Chapter 154: Chapter 154

Kavian’s pov

I haven’t fully healed from the stab wound in my stomach, the flesh still throbbing with a deep, burning ache that made every step feel like fire. I was still bound with thick, strong chains—heavy, cold metal biting into my wrists and ankles—while about four men gripped the extended links, holding me in place like some prized war trophy.

They marched me forward as my father, my brothers, and our army advanced toward the pack gates. I could sense the misplaced optimism radiating from Alpha Stefan and his men; they truly believed they stood a chance against my father. Watching them puff their chests with false courage made a hollow pity settle in my chest. They were all playing with their lives. The fact that all three packs and their alphas had joined forces meant absolutely nothing.

They would be destroyed. That was the truth. And it weighed heavily on me because these were my mate’s people—her city. The last thing I wanted was to see it reduced to ash.

My father, Alpha King Armon, stepped forward with that calm, terrifying confidence of his as he addressed Alpha Stefan and his army. He told them the city had already been marked for destruction and that if they released me, he would grant them a peaceful death. I saw Alpha Stefan scoff, mistaking my father’s words for threats or arrogance.

But no—my father was simply declaring their fate.

“Please do as he asked,” I said, lifting my head despite the chains dragging me down. “Release me, and I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure no one gets harmed today.”

He turned, looked me straight in the eyes.

“You can’t even save yourself,” he said, venom curling through his voice, before addressing my father again—this time with even more arrogance. He claimed they would be the ones victorious today, that I would witness my father and our people die.

My father didn’t bother responding. Instead, he lifted a hand—just a small gesture—and two female figures bound in chains were dragged forward.

My breath hitched.

My eyes widened.

My heart dropped.

“Rose,” I gasped.

The sound of her name left my lips before I could stop it. I saw the shock snap across Alpha Stefan’s face too—pure, raw horror. Rose wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near danger. Everyone believed she was safe inside the pack house.

How… how did she and her aunty end up in my father’s captivity?

The question barely formed when my father moved.

A blur of motion.

Too fast. Too sharp.

His hand cut through the air—clean, merciless—and sliced Rose’s aunty’s head off her neck. Cleaner than any blade could ever hope to achieve.

A wave of horror crashed through me so violently I nearly staggered.

“Ahhhhhh!” Rose’s scream ripped through the air, raw enough to make even warriors flinch.

My father’s next words were a death sentence.

“Your daughter’s head will be next,” he said, his icy gaze fixed on Alpha Stefan.

But those words detonated inside me.

The image of Vivian’s head separating from her body replayed over and over—and then my mind conjured the same image with Rose. Rose screaming. Rose lifeless. Rose falling.

No.

No.

NO.

My entire body ignited with fury, heat exploding through my limbs. The chains groaned—then snapped like twigs as I tore them apart. The men holding me flew back, hitting the ground one after another as I charged forward with a speed I didn’t know I was capable of.

I launched myself toward my father—and toward Rose.

“Get away from her!” I roared as the ground trembled beneath my feet.

And then I did what I once believed impossible.

I hit my father.

My fist slammed into his face with enough force to send him flying backward. He skidded and landed—shockingly—on his feet, his expression darkening into a deep, furious frown.

Without hesitation, I swung my hand and shattered the restraints on Rose.

“Run!” I told her, my voice shaking with urgency.

Rose’s eyes were filled with pain and hurt—so much raw emotion it nearly crushed me. I could tell she wanted to scream, argue, or fight… but thankfully she did as I said. She turned and ran, sprinting back toward her people, who were already charging at my father’s army like a rising storm.

My gaze went to my father—and instantly my heart ached. I respected him. I revered him. I saw him as a god… yet I had just raised my hand against him to protect Rose. That truth settled in me like a blade. It was clear now—my love for Rose was stronger than anything, even the loyalty I had for my father. And I knew the price for that betrayal. I knew it would cost me my life.

I was prepared for that… but I had to make sure Rose was safe.

My eyes drifted to my brothers. All three of them stared at me with shock and disbelief written across their faces. I was certain none of them ever imagined I would strike our father. Even the warriors around us looked stunned. This was likely the first time any of them had ever witnessed someone hit the Alpha King.

“Kill him. Kill everyone and bring the girl to me,” my father commanded, his eyes locked on mine—cold, furious, merciless.

“Ahhhhh!”

The warriors roared as they charged at me, and at the same time the opposition warriors closed in from behind. I stood in the middle, about to be crushed between two armies—two sides that wanted me dead.

There was no way I could survive this. So I accepted my fate.

I closed my eyes, letting the chaos rush toward me, and whispered one last prayer—that the moon goddess protect Rose.

When I opened my eyes again, my father’s men were only a breath away, swords raised, ready to strike. But before they reached me, the opposition warriors got to me first—from behind.

Only… they didn’t strike me.

They passed right by me, rushing forward to engage my father’s warriors.

I froze, stunned.

They no longer saw me as an enemy.

For a brief moment, I wondered—should I join them? Should I turn my blade against my father’s men, the same people who had once been mine?

A rider approached, pulling his horse to a stop behind me. I turned—and saw Rose’s father, Alpha Stefan. Uncertainty twisted in my chest. Did he still see me as the enemy?

He stared at me for a long moment before tossing his sword toward me. I caught it midair, the weight familiar and steady in my hand.

“No man deserves to be without a weapon on a battlefield,” he said. Then his gaze sharpened. “Which side are you on?”

I didn’t even have the chance to answer.

One of my father’s warriors lunged at Alpha Stefan from his blind side. Instinct took over—I moved instantly. For a split second, he must have thought I was attacking him, but I charged past him and cut down my father’s man like he was no more than a sack of cloth.

“I guess I have my answer,” Alpha Stefan said.

I looked up at him.

“I guess you do,” I replied.

He nodded.

“Alpha,” one of his men said, handing him another sword.

“For glory!” Alpha Stefan roared, surging forward into the battle.

And many followed him.

Including me.

I was cutting down men with ease, my body moving before thought—completely forgetting that I knew most of them. I had dined with these men. Laughed with them. Sparred beside them. Yet now they were the enemy, and my blade didn’t hesitate.

Around me—and far ahead—I could see the people I now fought for holding their ground. Alpha Stefan was winning his battle, fierce and unrelenting. The other two Alphas, Damian and Tristan, were cutting through the chaos with impressive strength. Beta Marcel was holding his line, and many of the warriors fought bravely, refusing to break.

But overall… my father’s warriors were carving through them faster.

And my brothers—my three brothers—were doing the most damage. They were slaughtering warriors like flies. Watching them was difficult, almost sickening. Their precision. Their speed. Their ruthlessness. It reminded me exactly why our bloodline was feared.

And the most frightening part?

My father hadn’t even lifted a sword.

He just stood there, observing the battlefield like a king judging a game he already knew he would win. If—no, when—he chose to step in, everything would be over.

Because we were losing ground, being pushed backward step by step, I could see the worry creeping into Alpha Stefan’s face. The realization settling heavily in Damian’s and Tristan’s eyes. They were starting to understand the depth of the danger they were in.

“Those three are hurting us really bad,” Tristan growled between strikes. “We have to find a way to take them out if we’re going to have any chance of winning this.”

Alpha Stefan and Damian both nodded grimly. Then… they looked at me.

Waiting.

Expecting.

Needing an answer I wasn’t sure I could give.

Those three—Arman, Roshan, Shirin—were my blood. Not just brothers. We were a set of quadruplets, bound by nature itself since birth.

Was I really going to fight them?

Was I really going to help kill them?

The question hollowed out my chest—because I already knew the answer would break me either way.