Chapter 178 IGNITION

Chapter 178 IGNITION
MALIA'S POV:

Valir turns his head and his face twists in annoyance as my screams ring across the room. "Hey! You two!" he barks at two nearby guards. "Gag this noisy bitch! Make sure her mouth is shut, but force her eyes open! I want her to see every second of his death!"

No… Please Goddess No! I can’t bear it!!!

But still I watch in horror as Valir wrenches the spear out and stabs Lucien right back in the exact same spot!

Lucien groans and his knees give out completely!! His face is ghostly pale now as his blood continues to pool on the floor.

Two massive Lycan guards grab me roughly from behind… One locks his heavy arms around me holding me in place while the other pulls a thick leather strap around my face, forcing it into my mouth and tying it tightly behind my head!!

"MMFF! MMMF!" I scream silently against the gag with my tears soaking the leather strap.

I watch in helpless horror as Lucien continues to bleed out on the cold stone floor. His skin grows deathly pale, his massive frame is also shivering as the life drains from his body. Slowly… weakly, those striking silver eyes of his flutter open... and lock onto mine.
My heart wrenches apart into a million jagged pieces all over again.

This is what I wanted from the start, right? a dark, bitter thought echoes in my mind. This was supposed to be my revenge... So why does it feel like hell?

I know why... I have always known why, but I was too proud, too angry, too scared to admit it to myself.

I love Lucien.

I bloody love him!!!

And now, he is going to die right in front of me because of my own stupid, bitter mistakes. The cursed blood weapons might not turn him to dust, but the poison has stripped his healing away, and Valir is slowly bleeding him to death. He is going to die, and it is all my fault.

Whore isn't coming either. It appears my wolf has locked me out. I am completely alone now, bound in silver, gagged, and forced to watch the man I love be executed slowly!!

What can I do? What the hell can I do?!

Panic turns into sheer, suffocating despair... until a memory flashes through the darkness of my mind.

When Vaela murdered me in the woods… something brought me back to life… Something ancient. Something angry, terrifying, and deeply buried within me. It wasn't Whore… It was something else entirely.

If my wolf won't answer me... I might have no other option!

I close my eyes, tuning out the noise of the room, and reach deep into the absolute darkest, unexplored depths of my consciousness… places in my mind I have always been too afraid to touch.

‘Hello?!’ I whisper into the endless dark. Are you in there?! Please... please help me!!! Whatever you are... please!!!

Nothing… Silence echoes through the void.

My despair boils, twisting instantly into a white-hot, blinding rage as I scream into the dark void of my mind with everything I have left.

‘I know you're there! I roar into the darkness. ‘Show yourself! You said you'd be here when I was ready! Well, I'm ready! I am fucking ready! I am tired of letting people take the things I care about! I want everything back! I want to tear their world down and make them taste true ruin! I am done being the victim!’

I gather every ounce of authority in my soul, morphing my desperate plea into a dark, unyielding command.

‘HELP... ME!!!!!’

A wave of scorching, blinding heat instantly washes over my entire body and a sharp gasp catches in my throat as my whole frame goes rigid. Unlike before, I don't just feel a faint flicker… I feel the heat in every single cell of my body, burning through my veins like liquid fire. It scorches, but it doesn't hurt. It feels ancient and freaking powerful!!!

"I knew you would return eventually..."

A voice echoes through the heat, deep, smooth, and It sounds almost impressed.

"...But this was much quicker than I expected."

‘There's no time! I scream back in my mind with my breathing getting ragged against the gag. Help me!!! They're all in danger! I need to save them!

There is a brief pause in the dark.

"Why?" the voice asks, lingering with quiet curiosity. "They took from you, did they not? Everyone in this room has brought you pain… One way or another. Why do you still wish to save them?"

I don't miss a single beat.

‘Because I care for them!’ my heart tugs violently in my chest at the thought of Lucien bleeding out on the floor. Please! They are going to kill him! I can't... I can't let that happen!

The heat surges violently, hitting a fever pitch! And another sharp gasp rips from my lungs as my body begins to vibrate uncontrollably. Beads of sweat pour down my forehead, my skin gets redder as my body overheats at an impossible rate.

This entity is nothing like Whore… It feels like a massive, dormant volcano that has finally been cracked open, waiting to destroy everything in its path.

"You say you are ready..." the voice echoes, resonating deep within my bones.

YES!! I roar back. I am ready!

"I see..." The voice sounds deeply pleased at my reply but there’s a dark, sinister satisfaction lingering in its tone that worries me a little. But It’s too late to care now… Lucien is in danger! I have to do whatever I can to save him!

The heat spikes past my body’s normal limit, rising still until I start to feel like my very soul is about to combust into ash!!!

“Then, open your eyes..." the voice commands.

That’s it? I don’t understand… Weren't you supposed to help me?!

But then I open my eyes... And everything explodes!!!!