Chapter 76
Chapter 76
I glanced over my shoulder at Markus, his expression a blend of curiosity and patience, as he awaited my answer with bated breath.
"I don't know. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes," I replied gruffly.
"We won't have long before he awakens. We need to stake him through the heart right now. That will kill the vampire side of him, and the silver will kill his wolf," instructed Markus breathlessly.
“Would you like to do the honours?” I barked, gesturing towards the creature looming before us.
My eyes flicked across the clearing, where the remaining soldiers approached with cautious steps. Behind them, a pack of wolves had assembled, their piercing gazes locked onto us, watching our every move in eerie silence.
"Is it dead?" one of Markus's soldiers shouted, his voice tinged with anxiety. "I mean, it’s not going to suddenly spring back to life and start slaughtering us all, right?"
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly, shaking my head in disbelief. “No way, he’s not coming after you again. He’s gone for good. Three of my strongest warriors took him out. But if we don't stake him now with the silver stake, he will and can come back. Markus, if you will."
Markus carefully mounted the formidable creature's body, his heart pounding in his chest. With a determined look etched on his face, he raised his arms high above his head, the stake gripped tightly in his hands, its surface gleaming ominously under the silvery glow of the moon. An eerie stillness enveloped the night; not a whisper of wind stirred, and the world seemed to hold its breath. Suddenly, the tense silence was shattered by a sharp, piercing whistle as the stake cut through the cool night air, a harbinger of the impending strike.
A loud, squelching noise echoed through the air, a satisfying sound that accompanied the whistling noise, signalling that the stake had struck its intended target. Sighing happily and looking pleased, Markus dismounted from the beast and made his way towards us with a theatrical flourish. He bowed deeply, his cloak billowing dramatically behind him in the breeze, as if to celebrate his successful aim in this moment of triumph.
"It is done! The Vaewolfe is no more!" Markus yelled triumphantly.
He paused briefly as he reached into a hidden pocket beneath his armour. With a mix of urgency and resolve, he pulled out a small yellow box, the colour vibrant against the dull metal of his gear. The moment felt electric as we watched silently for Markus's next move. He swiftly retrieved a match, its wooden surface rough against his fingertips, and struck it with a sharp flick of his wrist. Flames ignited in a hiss, casting flickering shadows around him. With a determined glint in his eye, he casually tossed the blazing match onto the vaewolf’s hide, a grin forming as he watched the fire catch. A surge of searing flames enveloped the Vaewolfe, unleashing a plume of thick, acrid smoke that spiralled into the sky. An ear-splitting scream erupted from the creature, as its now dead soul left the body it once inhabited, filling the air with its fury, before an eerie silence settled around us once more.
Suddenly, the sky transformed into an ominous shade of black, as if a heavy curtain had been drawn across the heavens. An ear-splitting crack echoed through the air, sending a shiver down our spines, and just as we braced ourselves, a blinding bolt of lightning sliced across the sky. In that fleeting moment, our faces were cast in a ghostly white light, shock and awe etched in our expressions.
But just as quickly as it had appeared, the blackness faded away, and the sky returned once more to its serene beauty. The velvety dark canvas above us revealed its secrets, adorned with countless twinkling stars that seemed to shimmer in celebration of the night. The pale moon hung low, casting a gentle glow over us, wrapping us in a comforting embrace..
"What just happened?" Markus whispered, his voice trembling with fear as he stole a glance at the swirling sky before turning his wide eyes to me.
"I don’t know why, but this just doesn’t feel like a good omen. Something is off. Let’s head back to the castle—I have to check on Elena! I can’t shake this uneasy feeling, and I need to make sure she’s all right."
Casting one last lingering glance at the now fully engulfed remains of the Vaewolfe, I sighed tiredly, the weight of my exhaustion pressing down on me like a heavy cloak. The flames licked at the sky, a chaotic dance illuminating the darkened horizon, but all I felt was an emptiness that gnawed at my insides. My body ached from the battle—every muscle a reminder of the fight that had pushed me to my limits—but it was my heart that truly throbbed with anxiety.
Something wasn’t right. Was it Elena? Our baby? The thought sent icy tendrils of fear coiling around my mind. Had I done enough to protect them? And what about Brooke? Had she managed to get back to the castle before her heart gave out again? Each unanswered question felt like a dagger, twisting deeper with every passing moment. As the last embers of the Vaewolfe smouldered into oblivion, I knew I couldn’t remain here, paralysed by uncertainty. I turned away from the flames, ready to face whatever lay ahead. My heart raced with frustration. I had hoped to face my brother, to confront him directly, but instead, his no-show was deafening. My wolves had returned with nothing. No sightings, no signs—leaving me to wonder if Carlton had even been here at all. The weight of uncertainty pressed down on me like a heavy fog.
One thing was clear: his secret weapon was no more, shattered and gone. Yet, as anger coursed through me, I found myself yearning for a confrontation. Where are you, Carlton? I shouted into the shadows, almost daring him to step forward. This was a game of cat and mouse, and I was ready to turn it around. It was time for him to reveal himself and finish this like a man. Come on, let’s end this—one way or another. What greeted me instead was a chilling, suffocating silence that hung in the air like a heavy fog.
Silently and deep in thought, I trailed behind Markus and his fellow soldiers as we ascended the castle’s stone path. My loyal wolf army followed closely, moving with an eerie grace that matched our somber mood. The air was thick with tension, each breath a reminder of the chaos we had just escaped, yet we remained shrouded in an unsettling silence. Unbeknownst to us, a pair of watchful eyes lurked among the shadows of the trees. Carlton, hidden from view, was consumed by a grief that twisted like a thorn in his chest at the sight of his fallen comrade—the love of his life, his soulmate, now lost. The anguish etched on his face spoke volumes of the bond they had shared, a bond now shattered.
What we didn’t realize as we made our way back to the castle was that within that grief, a tempest of rage was brewing. Carlton’s heart pulsed with a fiery determination to avenge the one he had lost. As we neared the castle gates, the silence around us held a promise of impending turmoil—a storm was coming, and we were all unwittingly caught in its claws.