Chapter 82
Chapter 82
The silver-plated spear cut the flesh with ease… Blood appeared on the already stained clothes, soaking them rapidly. Ruby-red drops were falling onto the flooded floor, dissolving in the water within seconds as if they were nothing.
As if his blood was nothing…
Brayden looked at Riannon with a sad smile on his lips.
“I told you I would always protect you,” he said and fell onto his knees, Ria tried to process what happened when she saw the one who threw that spear and an internal snarl left her chest. NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
Roxanne was glaring at her from the other side of the dungeon. Breathing heavily, the little hybrid gritted her teeth. She did not mind killing her fake mate. She did not care enough about him even though they did spend so much time together.
She had a bigger fish to fry. That spear was for Riannon. Because she cared about her death. She wanted her dead more than anything at that moment in time. That woman was the source of all her troubles. That woman could take what she wanted from her, and she wasn’t having any of it anymore.
“Haven’t you done enough?!” Ria screamed at the fox while catching Brayden before he fell face flat into the water. She slowly lowered him to the ground, noticing his ragged breathing.
“This one is on you!” Roxanne hissed, narrowing her eyes. “All of this is on you! He blew up the house not even caring that I was inside! Was it some kind of punishment for you? After all, he loves to train his girls! But with you he is so different! This madness will be over the moment you are dead! And everything will get back to normal!”
Ria scanned her face, realising that her enemy was talking about Castiel. Everything was even worse than she imagined. Roxy didn’t just love him. She was obsessed with him. It was an unhealthy sick
addiction that was driving her crazy, making her break all the imaginable and unimaginable boundaries.
“Do you even realise that he has been experimenting on you?” she decided to ask, feeling how life was slowly leaving Brayden who now tucked his head in the column or his neck for support. “He used you! He used your siren abilities, used you as his Guinea pig! He was intoxicating you and all these other women with fake mate scents! And now that I think of it, I bet you were a frequent visitor to his laboratory. There’s no way someone like him wouldn’t try to copy the siren pheromones!”
“That was because I am special to him!” Roxy snarled, growing her claws. “He treated me better than anyone else!”
“Then it’s just sad,” Riannon admitted, “Because he was putting you under other men with ease. He never cared whether you stayed dead or alive in the process of his schemes. And he never even asked about you while he…”
“Shut up!” the fake omega screamed hysterically, “Who are you to judge me? You didn’t even fight for your man when he brought me to your home!”
“I did fight you the first time,” Ria heard herself saying and felt Brayden twitching in her arms. But she did not regret her words.
Her secret wasn’t important now. The reality changed so much that there was no point to hide it because she didn’t possess any essential knowledge about future events anymore. This life was going very differently from what she knew. So different that no events were the same with the exception of the over. “I lived a ute wnere i was rigning for the man wno was clearly wrong for me! I lovea nim anai thought that I could fix things between us if I just try hard, be perfect, do something… I was wrong. And I paid the price. Because you killed me. And the man I practically sacrificed my love for probably didn’t even notice…”
“What kind of bull sh*t is this?!” Roxy stared at her in shock, her chest heaving.
“How do you think I knew everything you did before you even tried to act? How do you think I knew all the things I wasn’t supposed to know?”Ria gave her a sad smile, “The Moon Goddess brought me back in time. At first, I believed that it was only to change my course of life. But now I see that a lot of people needed things to be changed. Including you, Roxanne. Look at what you are doing! You are going to have a baby, for Goddess’ sake!”
“Shut up about my baby!” Roxy looked around in search of a weapon. Anger was filling her heart and soul; fury was burning in her veins.
This was why everything happened! She wanted to kill that woman once and for all! She could have won. Could have fulfilled Castiel’s task and expectations. But Riannon changed everything! It wasn’t fair! It seemed like some cruel joke of the gods!
Roxanne found a metal stick with a sharp end and decided that this was good enough. She wanted to wipe that Alpha-female from the face of the earth!
But as soon as she made a step, she felt a kick on the back of her knees.
“Not so fast!” Maya growled and knocked the stick out of her hands. Ash appeared nearby and helped her to subdue the girl. Regardless of the hatred they both felt towards her, they didn’t want to hurt a
pregnant woman. It wasn’t who they were.
