” I let the flames rise higher. “Because I do.”
My father exhaled through his nose, his lips pressing into a thin line. “And that is precisely the issue.”
The air felt heavier. Like the world was shifting around us, the weight of something unseen pressing in.
I stared at him, heart pounding.
“What am I?”
Silence.
Then, finally—
“You are a mistake.”
The words sent a sharp bolt of fury through me.
My fire exploded outward.
Warriors stumbled back, eyes wide with shock as the ground beneath my feet burned. The packhouse porch cracked beneath the heat, the air shimmering with power.
But my father didn’t move.
He simply watched.
As if he had expected this.
As if he had been waiting for it.
I took a slow step forward. “Try again.”
He exhaled. “You are something that was never meant to exist. A child born of fire and blood. A curse.” His eyes darkened. “You are not just a wolf, Elias.”
My breath caught.
Something in my chest clenched, a realization I had been running from rising to the surface.
I swallowed hard.
“What am I, then?”
My father’s expression was unreadable.
And then, he spoke.
“You,” he said slowly, “are a Warden.”