Chapter 155 The weight of a brother’s sacrifice
DARIAN
Kelvin’s body was heavier than I ever imagined, though not heavy enough to weigh down the grief tearing through me. His arms were limp at his sides, the blood from the ceremonial dagger still soaking his ceremonial tunic. I cradled him like he was a child, like somehow, by holding him close, I could reverse what had just happened.
No. I couldn’t.
His face, so pale, so serene in a way that made my heart break even harder, looked almost peaceful. As if he had made the choice calmly, deliberately, and accepted the cost without hesitation. My wolf roared in my chest, furious, raw, a surge of instinct and emotion I couldn’t contain. My brother. He had given everything for me. For Iris. For… happiness that I had barely allowed myself to feel until now.
And he was gone.
I sank to my knees, pressing his head against my chest, tears burning my eyes. I could feel the warmth leaving him, the life slipping away like sand through desperate fingers. My wolf screamed, clawing at the world that had dared to take him from me. I tried to hold back the roaring grief, tried to keep it silent, but my voice broke as I whispered, “Kelvin… why?”
He had looked at me with that faint smile, that mixture of pride and sorrow, and said, “You deserve to be happy.”
Happy.
The word cut through me like a dagger. He had lived his whole life in shadow, obedience, silence, and fear, but in one final act, he had been braver than anyone I had ever known. And I had been the one to receive the gift… the gift of living with Iris, of finally feeling whole… at the price of my brother.
I could barely breathe. My chest ached in ways that had nothing to do with the dagger’s sting, nothing to do with pain my wolf could sense. This was grief. Pure, unfiltered grief.
And then… I heard it.
“NO!”
Zeus. My wolf tensed, ready to spring, but grief pinned me in place like molten lead. His voice cracked through the room, sharp, rage-filled, uncontrolled. “This isn’t enough! Darian! You have to be the one!”
I looked up. Zeus’ face was red, twisted in fury, his wolf matching the intensity of his human side. “You can’t just let him die! The prophecy, it names you! The curse, it’s yours! Not his! Not anyone else’s! Yours!”
I felt Iris shift behind me, small and frightened, her eyes wide as they darted between me and Zeus. I pressed Kelvin’s head tighter to my chest. My hands shook, refusing to let go.
“You’ve lost all sense, Zeus,” I murmured, voice raw, hoarse. “Kelvin’s sacrifice… it was enough. The Seers…”
“They’re blind!” Zeus yelled, stepping closer, his wolf coiling like a viper ready to strike. “You’re the one the Moon Goddess marked! You’re the one tied to the prophecy! You’re the one whose life is owed!”
I clenched my teeth, my wolf growling low in my throat. I had seen this before: Zeus’ sense of justice, warped by jealousy, by ambition, by anger that had no bounds. But this… this was madness. And it was dangerous.
The Seers, stepping cautiously to one side, spoke in unison, voices calm, almost ethereal against the chaos. “Prince Darian… the price has been fulfilled. The sacrifice of one born of the same parents… the price has been paid. The bond, the prophecy, the curse, Kelvin’s choice satisfies the demand.”
Zeus’ eyes flared with disbelief, veins visible at the temple. “I don’t care what you say! You can’t just let him die and call it done! Darian… YOU… YOU are the one it calls for! You!”
I rose slowly, cradling Kelvin’s lifeless body like a shield. “You’re blind with rage,” I said quietly, though my wolf snarled at every inch of Zeus’ proximity. “Kelvin made his choice. I didn’t ask him to do this. But he did it because he loves me… because he knew I couldn’t lose her. He paid the price. Not me. Not Iris. Not anyone else.”
Zeus laughed, a sharp, deranged sound. “Paid the price? He’s dead! DEAD! And you just stand there, mourning him like some helpless fool. You have to take the rest! You have to go! You must die! I won’t allow it otherwise!”
I could feel my wolf clawing at my skin, roaring in frustration and fury. My teeth clenched. I could smell the terror and adrenaline and hate radiating from him. My jaw ached from the control I forced myself to maintain. I wasn’t going to lose another brother tonight—not like this.
