Chapter 74 Chapter Seventy four
Chapter 74 Chapter Seventy four
LILA’S POV
The silver dagger glints in the moonlight like a twisted tooth, and I can see Walter’s blood darkening its sharp edge.
My heart was pounding so hard I think it might burst through my ribs, and the golden light at my fingertips flares brighter, responding to the rage and fear that's coursing through me.
Calm yourself, my wolf whispers inside my mind, her voice was steady and calming. Anger feeds his magic. Fear makes you weak. You are the Star Born and you hold the balance, so don’t let him tip it.
I take a slow, deep breath, forcing the trembling in my hands to still. Walter is swaying on his feet, his face was as pale as death with blood seeping through his shirt in a dark stain that spreads with every passing second.
Caelum stands rigid beside him, his dagger raised with his eyes locked on Draven and his warriors.
“You’re lying,” I say, my voice clear and steady even though my hands are shaking.
“You can’t bind his life to mine without my consent. The old magic doesn’t work that way.”
Draven laughs, it's a cold, sharp sound that makes the hair on my neck stand up.
“You think you know the rules, little Star Born? You think you understand the power that flows through your veins? You’re just a child who's playing with the kind of forces you can never begin to comprehend.”
He takes a step forward, and his warriors fan out around him, cutting off every possible escape route.
“The blood tie is set, meaning that every beat of his heart is now tied to the magic of the circle. When the sun rises, if you’re not there to complete the binding, then his heart will stop, it's as simple as that.”
I look at Walter, at the way he’s leaning heavily against the tree, his jaw tight with pain but his eyes burning with determination.
He’s not begging me to stay. He’s not trying to stop me. He’s just watching me, waiting for me to make my choice and I realize, with a jolt of clarity, that this is exactly what Draven wants.
He wants me to choose out of fear. To feel like I have no other option, because if I do, the bond will be twisted and his dark magic will corrupt my power, thereby giving him the power to control me forever.
But if I choose willingly,out of love and out of purpose, then the power will be mine to wield, and his bindings will shatter like glass.
I take a step forward, moving past Caelum and Walter, keeping my eyes on Draven.
The golden light around my hands grows brighter, and I can feel it spreading through my arms, up my shoulders and warming me from the inside out.
I don’t understand how to control it, but I can feel it responding to my will and to my resolve to protect the people I love.
“I’ll come,” I say, my voice carrying across the clearing.
“But not as your prisoner and definitely not as your prize, I’ll come as the Star Born, and I’ll face you on my own terms.”
Draven’s smile widens, but there’s a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
“Your terms? You have no terms, girl. You have only a choice between his life and yours.”
I shake my head, and the golden light around me flares so brightly it makes his warriors recoil.
“No. I have a choice between letting you use fear to control me or using love to defeat you and I choose love.”
As the words leave my mouth, the light explodes outward in a wave of pure gold, washing over the clearing.
I hear cries of surprise from Draven’s warriors, see them stumbling back as the light touches them, but when it reaches Walter, something different happens.
The golden light wraps around him like a cocoon, and I watch in awe as the silver tinge fades from his blood, the color returning to his face, and the pain in his eyes eases.
He straightens up, pushing off the tree without leaning on it, and for the first time in two years, I see him stand tall with no cane, no limp, just the strong, proud Alpha that he was always meant to be.
His eyes meet mine, and I feel a connection so strong it’s like a physical thread was tying us together, it's felt warm, powerful, and unbreakable.
I knew you’d choose right, my wolf says softly. Now show him what we are.
But Draven isn’t giving up. He roars in rage, raising his hands and calling up a wall of dark violet smoke that rolls toward us like a storm cloud.
“YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFY ME? I’LL TAKE YOUR POWER WHETHER YOU WANT ME TO OR NOT!”
The smoke crashes against the golden light surrounding us, and for a moment, it holds, light and dark pushing against each other in a battle that makes the ground shake.
Then, from behind Draven, I hear a sound that makes my heart leap, it's the howl of wolves, there are dozens of them and the sound's growing louder by the second.
Mirabel bursts through the trees, leading a pack of Fairmoon warriors, men and women with their eyes glowing with wolf light, weapons raised high.
“Lila! We found it!” she shouts, holding up an ancient scroll that glows with golden magic.
“The way to fully awaken your power, all you have to do is accept the bond!”
Draven spins toward her, his face twisted with fury, but Walter is already moving. He charges forward, moving with a grace and speed I’ve never seen from him, and his sword flashes in the moonlight as he engages Draven’s warriors.
“GET TO THE CIRCLE!” he roars, his voice ringing with the authority of a true Alpha.
“WE’LL HOLD THEM HERE!”
I start running toward the stone circle, Mirabel at my side, but as I reach the edge of the treeline, I look back to see Walter fighting three warriors at once, his movements was fluid and powerful.
For a moment, he looks invincible, but then one of Draven’s men slips past his guard, and a silver blade slices across his arm.
Walter cries out in pain, stumbling back, and the golden light surrounding him flickers. Draven laughs, pushing past his own men and advancing on Walter, his sword raised for the killing blow.
“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STAND IN MY WAY!”
I freeze, torn between reaching the circle in time to save Walter’s life and staying to protect him from Draven’s blade.
The sun is beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky pink and gold, and I can feel the magic of the circle calling to me and it's becoming stronger every second.
“Lila, go!” Walter shouts, even as he blocks another blow from Draven’s sword.
“The circle won’t wait! Save us all!”
I turn and run toward the stone circle, tears streaming down my face, the golden light blazing around me as the first ray of sunlight hits the ancient stones.
But as I step into the center of the circle, I hear a sound that stops me cold, Walter’s cry of pain, followed by Draven’s triumphant shout.
“TOO LATE, STAR BORN! YOUR ALPHA IS MINE... AND SO ARE YOU!”
I spin around to see Draven holding Walter by the throat, his sword pressed against Walter’s chest, and the first full ray of sunlight hits the circle, binding me to the stone, freezing me in place as golden chains rise up from the ground to hold me fast.