<h4>Chapter 316: _Desperation Of A Thousand Nights</h4>


    "Bloody hell..." Regina cursed, spreading out her hands and going on the defensive.


    But I growled, falling on all fours when I finally shifted fully. Just when she was about to send an attack at me, I lunged, my ws extended.


    "Shit!" She dodged by disappearing into a cloud of ck smoke but I sniffed into the air.


    My senses of smell, sight, hearing and even feeling were heightened to a level I’ve never felt before. My ears made a 180-degree twist, following the movement of the air in the room.


    She appeared behind me, her feet nimble on the marble floor.


    But not nimble enough.


    I spun around, Sirena’s silver white fur blowing around us like clouds as we released a sonic howl at Regina.


    It hit her, but she was quick, creating a dark purple force bubble around herself which shielded her from the rest of the attack.


    ’Screw this. Let’s go find our mate.’ Sirena echoed in our mental space and I couldn’t agree more.


    To my surprise, my magic burned beneath my fur, this time unhindered by that magic ne. But I held back, afraid to tap into the Vein identally.


    I finally closed my mouth, stopping the sonic howl mid-scream. The silence that followed was eerie, almost like the room itself had stopped breathing.


    Regina was crouched low in a corner, her hands braced against the wall, panting heavily. Her force bubble flickered as cracks spiralled across its surface like shattered ss.


    Her eyes met mine—wide, almost fearful.


    Good.


    But I didn’t wait. I bolted toward the metal door, my ws scraping against the tiles, my massive silver-white wolf form practically gleaming with every movement.


    ’The others are near,’ Sirena murmured, sniffing the air. ’Your mate is close.’


    My heart skipped a beat. And then another howl rang out—low, loud, and dominant.


    But it wasn’t me... It was...


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    Kaelos!


    My muscles twitched with the urge to run faster. I charged through the halls, leaping over scattered furniture, half-dead guards, and copsed pirs. The whole fortress shook like it was being torn apart from the inside.


    I burst through arge metal door and sprinted right into the battlefield outside.


    And what greeted me was the blood moon shining bright as ever in the sky... and chaos.


    Pure chaos.


    Magic and elemental sts lit the night sky. Fireballs soared likeets. The scent of blood, fur, ash, and adrenaline filled the air.


    Wolves shifted mid-leap, jaws shing with bone. Spells crackled and collided. Screams of the wounded mingled with howls of dominance and defiance.


    Above it all, I saw them... Kaelos and the others.


    My breath caught in my throat as I froze.


    They were here.


    Kaelos, Althea, Janelle and the other Alpha Kings. Kaelos’ soldiers as well, all covered in blood and dirt, fighting with grit and desperation.


    My heart flipped violently inside my chest.


    Kaelos was at the centre of it all, shirt torn, fists crackling with silver energy, his canines bared but unable to shift due to the blood moon. His body was raw muscle and fury, punching, shing, throwing enemies across the field like rag dolls.


    And around him:


    Janelle, glowing in full regal fury, fought beside her husband Alpha King Thorian, their synchronised strikes cutting down enemies like scythes through wheat.


    Althea stood behind them, her hands raised to the sky, a glowing golden staff between her fingers. She chanted in an ancientnguage, runes spinning around her like a shield.


    Her magicshed out in pulses—bursting barriers, healing allies, and burning holes through Ryker’s army.


    Even Alpha King Mwansa had blood running down his arms as he mmed two enemies’ heads together, roaring through the battlefield like a god of war.


    Yet despite all that strength, none of them could shift.


    The blood moon hung high, bloated and pulsing, its magic heavy in the air. It gripped the wolves’ blood, suppressing their ability to transform. Only I—only Sirena—could break through it.


    Probably because of our true hybrid nature...


    Iunched forward, crashing into a rogue wolf attempting to nk Janelle, tearing through him with my ws. Another lunged, and I twisted midair, ripping through his throat before he even realised I’d moved.


    ’We are rage,’ Sirena growled in my head. ’We are what they fear.’


    A third tried to pounce, but Kaelos was already there. His fist, glowing silver, collided with the rogue’s chest with such force that it exploded into ash and bone. Blood sttered his face, and he didn’t even blink.


    His eyes met mine and at that moment... Time froze.


    "Odessa." His voice was alive with disbelief, rage, and love all tangled together.


    I shifted back mid-leap, falling into his arms like I was born to be there.


    He caught me.


    Gods, he caught me.


    Our lips collided with the desperation of a thousand nights. I gripped the back of his neck, his arms wrapping around my waist as if to fuse us together permanently.


    "I thought I’d lost you," he whispered against my lips, his voice breaking.


    "You didn’t," I murmured. "You never will."


    He pulled me tighter, then suddenly tucked me behind him as a fireball came hurling toward us. He raised a silver-coated fist and punched the damn thing mid-air, causing it to fizzle out in a cloud of sparks.


    "Nice trick," I breathed with a small smirk.


    "I guess it only works when I’m pissed off enough," he muttered, smiling as well.


    "Well, stay pissed." I blurted, scanning my gaze on the battlefield. "We’ve got shit to destroy."


    The battlefield was a nightmare.


    Ryker had released artificial hybrids, stronger and faster than normal werewolves. Their bodies were twisted, muscr, some with extra limbs or eyes.


    They moved erratically—like puppets driven by madness.


    Kaelos barked orders at the soldiers, his Alpha King aura crashing across the field in waves. The weaker enemies copsed instantly, foaming at the mouth. Others staggered, disoriented, giving our side time to gain ground.


    But it wasn’t enough.


    We were winning skirmishes, not the war.


    I fought beside Kaelos, my ws dripping with blood, Sirena guiding my instincts. Every swipe, every tear, every scream, I met it with feral determination.


    But then... I smelled him.


    Ryker.


    That sickening scent of rot and a cologne that seemed right out of the sixties.


    I turned, expecting to see him leading the charge.


    But no.


    He hadn’t arrived yet.


    Which meant this wasn’t even the real fight.


    Suddenly, a boom echoed through the ground as a wave of power rippled through the field.


    Kaelos staggered, and so did Althea; her staff dimmed.


    "The hell was that?" I asked, bracing my stance.


    Kaelos clenched his jaw. "Something... changed."


    And then, with a crack of ck lightning... Lucinda appeared, floating above the battlefield, blood running from her lips, her eyes pitch-ck.


    "Miss me?" she purred, causing my heart to drop to my stomach.


    I bared my teeth, quickly realising whose side she was on. "You witch-bitch traitor!"


    "Such filthy words from the Vein-borne," she cooed. "Ryker sends his love, by the way."