I moved instinctively, stepping in front of Iris as Zeus lunged forward, hand darting toward her throat.
“Zeus!” I bellowed, my voice echoing through the hall, deep and commanding, wolf and human combined. “Do not touch her!”
He froze, eyes blazing, and I could see the almost uncontrollable power surging through him. But I wasn’t going to wait. Not for debate, not for reason. I called for the guards. My voice, low and full of authority, rang out:
“Guards! Take him to the dungeon! NOW!”
The soldiers sprang into motion, surrounding Zeus, restraining him with steel and strength. He thrashed, furious, shouting, but I held my position, keeping myself between him and Iris. My wolf flared inside me, heightening every sense, feeling every heartbeat, every step, every slight motion from the raging prince.
“Iris,” I said softly, turning just enough to look at her. Her eyes were wide, scared, tears still streaking her cheeks. I pressed a hand to her shoulder gently, grounding her. “Stay behind me. You are safe.”
Her lips trembled. “Darian… Kelvin…” She whispered, and my heart sank further at the way she looked at me, like she had just witnessed the impossible happen.
I felt the weight of my brother’s death in my arms. Kelvin had died for us. Died for me. And I couldn’t, wouldn’t allow another life, another bond, another piece of happiness to be snatched away.
The Seers murmured again, stepping cautiously forward. “Prince Darian… the lunar balance has shifted. The sacrifice has been made. The portal remains stable. The prophecy’s demand has been fulfilled.”
Zeus snarled, struggling against the guards. “I won’t accept it! I refuse! Darian, you’re the one it demands! Let me go!”
I pressed my forehead against Kelvin’s temple, closing my eyes. My wolf roared silently, my heart hammering in my chest, my breaths coming fast, ragged.
“I don’t care what the prophecy says,” I whispered through gritted teeth, voice low, almost deadly. “I’ve lost another one close to my heart tonight. I will not lose another. And I will not allow you to hurt her.”
Zeus’ struggles intensified, his wolf form brimming with wild, raw energy. He was a storm, all fury and fire, and I could feel him trying to break free, trying to bend the world to his will. But I was solid. I was grounded. I was ready.
The guards pulled him back, dragging him toward the dungeon steps. He lashed out, roaring, voice echoing like thunder. But I did not move. I did not hesitate. Every fiber of my being focused on keeping him away from her, keeping him from undoing what Kelvin had done for us.
The guards dragged him down the stairs, his roars echoing through the hall like distant thunder. I didn’t let my gaze leave him until the last glint of his figure disappeared.
I exhaled shakily, cradling Kelvin’s body tighter. My wolf howled inside me, grief and rage and heartbreak combining into a sound that shook the floor beneath my knees.
Iris came forward tentatively, reaching for Kelvin, but I held her back gently. “Let me… just a moment,” I whispered. My hands lingered on Kelvin, stroking his hair, memorizing the lines of his face, committing every detail to memory.
My brother had saved us. He had sacrificed himself for me, for her, for the possibility of happiness that had been denied to him all his life. And I… I was alive. And I was still breathing. And I had her.
But the ache of loss cut deep. I had never felt grief like this. My wolf roared for revenge, for justice, for the brother who had been taken, and yet my human heart wept for the man I had loved, the man I had lost, and the man I would never stop mourning.
“Iris,” I said softly, turning to her. Her eyes were wide, vulnerable, frightened, but still unwavering. “We are safe. For now. But we honor him. Always. His sacrifice… it will never be forgotten.”
She nodded, trembling, and I took her hand in mine. I could feel her heartbeat, fast, ragged, trembling against my own. My wolf calmed slightly, sensing her strength, her bond, her resilience. We had survived… for now.
But as I finally allowed myself to feel the full weight of the loss, I knew that nothing, no prophecy, no seer, no rage of a brother, could ever prepare me for the emptiness Kelvin left behind.
And yet… for Iris, for the life we had fought for, I would carry it.
I would carry him in my heart.
Forever.