Brayden sighed and Riannon was finally able to concentrate on him. She carefully turned him on his back and placed his head in her lap. Their eyes met at last and there was so much understanding in his.
“Ri,” Brayden breathed, “I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she was assessing where the spear went through, and came to the conclusion that it probably got his heart as well. Which was a bad thing for a shifter. Hearts almost never regenerated… The blood was still gushing and she tried to apply pressure, knowing that now everything depended on whether
his wolf would be able to heal him or not. It did not help that the spear was silver.. It was a bad sign.
She remembered how Brayden purchased it at some auction for a ridiculous amount of money even though she protested against it. And how proud he was to display it in their house.
“The joke is on me,” he tried to chuckle, but coughed up some blood instead. He probably knew what she was thinking and her lips curled into a little smile.
He was becoming more and more the Brayden that she used to know and love. It did not change her feeling towards Gideon, but she was glad to know that at least she had not made that man up. They weren’t meant to be, but she hated to see him lose everything he worked for all his life, including his own personality.
A part of her was still angry at him. She used to think that this part of her would always be angry.
But everything changed when he took that spear for her, risking his own life without hesitation. Before Roxanne, she always felt safe with him…
At the distance, Roxy was still struggling against Maya and Ash, who tried to sustain her but not hurt her too much. Their eyes met and something crazy gleamed in Roxy’s as she started cackling. this! Soon you are au going to…
“Your Castiel is dead!” Maya interrupted her speech and the fox’s head snapped in her direction. They all became silent and only the sounds of water dripping and splashing from broken pipes could be heard.
“You are… lying!” Roxanne stuttered in disbelief, but Maya met her gaze with ease.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” the Beta said bitterly, watching her worst enemy suffer finally. But when Roxy fell to the ground helplessly and tears started rolling down her cheeks one by one, her chest shaking uncontrollably as if she wanted to sob but couldn’t… Maya realised that the sight was not making her happy. It was not making the loss of her brother any easier. It changed nothing. What a disappointment.
“I’ll take her,” she said to Ash and gestured at their Alpha who was holding her ex-husband and whispering something to him. “You stay and help them and I will call more people to come here and finish things up.”
This time Roxanne did not struggle. She let her hands be cuffed in silver-plated cuffs and seemed lifeless when the Beta was leading her away. She just followed her. As if there was no point in her fighting anymore. As if there was no point in doing anything…
By now Riannon knew that Brayden was not healing properly. He knew that as well.
“If we keep the spear inside, we might win some time and get you to the hospital,” she said, thinking of what was the best way to transport him there, when his hand caught hers.
“No use,” he said, but she shook her head.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she insisted. “A good doctor might still help you. You are an Alpha, you can hold on for a long time. You will make it through…”
“Not this time, Ri,” he tried to smile again, but she knew that it was hard for him. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Don’t cry…”
She didn’t even realise that there were tears in her eyes. Riannon tried to wipe them away quickly, but the new ones were appearing in their stead.
He was an important part of her life, her friend. Yes, he made many stupid mistakes but losing him was still painful.
Her tears were now falling onto his face and he brushed one palm over her cheek, smearing it with blood.
“I’ve been such an j***t, Riannon,” Brayden smiled, his voice getting weaker and weaker. “I can say am sorry a thousand times but it would never be enough.”
“It’s all right,” she sniffed seeing how pale he was getting. His body was not healing and he barely had a few minutes left. Sadly, werewolves were not immortals…
“It’s all right, Bray,” she repeated, her tears now uncontrollably falling onto his face,“I forgive you. I really do.”
“Good,” a smile formed on his face, “At least I will know that he will take good care of you. Better than I ever did. Goodbye, Riannon…”
She didn’t understand what he was doing at first, but Brayden grabbed the spear and pulled it out of
his body in one swift and immensely painful move. Now they were sitting in a red puddle of his blood that couldn’t stop gushing out of him.
Ria held his hand, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes. But at the very last moment, she bent and whispered into his ear what Onyx had just told her. wiae, you ana your wou will be reborn in a new ure. Ana in that new ure, you will be given a mate. ine one that will be right for you and you alone. It will happen…and you will find your happiness.”
She distanced herself, to see that he was looking at the ceiling with glassy eyes. But even now there was a vague smile reaching the corner of his lips.
