Chapter 85 Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Chapter 85
Drake’s POV
The void grew bigger and bigger, and more Lycans kept trooping out. It looked like they would never stop coming. They looked like monsters on steroids, with glowing red eyes and bulging veins that crawled beneath their skin.
Then we felt it.
A shift in the air.
Every single one of us felt it.
A man stepped out of the void.
He was dressed entirely in black, a black leather jacket hanging over him like darkness itself. He looked far too young for someone who had supposedly lived for centuries.
He moved like the whole world belonged beneath his feet.
I knew immediately who he was.
The Lycan King.
Elisa’s father.
I didn’t know what I had expected the Lycan King to look like, but it definitely wasn’t this
Elisa shifted slightly beside me. I knew it was because of him. I grabbed her hand tightly and squeezed it. She looked at me and smiled softly.
“I’m okay.”
Nobody moved.
Not us.
Not the Lycans.
We were sizing each other up, waiting to see who would make the first move.
Then the Lycan King spoke.
“It’s not too late. Nobody needs to get hurt. Just deliver the fake Lycan King to me, and I won’t need to destroy your world.”
I honestly wondered why he was so obsessed with ending me. He was intoxicated with power, so addicted to it that he was willing to start a war just to keep his throne.
“He is not the fake Lycan King. He is our Lycan King. Your reign is over, Theophilus. Nobody is delivering him to you.” Hank stepped forward.
A dark smile spread across Theophilus’ face.
“I see you’ve done some digging about me. I hope you also discovered how fucking merciless I can be to those I consider my enemies.”
His face twisted into something ugly.
Something monstrous.
“For the last time, I won’t repeat myself. Deliver the fake Lycan King, and you will all be spared. I am the only true king.”
Nobody moved.
“Fine.”
Then he transformed in the blink of an eye. The growl that tore out of him shook the trees. The other Lycans followed immediately.
Then chaos erupted.
They charged.
And so did we.
The ground trembled beneath our movements and deafening roars filled the air.
“Elisa!” I shouted over the noise. “Don’t leave my sight!”
She nodded.
Then I shifted into my wolf form.
Beside me, the werewolves transformed too while the vampires moved first. Their speed was terrifying. They reached the Lycans before anyone else did.
One vampire launched himself at Theophilus. Theophilus ripped his head clean off.
But that didn’t stop the others.
If anything, it only made the vampires more vicious.
Two vampires attacked a single Lycan together, and I could already see it working.
I lunged at the Lycan in front of me, my claws tearing into his flesh. Blood sprayed everywhere.
The battlefield turned into a slaughterhouse.
I snapped his neck, and his body hit the ground hard, but before I could even process the victory, another Lycan took his place.
They just kept coming. My body became soaked with enemy blood. At first, it looked like we were winning.
The mated pairs fought together, combining their powers flawlessly. The werewolves with abilities used both their wolves and gifts at once. The witches’ chants echoed throughout the battlefield as they fought in groups of twos and threes.
But it wasn’t enough.
I could see it.
More of us were falling.
And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
But we still had one thing left.
The witches. I heard my father’s voice rise above the chaos.
“Now!”
We all pulled back slightly, creating space between ourselves and the Lycans. Then silver arrows coated with wolfsbane flew through the air.
Theophilus grabbed one of our wolves and used him as a shield.
The bastard.
At first, the arrows weakened the Lycans immediately.
The moment we noticed, we attacked with everything we had.
And for a while, it worked. We killed many of them. But within minutes, they started getting stronger again. It felt like everything we did meant nothing.
Their strength was terrifying.
And their king was the strongest of them all.
I watched multiple Alphas attack him together, but he still overpowered them easily, throwing them into trees like they weighed nothing.
Then lightning struck the battlefield.
I immediately knew it was Elisa.
She looked deadly.
Her hands had transformed into claws, and she fought with both lightning and brute force, ripping through Lycans like a force of nature.
The red moon strengthened both of us because we were Lycans too.
For the first time, it truly felt like we matched them. Then suddenly, a Lycan slammed into Elisa.
The impact sent her stumbling.
Four Lycans immediately surrounded her. They had recognized her as a threat.
“Elisa!” I screamed and my lycan form roared.
But another Lycan attacked me at the same time. I wouldn’t reach her fast enough.
Then I saw Sabrina and Quinn rush toward her.
