Chapter 96 Sacrifice

Fiona’s POV

"How touching," Jason laughs, his eyes fixed on Havier.

"Do you really think one of you could hold out against all of my men?" The realization hits me like a punch to the gut.

Havier is not going to go like I asked him to.

Why didn't Havier leave when I told him to? Before I can attempt to convince him again, Jason signals his men, and they close in, surrounding us. There are too many of them, and only one of Havier.

The tension in the air crackles as the assailants move in with calculated precision. The harsh shadows of the night dance on their faces, their expressions devoid of mercy.

In the face of danger, Havier transforms from the harmless giant I've come to know into a true warrior. His muscles tense, and he squares off against the encroaching threats. The moonlight glints off his claws as he readies himself for the clash.

As the first wave of attackers lunges forward, Havier springs into action, his movements swift and deadly. His massive frame becomes a whirlwind of power and skill. I watch, awe-struck, as he maneuvers with surprising agility, parrying blows and countering with calculated strikes.

His claws tear through enemy flesh as he fights three wolves at a time. One of the attackers maneuvers from the side, his sword aimed at me. However, Havier comes in front of me just as the blade is inches away. He takes all the strikes meant for me and I watch horrified as bloody cuts ooze from his skin.

He is getting injured faster than he can heal and yet, he keeps on fighting.

I watch as four wolves surround him, attacking at once as another tries to sneak in from the back. Something dark and ferocious grips me and before I know it, I am picking up the sword of one of the fallen soldiers and piercing it through the attacker’s shoulders. He howls and turns back to look at me with scalding fury.

He takes menacing steps towards me and I lift the sword in front of me, my hands shaking. I am no warrior but I have no regrets.

I will fight if I have to.

His blood drips from the blade of the sword I hold and my eyes narrow at him.

Just when he is inches away from me and I am sure he is about to attack, he falters and topples lifelessly to the side. I watch as Havier stands behind him, a heart clenched in his claws. He has ripped it away from my assailant’s chest.

However, there is something else that horrifies me. I watch terrified as I see a soldier approach him from the side. I scream at him to watch out just as the soldier plunges his knife into Havier’s back.

“No!” I scream and rush towards him. Havier gives me a heartbreaking smile and then, once again, he is turning around. Putting himself between me and the threat.

He lifts his claws and swipes at his attacker’s throat, incapacitating him.

But, more soldiers come.

He attacks them but they attack him too.

They slice at his flesh, pierce through his skin, until he is a bloody mess.

Still, he continues to fight - continues to protect me.

Tears fall from my eyes as he staggers. The soldiers enclose him, thrusting multiple swords inside of him at once.

A strangled scream leaves my throat as I rush towards him.

He has taken out most of Jason’s men but they have taken him down too.

His giant frame falls to the side and I desperately cradle his head in my hands, crying in earnest. Jason lifts a finger and the remaining few soldiers put down their weapons.

It is clear that he has some other nefarious plan in mind but all I can do now is look at Havier. His breaths are shallow and his eyes are disoriented as he looks at me.

“No, no, no.” I cry out. “You should have left. You should have gone to your wife and child.”

With great effort, he forces himself to focus on my face. Then, he gives me one of his smiles. The goofy innocent ones that betray his young age.

“It was an honor to serve you, my Queen.” he says, his voice hoarse, and then, his head falls to the side, body going limp.

I shake him once, twice, thrice but it is no use.

He is gone.

Just twenty years old.

A man with so much love to give.

A father who never even saw his child.

Gone, just like that.

My head is bent over him and I cannot lift it up. There is a weight on my shoulders so heavy that it drags them down. The pain is so intense, it feels like a physical force.

Something is breaking inside of me. Grief is pounding at the walls of my heart.

Just yesterday he was talking to me about his wife, about his unborn baby. Just yesterday, he was giving Amelia rides on his shoulders and making silly jokes to make me worry less about Micah.

And now, he lies on the floor, eyes vacant, body tattered.

I hear Jeremy's snicker, a cruel sound that cuts through the heavy air.

"How stupid," he says mockingly. "Dying like that. Doesn't he know we weren't going to kill you, just take you as a hostage?"

Jason joins in the laughter, a sinister mirth echoing in the aftermath of the killings.

