Chapter 125

Dark violent descriptions are explored in this chapter. Please read with caution.

Lucas' POV

In the midst of the chaos, there was one person I needed to reach more than anyone.

Elara...

I opened our mind link, reaching out with my thoughts. I was desperate to feel.

Elara, can you hear me?

Nothing. Just the hollow echo of my own thoughts. I pushed harder, concentrating on our connection.

Elara, please. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I'm sorry I let my pride get in the way.

Still nothing. The silence in my mind was deafening. I kept running, my chest tight with an emotion that had nothing to do with physical exertion.

I miss you. I love you.

The absence of her response crushed me. I could feel that she was alive-that much of our bond remained intact. I could sense her life force, and the smaller, fragile life she carried within her. But her thoughts, her emotions, her voice-all of it was closed off to me.

It wasn't like when a mate died and the bond shattered completely. This was different. This was a wall, deliberately put up between us. She was shutting me out, and I couldn't blame her. Not after how I'd treated her.

The knowledge that she was safe gave me some comfort. At least I knew she wasn't in immediate danger. But the fact that I couldn't reach her mind-couldn't share my thoughts, my fears, my love-it tore at me with every step I took.

I was convinced it was because she was still angry with me. The argument we'd had before all this chaos erupted had been brutal. Words were said that couldn't be easily taken back. I had accused her of things I knew weren't true, let my paranoia get the better of me. And now, when I needed her most, when I wanted to tell her I was fighting not just for revenge but for our future, she couldn't hear me.

Or maybe she could, and she was choosing not to respond. That possibility hurt even more.

I pushed the pain aside. I couldn't afford to be distracted, not now. If I couldn't make things right with Elara at this moment, I could at least make the world safer for her and our child. I could end the threat of Amaris once and for all. I could create a future where our child wouldn't grow up with the same fear and hatred that had defined my own childhood.

I focused back on the hunt, Matthew's scent growing stronger. It led me toward the caves-the same caves where the human, Michael had once held Elara captive.

As I approached the entrance, I slowed my pace. Matthew's scent was overwhelming now, mixed with the stale odor of many other wolves. He wasn't alone. But then, I hadn't expected him to be.

I stepped into the cave. Matthew was standing in the center of the main chamber as if he'd been waiting for me.

"Where is he?" he demanded. "Where's the human who resided in this cave?"

I stalked forward, feeling my Lycan stirring beneath my skin, eager for blood. "You've played your last game, Matthew. I'm going to kill you where you stand."

Matthew smiled then he whistled.

The sound of multiple footsteps filled the cave as warriors emerged from the shadows. One, five, ten, twenty-they surrounded us, blocking the exit.

"I'm always a step ahead of you, Lycan King. Did you really think I'd face you alone? No, you're going to die in this cave, at the hands of my men." His eyes gleamed with malice. "And when you're gone, I'll have Elara. I'll raise your son as my own."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "That is, if the child is born a werewolf like its mother. If it comes out a disgusting Lycan like you..." He made a sharp gesture with his hand. "I'll break its neck myself."

Something snapped. Before Matthew could take another breath, my hand was around his throat, lifting him off the ground and slamming him back against the cave wall with such force that the stone cracked behind him.

I felt the change overtake me-not a full transformation, but something in between. My bones shifted, my muscles expanded, my jaw elongated to accommodate lengthening fangs. Half-man, half-Lycan, the most dangerous form of my kind.

"Alpha!" one of Matthew's men shouted, rushing forward.

I didn't even look at him. With my free arm, I reached out and caught him by the face, my claws digging into his flesh. I squeezed, feeling his skull give way beneath my grip like an overripe fruit. His screams were cut short as blood and brain matter oozed between my fingers.

I dropped the body, letting it crumple to the ground. Matthew's eyes widened in terror as he realized what he had done-he had cornered a Lycan King. And not just any Lycan, but one whose mate and child he had just threatened.

The rest of Matthew's warriors hesitated, looking to their Alpha for guidance. But Matthew was turning blue in my grip, unable to speak.

