Chapter 172 COST OF BETRAYAL

Chapter 172 COST OF BETRAYAL
MALIA’S POV:
Screams of terror tear through the air as hundreds of werewolf women throw themselves into a desperate stampede towards the exit doors while the Lycan guards surge forward in confusion trying to identify where the attack came from!
Meanwhile, on the floor where Lord Harkins had been standing just seconds ago... there is nothing left but a small heap of black dust drifting in the air!
I stand completely frozen in place with my hands trembling violently as I stare at that pile of dust in pure horror.
Goddess above!… A type of blessed silver that could disintegrate the Lycans into dust?! What have I done….
"Malia! Move!!!”
Lila’s panicked voice pierces through the noise as she grabs my arm, dragging me backwards through the surging crowd. Women are shoving each other, shrieking, tripping over as they fight to escape. I look around frantically for Sophie and Sapphire, but they’ve already been swallowed whole by the stampede…
Suddenly, The high stained-glass windows shatter inwards in a shower of glittering shards and a hail of black-tipped arrows rain down into the crowded hall from the outside!
“Take Cover!!!” 
"Ahhhh!"
A terrifying chorus of dying shrieks and screams fills the room as the arrows strike down several Lycan guards near the pillars. The moment the arrows pierce their flesh, the towering warriors burst into clouds of black dust!
"Out! Get to the doors! Break them down!" a warrior screams and the panic in the room intensifies. Arrows are flying left and right now, turning several Lycans into ash in a fraction of a second!
Near the center of the hall, I catch a glimpse of the remaining Elders huddled together and surrounded by a tight wall of armed guards. Loki, Hylos, and Viktor are shouting orders, drawing weapons and rallying the soldiers into formation. And Lucien…
Wait! Where is Lucien?!!
My heart hammers wildly against my ribs as I search the chaotic room… Oh no… He isn't at the front anymore! A sudden panic grips me.
Oh goddess please… He couldn’t be… No… 
"Malia!!!”
A loud roar cuts through the madness and I turn my head just in time to see Lucien plowing through the sea of people with his massive arms knocking away anyone in his path. He reaches me in seconds and his face tightens with worry. He grabs my hand and pulls me hard against his side, hauling both me and Lila behind a massive marble pillar to shield us from the rain of lethal arrows.
“Malia, Are you hurt?!” Lucien rasps frantically with his silver eyes scanning every inch of my body for any injuries. "Are you alright?!"
"I... I'm okay," I choke out with my voice barely a whisper.
"It's an ambush," he growls and steps in front of me protectively, until his broad, muscular frame completely covers me. "Stay right behind me, Malia… Until I figure out what exactly is going on here.”
Another wave of sickening guilt hits me so hard I feel like I'm going to throw up right at his feet. This new weapon must have been made from the cursed Lycan blood I stole from Lucien’s vein and handed over to Meredith… I did this… I brought death into this hall and put all of them in danger. And here he is, using his own body as a shield to keep me safe…
Urgent footsteps echo behind us and I turn to see Loki, Viktor, Hylos, and Laena hurrying towards us, they slide behind the pillar, joining us in the small pocket of cover. Viktor immediately turns to Lila. "Are you uninjured?" he asks urgently.
Lila nods quickly even though her hands are trembling slightly and her breath is coming out in shallow hitches. "I'm fine!“
Viktor turns back to Lucien and his face returns to it’s usual stoic mask. “It’s bad Lucien… the doors have somehow been sealed in tight from the outside! No one can get in or out of this hall… We're trapped in here."
Lucien’s jaw grinds tightly and a low, murderous growl vibrates deep in his chest. "What the hell is going on?!!" he snarls. "How the fuck did the Werewolves invade the valley undetected?! And what the hell are those arrows?!"
"They seem to be forged from blessed silver…” Viktor answers. "But... It's different somehow.”
Loki lets out a scoff. "No shit, Sherlock! Blessed silver usually stops our body from healing rapidly! It doesn't usually turn a pure blooded Lycan into a pile of fucking ashes in two seconds! That’s more like something Lucien would do when he loses control…”
Hylos’s pale, unblinking eyes falls on the scattered heaps of black dust across the hall. “Now that you mention it… it is remarkably similar to Lucien’s cursed ability. Very strange... How in the world did the werewolves get such a weapon?“
Every word they speak feels like a red-hot iron branded into my soul… It's his blood!!! I want to scream… It's his blood mixed with the silver! And I gave it to them!!!
Lila glances at me, notices the pinched look on my face and she shakes her head slightly.
She’s right… It would be suicide to admit my crime to the lycans right in the middle of this tension. So I grit my teeth and remain silent, stewing in my own guilt as arrows continue flying around us.
Hylos turns to Lucien. "What do we do, Brother? We are literally sitting ducks locked in here… We need to get these people to safety.”
Lucien pauses, and I watch his eyes flicker towards the other side of the grand hall.
"The tunnels…” Lucien says. "There is a hidden entrance to the underground tunnels behind that portrait… We get the women to safety through the tunnels first and once they're clear, we rally the soldiers, break through those front doors, find these werewolf scum, and tear them to shreds!!!”
Loki nods grimly. “Laena and I will get the women to safety.”
“I’ll rally the soldiers…” Viktor grits.
