Just as we were preparing to charge into the clearing, several figures emerged from the shadows and began cing objects within therge circle. That’s when I realized–they were forming smaller, individual barriers. Multiple rings inside the main one.
They dragged out a young teenage werewolf girl, sobbing and thrashing, and threw her into one of the smaller circles. The ck witch immediately sealed it, trapping her inside.
Next, they hauled in a vampire and tossed her into another circle before sealing that one as well.
“Now, for the final act. The blood that will open the gateway–royal blood,” my father dered to the crowd. His followers erupted in cheers, but I was scanning the area, alert. No one was approaching us. No ambush. I felt Elias’s hand tighten around mine.
Then, another warrior stepped out of the darkness, dragging a struggling woman before tossing her into the front circle.
“Rowan,” I breathed out.
“How the hell did he find her?” Elias asked, stunned.
“I don’t know. Elias, I can’t-” I choked out.
“I get it. You can’t lose her again,” he said softly.
“I treated her like garbage. I never forgave her,” I admitted.
“Lyra. You’ll have time to fix that. I swear. We’ll get her out of here,” Elias promised.
Rowan had been thrown into the circle closest to the ck witch–front and center.
“You really thought I didn’t know you were alive?” Dad said with a cruel smile.
“You told your Beta to kill me,” Rowan said bitterly. At that moment, another warrior appeared from the trees, carrying a sack. He reached inside and pulled out Beta Cassian’s severed head.
Rowan screamed. The head was tossed at her feet, left there as a cruel reminder. She knew- Cassian was dead because of her.
“I always knew he failed to kill you. I just needed him to lead me to you. And that’s exactly what he did,” Dad sneered.
“What do you want from me?” Rowan demanded.
< CHAPTER 73
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“I told you already. Your blood will open the portal. Just like theirs,” he said, gesturing to the werewolf and vampire.
“So you’re nning to unleash hell on Earth? Just like that?” Rowan asked, horrified.
“No, not just like that. This will be a slow, drawn–out affair. The portal only stays open while you’re bleeding. The second you run dry, it closes. So we need to keep you alive… and suffering… for as long as we can. That’s the part I enjoy most,” he said coldly.
“You’re a monster,” Rowan spat.
“Well, the alternative is your daughter. I could track her down. Her blood works the same,” Dad said casually.
“That’s why you kept her hidden and abused all those years, wasn’t it? Just for this damn ritual. You were always nning to use her,” Rowan said.
“Obviously. Why else would I keep that useless brat breathing?” he replied with a shrug.
“Stay away from her,” Rowan snapped.
“Is that a yes? You’re volunteering?” he asked.
“Yes. Just leave Lyra alone. I turned my back on her once, when she was a baby. I’m not making that mistake again,” Rowan said firmly.
“Aww. Touching. But I really don’t care, so long as I get one of you. And I doubt she’s about to show up and save you–especially after how you treated her,” Dad said smugly.
I nced at Elias, gave him a nod, and then stepped out from the cover of the trees.
“Wanna bet?” I said, loud enough for all to hear. Every head turned in my direction.
“Well, well. Looks like it’s a full family reunion now, doesn’t it?” Dad said mockingly.
“Too bad not all of us are going to make it out alive,” I replied.
“I know. Your mother just exchanged her life for yours,” Dad said calmly.
“I wasn’t talking about her, asshole. I meant you,” I snapped. His face shifted into stunned disbelief, clearly thrown off by the insult. It was almost like he was trying to make sense of the fact that I’d just cursed at him–as if he still imagined I was the frightened, obedient child who had left him months ago.
“I see your new mate has had quite the influence on you<i>,</i>” he said coolly.
“Yeah. Seems like he has,” I replied without hesitation.
< CHAPTER 73
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“Begin the ritual,” he ordered the ck witch. She gave him a curt nod and turned her attention back to the three captives trapped within the magic circles.
“Mia, don’t do this,” ir called out, stepping into view from her hiding ce.
“ir,” Mia said, her voice low but full of emotion.
“Don’t go through with this, Mia. I know deep down you’re better than this,” ir pleaded with
her.
“You’re siding with them?” Mia hissed, her gaze snapping toward us with betrayal in her eyes.
“Yes. Because I wanted to pull you out of this madness before you do something you’ll carry with you forever,” ir said.
“I’ve been waiting to do this for two whole decades. Why would I feel any regret <i>now</i><i>?</i>” Mia growled, her teeth clenched.
“I was holding out hope that your heart had changed,” ir said quietly.
“You must have forgotten, dear sister. I don’t have a heart anymore,” Mia said bitterly, raising both hands to the sky and summoning bolts of lightning that came crashing down into the
circles again.
Dad was just standing back, watching everything unfold like a show, when Elias quietly gave our warriors the signal to neutralize the enemies guarding the treeline.
One by one, our warriors began vanishing into the trees. And by the time Dad caught on to what was happening, it was far toote to stop them.
My fighters were advancing quickly now, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the ck witch from continuing her work.
She stepped closer to Rowan, brandishing a small, wickedly sharp knife. Without hesitation, she began slicing into my mother’s arms and chest.
Rowan cried out in pain, and the scent of her blood hit me hard. But the witch’s cuts were shallow, and they healed rapidly–forcing her to s***h faster and more frequently in hopes that enough blood would spill before it closed up.
I started sprinting toward Rowan and the witch, but out of nowhere, a massive ck wolf barreled into me, knocking me violently aside.
I rolled across the ground, dazed. When I looked up, I saw who it was–Dad.
“You’re making the biggest goddamn mistake of your miserable life, old man,” I growled at
< CHAPTER 73
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Suddenly, Elias’s wolf crashed into him from the side, giving me a second to recover. Elias barked at me mentally to go–get to Rowan.
I turned my head and saw it–the portal was beginning to open, spreading out along the ground right beside where my mother stood.
The ck witch had started cutting deeper now, and from the portal, bolts of lightning were shooting out in all directions. Every spot they struck, something–some creature–emerged from the other side.
It was working. The ritual was seeding. And I looked around at the battlefield, watching it all unfold like everything had slowed down to a crawl.
The vampire and the werewolf were still trapped in their circles, both screaming for freedom. Elias and Dad were locked in savagebat. Warriors on both sides were surging in, shing violently. It wasplete chaos. And my mother–she was bleeding out. I could feel her life slipping away.
I stood up, looked around at the madness that surrounded me–and made my decision.
I ran. I didn’t stop until I mmed straight into the ck witch, tackling her with all the force I could muster.
The impact caught her by surprise and sent both of us tumbling to the ground, but the portal had grown so massive that it pulled us toward its edge.
I felt my legs dangling into the void, the otherworldly pull trying to drag me down. My mother’s screams echoed through the clearing, but she was still trapped–sealed behind the magic. She couldn’t reach me.
Then I felt it–the ck witch’s hand grabbing onto my leg. She was trying to climb back up by using me as leverage. But I couldn’t allow that.
“Elias. I love you,” I called out. I felt his panic and pain explode through the bond the instant I said those words–right before I let go of the edge and surrendered to the fall.
The portal closed behind me as I vanished into the abyss.
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