Chapter 251

Chapter 251
Elenna's POV

I didn't dare move. Didn't dare breathe. The bear was getting closer. Each step brought it nearer to my hiding place, its nose twitching as it caught fragments of scent the mud couldn't completely mask.

If it continued circling, it would find me within moments. My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I feared the sound alone would give me away. I weighed my options—running was suicide. I couldn't outpace a bear, not even at my fastest. Fighting? Even more hopeless.

My only hope was to remain absolutely still and pray.

The bear's snout lowered, inching closer to the vines. Its hot breath disturbed the foliage Aurelian had arranged to hide me. One massive paw began pawing at the tangled greenery, claws catching on the delicate stems. I pressed myself deeper into the rock hollow, trying to become one with the stone itself.

A low growl rumbled through the clearing as a second bear emerged from the treeline. This one was slightly heavier, with darker fur across its shoulders. The first bear noticed immediately, turning with a threatening growl of its own.

The newcomer shook its massive head, and to my shock, its form began to shift and contort. Then, a man straightened where the bear had stood moments before—Shane, the one who had shown respect to Aurelian back at Millicent's estate.

"Let's go back, Logan," Shane called. "This hunt is wrong."

The first bear—Logan, apparently—shifted as well. He rolled his shoulders and fixed his brother with a contemptuous stare.

"This is no time for cowardice, Shane. You always lose your nerve when it matters."

Shane's jaw tightened. "Because it's wrong. You can be angry at the King, but killing an innocent woman is wrong. This violates everything we stood for."

"She made her choice," Logan spat. "She chose the tyrant. Now she deserves the same fate."

I remained frozen, barely breathing, as the brothers argued mere feet from my hiding place.

"If we kill innocents, how are we any better?" Shane demanded. "Isn't the whole point of the rebellion to make life better for all species?"

Logan stalked closer to his brother, eyes narrowing. "You can't have it both ways, Shane. You can't swear loyalty to the Dragon King and pretend to support the rebellion."

"So because I don't want to participate in murdering an innocent human woman, I'm not a good rebel? Is that what you're saying?"

Logan's lip curled into a snarl. "You've never done enough for the rebellion. Never. And this is the final straw."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane's voice dropped, dangerous and low.

"It means you've disgraced our family for the last time." Logan's eyes glittered with malice. "If you won't do what's necessary for the rebellion, then I will. By eliminating you."

Without warning, Logan transformed, his body expanding and twisting into bear form as he lunged at his brother. Shane barely had time to shift himself, meeting the attack with a defensive swipe that sent both bears tumbling across the forest floor.

The brothers circled each other, snarling and growling. I realized this standoff couldn't last forever—someone would need to make a move, or both would agree to back down.

I didn't want to see brother turn against brother, but I was selfishly grateful for their argument. It gave Aurelian more time to return for me. I analyzed my chances: If Logan wins, I'm dead. If Shane wins, I might have a chance, but not much. He's still a rebel, after all.

I worried that the sounds of their confrontation would attract other hunters. The forest had gone eerily silent except for the growls of the bears.

Suddenly, Logan charged. The clearing erupted with roars as teeth snapped and claws slashed. They separated after the initial clash, both bleeding and disheveled. Logan's right foreleg was badly injured, and he favored it visibly.

With lightning speed, Shane attacked again, his greater weight pinning the injured Logan to the ground. His jaws clamped around Logan's shoulder, drawing a pained whimper as the fight drained from the younger bear. The flames that had been shooting from his mouth diminished.

I couldn't help the small gasp that escaped me at the brutal display.

It was enough. Shane's head snapped in my direction, eyes seeing through the grass and vines to where I huddled. He held his brother pinned for another long moment, then released him and shifted back to human form. Blood stained his mouth and teeth.

"Long live the Dragon King," he said, then looked directly at me. "Run."

I didn't need to be told twice. I scrambled out from the rock hollow, branches and vines catching at my mud-caked clothes as I broke into the forest. I had no idea where I was going, but I ran anyway, legs pumping wildly beneath me.

I wish I knew where Aurelian was! The sounds of roars and snarls echoed from multiple directions around me, and my heart thundered in my chest as I continued to run.

Doria's POV

Doria sat motionless as Millicent and Solan continued to glare at each other. The tension in the room was so thick it made the air heavy to breathe.

"When you move against Elenna, you move against me," Solan growled. "You understand that, but you don't care."

Millicent's expression remained impassive. "I support you when you have clear goals, Solan. But there's madness driving you now. Desire for this human woman has become your primary concern, while the interests of the kingdom have become secondary."

Solan emitted a low growl, his bear features beginning to show. "So you admit you're working against me?"

Millicent lifted her chin. "You're just a shell of the leader I thought you would be. We all thought you were the one who would help the alliance of species usher in a new age. Yet you spend most of your time chasing and plotting for a woman who doesn't want you."

"She does want me," Solan snapped, confirming Millicent's point by being most angered by this particular accusation rather than any other.

"You're a disgrace," Millicent said coldly. "My husband should have been the true leader of the rebellion."

"Your husband is the main reason the rebellion exists!" Solan shouted. "He was more tyrannical than Aurelian!"

"He did what was necessary," Millicent replied. "Which you seem incapable of doing."

"He ruled through fear."

"And you're a spineless coward."

Solan's rage boiled over. He struck Millicent across the face with enough force to knock her off balance. She fell to the floor, her cane clattering beside her.

One of the soldiers began to step forward to help her, but Solan's glare and growl stopped him in his tracks.

Millicent moved on the floor, still clutching her stick, her eyes burning as she looked up at Solan.

"Does hitting an old woman make you feel more like a leader?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fire flashed in Solan's eyes, and for a moment, Doria thought he might kick the fallen woman. The soldier who had started to move forward took another step, not quite intervening but sending a clear signal.

Millicent wasn't the only one who thought Solan had grown weak.