Chapter 90 🐉

After the video, things went downhill really quickly. Waai had set a trap, and Dom was ready to end everything once and for all. Thankfully for everyone, the venue was secluded and away from any community. They all returned and were prepared to make a plan and go to war.

That is when Freddie finally got informed that his sister had not been retrieved from the expedition to the temple and instead, according to the video, she was already dead in a gut-wrenching way. To say that he was furious with grief was an understatement. He had lost all sense and sight of logic or reasoning.

He blamed Dom for his sister's death. It was on Dom's order that Isabella had gone to the temple, in the first place. Nora was finding it hard to control her husband. Even their mate bond did little to bind him back to reality. As he stormed out of the room, Nora ran to inform Dom of the disaster that was about to be struck.

Freddie had made a beeline towards Liliana's cell. Being a beta, he had the authority to open the dungeon. He entered as he laid punch after punch on the unsuspecting Lily on the stone floor of the dungeon while muttering, "Eye for eye, blood for blood, sister for sister." on repeat.

Before Freddie could strangle the starved Liliana to death, Dom reached just in time to pry a hysterical Freddie off of her as tears rolled down his face at the loss of the only reminder he had left of his parents.

"YOU!" Freddie started at Dom as well, but Dom, being the Alpha, handled him enough to drag him out of Lily's cell as he mind-linked a witch for a healing potion.

"You hypocrite! You got my sister killed! How does it feel when your traitor of a sister is about to die? I'll kill her! You will know my pain."

With that, he completely broke down in a fit of tears and grief over his sister, "My sweet, sweet Bella! My innocent little sister. I failed you, just like I failed Mama and Papa."

Dom knew Freddie didn't actually want to kill Lily, but he also knew the depth of grief his friend was feeling. Waai had done exactly what he had said he would do. He had broken them from the inside. Iris was pregnant and unable to join the real fight. The risk was too high. Freddie had lost his sister. The Mage Master was trying to steer the new Capricorn witches who had never experienced Earth magic, let alone pure magic in all its glory and power of the temple. Dom's father was old and most of his dragon Alphas, and allies were asleep. There was still a large bunch of werewolf communities that still sided with Y. The rest of the rare shifters communities had decided to go into hiding for the sake of protecting their species.

When Y had given an open invitation to war, he had also shown why he couldn't be ignored. He had malicious humans by his side, who were ready to bomb every nook-and-cranny to lure Dom and Iris out. No matter the collateral. Y had brought the world to the brink of the third world war and worse, The final war! There was no going back from there and Y was an impatient creature, so whatever the next step, it had to be taken fast. But Dom was having a hard time even getting his team to line up, let alone go to war, the process of which was going to be ugly.

Dom paced in his room as Iris stepped behind him and took him to sit on a couch. She started massaging his shoulders firmly to keep him in place and to ease his knotted muscles as she spoke, "I have known Y a long time before you knew either of us even existed. So believe me when I say he is at his wit's end, believe me."

She turned him around and looked into his eyes, "I know you think we are out of options. I know you think you have failed people you care about, but I also know that the time for all of this to end is here. Everything we've worked for, all we accomplished. Led to this! Nora is taking care of Freddie, but you don't just need Freddie or me or your father by your side. If you work smart enough, if you keep your head, I know you can end this without spilling more innocent blood."

Dom sagged his shoulders and dropped his eyes, "Enough has already been spilled. All because I-"

Before Dom could start the blame game, Iris shook him and made him look at her once again, and told him firmly, "Every single living soul in this and all the other safe houses are only alive because of you. This is war, blood gets spilled. Get over it, so you can stop it from spilling more! You didn't choose this war, Y did! So if anyone is at fault here, it's that maniac, not you! You, still have this final chance to stand and make a change once and for all! Are you going to let your guilt and grief consume you, so it can swallow us all as well? Or are you going to rally your troops, formulate plans and execute them? Win the war and become the death of evil that every villain of our lives has feared you to be?"

He looked at her with newfound admiration in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, at first slowly and sweetly and then, fiercely and passionately, as if it was the last kiss of their lives. Who knew? Maybe it was. After that, they just joined their foreheads as he asked softly, "After everything that has been happening, how are you this calm?"

Iris laughed, which due to recent events was music to his ears, "Oh my love, I am not calm. But I am not shocked either. I am grieving for every departed soul that became a stepping stone of Y towards this war. But I have gotten used to Waai using living breathing people as pawns. I am simply more focused on the bigger picture right now, instead of crying over our friends and allies who are not with us anymore."

She kissed his nose sweetly with a smile still playing on her lips, "Believe me, I will have a major breakdown once all this is over. Maybe sleep for a week or two, just to recharge some of my batteries!"

Dom smirked as Iris placed one of his hands on her eight-month-pregnant belly, "Plus, who knows when mini-Dom will make an appearance."

Dom traced her belly tenderly as he felt his baby kick Iris from inside, "And what if it's a mini-Iris?"

Iris laughed, "We can have that debate later, right now, you have a war to win!"

She ushered him out of the bedroom to gather everyone and plan and keep her updated as well before they could all prepare and strike at dawn.

Tomorrow was a big day!

**Author's note:

The war is finally here. The battleground is ready. Our Hero and Heroine have come a long way, but so has our villain. How long do you expect the war to last?**