"Well Brothers?! Are we all just sitting around till we’re all piles of dust on the floor? What’s the plan??“
A loud voice cuts through our hushed conversation and we all turn to see Valir, stepping out from the corner with his arms held out in front of him… his wrists are still bound tightly in thick, blessed silver cuffs.
He steps right up and thrusts his chained hands towards Lucien with a scowl on his face. "Do you honestly intend to leave me bound in blessed silver cuffs while deadly arrows are turning our people into dust… brother?"
Lucien narrows his eyes into dangerous slits and his upper lip curls over his fangs. "You still belong in cuffs, Valir.”
“Yeah, just leave him in the damn cuffs!" Loki snaps. “We’ve got bigger problems right now and he’s too reckless and arrogant to be of any real use in the fight anyway. He'll probably just get in the way by doing something reckless and stupid!”
Valir turns his lethal glare onto Loki and his eyes flash with a sudden, dangerous heat. "Watch your tongue, Loki! I still have an unborn pup to protect! And unlike you, I don't hide behind pillars! You’ll need every man you can get, and you all damn well know I’m a better fighter than half the useless guards littering that floor!"
"Enough!"
Another voice cuts in as Lord Kael steps around the pillar, flanked by the last two surviving Lycan Elders… Viktor’s father definitely looks older when his harsh features are lined with intense anger, his purple eyes are almost glowing now!
Lord Kael looks directly at Lucien. "Unbind him.”
Lucien’s eyes snap to the Elder. “Lord Kael…”
“Is this the major issue here? Our men are turning to dust!!“ Lord Kael interrupts firmly, gesturing towards the floor with his hand. "These werewolves somehow acquired a weapon that just obliterated a pure blooded Elder Lycan in the blink of an eye! This is a threat unlike anything we have ever faced… Whatever grudges exist between you all must be put aside. You five must fight as one, like old times, or we all perish here!!”
Lucien’s jaw grinds so hard I can almost hear the bone creak and he stares down Valir for a long, agonizing moment before finally letting out a sharp breath.
"Viktor…” Lucien growls darkly. "Unshackle him."
Viktor doesn't hesitate… He pulls an iron key from his belt, steps up to Valir, and unlocks the silver cuffs. The heavy chains fall to the floor with a loud, metallic clatter and Valir rubs his raw, burned wrists while a faint smirk plays on his lips.
"This is temporary," Lucien warns and his voice drops into a dangerous, icy threat. "The moment this threat is dealt with, you will return to the dungeons to finish your sentence."
Valir rolls his shoulders and bows mockingly. "Whatever you say... Your Highness."
My stomach twists nervously… I don't trust Valir for a single second. There’s something calculating gleaming in his eyes… But there is no time to dwell on that.
"Laena!" Lucien commands, turning to her. “You and Loki know the tunnels well, Guide the women through the tunnels and take two guards with you!”
Laena nods and rushes toward the other end of the wall where she slides aside a massive, gilded painting to reveal a narrow stone archway leading deep underground. Viktor and Hylos leave too with Valir tagging along behind them… While Loki and the other guards start to herd the frightened women towards the tunnel entrance.
“You have to go to safety…“ Lucien says softly, turning to me and the harshness in his face completely melts, replaced by a gentle, protective warmth as he cups my cheek with his large hand. "Go with Laena… you’ll be safe in the shelters until I come get you."
The arrows outside have finally stopped raining down and the only noise now is the thud of axes bashing against the sealed front doors… Viktor and the rest, along with the guards are already forming a defensive wall in front of the main entrance, preparing for the doors to give way so they can attack whatever is outside…
This is a nightmare!
I stand there, looking up into Lucien’s silver eyes while the guilt inside me coils tight, suffocating me and clawing at my throat until I can barely breathe.
I betrayed him… I gave away his blood… I laid the groundwork for this nightmare. And even now, in the middle of an slaughter, his only thought is still my safety.
Tears burst from my eyes, hot and scalding, spilling over my lashes and from the corner of my eyes I see Lila facepalming as she realizes what I'm about to do but I don’t care… I can’t do this anymore!!! Damn the consequences… I have to tell him…
"Lucien..." I choke out with my voice trembling. "I... I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
Lucien frowns in deep confusion as he brushes a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “Hey… What’s wrong? What are you talking about…”
I blink back the tears and stare into his eyes. “Remember that night in the cemetery…”
"AHHHHHHH!!!”
A blood-curdling scream suddenly shatters the air from the other side of the hall!
I whip my head around in horror. The screaming is coming from the secret tunnel entrance!
The two Lycan guards Laena took with her are suddenly thrown backwards out of the dark archway and their bodies crash hard onto the stone floor turning into black dust a second later!
Suddenly, a wave of heavily armored men burst violently out of the dark stone archway, spilling into the grand hall!
Werewolves!! And they are all armed to the teeth with glinting, blessed silver blades and heavy-looking crossbows loaded with gleaming arrows!
More screams ring out as the invading werewolves form a tight, lethal line, cutting off the only other escape route to the tunnels!
Then, the line parts… And a familiar, tall, broad-shouldered figure steps out from the dark tunnel, holding a gleaming silver sword dripping with fresh blood… He’s wearing a dark armor bearing the Kade Pack’s crest with his jaw set and his amber eyes are dark and merciless as he scans the room.
My breath catches in my throat and my blood turns to ice.
It’s Kieran.
The man I betrayed Lucien for... And now he is standing in Lucien's throne room with an army behind him.