She closed his eyelids with trembling fingers and took a deep breath of air, trying to hold back the sobs. He was her husband once. He was her friend first… He was her partner for a long time. And now that man was gone forever.
But even in his last moment, he was dreaming of his true mate that he had never got to meet. His one true desire…
“I hope you two will be happy in your next life,” she kissed his forehead one last time and only now noticed Ash that stood next to her.
“I’ll take him,” the Gamma lifted his best friend’s body in his hands without asking anything.” Everyone else in the house is either dead or out. Let’s go.”
Riannon followed him, trying to gather her thoughts. This wasn’t the time to be a soapy mess.
Her heart was broken from the loss of Brayden, but she would be truly dead if something happened to Gideon.
She already had a mate, the one who meant everything to her, the one who never failed her and the one for whom she was ready to do anything.
And her mate was fighting an army now. She couldn’t leave him.
“Maya,” she called her Beta, “Call everyone who can fight. We are going to the lycans. Now. Leave just a few people for protection here and to help the wounded. We will deal with everything else later.”
They were in cars in just a few minutes and took the shortest way imaginable to the Western Kingdom overspeeding on their way. The closer they were getting, the faster Riannon’s heart was beating. She couldn’t sense her mate through their bond even when they were supposed to be in the range for mind- linking.
She couldn’t feel him even when she saw the battle before her eyes. And that brought fear to her soul because she could go through anything. But only as long as she knew that Gideon was fine.
She got out of the car and took the spear with her. Ever since Ash took Brayden’s body, she couldn’t let go of it…
She knew that field. She already saw this place in the vision that Onyx showed her after her return. And she swallowed uncomfortably, knowing that this was the battle that would decide the fates of many.
All the scents were mixed here and it was hard to find the one that she was looking for.
Riannon froze when she saw a man holding another man in his arms right on the hill where she witnessed Gideon holding Reid in her dream. Everything was repeated and it suddenly became harder for her to breathe.
She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she saw that the man was actually blonde and not as well built as Gideon. Now that she looked at him, he looked more like a fox. And it brought a little bit of relief to her.
All she wanted now was to help her people, the Union that they formed for peace… and also to find her mate.
She motioned for her warriors to join the fight and didn’t stay behind herself. She didn’t shift, using the spear as her weapon successfully to kill the enemies on her way. It helped her to manoeuvre better
Her bond wasn’t working for some reason, but she knew that there was no way that Gideon was dead.
However, if something did happen to him, she wanted to find him sooner rather than later.
Riannon pierced some fox’s head with the spear when she finally found the one she was looking for. But she didn’t know whether it was a good thing or a bad one…
ttt
They knew about the upcoming sneaky battle, so Kyle met the enemy forces earlier than they anticipated and attacked first. But the element of surprise was working only for so long… The bears and the foxes brought a whole army with them. And lycans didn’t have enough time to call everyone who was on their side in time for the battle. Most were still on their way
Though even when they all would be here, there was still a risk that Savvy didn’t get all the names right and traitors could be between them. The possibility of being stabbed in the back was huge and they all knew that.
However, lycans were strong and soon Savvanah arrived with werecats, who jumped right into the epicentre of the battle, fearless, elegant, powerful. One of the best allies they had.
Gideon and Reid were working efficiently, targeting the biggest bears and killing them first, so that the werewolves and cats did not have to. The lycan king tried to find who the leader was but no matter how hard he searched for, he couldn’t find one.
Shrill screams, growls and screeching were turning into a background noise for him. Too many warriors were dying at both ends. But each time more foxes and bears were arriving. The whole battlefield was a mess of blood, dirt and dead bodies… Sometimes not even whole bodies.
“You know what we have to do,” Mars said but Gideon snarled at his constant companion. “No!” he refused that idea.
“G, you know what Riannon saw!” his wolf insisted. “As of now, there is a 60% chance of us winning this battle. But that’s a big maybe and only if a lot of our people give their lives… But if we let him out…”
Gideon hated to admit when his wolf was right at a moment like this.
He hoped for quite some time that he wouldn’t have to do it. But now it was clear that he had to. For the men and women who fought on his side, for his little sister who turned out to be way stronger than he ever imagined… For his beloved mate, who deserved to be a queen and would do a good job even if he was no longer around.