“Damn it!”
I killed the Lycan in front of me as quickly as possible.
But when I turned—
I saw one of the Lycans going straight for Quinn’s neck.
And from the look on Quinn’s face… he knew.
He knew he wouldn’t survive.
Sabrina tried to reach him.
“Sabrina…” Quinn choked out, blood spilling from his mouth. “Tell her… tell my mate I’ll always love her…”
Then his head was ripped clean off.
“Quinn! Nooooooooo!” Sabrina screamed.
The sound shattered through the battlefield. She was so consumed by grief that she didn’t notice the Lycan creeping up behind her.
Elisa had been knocked unconscious.
I sprinted toward the Lycan, catching him before he reached Sabrina, and hurled him across the battlefield.
Then I grabbed Sabrina by the shoulders.
She screamed and tried to attack me before realizing who I was.
“Drake…” she sobbed violently. “He’s gone…”
Elisa was beside her, unconscious. shifted back into my human form.
“Sabrina, I know. But you have to get up. We’ll grieve later. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… but you have to fight.”
She wiped her tears aggressively and stared at Quinn’s lifeless body for one long second.
Then rage consumed her.
“For Quinn!” she screamed.
She transformed into her wolf and charged back into the war.
I checked Elisa quickly.
She was breathing.
Just unconscious.
“Damn it…”
I picked her up and carried her away from the battlefield before laying her gently on the ground.
“You’re going to be okay,” I whispered.
“You know… it’s funny.”
I turned sharply. Theophilus stood there watching me.
“The fact that someone else is called the Lycan King while I’m still alive.”
I immediately stood in front of Elisa protectively.
“The Moon Goddess chose me. I had no say in it.”
“Well, the Moon Goddess had no right.”
Darkness twisted across his face.
“I will forever be the Lycan King.”
Then he charged. The darkness I had fought my whole life smiled at me through him.
We collided violently.
Claws.
Fangs.
Blood.
We both went straight for each other’s throats. He grinned before lifting me effortlessly and slamming me hard against the ground.
The impact knocked the air out of my lungs. Then he planted his foot on my neck. His teeth lowered toward me slowly.
“So weak” he spat
“No!”
Elisa’s scream tore through the battlefield. The red sky darkened instantly.
Lightning exploded across the heavens in rapid succession.
Then Elisa rose into the air. Her eyes had turned completely white.
Her hair whipped wildly around her.
“Let him go,” she said.
But her voice sounded wrong. Like three different people speaking at once.
“And who are you?” Theophilus asked.
“You don’t recognize me?”
Even after changing into his human form, he still kept his foot pressed against my neck while I remained trapped in my Lycan form.
He was that powerful.
“Should I?”
“I am Alianna’s daughter.”
Shock crossed his face instantly. He stepped back.
“No… I was told you were dead.”
“You were told wrong.”
Then she sent lightning crashing toward him. He barely dodged it.
“No! This will not be the end of me!” he roared.
“I will fight fate itself!”
I got back to my feet immediately. Then the three of us collided. The battle became savage. Claws tore flesh. Fists cracked bones. Lightning exploded everywhere.
Even against both of us, Theophilus was still unbelievably powerful.
But slowly…
We gained the upper hand.
“No!” he roared.
I pinned his arms behind his back while Elisa grabbed his throat, her lightning-covered hands burning through his flesh. The smell of burning skin filled the air.
“I am still your father,” he choked out.
Elisa froze.
Just for one second. But that second cost her everything. His claws plunged deep into her chest with a sickening squelch.
I howled in horror.
But Elisa didn’t let go.
“Hold… him…” she choked out, blood spilling from her lips. “We have… to end this…”
Theophilus started laughing. Actually laughing. The smell of burning flesh intensified.
Then suddenly—
His head dropped to the ground.
Silence followed.
The Lycan King was dead. It was over. I caught Elisa before she collapsed.
“We won…” she whispered weakly, smiling despite the blood covering her teeth.
“Stay with me… please… please stay with me…” My voice broke completely.
“I’m sorry…” Tears slid down her face. “I didn’t want us to end like this…”
“No…”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
“Drake…” she whispered softly. “I love you…”
Her freezing hand touched my face. Then it slipped away.
Falling lifelessly to the ground.
“Elisa!!!”
My howl tore through the battlefield with every piece of my soul.