Chapter-HundredThirty One, The Storm,
Chapter-HundredThirty One, The Storm,
King Larry’s POV
The storm outside the cabin sounded violent enough to tear the forest apart.
Rain hammered endlessly against the windows while thunder shook the walls hard enough to rattle the old wooden shelves hanging inside the kitchen.
Yet somehow—
The storm wasn’t the worst part.
The worst part sat directly in front of me.
Zoe.
Broken.
Absolutely broken.
She sat in the middle of the living room floor beside my mate with tears running endlessly down her face while silver sparks flickered dangerously around her fingertips.
The poor girl looked like she was barely holding herself together.
And after hearing what happened—
I understood why.
“Tell me again,” I said carefully, though my dragon already sensed the truth clawing beneath her words.
Zoe wiped her face shakily before inhaling unevenly.
“Luicen took Sean.”
The room fell silent instantly.
The fire crackling inside the fireplace suddenly dimmed lower.
My mate looked horrified beside her.
“How?” she whispered.
Zoe’s breathing became uneven again.
“He wasn’t alone.”
My dragon stirred uneasily beneath my skin.
“Who was with him?”
Zoe squeezed her eyes shut tightly before answering.
“Alpha Asher.”
That hit hard.
Very hard.
Because Alpha Asher was powerful enough on his own.
But corrupted?
Controlled by Luicen?
That made him terrifying.
“And there were creatures with them,” Zoe whispered shakily. “Things I’ve never seen before.”
Fear rolled off her in waves now.
“Creatures from hell.”
The words settled heavily inside the cabin.
Ancient dread curled down my spine.
“What kind of creatures?” I asked darkly.
Zoe swallowed hard.
“They weren’t wolves. Or demons.” Her voice cracked slightly. “Their skin looked burned… melted almost.” Tears filled her eyes again. “And their eyes…” She shook her head weakly. “There was nothing human left in them.”
My dragon snarled low beneath my skin.
Hell creatures.
Ancient ones.
That meant the realm barriers truly were weakening.
“Was Gemma there?” my mate asked softly.
Pain flashed across Zoe’s face instantly.
“No.”
The answer surprised me.
“I didn’t see her.”
Something about that made my chest tighten harder.
Because if Gemma wasn’t there—
Then where was she?
Zoe suddenly grabbed her chest painfully.
A broken gasp escaped her lips.
The mate bond.
She was feeling Sean.
“Zoe—”
“He’s alive,” she whispered shakily. “I can still feel him…”
Hope flickered weakly through the cabin.
Alive.
Sean was alive.
But barely.
The fire suddenly exploded higher inside the fireplace.
Wind slammed violently against the cabin walls.
And then—
BANG.
The front door shook hard enough to make the entire room jump.
Every instinct inside me sharpened instantly.
My dragon surged violently beneath my skin.
Danger.
Another bang echoed through the cabin.
Louder.
Heavier.
Almost unnatural.
My mate quickly stood while Zoe wiped tears from her face trying to steady herself.
“Stay behind me,” I growled.
I moved toward the front door slowly while darkness curled uneasily beneath my skin.
The closer I got—
The colder the cabin became.
Ice spread across the windows.
The storm outside intensified violently.
Another bang shook the door hard enough to splinter wood.
I grabbed the handle instantly before yanking the cabin door open.
And froze.
Two women stood beneath the storm.
Pale.
Still.
Dead.
My dragon roared instantly inside me.
Impossible.
I knew those faces.
Everyone did.
“Maggie…” I breathed.
Beside her stood Emily.
Both women looked almost transparent beneath the rain while dark mist curled around their feet unnaturally.
Zoe stumbled backward behind me.
“No way…”
Maggie looked directly at us.
“We don’t have much time.”
Her voice echoed strangely.
Like death itself whispered beneath her words.
“You’re dead,” I growled.
Emily smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
Cold dread settled heavily inside the cabin.
Then Maggie stepped inside.
The moment she crossed the doorway—
The fire inside the fireplace turned blue.
My dragon instantly became restless.
“The barriers are weakening,” Emily whispered quietly.
Outside—
A horrifying scream echoed somewhere deep in the mountains.
