Chapter 153 The battle
Coban's POV
The air feels wrong. It feels heavy, like the world itself is holding its breath.
The courtyard is a maze of controlled chaos. Warriors crouch behind stone and trees. Cars parked deliberately as cover. Every position has a purpose. Every shadow hides claws, steel or fangs.
The ground hums faintly beneath my boots. Just a quiet promise of what Benjamin buried there with a grin and a warning not to stand too close.
Darien don't say a word as he bends and scoops Trixie up. He's careful, gentle in a way that doesn't match the hard exterior everyone else sees. Lucian is already clearing the path. His eyes are sharp. His senses flaring as they move her into the tunnels.
I follow close. Caden is right beside me. Darien places her into the chair that Caden had placed there earlier. Thick cushions with reinforced arms, positioned beneath soft lighting.
I kneel in front of her, adjusting the blankets over her legs, then press my forehead to hers.
"You're safe." I murmur. "We've got you." I say as our lips go together in a soft and gentle kiss. Caden leans down and kisses her as well. Of course he's going to pour himself into that kiss. We're not certain of the outcome of tonight.
Eugene checked his equipment for the third time. His jaw is tight. He's way too tense. But he's focused.
"She's strong, but those pups aren't going to wait forever. I'd be surprised if she holds another day." he says not meeting my eyes.
My chest tightens and my eyes go wide. Oh moon goddess, please let him be wrong.
Caden and I kiss her goodbye. Slow and lingering and gentle like we were memorizing the feel of her lips, like we're afraid it might be the last chance we get to.
Darien and Lucian take their positions in the hall outside of the tunnel entrance. Yeah, those two are more lethal than half my army, but they belong right there. With her.
The moment I stepped back into the open, the night cracks. Flares arc into the sky. Benjamin's signal. Runners sprint relaying positions, counting heartbeats between waves.
Lycans roll their shoulders, crack their necks, and bare their fangs. Someone laughed nervously. Someone else vomits and wipes their mouth like it's nothing.
Outside the palace is humming with movement.
Caden's voice crackles over comm. "75 Lycans formed and ready."
"I've got 75 with me. Hold tight." I answer.
Benjamin jogs past, grinning like a madman. "Runners are in place. Detonators are live. I made it pretty this time. We get lights. Smoke. And noise. Norman's gonna think hell opened early." he chuckles.
The first blast proved him right. A deep THOOM rolls through the tree lines. It's followed by a blinding white flash that turns night into day.
Smoke erupts in a spiraling wall, thick and metallic. It's laced with burning sparks that rain down like embers. The ground buckles violently. Every one of his distractions are controlled and precise. They're just enough to throw bodies, shatter formations, and leave ears ringing.
When the smoke thins, silhouettes stagger through it. They're all disorientated, bleeding, and someone is screaming orders that no one can quite make out.
Calvin claps a hand on my shoulder. "Front line is mine. 50 Lycans under my command. We hold until they bleed." he says as he looks around.
"Make sure to rotate clean. No heroes." I tell him. "That's rich coming from you." Kevan mutters.
Mark cracks his neck. "If I die, I want it known I was devastatingly handsome until the end." he chuckles.
Then the shit show begins.
Norman's men hit fast. All angles at once. Grenades and missiles being used. It is total chaos.
Explosions bloom near the outer gates. Benjamin second layer. Smoke bombs detonate overhead, raining sparks and confusion.
Lycan's surge through the haze moving in disciplined packs. They slammed into Norman's men with brutal precision.
"Send Franscisco's second unit." Kevan screams from the side. "Pull them back Now!" Calvin was heard screaming.
Benjamin's runners were weaving through the carnage. They were triggering charges at the exact moment Norman's warriors thought they found footing.
The blasts don't just kill. They break momentum. That right there is the real genius of it.
Benjamin's traps go off in sequence. Blinding light. Choking smoke. Concussive blasts that tear through Norman's first wave.
Screams echo and bodies fly.
"NOW!" I roar.
Calvin's warrior slam into them. Claws and steel ripping through the confusion. The first clash is brutal. The blood sprays. Bones crack. Howls tear through the night.
"Pull the injured back." Calvin screams.
"Fresh line-Move Now." Calvin orders.
We cycle the waves like clockwork. Lycans surge in and pull back. Wolves snap out. Fallen are dragged to safety. Our medics move fast. Even they are on top of it.
This battle, damn it's long. It's so damn bloody. The ground turns slick beneath our feet. Blood pools in low places. The air tastes like iron and smoke. Even with rotations, exhaustion creeps in. Our muscles are burning. Our reactions are slower.
Everytime Norman's force push, another wall rises in their way.
By the time, Norman himself enters the field, I'm soaked in blood that isn't all mine.
Eight wolves break from the smoke and circle me. "King's mine." one snarls. They all rush at me. I go down hard. The weight is crushing me, claws tearing and jaw snapping inches away from my throat. Pain explodes through my ribs.
Trixie must have sensed my emotions through the bond. All at once, she sends love, warmth and reassurance back through the bond.
The bond floods me. It steadies me. Wraps around my heart like arms holding me up right.
"Pull human. Pull powers from the children. They're with you. Pull on their bond." Conan growls.
I stop fighting. Then I pull.
Fuck!!! Power detonate inside me.
Light erupts from my skin. My eyes are now golden. The wolves on me were flung like they have been thrown by something massive and unseen.
I rise slowly. I'm glowing. My hands lifting as the Earth trembles beneath my feet. The air bends around me. Stone fractures. Enemies freeze mid step. Their eyes wide and bodies lock in an invisible force. Others are hurled backwards, violently crashing through trees, walls, and other warriors.
The battlefield changes. I wave one hand and slice it through the air. A shockwave slams outward flattening a line of Norman's men. And then another. Bodies lift, freeze or get hurled back screaming.
Norman stumbles into view. His eyes blown wide. Terror finally breaking through his arrogance.
"No ...Wait." he screams.
I don't wait. I raise my hand and crush him mid air. Bones snap one by one. He screams out before I tear his heart from his chest without even touching him. Power ripping it free.
Silence then falls as a victory settles.
I turn towards the palace and fear slams into me from the bond. From Trixie.
"Coban, Caden. It's Trixie. There's a problem in the tunnels." Darien comes through mind link. He's sounding raw and panicked.