Chapter 485: Fracture Lines.

Chapter 485: Fracture Lines.


(Third Person's POV)

The narrow passage sealed with a grinding, final sound, stone sliding over stone like a coffin lid being shut.

Killian felt the shift instantly—the pressure in the air, the way the cave seemed to breathe in and trap them between its ribs. The distant echoes of Taylor’s voice and Theresa’s shout were cut off, swallowed by the unnatural walls that had folded and twisted to separate them.

He turned. Dylan was already facing him.

For a second, neither of them moved. The corridor was barely wide enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder, jagged rock pressing close, dim light pulsing faintly from glowing veins in the stone. Shadows crawled across Dylan’s face, sharpening his features, turning his expression into something feral and hollow.

Then Dylan laughed. It wasn’t a sound of humor. It was brittle, strained, like laughter forced through clenched teeth.

“So,” he said, voice echoing too loudly in the confined space, “it’s just us.”

Killian didn’t answer. His muscles tightened, senses flaring, instincts screaming. The air tasted wrong—like old magic and resentment, layered so thick it felt tangible.

Dylan took a slow step forward.

“I wondered when this would happen,” Dylan continued, head tilting slightly. “You and me. No Taylor. No distractions. No pretending.”

Killian’s eyes narrowed. “Step aside.”

Dylan’s smile was thin. “Still acting like you’re above everything.”

He moved suddenly.

Killian barely had time to react before Dylan’s fist came flying. He blocked, forearm snapping up, but the impact was heavy—Alpha strength fueled by something darker than rage.

They collided, shoving each other back against the stone walls. Rock scraped skin. Dust filled the air.

“You’re the reason everything went wrong!” Dylan snarled, swinging again. “The reason the Moon Goddess interfered. The reason she tampered with Taylor’s memories. The reason she created me!”

Killian ducked under a punch, countering with a blow to Dylan’s ribs. Dylan barely flinched.

“You think I asked for this?” Killian shot back, breath tight. “You think I wanted her memories erased? Her life rewritten?”

Dylan shoved him back, hands grabbing Killian’s collar. “You existed. That was enough. Your past self ruled the world, Killian. You terrified gods and men alike. The Goddess feared you—and because of that fear, she twisted everything. She twisted Taylor. She twisted me.”

Killian’s jaw clenched. “And you think that justifies what you did to her?”

Dylan’s eyes flashed. “I did what I had to.”

He drove his knee into Killian’s stomach. Killian grunted but didn’t retaliate with full force. He pushed Dylan away instead of striking to kill. That restraint only fueled Dylan further.

“You’re still holding back,” Dylan hissed. “You always do. That’s what makes you dangerous. You act like you’re better than the monster you were. But that monster is still inside you.”

Killian’s hands curled into fists. “I’m not him anymore.”

“Liar!”

Dylan lunged again, claws extending, tearing through fabric and grazing skin. Killian stepped back, catching Dylan’s wrist and twisting it, forcing him to release.

“Taylor suffered because of you,” Dylan continued, voice breaking through the echoes of their blows. “She forgot loving you. She forgot choosing you. She forgot killing you to stop yourself. She forgot everything—and still, she fell for you again.”

His laugh turned jagged. “Do you know how humiliating that was? Even stripped of her memories, even pushed toward me, she still gravitated toward you.”

Killian’s expression darkened. “You tried to control her. You drugged her. You erased parts of her mind. That’s not love, Dylan.”

Dylan shoved him hard, slamming him into the wall. “Love? You think love matters? The Moon Goddess decided everything. Destiny, mates, timelines. She created me for her. She decided we were fated. And then you come along, defying fate like it’s nothing.”

Killian’s voice dropped, steady despite the storm in his chest. “Fate isn’t an excuse for obsession.”

Dylan froze for a split second, something flickering across his face—pain, guilt, something dangerously close to regret.

But it vanished. He struck again, harder. They crashed into each other, fists and claws and raw Alpha force colliding. It wasn’t a strategic fight. It was years of resentment, jealousy, fear, and grief exploding in a confined space.

“You were supposed to be gone!” Dylan shouted, slamming Killian into the wall again. “You were supposed to stay in the past. Stay dead. Stay erased. But you keep coming back, ruining everything I tried to build.”

Killian shoved him away, chest heaving. “Everything you tried to build was built on lies.”

Dylan’s lip curled. “And yours wasn’t?”

Killian hesitated. That hesitation didn’t go unnoticed. Dylan’s eyes sharpened. “You ruled the world once. You controlled armies, packs, gods. You let power consume you. Taylor killed you because she had to. And then you sacrificed yourself to bring her back. You think that erases what you were?”

Killian’s hands trembled, but his gaze stayed firm. “It means I chose her over power.”

Dylan scoffed. “And now? What are you choosing now?”

He lunged again. Killian blocked, their foreheads nearly colliding.

“You think you’re saving her from me?” Dylan whispered. “From the Goddess? From destiny? You can’t even save her from yourself.”

Killian pushed him back, this time with more force. Dylan stumbled, surprised.

“I won’t kill you,” Killian said, voice low and resolute. “Not today. Not ever. Because that’s what she doesn’t want. That’s what you don’t want either, even if you think you do.”

Dylan froze, breathing hard. Killian stepped closer, fists still raised but not striking. “You don’t want me dead. You want me gone. Forgotten. Out of her life. Out of your shadow.”

Dylan’s jaw clenched. “You don’t know what I want.”

“Yes, I do,” Killian replied quietly. “You want to be chosen. Not by fate. Not by a goddess. By her and Taylor will always be my mate, mine. She will never choose you Dylan. If you truly care about her, you will stop this useless fight and help look for her to protect her.”