Chapter 40
Kane's POV
Dozens of minutes earlier...
I sat in the chamber of Stella's manor, the Silver Moon territory map spread across the table before me, illuminated in patches of light and shadow. Red marks dotted the parchment—Julian's strongholds scattered throughout our lands. The East Wing. The main estate. The guard encampment by Moon Lake. And the most glaring mark of all: General Marcus's warrior squad.
I stared at those marks, my fingers absently tracing the table's edge.
Each red dot felt like a thorn lodged in my chest.
"External forces," Stella's voice cut through the silence, "are sometimes necessary."
She sat across from me in the shadows, her purple eyes glinting in the candlelight. Her tone sounded casual, but I caught the probing edge beneath it.
"What do you mean?" I lifted my gaze, sharp.
"The Blood River Pack," she said slowly, her slender fingers tapping the armrest, "I still have some old connections there. If you need—"
"Shut your mouth." Two words, cold as iron.
Stella raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile curling her lips. "Kane, you must understand that Julian holds more than just—"
"I understand perfectly." I cut her off, leaning forward, palms flat on the table. "This is an internal power struggle within Silver Moon. This is between Julian and me. I won't be the one who betrays the pack."
My words fell into brief silence. The candle flames danced, casting wavering shadows between us.
Stella laughed softly, the sound devoid of warmth. "How interesting. Your stubbornness is identical to your mother's." She paused, her gaze sharpening. "Look how that ended for her."
My fist slammed down on the table, the wood groaning under the impact. "My mother died because someone betrayed her! I won't repeat her mistakes."
"Then what's your plan?" She leaned back elegantly. "Julian commands Marcus's army. The East Wing grows stronger by the day. Do you really think my warrior squad alone can stand against an Alpha heir?"
I drew a deep breath, forcing down the fury churning in my chest. "I'll find a way. But it won't involve selling out Silver Moon's interests."
"Noble." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Pity nobility never won anyone an Alpha title."
Our gazes locked, neither willing to look away first.
In that tense moment, Shadow Witch Uma suddenly rose from the corner, her skeletal fingers trembling in the air. "Mistress... I sense something..."
"What?" Stella turned to her.
"The dark thorn chains..." Uma's voice rasped. "They're wavering. That slave's spiritual power—it just surged."
I shot to my feet, the chair scraping harshly against the floor.
"Damn it!" Stella cursed. "Just a few more days and we could drain that girl's fire element completely. We can't afford errors now!"
She was already striding toward the door. I followed close behind, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Ella...
We practically ran all the way back to the West Wing. Before we even entered the courtyard, I caught the acrid scent of burning in the air, and something else—the smell of dark flames.
When I burst into the courtyard, the scene before me froze me in place.
Victoria stood there, purple flames still flickering in her hands. At her feet—a pile of smoldering ash.
That spot. Someone had been kneeling there just moments ago. Ruby.
"You went too far." I heard my own voice, cold as if emerging from an ice cellar.
Victoria turned, a triumphant smile on her face. "Just executing a slave who dared attack nobility."
I didn't answer her. Because my attention had been seized entirely by another figure.
Ella.
She knelt on the ground, trembling, clutching a pair of silver scissors in her hand. Ruby's scissors. Her eyes were bloodshot, brimming with tears, but more than that—rage. The kind of rage so fierce it threatened to consume her whole.
"Ella..." I took an instinctive step forward.
She snapped her head up, and a flash of gold crossed those amber eyes.
Then she moved.
Impossibly fast. Scissors raised, she lunged straight for Victoria's heart, her movements decisive, without hesitation.
Victoria sneered and raised her hand. Purple dark flames formed chains that wrapped around Ella's body. I heard her pained grunt, saw her skin redden under the fire, but she didn't let go.
"Stop!" I roared, my voice nearly tearing my throat.
Victoria glanced back at me, jealous fury flashing in her eyes. The dark flames in her hand exploded, engulfing Ella—
Then something strange happened.
The purple fire burned away her clothes but couldn't penetrate her skin. The flames began to change color on her body, shifting from dark purple to pure crimson red, like... like the color of the sun.
Ella's pupils flooded with complete red light.
Deep in my consciousness, Blaze snarled, "Kane, get back!"
Before I could react, Ella's body began to transform. Golden light surged beneath her skin. Fine red wolf fur sprouted from her fingertips. A terrifying wave of energy exploded from within her, sweeping across the entire courtyard.
I stumbled back instinctively, raising my arm against the scorching heat rushing toward me.
When the dust settled, a massive crimson wolf stood in the center of the courtyard.
Its size was nearly three times that of an ordinary wolf, its entire body covered in flame-like leaping red fur. Each strand of fur glowed as if it were a burning ember. Its eyes were pure gold, pupils flickering with a crimson light too intense to look at directly.
The giant wolf threw back its head and howled, a sound that shook heaven and earth, carrying rage, grief, and something ancient—an inviolable majesty.
I stood there, stunned, my mind completely blank.
Ella... this was Ella?
The crimson wolf lowered its head, golden eyes locking onto Victoria. It opened its massive jaws, and a stream of pure red flames erupted forth.
Victoria's face went white. She frantically released her dark flames in defense. But the crimson fire was too intense—her purple flames began to disintegrate the instant they made contact.
"Damn it!" Stella's voice came from behind me. She lunged forward, purple fire exploding across her entire body, forming a massive energy barrier in front of Victoria.
"You fool!" she hissed. "You've ruined everything!"
Victoria gritted her teeth. "I just wanted to teach these slaves a lesson. How was I supposed to know it would turn into this..."
The red flames continued battering the barrier. Dark flames couldn't withstand the pure power of the fire element. Stella's barrier shook violently, cracks beginning to spread.
"I can't hold it!" Stella shouted.
The next second, the flames' impact surged, blasting both of them into the rubble. Smoke and dust billowed, obscuring everything.
I held my breath, staring at that cloud of smoke.
Then a silver-white giant wolf slowly emerged from the haze.
Stella's wolf form.
Dark purple flames coiled around her entire body. Three horrific scars marked her face.
She growled low, purple eyes fixed on the crimson wolf, holding both fury and... fear.
Because she knew all too well—dark flames were ultimately just power refined through black magic.
But the crimson wolf before her commanded the purest, most primal fire element.
That was the source of her defeat all those years ago.
That was the power she could never reach.
I stood between the two giant wolves, feeling absurdly small...