Chapter 369: Trapped

Rebecca’s POV

For several seconds, I simply stood there, staring at everything around us. Warriors were embracing each other while healers moved among the injured, checking wounds and carrying those who couldn’t walk. After weeks of preparing for a war none of us knew we would survive, it almost felt strange that we had actually won.

Logan suddenly appeared from between two groups of warriors and moved quickly toward Kaden and Kane. His expression immediately caught my attention.

"Kaden, I just received reports from the commanders stationed near the other occupied packs," Logan announced as he stopped in front of them.

Kaden straightened despite the exhaustion on his face. "What happened?" he asked.

"The Dark Fire surrounding all five territories went down almost immediately after ours collapsed," Logan reported. "The armies moved in as planned. There weren’t nearly as many Tiger fighters stationed at those territories as there were here, so once the barriers disappeared, they didn’t stand much of a chance."

"All five?" Kane asked, staring at him.

"All five," Logan confirmed, a smile finally breaking across his face. "The last commander just reported in. They have control of the territories. Every occupied pack is free."

For a moment, nobody said anything as the meaning of Logan’s words sank in. All six packs were free.

A cheer suddenly erupted from one of the warriors and spread across the battlefield within seconds. Wolves howled, people shouted, and warriors grabbed one another in celebration. Even some of the exhausted fighters sitting on the ground managed to raise their fists.

I looked around as something tightened in my chest. We’d done it. This hadn’t only been about Plant Pack. Six packs had spent weeks trapped behind those flames, and now every single barrier was gone.

"Tell the commanders to secure every territory before anyone celebrates too much," Kaden instructed after closing his eyes briefly. "Search every building and make sure no Tiger fighters are hiding among the civilians."

"I already sent the order," Logan replied.

"Good," Kaden said with a tired nod.

Before anyone could say anything else, several warriors came running toward us from deeper inside Plant Pack.

"Alpha King!" one of them called.

Kaden immediately turned toward him. "What is it?" he asked.

"We found the prisoners," the warrior reported, breathing heavily. "There are dozens of them being held beneath one of the buildings. Some are injured, but they’re alive."

My heart stopped.

Stephanie.

"Where?" I demanded as I stepped toward the warrior.

"The eastern building," the warrior replied, pointing farther into the territory. "The healers are bringing them out now."

I didn’t wait. Rola called my name behind me, but I was already running. My legs were exhausted from teleporting so many people, yet somehow, I found enough strength to keep moving.

By the time I reached the eastern building, prisoners were already being helped outside. Some could barely walk, others were covered in dirt and dried blood, while several were being carried by warriors.

I searched every face coming through the doorway until someone finally stepped outside, and everything inside me seemed to stop.

Stephanie.

She looked thinner than the last time I’d seen her. Her clothes were dirty and torn in several places, and bruises covered her arms and face. A healer supported her as she walked, but none of that mattered because she was alive.

"Stephanie!" I screamed.

Her head snapped up, and for one second, she simply stared at me as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then her eyes filled with tears.

"Rebecca?" Stephanie whispered.

I ran toward her and wrapped my arms around her before the healer could completely move aside. Stephanie stumbled from the force of the hug, but her arms immediately went around me.

"Oh my Goddess," I cried as I held her tighter. "You’re alive."

"You came," Stephanie said as she started crying against my shoulder.

"Of course I came," I replied, tears filling my own eyes. "Did you seriously think I wouldn’t?"

A broken laugh escaped her before she hugged me even tighter. For several seconds, everything else disappeared. The war, Kaden, Melvin, and the Dark Fire didn’t matter. I simply held the woman who had become more like a sister to me than a friend.

Eventually, Stephanie pulled back enough to look at me. "You look terrible," she said weakly.

A laugh escaped me through my tears. "You look worse."

"Rude," Stephanie muttered.

That made me laugh properly. I wiped my face before looking her over again.

"Are you hurt badly?" I asked.

"No," Stephanie replied, shaking her head. "Mostly bruises. They kept us locked underground, but they didn’t hurt me as badly as some of the others."

