Chapter 184

Chapter 184
Layla's POV

The explosion of red and blue light threw us all back with devastating force. For a moment, the world was nothing but blinding energy and a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the ritual grounds. My ears rang painfully as I struggled to regain my senses, the pendant at my neck still pulsing with residual power.

When my vision finally cleared, I saw chaos everywhere. The stone circle was fractured in places, the moonlight catching on the newly formed cracks. Several of the guards lay unconscious, thrown by the blast. My father was down, unmoving beside my mother's crystal coffin which miraculously remained intact, protected by some unknown force.

Alex had been thrown back too, but he was already staggering to his feet, his earlier confidence replaced by a desperate fury. Blood trickled from his nose and ears, yet his eyes remained fixed on one target—my mother's coffin. The ritual had been interrupted, but he wasn't giving up.

He lunged forward, a ceremonial knife appearing in his hand, his eyes gleaming with madness as he brought it down toward the crystal surface. I moved without thinking, Soulrend extending in my grip. The blue energy surrounding me propelled me forward with incredible speed, and I felt the sword connect with flesh.

Alex howled as Soulrend sliced into his arm, forcing him to drop the knife. Blood sprayed across the pristine crystal of my mother's coffin.

"You little bitch!" he snarled, clutching his wounded arm.

I positioned myself between him and the coffin, my chest heaving. "You'll never touch her."

From the corner of my eye, I saw my father's body lying motionless on the ground. A wave of grief threatened to overwhelm me, but I pushed it down. There would be time for mourning later.

"Kael," I called out, not taking my eyes off Alex, "protect my mother's coffin and my father's body."

"I've got them," Kael responded, moving to stand guard despite looking disoriented from the explosion.

Alex laughed, a sound that sent chills down my spine. "How touching. The daughter protecting her dead parents." He wiped blood from his arm. "But it won't matter. I've been preparing for this moment for decades."

He lunged at me again, and I raised Soulrend to block him. The clash of his power against mine sent vibrations through my entire body.

"You have no idea what true power is," Alex taunted, pushing harder against me.

I gritted my teeth, feeling my arms start to shake under the pressure. The pendant around my neck burned hot against my skin, feeding me strength, but Alex was incredibly powerful.

He suddenly twisted away and struck from a different angle. I barely managed to dodge, feeling the wind of his attack brush past my face.

"Too slow," he sneered, pulling something from his pocket—a small black stone that pulsed with dark energy.

Before I could react, he crushed it in his palm and blew the dust toward me. The particles hit my energy shield and began eating through it like acid.

I stumbled back, feeling my protection weakening. Alex grinned triumphantly, raising his hand for another attack—

A massive figure slammed into Alex from the side, sending him flying across the stone circle. Thor stood there, his eyes blazing with fury, his clothes singed as if he'd fought through fire to get here.

"Thought you might need some help," he said, glancing at me.

"Perfect timing," I gasped, grateful for the interruption.

More figures emerged from the shadows—Griffin with his silver hair catching the moonlight, Hunter moving with surprising speed despite his small stature, and even Jasper, looking uncertain but determined.

"We followed the magical surge," Griffin explained, taking position beside me. "That explosion of energy from your pendant was like a beacon in the night—visible to anyone with even a drop of magical sensitivity. When Thor felt it and recognized your energy signature, we knew you were in trouble."

Alex rose to his feet, rage contorting his features. "More hearts for me to consume."

The guards who had been serving my father watched the scene with confused expressions, their weapons wavering.

"You!" I shouted to them. "Damian was your alpha! Will you stand by and let his killer walk free? Or will you honor his memory and fight?"

The guards exchanged glances, then one by one, they turned their weapons toward Alex.

"For Alpha Damian!" the lead guard shouted, and they advanced.

Alex laughed. "Fools." With inhuman speed, he was among them.

One guard raised his sword, but Alex's hand blurred, and the man collapsed, a clean slice across his throat. Another lunged, only to have his chest pierced by Alex's hardened fingers. A third tried to retreat, but Alex caught him by the neck, crushing his windpipe with a sickening crunch before tossing him aside like garbage. It was a massacre, over in seconds, his hands moving like living weapons through flesh and bone.

I used the distraction to tear at my long dress, ripping away the bottom portion until it fell just above my knees. The fabric tore with a satisfying sound, giving my legs the freedom to move properly.

"Smart," Thor commented.

I nodded, watching as Alex dispatched the last of the guards. Their bodies lay scattered across the stone, some still moving weakly, others completely still. My stomach turned at the sight.

Alex turned back to me, blood coating his hands and face. "That was refreshing. Now, where were we?"

He moved like lightning, closing the distance between us before I could raise Soulrend. His knife flashed in the moonlight, driving toward my heart—

The blade struck something hard and skidded off to the side, leaving me unharmed. Alex's eyes widened in surprise.

I looked down to see the fabric of my dress had been cut, revealing the gleaming surface of armor underneath—Kael's gift to me.

"Impressed?" I asked, pushing Alex back with Soulrend. "You should be."

Kael shot me a quick smile from where he stood guarding my parents. "Told you it would come in handy."

Alex snarled, frustration evident on his face. "Enough games." He snapped his fingers, and the air around us grew thick and heavy.

Thor, Griffin, and Hunter shifted forms, their bodies contorting as they transformed into massive wolves. Thor's dark brown fur bristled as he growled at Alex, while Griffin's gray form circled to the side. Hunter, smaller but quick, darted around the edges.

Alex raised his hands, and the ground began to shake. From the cracks in the stone circle, dark shapes emerged—rotting, decaying wolves with glowing red eyes.

"Zombie wolves," I whispered, horrified.

"Attack!" Alex commanded, and the undead creatures lunged forward.

Half of them went for Thor and the others, while the rest headed straight for Kael and my parents' remains.

"Kael!" I shouted in warning.

"I see them," he called back, drawing his own weapon and standing firm.

I wanted to help him, but Alex was coming for me again, his movements even faster than before.

"It's just you and me now," he said, his voice unnaturally deep. "No more interruptions."

We clashed again and again, neither gaining the upper hand. The pendant gave me strength I never knew I had, but Alex's power from consuming hearts made him nearly unstoppable.

"You know," he said conversationally as we fought, "setting the fire wasn't the hard part."

I tried to ignore him, focusing on my attacks, but his words dug into my mind.

"The hard part was looking your mother in the eyes as I slid my knife between her ribs," he continued. "She begged for your life, you know. Not her own. Yours."

My vision blurred with tears and rage. "You're lying!"

"Am I? How do you think you became an orphan? The fire was just to cover my tracks. I killed Isabella with my own hands, watched the light fade from her eyes."

Something inside me snapped. The pendant around my neck flared with blinding light, and a scream tore from my throat—raw and primal. The blue energy exploded outward from me in all directions, knocking everyone back.

The power was overwhelming, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. But it was too much—I couldn't control it. The energy whipped around me in chaotic patterns, striking friend and foe alike.

"Layla!" Kael's voice seemed distant through the roaring in my ears. "Layla, you need to focus!"