Chapter 126 ...
Amarien's POV
Daevir was on one knee.
Bleeding.
Breathing hard.
Theron loomed over him, chest rising steadily, eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of dominance.
And then, something shifted…HARD
I felt it before I saw it.
The energy around Daevir darkened and thickened, like a storm cloud collapsing inward before it exploded. His fingers dug into the earth. His head lowered. His shoulders expanded with a slow, terrible inevitability.
Daevir let out a sound that was not human.
It began as a growl.
It became a roar.
Bones broke violently.
Ezriel! It's him! His wolf!
His spine arched, lengthening, muscle tearing and rebuilding beneath skin that split to make room for fur darker than midnight. His frame expanded far beyond the powerful wolf I remembered.
And then, his head rose, and when those amber eyes opened again, they were no longer just Daevir’s.
Ezriel had taken over.
My breath caught.
I had never seen him so large.
So terrifying.
He towered now, easily matching Theron’s Lycan form in sheer height and presence. The ground trembled beneath his weight as he straightened to his full, devastating stature.
Theron’s grin faltered, only slightly.
Then he shifted again.
Bones snapping back into that hulking Lycan form, silver fur bristling, claws extending like curved blades.
They stood face to face.
Equal and Monstrous.
“So,” Theron scoffed, voice distorted but still unmistakably his. “You’ve been in touch with Ezriel,” he said, rolling his shoulders as if warming up for sport,
“I see you’ve fed him well.” His silver eyes gleamed with challenge.
Ezriel’s jaws peeled back in a snarl that vibrated through the clearing.
Theron tilted his head.
“Too bad he’s going to die tonight.”
They moved at the same time, lunging towards each other.
When they lunged, it was like two mountains slamming together. Claws met claws mid-air, blasting through the trees with a horrid force that shook everything within their range. The force of it blasted dirt outward in a violent wave.
Ezriel struck first, his massive forelimb raking across Theron’s chest. Silver fur tore. Dark blood sprayed across the churned earth.
Theron retaliated instantly, his jaws snapping toward Ezriel’s throat. Ezriel twisted at the last second, teeth sinking instead into his shoulder.
They crashed to the ground in a rolling frenzy.
Ezriel’s weight slammed Theron onto his back. His jaws clamped down on Theron’s forearm. Theron roared in fury and drove both hind legs into Ezriel’s abdomen, kicking him off with brutal force.
Ezriel hit the ground hard but recovered instantly.
Theron was already upon him.
His claws slashed downward, carving deep gouges across Ezriel’s flank. Ezriel responded with a swipe that caught Theron across the jaw, snapping his head violently to the side.
The sound of bone stung my heart.
They circled for half a breath, bloodlust in their eyes.
Then lunged again.
Ezriel aimed low this time, tackling Theron at the waist. The impact shattered what remained of a fallen tree nearby. Wood splintered like kindling.
Theron bit down, hard, into Ezriel’s neck.
Ezriel roared in agony, twisting violently and slamming Theron against the ground again and again until the earth beneath them turned to mud from blood.
They were tearing each other apart.
Literally.
Chunks of fur and flesh littered the clearing.
Oh gods!
Ezriel’s claws sank into Theron’s side, ripping downward. Theron retaliated by locking his jaws around Ezriel’s shoulder and wrenching with terrifying strength.
“...st..stopp” I muttered beneath my breath, but I could barely hear myself through the bloodlust frenzy.
The trees shook from the force of their blows. The very air seemed to vibrate with their snarls and roars.
My heart pounded so violently I thought it might burst.
They’re going to kill each other!
There would be no surrender.
Ezriel lunged again, driving Theron backward until the Lycan slammed into a massive oak. The trunk cracked from the impact.
Theron’s claws dug into Ezriel’s face, dragging downward, leaving three brutal gashes across one glowing amber eye.
Ezriel roared, a sound so primal it froze the blood in my veins, and bit down on Theron’s thigh.
Theron howled and retaliated with a savage upward slash that tore open Ezriel’s chest.
Blood poured.
The ground was slick with it now.
They staggered apart only to charge again.
Claw met bone.
Fang met muscle.
Rage met rage.
And I realized with terrifying clarity…
There would be no winner…only death.
My hands were shaking.
If one killed the other…
If Theron fell, the South would burn.
If Daevir fell…
My breath hitched.
I couldn’t even finish that thought.
Not like this.
Not when he bore the face of my son!
Before I could think, before I could measure consequence or pride or fear…
I ran.
I burst into the clearing, heedless of claws, heedless of blood.
My voice tore from my throat, raw and desperate.
“STOP!!!”