Chapter 74

Chapter 74
Calix's POV.

The impact of the dark force sent me crashing into a jagged wall of the cavern, the force knocking the breath from my lungs.

Pain rippled through my body, leaving me gasping for breath. But I pushed myself up, my claws digging into the damp stone floor-I lurched to my feet.

My eyes flickered green and locked onto Adria as she emerged from behind the black pool, her form wreathing in a swirling black mist.

"You think brute strength will be enough to defeat me?" she taunted, twirling her fingers as darkness coiled around them ike living tendrils. "How naïve."

Still gasping, I glared at her. She was right though; there was no way I was going to destroy her in my human form.

Throwing back my head, I willed my lycanthrope to take over, Gabriel growling as he geared towards his first appearance in the cavern.

A loud thunder hit the world outside, reverberating the walls inside. My bones continued to snap, and reshape. My jaw elongated, teeth sharpening into lethal fangs. My ears stretched to sharp points as raw power surged through my veins.

I let out a guttural growl.

Adria gasped and her eyes widened. But then her lips-twisted into a smirk. "Hello, lycan."

I bared my teeth at her and lunged forward.

She didn't flinch. Instead, she Sidestepped my attack and pulled out a curved sword from the folds of her cloak. was a blackened steel, pulsing with the same dark energy that surrounded her. In one swift motion, she slashed.

barely had time to evade. The blade whistled through the air, grazing my fur.

She didn't stop. She moved like a shadow, striking again and again. I dodged, but she was relentless, her blade like an extension of her body. Each attack flowed into the next with a terrifying precision.

I growled and vanished, teleporting across the cavern to gain distance. But the moment I reappeared, she was already there.

"You're fast," she hissed, her lips curving into a cruel smile. "But not fast enough."

Her sword slashed again, and this time, cut deep into my shoulder. I staggered back, gritting my teeth as the wound sizzled with dark energy. A searing pain shot through me-not just from the wound, but from something else.

She wasn't just using her sword-she was weaving magic into every strike. The blade was laced with magic, its venom burning through me, like it was trying to unravel me from the inside.

Something was wrong. I was stronger, faster, and I had the gift of teleportation.

Yet I was barely holding my own.

Then I saw it.

Every time she struck, the pendant around her neck pulsed with light-a deep, eerie crimson glow. It was faint, almost unnoticeable beneath the storm of battle. But now that I had seen it, I couldn't unsee it.

A talisman. The source of her power.

My breath came in ragged pants as I slowly straightened, blood dripping from my wounds.

The talisman was the key to her invincibility. Destroying it would mean stripping her of her power.

"Oh, you can only try," she mused as though reading my thoughts.

Snarling, she lunged at me with her sword. I ducked and grabbed her by the throat. With all my strength, I slammed her onto the cavern floor and the stone beneath her cracked, sending tremors through the space and the walls. Adra gasped, dazed by my action. Her body momentarily paralyzed, I reached for the talisman around her neck.

But before my fingers could grasp it, she vanished into thin air.

Her laughter echoed across the void, the darkness slithering around me like a whispering serpent.

"You think you can easily defeat me, King Calix. You're in for the shock of your life."

I whipped around just as she reappeared behind me, her blade already swinging for my spine. Instinct kicked in-l twisted, dodging by a hair's breadth, and countered with a vicious swipe of my claws. My attack connected, ripping a chunk of her dress and flesh. She stumbled back watching as her blood spilled from her side.

For the first time, she looked shaken.

I didn't give her a chance to recover. I surged forward, clawing her arm, her chest. And then I grabbed the glowing necklace in my fist, yanking it from her throat.

"No! Give that back to me," she cried, bleeding profusely from the wounds I'd inflicted on her. The edge of her sword clinked against the stone floor as she used the weapon to keep herself from falling. "Fine! I'll leave your lands. I'll free your mate. Just give that back to me."

Should I trust her?

If I give her back the talisman, would she keep to her promise?

Can an evil witch be trusted?

Sighing, I stretched the necklace to her and she reached forward with her hand, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

However, I let it drop on the floor and squashed it beneath my massive paw, watching as the talisman pulsed one last time, before crumbling into nothing.

"No" A scream tore from Adria's lips and she collapsed on the floor. Her body convulsed violently as dark energy surged through her, writhing like dying embers before vanishing into nothing.

The witch gasped and panted on the floor, shivering and coiling in on herself.

The pot!

My gaze drifted to the altar and I moved with a precise movement.

I grabbed the pot and hurled it against the stone wall. The metal cracked, its dark liquid spilling and hissing upon contact with the ground. I moved swiftly, destroying everything in sight-the cursed bones, the twisted effigies, the dark symbols etched into the altar.

I destroyed everything.

Suddenly, movements echoed behind me

But before I could react, a blade sank into my back. The witch, using the last of her power to drive her dark sword into my belly

Pain exploded through me, the cursed blade searing my insides like molten fire.

She twisted it, savoring my agony.

A guttural snarl surging from my throat, I flung myself around and grabbed her neck.

I sank my teeth in her neck, ripping flesh and trachea.

She shrieked, stumbling back and clasping her neck as black blood from her sprayed across the cavern floor.

But I wasn't done.

I lunged at her, my claws sinking into her arms, I tore them from their sockets. Her screams filled the room, turning into choked gasps as she collapsed to her knees.

And then, with one final swipe, I severed her head from her body.

Her lifeless form crumpled, and silence fell over the cavern.

Breathing heavily, I yanked the sword from my back, blood spilling from my back and stomach onto the stone.

My vision blurred, a charring pain dragging me toward the abyss.

A faint glow in the black pool çaught my attention.

Frowning, I scarned the room for something to fish it out. My wound burned like fire, but I pushed through, staggering my way across the cavern for a stick lying on the floor.

Grabbing the long stick, I limped back to the water and dipped. Effortlessly, I hooked the object and pulled it out.

My breath hitched.

It was a carved image of a white wolf, no bigger than my hand. It had a small knife embedded in its back.

Realization hit me like a thunderbolt. This must be Emily's wolf! The witch had stabbed and bound her to this image, refraining her from making her appearance.

Gritting my teeth, I reached for the blade.

The moment my fingers grasped the hilt, the cavern seemed to pulse with power.

With a deep breath, I yanked it free.

The image crumbled into dust-then vanished into thin air.

I staggered, my head spinning. Relief coursed through me, but so did exhaustion. My hand clutched at my torso where the cursed blade had pierced me. The wound refused to heal, dark magic keeping it fresh and searing.

Letting out a yowl, I shifted back to my man form.

I forced myself toward the entrance. Each step an agony, my vision dimming at the edges. The cavern walls blurred, rays of the sunlight beckoning just beyond the exit.

To my surprise, the storm had stopped.

Then I saw thern, marching toward the cave, with torches in hand. Han and my men. Relief swept through me, but my body betrayed me.

I collapsed to the stone floor.

"Your Majesty!!" Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. Han. His face swam in and out of focus, his voice thick with urgency. "My Lord, can you hear me? Please, stay with me! You're going to be alright."

I barely had the strength to answer, but one thought burned through the pain.

"Emily..." I rasped. "My mate... Is she-"

Han's eyes glistened with tears, his jaw taut with emotion. "She's alive," he swore, though his voice trembled. "She'll be fine, Calix. Just hold on."

I wanted to believe him. But the darkness was pulling me under, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't sure if I could fight it.

Han clutched me tighter, his voice breaking. "Stay with me, brother. Please."

I wanted to stay-but then, everything faded to black.