<b>CHAPTER </b><b>114 </b>


    The massive shadow beast loomed over us, its form a swirling mass of darkness that seemed almost liquid, yet heavier than any solid thing I had ever touched. Tendrilsshed out like vipers, writhing with a terrifying, unnatural intelligence. Each movement carried the hiss of tearing air, as though reality itself strained against its presence. Its eyes glowed a burning red, twin coals that pierced straight into my chest, igniting a chill that ran all the way to my spine. I could feel my heartbeat hammering in my ears, my breath shallow, my body screaming to flee even as my legs refused to move.


    Elias growled, a deep, primal rumble that vibrated in his chest, and he nted himself between the beast and me. His stance was unyielding, muscles coiled like springs, the weight of his resolve pressing against the suffocating aura that threatened to drown us both. “We end this,” Elias said, voice fierce, each word cracking with the promise of finality. His teeth bared, eyes zing with defiance, he looked like a figure carved from stone and fire- unyielding, unstoppable, and ready to sh with the nightmare itself.


    I nodded, feeling a surge of wolf instincts wake fully within me. My ws lengthened, sharp and gleaming like forged steel. Fur bristled along my spine, every nerve on high alert, senses sharpening, expanding beyond human limits until I could taste the electric tang of the air and hear the grinding pulse of the beast’s essence. We didn’t fully shift–not yet–but just enough to let the monster know we weren’t defenseless prey.


    The shadow beast struck, tendrils whipping with blinding speed. I twisted just in time, letting onesh brush past me while my ws tore through another, sparks of raw, crackling energy bursting from the impact. The shadows hissed and iled, recoiling only to strike again, their movements like a storm given form. Elias moved like a whirlwind, his strength and precision tearing through clusters of tendrils, his growls echoing like thunder as he forced the monstrous entity back a step, proving we were not so easily consumed.


    Then it spoke–a voice low and echoing, mocking and filled with a terrible, ancient malice. You cannot destroy me. I am the darkness that waits in every corner of your fear.”


    My stomach dropped. This was no ordinary enemy. No mere beast of shadow. This was intelligent, patient, and tied to the man who had attacked me earlier. Somehow, it had been waiting… for me.


    ”


    Elias snarled, snapping a tendril with a single, punishing swipe. “Whatever you are, you picked the wrong wolves to hunt.”


    I leapt onto another tendril, ws piercing through its smoky, writhing form. A surge of energy shot through me–electric, raw, untamed, a force I had never felt before. The shadows shrieked and thrashed violently, a storm of darkness swirling around us like a living hurricane,


    < CHAPTER 114


    +25 Points


    pulling at my fur and dragging at my skin. My muscles burned, yet every strike made me stronger, sharper, more certain. And for a fleeting, shining moment, I felt alive, unstoppable, as if the wolf inside me had finally imed its full power, no longer chained but roaring, triumphant and free.


    Then, a shocking vision struck me like a bolt of lightning–the true source of the shadows revealed itself in a horrifying instant. I stumbled back, gasping for breath, my chest tightening with fear. Arthur… he had been nothing but a pawn, a mask hiding the real puppet master. The weight of betrayal pressed down on me, heavier than the darkness around us.


    And then the face came–blindingly clear in my mind’s eye. Someone I had once trusted, someone from the Ash Queen’s court: a sorcerer whose ambitions were as boundless as they were ruthless. I could see him now, eyes gleaming with cold intent, weaving his dark schemes to manipte me, to use me as the key to summon the shadows fully into our realm. My stomach churned, a mix of anger, fear, and disbelief. This wasn’t just a fight for survival anymore–it was a battle against someone who had known me, watched me, and nned my downfall all along.


    The vision didn’t stop with his face. It unfolded like a cruel y: whispered conversations behind silk curtains, charcoal–smudged maps with routes traced in silver, and a ritual circle I recognized from forbidden tomes–one designed to pierce the veil between worlds. I saw my own name inked onto a list, circled in a hand that trembled only with anticipation, not remorse. Memories I’d trusted as true–bonds forged in fire and quiet counsel–fell apart, revealed as carefully staged moments to groom me for the final act. Rage red hot and immediate; grief followed, slow and hollow. Every sharedugh, every promise felt suddenly fragile, a ss bauble shattered by the revtion. I clenched my fists until my knuckles ached, because standing here, surrounded by writhing shadows, I knew the war had shifted. No more pawns. No more masks. This sorcerer had pulled the strings–and he would pay for underestimating the wolf that now woke inside me.


    “They’ve been feeding off my power all along.” I whispered to Elias.


    His eyes widened in understanding. “Then we end it <i>here and </i><i>now</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>


    We fought in perfect unison. My mate pinned one tendril as I struck the others. Sparks of energy danced around us, lighting up the night, the shadows screaming in pain. My ws glowed brighter, fueled by the bond between us–by trust, rage, and survival instinct. The air pulsed with the rhythm of our connection, a heartbeat shared between wolf and wolf, echoing louder than the creature’s roars. Every strike we made wasn’t just an attack–it was a deration that we would not fall, that we would protect each other until thest breath. Elias and I fighting together, that was the power I was feeling. That’s what was giving me the energy and the power to defeat this creature. To actually hurt it. The beast staggered, and for the first time, I felt victory was not impossible.


    < CHAPTER 114


    +25 Points


    My eyes started glowing bright yellow as I attacked, unwavering and unforgiving, each strike aimed with precision at the writhing tendrils. Sparks of dark energy hissed as my ws tore through them, and the shadows recoiled, screeching in agony. Finally, with a surge of raw strength, I lunged at the core of the shadow mass, my ws piercing the heart of the darkness. A deafening shriek filled the air, reverberating in my bones, as the shadows writhed violently, twisting and contorting before dissipating into nothingness. The heart of the beast crumbled to ash in my hand, warm and fragile, like burning embers fading into silence. I copsed to my knees, chest heaving, drenched in sweat and trembling from the release of tension and fear. Elias was immediately at my side, his presence grounding me. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me steady, a quiet reminder that I wasn’t alone in the aftermath of the chaos.


    “I can feel it.” I whispered, voice trembling.


    “Feel what?” He asked.


    “It hurts.” I said, clutching my chest.


    “Because we killed it?” Elias asked, confused.


    “Yeah.” I said.


    о


    <b>“</b>Are you going to be alright?” Elias asked as I started breathing a little easier.


    “Yeah. I’ll be alright. We beat the bastard. That’s what matters.” I said. <fn2c7b> Fresh chapters posted on FιndＮovel</fn2c7b>


    “For now.” He said, eyes scanning the dark horizon. “But this isn’t over. Whoever sent them… they’re still out there. And next time, they won’t just send shadows.”


    I looked up at him, fear and determination burning inside me. “Then we’ll be ready.”


    The wind howled through the empty wastnd, carrying the faint echo of the shadows‘ shriek… a warning of what was still toe.