Chapter 95: The Final Battle - Part II
Tynan:
“We have to keep going!” I yell at Axel as I once again try to drag him through the tunnel all while trying to dodge his attacks and make sense of his incoherent words, something about duty and pressure, I can see it in his glazed eyes that he is lost in some kind of illusion, the magic showing him things that aren’t there all while amplifying his feelings, this one has a lot on his shoulders, I conclude as I deliver a satisfying punch to his guts, one that didn’t need to be this strong but hey, who said I am a good guy? The deal was to get him there alive, nothing about being in the same condition.
“You are not a monster!” I hear him mumbling as his hand stretches to touch something that isn’t there, at first, I thought he was talking to me and nearly growled at him, but then, I realized he is seeing someone, my guess is that he is seeing his mate, the one who took advantage of him and his love and then betrayed him in the worst way, and a little part of me feels sorry for this messy excuse of an alpha, hanging on the tiny hope that there is some kind of a misunderstanding and that he will have his sweet mate back, the one he knew, the version she showed him, just like I pretended to be a gentleman for Leora, a refined man of high caliber while in fact I was a savage monster, and again, I am reminded with the fact that she ran away once my ugly truth stared at her, Goddess, I miss her, I miss her so much.
“You will never know if you keep allowing the magic to mess with your head, big brother, and you will never be able to save her from herself and the world if you keep fighting the truth, instead, go right through the pain and bitterness, take it all with a wide chest and let it refine you, only then you can make your peace with what is to come, only then you can live with the decisions you will have to make, otherwise, the questions will never stop, the feeling of betrayal would never subside, and the wounds will never heal, fight the urge of staying where it is comfortable in order to be able to reach where it is better…” just like I have decided to accept the fact that you are my brother, no matter how ironically bitter it is, for only then will I be able to look you in the eyes as I rip your heart out of your chest once this is all over.
“What will I do if it is true, what will I do if she has no excuses or explanations? How will I face my pack? How can I forgive her for I know damn well I can’t live without her?” a small wail leaves his mouth as he speaks in a broken voice, I sigh as I drag his body out of the tunnel, knowing that the magic is finally loosening its grip, I drag him out to the great hall, a circular room with runes and talismans on each stone, the night sky moonless above us, but my mind can hardly register any of that, for all I can see is her, sitting cross legged on a stone altar, eyes closed with her head tilted to the sky, breathing calmly as if she is just chilling on our bed, I take her in, my own breaths stuck in my throat, from her beautiful black her to her long neck to her delicate features, the tiny wounds and scratches scattered across her arms and legs, and the male clothes she is wearing which I don’t recognize.
That is her, my baby, my little mouse, my Leora, but at the same time, it is not her…
“Ciana!” I am startled by Axel’s choked scream, and it wakes me up from the haze to really look at what is surrounding my mate, a blond girl is curled to the side, coughing out mouthfuls of blood while trying to regulate her breathing and clutching her stomach, from the way Axel rushes to her side, I know I can safely guess that this is his mate, but I couldn’t give too shits about her, for all my concentration is on the woman sitting like a goddess on the stone altar and the bleeding corpse at her feet.
Delilah…
Fuck! I choke as I realize I can’t hear her heartbeats, she is dead, for fuck’s sakes! She died even before having the chance to hold her daughter and tell her the truth, red rage mixed with sorrow explodes in my chest, but I hold it back as best as I could wanting to first understand what is going on.
“Leora…” I call out for her in a soft tone, careful not to startle her and wary of what her reaction would be, but not just that, it is this strange presence all around her, heavy, dangerous, and evil, I can’t quite tell what it is, so I slowly inch towards her, my footsteps silent and slow, and even when the body of the woman I loved as my own mother lies at her feet, all I can see is my woman, the one I went half mad for, the words clog my throat the closer I get, wondering if I should apologize first or skip that to after feeling her lips on mine, she seems so oblivious of my presence and everything around her, including the waling Axel who is helping his mate, once I am in front of her, I take her delicate face in my hands, inspecting it for any possible injuries, and running my thumbs under her eyes where dark circles settled.
“My love…” I call out gently, and for a few seconds, she doesn’t respond, the only sign of life is the heat of her skin, but right when I am about to call her once again, a slow, small smile graces those plum lips of hers, I remember how I have day dreamed of her smile over and over again when she wasn’t near, bout beautiful and genuine it was, how her lips pressed together and curled upwards as her eyes squinted with the weight of her adorable cheeks, allowing only a glimpse of her shiny black beads to escape, but something about the smile she is giving me right now, something about the way she keeps her eyes closed, about a way only one corner of her lips lifts in a sly manner, and the way she doesn’t lean into my touch or jolted away in rejection, I sate at her with a bit of conclusion as I continue to study her face, looking for the odd that is unsettling me this much.
“I must admit, I can’t help but find it a bit disappointing that after all the hours I have spent training you and sharpening your instincts, you still act like the imbecile love stricken puppy that you have always been…” first I hear the words, thick with an accents I recognize very well, one that doesn’t belong to my little Ora, and I feel my blood slowly freezing into clots, and then, I see the red peaking through her long dark lashes.
“Hello again, son” I choke as I stare at the red irises that somehow ended up inside my mates beautiful almond eyes, a place where they don’t belong, I slowly pull my hand away, the cold suddenly seeping through my every pore, sirens going off inside my head, and something giving up inside my chest, I try to say something, to ask, to wonder, to scream, anything, but nothing comes out as all the thoughts and speculations race inside my mind like a tornado.
A warm soft hand touches my bare belly, before slowly traveling up to where my heart is, the touch so slow and sensual, the touch itself is torture, but the mixed signals reaching my brain are worse, going from longing and desire to wariness and disgust, but before I could even grasp what is going on, a force throws me backwards and I land near Axel and his mate, I gasp as I feel as if my insides were set ablaze, but I can hardly focus on the pain as I watch her uncross her long legs slowly and sensually while maintaining eye contact, so unlike my little mouse, and then she stands up, shoulders pulled back, back straight, and chin held up defiantly as she keeps looking at me with eyes that aren’t hers, a smile that is a parasite on her beautiful lips.
“So weak and pathetic, I thought I have raised you better!” once again, my mind screams with agony and disconcertion as I watch her mouth move and hear her voice saying words that don’t belong to her, words that make no sense when anyone say them except for him, I knew he would be here, I have felt his presence even before I entered the temple, same as I have known Delilah was also here, but even in my worst nightmare, I couldn’t have imagined him being inside her, possessing her body like the demon he is.
“How?” is all I can manage to ask as I slowly rise to my feet, ignoring Axel’s shouting that he would kill the one who hurt his mate as he tries to nurse her back to consciousness, Leora takes one step towards me and I take one back, not because I am afraid of the master, but because I am afraid of hurting her while fighting him, the son of a bitch got me this time, he got me good that I don’t even know what to do.
“I have lived for way longer than you can even fathom, son, I can tell when someone is planning to kill me…” the masters speaks using a seductive tone that flatters Leora’s voice, twirling a strand of her jet black hair between his fingers, and I can see his game, he is taunting me, using her body as he likes just to rile me up, and I can’t say it is not working to some degree, but I can’t allow myself to fall for his games or it will be my woman paying the price.