“Reid, Sawy, Kyle,” he connected to his family who was close, “If anything goes wrong, I want the three of you to try and put me down.”.
“No, Gideon!” Savvanah was the first to react. She had the same blood in her veins and probably had the same thoughts in her head right now.
“What do you mean?” Kyle, however, didn’t get it at once.
“Gideon,” Reid also understood what he was about to do, “If you are decided on that, you have to do it as fast as possible. You know that your beast is controlling. He will never let you get the control back if he can… So, don’t let him come to his full strength!”
“I will try,” he agreed, “But if it goes wrong, you know what I want you to do. I need your words on that.”
“I don’t like it!” his sister said. She was the only one who knew how hard it was to control the true royal lycan form. message to nis enemies.
.
“Promise me!” he growled, feeling how the lycan inside him was getting to the surface. He was both him and Mars, but he was also something else. Something stronger, something bigger, something that he couldn’t control well.
“I promise,” Reid said and Kyle repeated his words. Savvanah hesitated.
“Gideon,” she said, “You have to come back after this! For all of us. Or at least for Riannon. She will kill us all if we don’t bring you back and your sacrifice will be in vain.”
“I will do everything to return,” he said, and he intended to keep his word.
“Then I promise too,” his sister agreed, and he let out a long loud growl that shook the mountains.
His bones started to crack again. Because his true battle form was different from his usual wolf form. It was bigger and way more powerful. His muscles were getting heavier, firmer as if they were made out of steel now, and the shape of his body was changing. The wolf was turning into a lycan and for a few seconds, it seemed that the battle stopped because of him. Everyone was staring at him now. In shock, in fear, in disbelief… There were all kinds of emotions.
And when the beast that he now was stood on his two feet and let out another mighty and soul-piercing growl, it was as if he took everyone out of their daze. – Dozens of bears threw themselves at him. They knew that they would only have a chance if they .! attacked now, while he wasn’t at his strongest yet. And only if they fought wisely. Foxes tried to launch a series of smaller assaults but that was like tickles to him now.
He didn’t even bother to look at the little red things when he crushed them with his feet or backslapped them, sending them to the flight of their lives. Even bears weren’t that much of a threat to him now. He was catching them and snapping their necks with ease. Or catching two and crushing their skulls against each other. He wanted their blood, he wanted to see their death, to feel that power over their pathetic lives. The beast wanted more. More, more, more…
Catch, snap, crash. Repeat. Catch, snap, crash. Again.
Riannon couldn’t believe what she saw. She called her mate, she knew that it was him. But Gideon wasn’t responding to her.
She knew that royal lycans did not like to shift into this humanoid wolf form of a monster. She remembered how her mate was telling her about his struggles with control. The stronger the beast was, the harder it was to get back after shifting into him. And Gideon’s lycan was one of the stronger ones that ever existed…
She wanted to go after him but some fox jumped on her. The spear proved to be useful again. And Riannon had to use it a few times as she ran after her beloved. He was slaughtering their enemies one by one and cleaning the field off the rival species.
From the corner of her eye, she already saw that the presence of the true lycan was changing how the battle continued. Wolves and werecats were getting the upper hand.
Gideon was now in the middle of a large enemy group. They were jumping on him, trying to bite him, cut him, do anything possible to turn the tables…..
Ria tried to get to him but it was so hard in all that mess. Someone was attacking her every second and her progress towards him was slow.
Before her eyes, a huge wave of bears and foxes covered her mate from her, climbing on top of him, jumping on his back and forming some kind of a moving mountain. mountain telt.
She tried reaching her bond, she tried calling for him… But he wasn’t responding. As if he was not there at all.
Riannon did not know what was going on there but she tried to get to that part of the battlefield whatever it cost her. Another fox, a grey one this time, sliced her back and she screamed again, falling to her knees. She twisted and managed to pierce the one who attacked her. However, a huge brown bear was there before she managed to get up. He snarled loudly and was about to tear her into pieces when a resounding roar shook the ground beneath them.
In one breath the bear was gone, his bloody head falling to her feet and a huge black beast stood before her, his eyes grazing over her slender frame.
“Gideon,” she called her mate’s name but he did not respond. “Gideon!” she sounded desperate now, but she did not care. He looked at her as if… as if he did not know who she was…