Chapter 82 THE RIDING OF THE STORM

Chapter 82 THE RIDING OF THE STORM
AVRIELLE’S POV

“Sorry for intruding.”

The smooth, deep voice shattered the tender silence in the room. I snapped my head toward the doorway, and Elena immediately flinched, stepping back into a formal stance. Ryan stood framed in the doorway, clad in full high-grade tactical leather and blackened steel armor, a broadsword strapped across his back and a silver dagger mounted across his chest.

His sharp blue eyes swept over the room before settling on Elena. For a brief, unexpected second, his cool, stoic gaze lingered on her face, taking in her tightly pinned hair, simple maid’s uniform, and the subtle nervous flush along her neck. It wasn’t merely a passing glance. It was a slow, calculating assessment that sent a visible shiver through Elena’s frame. Then, just as quickly, his attention shifted to me.

“The Ironclaw pack has crossed the northern perimeter,” Ryan said flatly, his voice devoid of panic, though the vein pulsing along his jaw betrayed the urgency. “They bypassed the river outpost thirty minutes ago. It won’t be long before they hit the main manor grounds. It’s time to go to the venue… Luna.”

Hearing the formal title from the lips of the pack’s most rigid enforcer sent an icy shock through my veins. The trap had been sprung. The war was officially at our doorstep.

“Right,” I managed, keeping my voice steady despite the rapid pounding of my heart.

Elena immediately stepped forward and supported my elbow as I smoothed down the heavy midnight-blue silk of my dress. My bare feet slipped into a pair of soft, embroidered leather slippers, and I drew in a deep breath, forcing myself to steady my nerves.

“Follow me closely,” Ryan commanded, turning on his heel. “We aren’t using the grand staircase. The main corridors are being locked down by the vanguard.”

He led us down a quiet, narrow hallway behind Xavier's room and pushed open a hidden wooden panel concealed within the stone tapestry. A steep, winding spiral staircase plunged into the cool darkness beneath the keep. Ryan ignited a small torch, its yellow light dancing across the damp stone walls as he guided us down into the secret passage designed for emergency evacuations.

Elena was practically holding her breath beside me, her knuckles white where she gripped my sleeve. I reached over and covered her hand with mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Stay calm, Elena,” I whispered as our footsteps echoed through the tunnel. “We’re going to get through this.”

She nodded frantically, though her eyes remained wide with fear. “I’m not scared for me, Luna Avy… I’m scared for you. For the Alpha.”

“He knows what he’s doing,” I replied, even as a tiny seed of doubt threatened to take root inside me.

At the base of the tunnel, Ryan pushed open a iron door that led into a secluded, wooded courtyard behind the main estate grounds. A heavily armored black SUV waited beneath the ancient pine trees, its engine idling with a low hum. Its dark tinted windows reflected the pale morning light while two fully armed Northwood guards stood beside the rear doors.

Ryan held the door open for us. “Get inside. Quickly.”

Elena slid into the leather interior first, pulling me in beside her. Ryan slammed the door shut, rounded the front of the vehicle, and climbed into the passenger seat.

“Drive,” he barked at the guard behind the wheel. “Take the reinforced woodland trail straight to the sacred clearing.”

The vehicle lurched forward, its tires spitting gravel as it surged down the hidden dirt road cutting through the thick pine forest. I reached out and clutched Elena’s hand tightly as the trees blurred past the window, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Breathe, Avrielle. Just breathe.

I repeated it like a mantra. Xavier has planned for this. The pack is ready. This is just a play to catch a ghost.

But no matter how many times I repeated the thought, the dark memory of Malphas’s obsession continued to loom over me like a storm cloud.

Within minutes, the dense forest cleared, opening into the grand sacred clearing tucked beneath the shadow of the Weeping Moon Cliffs.

The ceremonial venue was stunning, built directly into the sacred heart of the pack’s ancient territory. A long, raised stone aisle wound between rows of dark wooden benches decorated with white frost-lilies and burning silver torches that defied the morning mist. Hundreds of pack members filled the seats—warriors, elders, family heads, and villagers—all dressed in their finest ceremonial furs and cloaks. The air carried a strange mixture of celebration and high-strung tension.

The SUV came to a smooth stop behind the covered pavilion.

The moment it stopped, my stomach flipped.

“We are here, Luna,” Ryan said, checking his sidearm before stepping out to open our door.

Elena stepped out first and extended both hands to help me glide through the thick folds of my silk dress as I stepped onto the grass. She adjusted the silver comb in my hair, her hands trembling slightly.

“You look beyond breathtaking, Luna Avy. Take a deep breath.”

I drew in a long, shaky breath and lifted my head.

Then I stepped onto the beginning of the stone aisle.

The moment my feet touched the sacred pathway, a soft hush fell over the crowd. Hundreds of heads turned toward me in unison, followed by whispers that swept through the rows like a gentle breeze. I saw wide eyes filled with awe, sharp glances from skeptical elders, and warm smiles from young pack maidens.

But I didn’t care about any of them.

My eyes locked onto the far end of the altar.

Standing beneath an archway of woven frost-vines was Xavier.

He wore full ceremonial Alpha regalia—a dark, tailored midnight-blue tunic trimmed with silver thread, a fur-lined cape draped over his broad shoulders, and his dark hair styled neatly away from his razor-sharp jaw. He looked towering, majestic, and utterly lethal.

As I walked down the stone path, step by step, his golden eyes remained locked on mine. The cold, ruthless air he carried vanished completely, replaced by a raw, burning intensity that made my breath catch.

Elena walked half a step behind me, holding the tail of my train until I reached the base of the stone steps. She gave my hand one final squeeze before quietly retreating into the front row.