Relief washed through me as I helped the healer support her again.

"Take her somewhere safe," I told the healer. "I’ll come find you as soon as everything is secured."

"I will," the healer promised.

Stephanie squeezed my hand before allowing the healer to lead her away. I watched her disappear among the other rescued prisoners before finally allowing myself to breathe properly.

Stephanie was alive.

The six packs were free.

The Dark Fire was gone.

We had won.

I turned back toward the battlefield and automatically searched for Kaden. He was still standing with Kane and Logan farther away while healers tried to examine his injuries. For the first time in weeks, it felt like the nightmare might actually be over.

I should have known better.

"Rebecca!" Rola screamed.

I spun around just as something slammed into my back. Pain shot through me as I crashed onto the ground, but before I could push myself up, black flames exploded from the earth.

They rose around me so quickly that I barely had time to understand what was happening. The flames didn’t attack me. Instead, they spread outward in a wide circle before rising higher and higher until they formed a massive wall around us.

I looked around in shock.

Rola was trapped inside with me.

And so was a man I had never seen before.

Everyone else was outside.

Kaden, Kane, Logan, Melvin, the witches, and dozens of warriors stood on the other side of the wall of black flames. I could see them clearly through the gaps between the fire, but there was no way for them to reach us without passing through it.

I immediately tried to teleport outside the circle, but the moment I reached for my power, something pushed violently against it. Pain exploded through my head, and I dropped onto one knee with a gasp.

"Don’t try that again," the stranger warned calmly. Black flames curled around one of his hands as he stood between Rola and me. "Unless you’d like to find out what happens when your body tries to teleport while my fire is holding you in place."

I slowly looked up at him.

There was something different about this man. His presence felt heavier than that of any of the Tiger shifters we’d fought tonight, and the flames surrounding us were darker and stronger than the barrier Rola had spent hours weakening.

Rola apparently realized the same thing. She raised her hand toward him and tried to suppress his power, but the flames only flickered for a second before becoming stronger again.

Rola’s eyes widened.

The man smiled. "You spent too much of your strength fighting my people’s Dark Fire, Princess," he said. "You don’t have enough left to suppress mine."

My stomach dropped as I finally understood who was standing in front of us.

The Tiger leader.

Shouts came from outside the wall as Kaden moved toward us, but the Tiger leader immediately raised his hand. The Dark Fire surrounding us shot higher, forcing Kaden to stop before he reached it.

"One more step, Alpha King, and I burn them both," the Tiger leader warned.

Kaden stopped immediately.

Kane, Logan, and Melvin stood behind him, while several witches moved closer to the flames. None of them attacked. They couldn’t. One wrong move could bring the entire wall down on Rola and me.

"Let them go," Kaden ordered, his voice frighteningly calm.

The Tiger leader laughed. "Both of them?"

I looked at Rola. She was breathing heavily beside me, her face pale from exhaustion, but her eyes were fixed on Kaden outside the flames.

"You took my territories," the Tiger leader continued as he looked at Kaden. "You killed my magicians and destroyed everything we’ve spent years building."

"The war is over," Kaden replied. "You’ve lost."

"I know," the man said simply. "That’s why I have nothing left to lose."

His calm answer made my stomach tighten.

The Tiger leader slowly moved between Rola and me before looking toward Kaden again.

"One is the Lycan princess," he said, gesturing toward Rola. "Your girlfriend."

Rola went still.

Then his hand moved toward me.

"And the other is the woman who used to be your mate."

I swallowed hard.

Outside the wall, Kaden didn’t move.

The Tiger leader smiled as the Dark Fire rose around the three of us, completely separating us from everyone else.

"You won your war, Alpha King," the Tiger leader said calmly. "Now you have one final choice to make."

His eyes moved to me first.

"Your past..."

Then he turned toward Rola.

"Or your future?"

My heart stopped.

The Tiger leader smiled.

"So choose. Which woman are you willing to save?"