Chapter 198

Chapter 198
Mason’s POV

My men lift me onto their shoulders, cheers erupting around us like a thunderstorm of triumph. Their joy vibrates through the air—victory is ours. I manage a proud smile, touched by their loyalty and spirit.

But then—

A searing pain lances through my chest.

So sharp, so sudden, I gasp and double over, clutching my ribs.

The crowd’s cheers fade. Concern floods the eyes around me.

“Prince Mason—are you alright?” someone calls out.

But it’s not me.

It’s not my pain.

It’s Madilyn’s.

I try to reach her through the mate bond—but there's nothing.

Nothing.

Just silence.

An emptiness so terrifying, it rips through me like a blade.

The bond we shared—the one that’s burned so vividly lately—is gone. Vanished. Panic floods me.

“No…” I breathe.

Without another word, I shift into my Lycan form. My bones crack, my body stretches, and in seconds I’m racing toward home, my men falling into step behind me like a loyal wave of fury.

But something inside me knows—

I’m already too late.

The last time I felt this…

It was Riverdale.
When Madilyn and Ariana were nearly lost in flames.

And now—
That same dread suffocates me.

I run harder.

Faster.

Until—

I reach it.

Our home.

Or what’s left of it.

Ash blankets the ground like snow. The smell of blood, smoke, and death chokes the air. Rubble is everywhere. Limbs. Shredded uniforms.

It’s as if a bomb detonated inside my life.

I freeze.

Jared didn’t return to his kingdom in defeat.

He brought the battle here.

With Jayden.

To my home.
Where my family lives.

Terror grips me.

I force myself to move.

"Check every house!" I command, my voice thundering through the destruction. "Find the survivors. Tend the wounded. Get them help now!"

My soldiers scatter.

A hand lands firmly on my shoulder.

I turn. It’s Caleb.

His eyes shine with silent dread. He says nothing, just gives a firm nod.

I press forward.

Through debris. Smoke. Death.

Toward the apartment I call home.

Then—
From the haze—

A shape emerges.

Jared.

He’s staggering.

Bloody. Wild-eyed.

Dragging something—

Someone.

Jayden.
Unconscious.

He lugs his brother like a ragdoll, twisted satisfaction contorting his face.

Our eyes meet.

And everything inside me roars.

Caleb moves faster than breath, launching forward.

Jared, desperate, shoves Jayden’s limp body toward us like a shield.

Pathetic.

But I’m done with his tricks.

I close the distance in a blur.

Caleb pins Jayden down, knee to spine, holding him firm.

I lunge at Jared.

My claws find his throat. I slam him to the ground, forcing him to his knees.

His blood smears my hands.

“What. Happened. Here?” I growl, my voice a deadly rumble.

Jared gasps, choking beneath my grip. His eyes flicker, searching for a way out.

But there is none.

“Your army is gone,” I spit. “Your men—dead. And your little invasion? A failure.”

He sneers, the last of his arrogance dying on his breath.

Then—

He laughs.

A broken, maniacal laugh.

“You want to know what happened, Prince Mason?” he chokes. “Fine. I’ll tell you.”

He grins, blood in his teeth.

“I know your weakness. Your wife. Your daughter.”

My hands tremble with fury.

“I took the people here hostage. And guess what?” he continues, sadistic delight curling around every word. “It worked.”

“She came down,” he whispers, “with her precious mutt. And my men tore him apart.”

Harrison.

The name strikes like a blade in my chest.

I clench my jaw, blinking back grief.

“But,” Jared’s voice turns bitter, “your witch of a wife had a secret. She erupted. Power I’ve never seen before. She killed them all.”

The world slows.

My breath stops.

The legend of the White Wolf crashes into my mind like thunder.

No.
No.

He sees it in my face.

He laughs harder.

“So what if you kill me?” Jared mocks. “I killed her. I made you watch your kingdom fall and your queen die. You’ll never know peace again.”

His words are fire on oil.

Something inside me shatters.

I let go.

I lunge.

Fists flying.
Claws slashing.
Wrath unleashed.

I don’t feel the blood. I don’t hear Caleb shouting.

I only see Madilyn’s face.

Until—

“Stop, Mason!” Caleb yells. “He’s dead!”

But I don’t stop.

Not until my claws rip through Jared’s throat.

Until his head severs from his body.

Until there’s nothing left to destroy.

Silence.

I collapse to my knees, panting. My rage ebbs, replaced by sheer, suffocating terror.

“Madilyn!” I scream, my voice ragged, raw.

“Madilyn! Where are you?!”

I stumble through the rubble like a madman.

Smoke clears—

And there…

Lying among shattered stone…

Is her.

So still.

So pale.

Ash coats her body. Her hair is gray with soot. Her clothes are torn. She looks more like a fallen statue than a woman—fragile, lifeless, perfect.

My world tilts.

I run to her.

I fall to my knees and scoop her into my arms, wrapping my cloak around her broken body.

She doesn’t move.

She doesn’t breathe.

“Madilyn,” I whisper, trembling. “Please… please wake up.”

I press my forehead to hers, desperate for warmth. Her lips are blue. Her chest doesn’t rise.

“Come back to me,” I choke. “Please. We’re not done. We’re not—you can’t leave me.”

No answer.

I look up.

“Moon Goddess!” I scream. “Take me instead! Take my power, my life! Just bring her back!”

But the sky is silent.

The wind swallows my plea.

Tears fall freely now, burning tracks down my cheeks.

“I love you, Madilyn,” I whisper. “Please… don’t leave me.”

The wolf inside me howls.

I rock her back and forth, holding her like a broken promise.

But her body stays cold.

Her eyes stay closed.

And my soul…

Shatters.