I stepped onto the altar platform and stopped only inches from Xavier.

He leaned in slightly, his golden eyes scanning my face, my bare collarbones, and the dark blue silk clinging to my hips. A low, gravelly smirk touched his lips.

“You look stunning,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a rough rumble meant only for me.

Heat bloomed across my face, and I looked down for a fraction of a second before meeting his gaze again.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Alpha.”

The old Pack Priest, standing to the right of the archway, cleared his throat loudly, breaking our quiet moment. The gray-haired elder wore thick robes embroidered with ancient runes and held a heavy leather-bound ceremonial book in his wrinkled hands.

“Can we begin now, Alpha?” he asked formally.

Xavier didn’t take his eyes off me immediately. He drew a subtle, deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he tested the air around the clearing. His gaze flicked almost imperceptibly toward the thick tree line surrounding the venue.

The perimeter guards were shifting into position.

Everything was ready.

Xavier finally turned toward the priest and nodded firmly.

“Yes. Begin.”

The priest raised his hands, his loud, gravelly voice carrying across the silent clearing.

“We gather here beneath the eyes of the Moon Mother to witness the sacred union of blood, soul, and crown. This is a vow to seal your bond as mates and hold you as one until death claims the earth. Therefore, I shall begin the rites.”

He turned toward me and lifted a small silver bowl filled with sacred spring oil.

“Do you, Avrielle, take Alpha Xavier Northwood as your Alpha, your husband, and your mate… to love, to honor, and to obey through storm and peace—”

BANG!

A violent gunshot shattered the sacred silence like thunder.

The bullet struck the silver bowl in the priest’s hands, blasting it into twisted metal and spraying dark spring oil across the stone altar.

A collective scream erupted from the crowd.

Panic exploded through the rows. Women shrieked, elders scrambled over benches, and high-ranking pack members rushed toward the outer edges of the clearing as chaos consumed the ceremony. Warriors drew broadswords and tactical blades with deafening metallic screeches, shouting orders for civilians to evacuate.

Amid the screaming crowd and running bodies, Xavier didn’t flinch, Instead, a slow, cold smile spread across his handsome face. He raised his chin, his golden eyes narrowing toward the thick smoke rising from the forest edge.

“He’s here faster than I thought,” Xavier murmured, his voice completely calm amid the storm.

The foliage at the border of the clearing was violently torn aside. Dozens of heavily armed Ironclaw mercenaries and rogue wolves poured from the trees like a tide of dark shadows, automatic rifles and blades raised.

But walking slowly down the center of the main aisle, stepping casually over discarded fur cloaks and fallen chairs, was a solitary figure.

Malphas.

He wore a dark, blood-red coat weathered with age, his pale, scarred face illuminated by the flickering silver torches. His dark eyes were fixed entirely on Xavier, burning with an unhinged madness that seemed to freeze the air around him. A smoking black pistol hung casually in his right hand.

Xavier immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his massive frame. Without turning around, he reached behind him and gripped my wrist firmly.

“Ryan!” he barked over the screams.

Ryan materialized beside the altar, his broadsword already drawn, his expression grim.

“Alpha?”

“Take Avrielle through the hidden exit that leads back to the manor,” Xavier ordered, his voice carrying absolute authority. “Now!”

“No, Xavier...” I cried, my heart dropping into my stomach.

“Go, Avrielle!”

His tone left no room for argument.

Elena scrambled up the side steps of the altar, her face pale with terror as she rushed toward Ryan. He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him before reaching for my shoulder.

“Luna, we must move!” he urged fiercely.

“Wait!”

I yanked my arm back for one final second.

Then I threw my arms around Xavier’s neck and pulled his face down to mine. I pressed my lips fiercely against his in a brief, desperate kiss, tasting the faint trace of pine and cold autumn air on his skin.

I pulled back just an inch and looked straight into his glowing golden eyes.

“Be good and stay alive, okay?”

Xavier’s dark smile returned, warm and completely fearless despite the army closing in around him. He cupped the back of my neck for a brief second, squeezing gently.

“Sure, Luna,” he whispered.

“Move!” Ryan snapped, grabbing my forearm.

Elena followed quickly as I allowed Ryan to pull me down the rear stone steps toward the dense tree line, where another hidden security path waited. Behind us, shouting, clashing steel, and roaring wolves erupted as the Northwood guards collided with the Ironclaw vanguard.

But as Ryan dragged me around the bend of the stone altar, I couldn’t stop myself.

I looked back and... my blood ran completely cold.

Malphas had breached the altar steps. He stood only feet from Xavier, his pale face twisted into a grotesque, murderous snarl. He raised his black pistol, pointing the barrel directly between Xavier’s eyes.

“We meet again pretty sooner than I thought. Now I can finally keep my promise!” Malphas growled. “Now tell me...Where is Adrian?!” Malphas screamed, his voice raw and unhinged.

Xavier didn’t even raise his weapon. He stood tall, towering over his brother, a cold, mocking smirk playing across his lips as he stared down the barrel of the gun.

“Don’t you want to see your son’s body first, Jeremy?” Xavier asked smoothly, his voice carrying clearly over the roar of battle.

Before I could see Malphas pull the trigger, Ryan’s arm wrapped securely around my waist.

“Don’t look, Luna!” he barked.

He practically lifted me off my feet and shoved me into the back seat of the waiting armored SUV hidden behind the rock face. Elena scrambled in after me, sobbing softly as she pulled the door toward her.

Ryan slammed the rear door shut, raced into the driver’s seat, and hit the accelerator.

The SUV roared to life, its tires screeching as it tore down the emergency escape road, leaving the bloody altar and screaming clearing behind in a thick cloud of dust.