"Come on," I growled, my voice distorted by my partial transformation. "Who wants to die first?"

They rushed to me all at once. My Lycan took full control.

I caught the first warrior by the arm, twisting it until bones shattered and the limb tore free from his body. His screams filled the cave as he staggered back, blood fountaining from the socket where his arm had been. I didn't give him time to retreat. I lunged forward, driving my clawed hand straight through his chest. I ripped it out.

"Please!" another warrior begged when I turned toward him. "The witches-they've compelled us! We can't disobey! Please, Lycan King!"

I couldn't hear him. Not really. The words registered somewhere in the back of my mind, but my Lycan was in control now. And my Lycan didn't care about compulsions, witches or mercy. It cared only about eliminating threats.

I tore into him, my claws slicing through his abdomen, spilling his entrails onto the cave floor.

Three more warriors leaped at me from behind. I spun, catching one by the throat and using his body as a shield against the others. Their claws tore into their packmate instead of me, and his agonized howls echoed off the walls. I felt his neck snap in my grip, then tossed his lifeless body at his companions, knocking them back.

Blood sprayed across the cave walls with each kill. It should have been revolting. Instead, it only fueled my rage.

A larger warrior, clearly higher in the pack hierarchy, approached more cautiously. "Lycan King," he said, hands raised. "The witches have bound us with blood magic. We serve against our will. If you spare me, I can tell you about Amaris-"

I silenced him by driving my fist through his skull. His body twitched as it collapsed, nerves firing randomly in death.

"Alpha Lucas!" another cried, backing away. "The witches promised they'd kill our families if we didn't obey! We had no choice!"

I grabbed him by the leg, jerking him off his feet. His head cracked against the stone floor.

"My children," he sobbed as I tore his arm free. "Please, they'll kill my-"

His plea ended in a wet gurgle as I ripped out his throat.

The remaining warriors tried to flee, abandoning their Alpha in their desperation to escape. I moved faster than they could see, cutting off their retreat. One by one, they fell. Some fought back, I barely felt it. For each wound they inflicted, I repaid them tenfold.

I caught one warrior by the back of his neck, lifting him off the ground. "Lycan King," he gasped, "I have information about the witch-about what they plan to do with your sister-"

I drove my claws into his spine, severing it at the base of his skull. His body went instantly limp, but his eyes remained alive for a few more seconds, watching in horror as I dropped him atop the growing pile of his packmates.

The few warriors who remained fought with desperation, no longer trying to kill me but simply to survive. It made no difference. My claws tore through flesh, my teeth found throats, my strength broke bones.

A young wolf, barely out of adolescence, cowered in a corner. "Please," he whimpered as I approached. "I didn't know. I just joined the pack last moon. I didn't know what they were planning. Please, Lycan King, I don't want to die-"

His pleas ended as my hand closed around his face. I felt his jaw break under my palm before I slammed his head back against the wall, again and again until there was nothing left but pulp.

When it was over, when the last of Matthew's warriors lay dead or dying around me, I turned my attention back to the Alpha himself. He had crawled to the far corner of the cave, pressing himself against the wall as if hoping to disappear into the stone.

"Lucas," he gasped, using my name instead of my title for the first time. "Please. I was just following orders. The witches-they would have killed me. They would have killed my entire pack."

I stalked toward him, blood dripping from my claws, chunks of flesh caught between my teeth. The cave reeked of death and terror, and beneath it all, Matthew's fear was the sweetest scent.

"I didn't mean it," he babbled, tears streaming down his face. "About Elara, about your child. I would never harm them. You know that. I was just trying to provoke you. Please, Lucas, we can work together. I'll help you find Amaris. I'll tell you everything I know."

I loomed over him. I looked like what my father had always wanted me to be-a monster, a weapon, a creature of pure violence.

"Mercy," Matthew whispered, voice breaking. "Please."

I couldn't hear him. My wolf was in control now, and it knew only one truth: this man had threatened my mate and my unborn child. There would be no mercy.