Not human.
Not wolf.
Something ancient.
My mate visibly paled.
“What’s happening?” she whispered fearfully.
Maggie’s expression darkened.
“The end is beginning.”
Silence swallowed the cabin.
Then Maggie looked directly toward Zoe.
“Sean is alive.”
Zoe nearly collapsed from relief.
Tears instantly filled her eyes again.
“You’ve seen him?”
Maggie nodded once slowly.
“But he’s cursed.”
The hope inside Zoe’s face cracked instantly.
“What kind of curse?”
Emily stepped forward carefully.
“A dream curse.”
My dragon snarled violently beneath my skin.
Ancient nightmare magic.
Forbidden magic.
Cruel magic.
“It traps the victim inside their worst fears,” Emily explained softly. “Over and over again until the soul begins breaking apart.”
Zoe visibly shook now.
“No…”
“He’s reliving his worst nightmare repeatedly,” Maggie whispered sadly.
Zoe grabbed her chest painfully again.
The mate bond was already showing her pieces of it.
“What is he seeing?” she whispered weakly.
Maggie’s pale eyes filled with pity.
“You dying.”
The words shattered the room.
Zoe let out a broken sob instantly.
“He’s watching you slaughtered in front of him while he’s forced to watch helplessly,” Emily whispered quietly. “Again and again.”
My mate covered her mouth in horror.
Even my dragon went silent for a moment.
Because that…
That kind of pain destroyed people.
Zoe dropped onto her knees breathing unevenly while silver magic exploded around her violently.
“He thinks he failed you,” Maggie continued softly. “Failed everyone.”
Tears streamed endlessly down Zoe’s face now.
“I need to get to him.”
“You can.”
Everyone looked toward Maggie instantly.
Zoe inhaled sharply.
“How?”
Maggie slowly knelt in front of her.
“The mate bond.”
Silence followed.
“You and Sean are soul bonded,” Maggie explained carefully. “Your minds remain connected even across realms.”
Fear crossed Zoe’s face.
“You mean…”
“You can travel to him.”
The room instantly became colder.
My dragon snarled hard beneath my skin.
“No.”
Emily looked toward me calmly.
“It’s the only way.”
“She enters that curse and it could trap her too,” I snapped.
“It could,” Maggie admitted honestly.
That honesty terrified me more.
“But Sean’s soul is weakening quickly,” Emily whispered. “If nobody reaches him soon… the curse will consume him completely.”
Zoe wiped tears from her face shakily before slowly standing again.
Fear rolled from her.
But love burned stronger.
“How do I do it?”
Maggie rose carefully.
“You’ll need to open the mate bond fully,” she explained. “No walls. No fear. You let your soul search for his.”
Emily continued softly.
“Once you find him, you anchor yourself to his emotions. His memories. His voice.”
Zoe listened carefully despite trembling.
“And then?”
“Then you let the bond pull you into his mind.”
The idea alone sounded dangerous.
Ancient.
Wrong.
“What happens if the nightmare notices her?” I asked darkly.
Emily’s expression hardened instantly.
“Then the curse will try trapping her too.”
Silence swallowed the room again.
Outside—
Thunder exploded violently overhead.
The ground beneath the cabin trembled slightly.
My dragon became restless immediately.
Something was coming.
Something terrible.
Zoe slowly looked toward Maggie again.
“If I enter his nightmare… can I wake him up?”
Maggie hesitated.
That hesitation terrified me.
“If Sean remembers who he is,” she whispered softly. “If he remembers your bond… then yes.”
And if he didn’t?
Nobody asked the question aloud.
Because we already knew the answer.
Zoe inhaled shakily before wiping the last of her tears away.
Then finally—
She lifted her head.
And for the first time since Sean was taken—
I saw strength return to her eyes.
Terrifying strength.
“I’ll go to him,” she whispered.
The fire inside the cabin flickered violently.
Silver magic curled around her body slowly now.
Controlled.
Determined.
“I’ll travel into Sean’s dream.”
Outside—
Another horrifying scream echoed through the mountains.
And somewhere far beneath the earth—
The tunnels leading toward hell opened wider.