Chapter 185

Layla's POV

I couldn't respond, couldn't think through the rage and pain consuming me. The memory of my mother, of my father's last moments, of everything Alex had taken from me—it was too much. Blue energy continued to radiate from my body in violent waves, pushing everyone back.

Through the haze of my fury, I heard Kael's voice. "Thor! Help me reach her!"

Dimly, I saw Thor create a barrier of his own power, trying to shield himself and Kael from my uncontrolled energy. The two alphas fought against the current of my rage, inch by painful inch, their bodies straining against the force.

"Layla!" Kael shouted, his voice barely audible through the roaring in my ears. "Fight it! Don't let it consume you!"

The energy pulsed harder, cracking the ground beneath my feet. Around us, both allies and enemies were thrown backward by the shockwave. Griffin managed to pull Hunter and Jasper behind a fallen tree trunk, shielding them from the worst of the blast.

Alex alone seemed prepared. He raised his hands, dark energy forming a protective cocoon around him as he weathered the storm of my power. His eyes gleamed with calculation.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around me from behind. Kael had finally reached me, his body bleeding from dozens of small cuts where my energy had slashed at him. His scent enveloped me, familiar and comforting.

"I'm here," he whispered against my ear, his voice strained with effort. "I'm with you. You're not alone anymore."

Thor appeared in front of me, his human form battered but intact. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his eyes filled with understanding. "Control it, Layla. Don't let it control you."

Their touch anchored me, pulling me back from the edge of madness. I took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing the chaotic energy to stabilize.

"That's it," Kael encouraged, though I could feel him trembling with the effort of containing my power. "You've got this."

As the blue light around me settled into a steady glow, I felt a sudden emptiness in my hand. I looked down to see Soulrend was gone.

In the moment my concentration had shifted to controlling my power, Alex had made his move. He'd used the distraction to dart forward with supernatural speed, snatching Soulrend from my weakened grip.

Laughter drew my attention to Alex, who now stood several yards away holding my sword, his expression triumphant.

"Thank you for the demonstration," he said, examining Soulrend with appreciation. "This blade truly is magnificent."

"Give it back," I demanded, my voice surprisingly steady despite the rage still burning inside me.

Alex pointed the sword at me. "Without this, what are you? Nothing but a girl playing at power."

I felt Kael and Thor tense beside me, ready to attack, but I raised my hand to stop them.

"You're wrong," I said, feeling a new determination rising within me. "I don't need Soulrend to destroy you."

I stepped forward, my eyes locked on Alex's. "Look at you, the great outcast of the Wolf Pack Alliance. Reduced to black magic and devouring hearts for power. Everyone knows what you are—a parasite, feeding off others because you have no true strength of your own."

Alex's confident smile faltered. "You know nothing of true power."

"I know you're afraid," I continued, circling him slowly. "Afraid of being forgotten, afraid of being weak. How many hearts did you consume to stand here today? How many innocent lives?"

Rage flashed in his eyes. "Silence!" He lunged at me with Soulrend.

I dodged, feeling my wolf instincts taking over. "You're nothing but a hollow shell. Even the darkest corners of our world despise you."

With a roar of fury, Alex summoned more power, dark energy crackling around him. The zombie wolves surrounding us grew more frenzied, their eyes glowing with unnatural light.

"You'll regret those words," he snarled, swinging Soulrend in a deadly arc.

The pendant pulsed against my skin as I embraced my wolf. Bones realigned, muscles stretched, and I dropped to all fours as my body completed its transformation.

Beside me, Kael and Thor shifted as well, their massive wolf forms flanking mine. Together, we lunged at Alex.

He was ready this time, wielding Soulrend with unexpected skill. The blade sliced through the air, missing me by inches. Dark energy erupted from his free hand, slamming into Thor and sending him flying backward.

Kael attacked from the side, but Alex created a shield of dark energy that repelled him. Three zombie wolves pounced on Kael, pinning him down.

Across the clearing, Griffin and Hunter fought back-to-back against a swarm of zombie wolves, protecting the injured Jasper. Griffin's silver-gray wolf form tore through enemies with deadly precision, while Hunter, despite his small stature, wielded a silver dagger with surprising effectiveness.

"We'll hold them off!" Griffin shouted through our mind-link. "Finish him, Layla!"

I circled Alex cautiously, looking for an opening. He smiled, confident again.

"Not so easy without your precious sword, is it?" he taunted.

I growled and lunged, but he was too quick. Soulrend cut into my shoulder, and I yelped in pain as I retreated.

The wound burned like fire, blood matting my fur. Alex laughed, the sound echoing through the clearing.

"I'm going to enjoy this," he said, advancing on me.

But I wasn't finished. I feinted left, then darted right, my teeth sinking into his leg. He screamed in pain and brought Soulrend down toward my back.

At the last second, I released his leg and rolled away. The sword struck the ground, momentarily stuck in the earth. I seized the opportunity, lunging for his throat.

He raised his arm to block me, and my jaws clamped around it instead. The taste of his blood filled my mouth as I tore through flesh and bone.

Alex howled in agony, Soulrend falling from his grasp. I forced myself to endure the searing pain of transformation, my bones cracking and reforming as I shifted back to human form just long enough to grab the sword. Each second in human form left me vulnerable, but I couldn't let this chance slip away. With the blade secured, I surrendered to the wild power once more, my body contorting painfully as fur erupted across my skin and I became a wolf again.

Thor had freed himself from the zombie wolves and rejoined the fight. Kael broke free as well, his massive dark copper wolf form tearing through our enemies.

With renewed strength, we attacked Alex from all sides. Despite his dark magic, he couldn't fend off three determined wolves. His barriers weakened with each strike, his counterattacks growing slower.

Griffin's pack warriors had formed a protective circle around us, holding back the remaining zombie wolves while we focused on Alex. Hunter had pulled Jasper to safety, and now provided covering fire with a crossbow he'd retrieved from a fallen enemy.

Finally, I saw my chance. As Kael and Thor distracted him, I shifted back to human form, Soulrend steady in my hand.

"This ends now," I said, as I drove the blade through his heart.

Alex's eyes widened in shock and pain. "How...?" he gasped, blood bubbling from his lips.

I leaned close, twisting the sword deeper. "That was for my parents."

His body convulsed, dark energy dissipating into the air. As the light faded from his eyes, the zombie wolves around us collapsed into dust, their unnatural life force extinguished with their master's death.

I pulled Soulrend free and stepped back, watching Alex's body crumple to the ground. Tears streamed down my face as the adrenaline ebbed away.

"Dad, Mom," I whispered, looking up at the sky. "Did you see? I avenged you. It's finally over."

A soft flutter caught my attention. A silver butterfly descended from above, its wings glimmering with an ethereal light. It circled me once, then twice, as if in greeting.

A second silver butterfly appeared, joining the first. They danced around each other, then around me, their wings brushing against my tear-stained cheeks like gentle caresses.

"Mom... Dad..." I whispered, understanding washing over me.

The butterflies circled me one last time before ascending together, disappearing into the fading daylight.

Behind me, cheers erupted from the survivors. But all I could think about was the cost—my father lying dead on the stone, my mother sealed in crystal, and the childhood I never had.

Kael shifted back to human form and wrapped his arms around me. "It's over."

I nodded, tears flowing freely down my face. "It's over."

As I stood there in Kael's embrace, with Thor, Griffin, and the others surrounding us, I realized I wasn't alone anymore. I had a new family now.

And together, we would face whatever came next.