Chapter 44 The Choice

Chapter 44 The Choice


Cael’s POV: The Choice

Lira’s scream echoed in the small room. “Run!”

But I couldn’t run. I was still shocked, frozen to the ground. There was nowhere to go. And I wouldn’t leave her, not when Riven was acting this way.

Riven was shocked for a second by her touch. He took, froze. He turned his head slowly, his wild eyes looking at her hand on his arm. The love in his heart was fighting that poison in his blood. I could see the war on his face. He really, really wanted to stop.

“Riven, please,” Lira begged him again, her voice breaking, her eyes watering. I just watched, still shaken, as this was the first time ever I had seen her cry or would dream to see her cry. It was probably the serum. Exactly, that was it. “It’s me. Listen to me.”

For a beautiful, hopeful moment, he seemed to hear her. The rage in his eyes softened. He looked confused, like a lost child.

But the serum was too strong.

A snarl ripped from his throat. He wasn’t seeing his friend anymore. In his feral mind, she was part of the threat. She was stopping him from eliminating the danger which was me.

With a roar of pure animal anger, he shook her off. He didn’t just push her away. His arm, now strong and wild, swung back and hit her.

There was a sickening sound. A thud, and the crack of bone.

Lira cried out, a short, sharp sound of pain. She flew back from the bars and hit the wall of her cell. She slid down to the floor and did not move. Her arm was bent at the wrong angle.

Time stopped.

Riven stared at her still form. A low whine escaped him. He looked at his own hands, as if he didn’t understand what they had done. The real Riven was in there, screaming.

Then his head snapped back to me. All the confusion was gone, replaced by a fresh wave of rage. Now, he blamed me for this too. For making him hurt her.

He turned all his anger on me. He took a step forward, his intention clear.

My wolf took over.

I didn’t think. I just moved. As Riven lunged at me again, I dropped low and tackled him around the middle. We crashed into the hard stone floor. He was stronger and he was not thinking because he was fueled by madness and the serum, but I was faster.

We rolled, over and over each other, punching each other and snarling. He scratched my face. I felt the sting of his claws. I punched him in the side, trying to knock the air out of him, but it was like I was hitting a rock because he wasn't fucking budging. He was fucking relentless.

He got on top of me, his hands closing around my throat. He squeezed. The world started to go dark at the edges. I couldn’t breathe.

My eyes found Lira, still lying in her cell. Her eyes were open, watching us. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

I couldn’t die here. Not like this. Not when she needed me.

With a final burst of strength, I brought my knee up hard. I hit him in the stomach. His grip loosened for just a second. It was all I needed.

I shoved him off me and scrambled to my feet. He was up just as fast, his chest heaving.

We stood facing each other as if we were two wolves ready to kill.

But the fight had changed something. The noise we made was too loud.

The heavy door to the prison block suddenly swung open with a loud creak. Light from the hallway poured in.

Two guards stood there, their eyes wide. They saw Riven out of his cell. They saw me, bloody and bruised. They saw Lira, unconscious on the floor.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then the head guard, a big man named Goran, raised his weapon. It wasn’t a gun. It was a long, wicked-looking spear.

“Stand down, prisoner!” he yelled at Riven.

Riven just growled, his focus still on me. He didn’t see the guards as a threat. He only saw me.

Goran’s face hardened. He nodded to the other guard. “The feral one is too dangerous. Use lethal force.”

The other guard lifted his spear. He took aim at Riven’s back.

My heart stopped.

I saw two paths in front of me.

I could do nothing and let the guard kill Riven. Riven would be dead. The immediate threat would be gone. My father’s test would be over. Lira would be safe from Riven and belong to me fully, but she would never forgive me. And I would never forgive myself.

Or I could do the unthinkable.

I could protect the boy who was trying to kill me. The guard’s arm tensed and shifted, ready to throw the spear.

There was no more time to think.

I made my choice.

I moved.

I threw myself in front of Riven just as the guard launched the spear. It happened so fast. I felt a hot, sharp pain in my side. It took my breath away.

I looked down. The wooden handle of the spear was sticking out of me. The metal point was buried deep in my body.

Riven stared at me, his feral eyes wide with shock. The growling stopped.

The guards froze, their faces pale. They had just speared the Alpha Prince.

I stumbled back a step. My legs felt weak. The world started to spin. The last thing I saw was Lira’s face, her eyes full of horror as she watched from her cell.

The last thing I heard was Goran’s voice, shouting in panic.

“Somebody get the Alpha King! The Prince has been stabbed!”