Chapter 168
Graham’s POV.
I knew Lucien was bad news. We should have never believed him, and he just showed us why my gut feeling was right.
He was a bastard who only cared about himself, and no wonder he tricked us. It would come to me as no surprise if Eliana was also tricked by him. He did us dirty and I was not going to let him go, maybe I wouldn’t kill him but he was not leaving this place fully intact.
But before that I needed to get out of these shadow tendrils that were tightening their hold on me, not forgetting Raymond who was getting agitated under their command. Raymond was never a calm person and all these things and the disappearance of Eliana have made his temper a little shorter.
I watched Serena’s enraged expressions and Douglas and Lucien’s smug ones. I hated the duo the most at that moment.
Serena believed Lucien and thought he was her friend, but in the end, he was nothing but a snitch. Douglas was no good, she thought he loved her but he broke her heart and now they both were in the battle of wills.
Suddenly while I was still struggling inside the shadow tendril hold, I saw her bubble getting darker and with each moment passing it turned darker.
Douglas’s instigation of how badly was treated in the pack was fueling her anger and I could see the bubble she was in, rising up, it was like a story from fantasy, I had never seen something like that.
The room pulsed with anxious energy, but on the other Douglas was smug, he was smiling as if he knew something that we didn’t. And by the looks of Lucien, it became evidently clear that he was also no part of that secret.
“What is going on?” Lucien asked Douglas, but he paid no heed to him, he was solely focused on the bubble rising up in the air.
I was filled with dread, my heart dropped and I knew I needed to do something, I needed to save Serena. I was not able to save her back in the Mooncrest but now I needed to save my mate. I gave my soul to get her back and I was not ready to lose her again, only because we believed a wrong person.
“Serena, hold on, I am coming.” I cried.
Douglas looked at me, his brow raised and he tightened his shadow tendrils on my throat, making it hard to breathe. “Are you now?” He mocked me.
My eyes bulged out, but not because of lack of air, but because of anger. He thought he could control everyone, he wanted to control everyone.
My anger flared, my eyes turned golden and the room pulsed with different energy now.
“Stop it, Graham. You would lose your life fighting here. Do you really think that you have enough energy to fend off Douglas? You really are crazy. Douglas broke your bond with Raymond and Serena, which meant that your curse was working in full control. One shift and you will be the past tense, so I advise you to stay within your limits.” Lucien sneered at me as if he really cared about my wellbeing.
“But that’s the thing, Lucien. You thought you broke me, you both thought that. But you could never take my brain away, that’s why they say fear the unseen and not what’s in the light. You thought you were breaking me and taking Serena, but you only brought us together. I am not going down and the only past tense in this room would be both of you and your hunger for the throne.” I snarled at Lucien, as I broke the shadow tendril, covering my body.
My muscles bulged under the newfound strength, and Lucien’s eyes widened.
“What….” he stammered as he looked at me.
Neris goddess rejuvenation power coursed through my veins and I was glad for that.
But Douglas was not impressed, he had a soft smile on his face, and he looked at me nonchalantly.
“You think these petty tricks impress me? I am a master manipulator, the king of tricks. Nothing impresses me.” he drawled as if I did all this for him.
“But that’s where you are wrong. These are not tricks nor did I do this for you. I did this for the person I love the most, and I will take you down for her.” I growled as I looked at her bubble that was a couple of feet above the floor.
“Oh, you want to, but first bring her down, or otherwise, she will be long gone.” Douglas chuckled like the heartless person he was. Nobody could believe that inside that bubble was his daughter.
The sight of Serena trapped within that dark, swirling bubble sent a chill down my spine. I couldn't hear her, couldn't sense her presence beyond that black barrier, but I knew she was in there. I had to get her out.
"Serena!" I called out, but there was no response. Desperation clawed at me, urging me to act, to do something, anything to free her from whatever held her captive.
With trembling hands, I began to pound on the surface of the bubble, each blow met with stubborn resistance. It was like hitting a wall of solid steel, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't yield.
Summoning my power, I focused all my energy into my fists, feeling the strain as I unleashed a barrage of strikes against the barrier. Pain flared in my hands as they began to bleed, but I pushed through it, driven by the overwhelming need to reach Serena.
"Serena, I love you!" I shouted. "Please, you have to come back to me!"
But still, there was no response, no sign that she heard me. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched cracks start to form on the surface of the bubble, a glimmer of hope igniting within me.
And then, with a deafening crack, the bubble shattered, fragments of darkness scattering across the floor. Relief flooded through me as I watched Serena emerge from the shattered remnants, bathed in an ethereal light.
But as she stepped forward, my relief turned to horror. Her eyes blazed with a fierce, otherworldly anger, her features contorted into a twisted mask of rage.
Her pitch black eyes glowed and did her hands.
This wasn't Serena. This was something else entirely.
Before I could react, she lunged at me, her movements fluid and predatory. I stumbled back, my heart pounding in my chest as she unleashed a savage attack.