"Patriotism makes men stupid," he adds, his voice dripping with disdain.

He shrugs as if Havier's sacrifice was inconsequential. Like it was not a big deal at all.

"Micah thought he could win, make my army lose, and ruin my plans. But now, he will have the ultimate test before him. His wife or the crown," Jason declares, his words a venomous assault.

The cruelty in his tone twists my stomach, and I clench my fists in silent rage.

"I am going to make him choose," he continues, a sadistic glee in his tone. "I am going to take you with me and let him have his choice. Will he give up the throne and all of Alastair for a woman, or will he give up his woman for power?"

The callousness of his plan hangs heavy in the air, a grotesque game where lives are mere pawns.

"What do you think, Jeremy?" Jason asks and the two share an amused glance, like this was all a joke to them.

"Oh, I think my brother is quite weak, so he will choose her and leave the throne to us," Jeremy sneers, his voice laced with contempt. He crouches down, bringing his face close to mine, and laughs derisively.

"I bet you wish now that you had chosen me. After all, when Jason comes to power, both you and Micah will be killed, and I would be the one living in peace. If you had come back to me, I would have given you a good life."

His words barely register. There is a noise building inside my head. It drowns out his cruel taunts. It's a cacophony of grief, anger, and the deafening roar of my own thoughts.

I stare at my hands and at Havier’s blood that coats my skin.

Devastation bubbles within me.

I imagine Isabella’s face when she realizes that Havier won’t ever join her inside. That, her child will grow up without a father.

Anger simmers inside of me.

I think of Amelia who sleeps inside not knowing what will become of her parents.

Loss grips me.

I see Micah’s face as Jason dangles me in front of him forcing him to make a choice that I know will end him. His family or his people? Love or duty? No matter what he chose, it would destroy him.

Something shatters inside of me.

So many lives lost, so much destruction. All because of the jealousy and lust for power that belonged to these two men.

How many more lives will they take when Jeremy and Jason become victorious?

How many children will they make orphans?

How many fathers will they kill?

How many more innocents will die?

Something hot burns within me.

It starts from my fingertips and travels through my veins.

All the pain and all the sorrow course within me like lava.

Claws extend from my hands. I feel my teeth elongate. I can feel the strands of my hair turn white as snow.

My wolf’s presence is overpowering.

I feel her roaring inside of me.

How dare they? How dare they harm our people? How dare they threaten our mate?

She thunders in my head.

Sparks shoot from my hands and fizzle on the ground.

The legend of the white wolves repeats itself in my head.

The white wolf sacrificed herself for her pack.

For some reason, there is no fear within me. No confusion. No doubts.

Slowly, I lift my head and turn to look at Jeremy and Jason.

There must be something on my face because Jeremy stumbles back, with his face turning ghostly pale. Jason’s smile evaporates and a sliver of fear runs across his face.

Strangely I feel nothing. No panic. No hesitation.

There is a strange kind of clarity in my head.

Like I know what to do. Like I had always known.

It’s like I have unlocked something deep inside of me. A chest that holds so much power that it comes rushing to me now. It lights every cell in my body until I am vibrating with the force of it.

I can feel my eyes glow. I can feel the air crackling as the energy whips around me.

I can feel it building within me.

Rising like an inferno.

Pure, pristine, unadulterated power.

It surrounds me like a tornado, lifts me off my feet.

It builds and builds.

I look at Jason and smile.

“You will not harm my people.” I roar at him and watch as his jaw slacks open. “You will not make the man I love bow down. You will not have the king of Alastair surrender. I will not let you.”

With every word, the power builds in me, making me feel lighter than ever.

I am almost shaking with it, overcome by the pressure of it.

It is eager, desperate to be unleashed. It circles around me like a beast on a leash, waiting to run wild.

“Your tyranny ends now.”

I whisper and then, I close my eyes.

The last thing I see is an image of Micah smiling at me as he holds Amelia in his arms. I watch them both look at me with affection.

“I am proud of you.” They mouth at me and I give them a tearful smile back.

Then, I let go.

I unchain the power within me.

I unleash the beast.

White hot energy bursts from inside of me.

And then, all there is left is fire, smoke and the downfall of our enemies.