Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Kai’s POV

I lurched out of the way as the next arrow pierced the ground and charged toward the shadows, but Frederick dragged me back. War cries filled the air, the arena now transformed into a full fledged war zone as our men tore into one another. Crimson spurted like water forced through a hose, pouring across the battlefield until the earth changed from its natural brown to something grim and blood-soaked.

Frederick and I were caught between man and wolf. My skin was covered in silver-cerulean fur, while Frederick’s was black, darker than midnight. My calves curved monstrously beneath me, my chest broadened, and my face deformed into something less human.

Half-man. Half-wolf.

Then, in the middle of the chaos, a blinding light erupted. First came the crashing sound of a building collapsing to its foundations, followed by an ear-piercing shriek as the light shot toward the heavens. It flickered like a distant star before vanishing beyond the dome.

The fight continued. I lunged for Frederick’s throat, but the hidden shooter aimed for the back of my hand and pierced straight through. The wound burned, the sting immediately telling me the arrow had been laced with SilverFang wolfsbane.

Fuck...

Frederick was indeed more prepared than I’d thought.

The battlefield had become a true pool of blood. Then Frederick suddenly sprinted in another direction, as though something had alerted him. I evaded another volley of arrows—finally beginning to understand the shooter’s rhythm—before crossing into the opposite lane and taking off on all fours.

My speed was extraordinary, carrying me across the ground with no resistance capable of slowing me down.

Through one exit, I caught sight of Frederick emerging from another, and he was charging toward something. Toward... Alex.

Alex was with Marcellan, his arm draped over Marcellan’s shoulder for support. The instant my wolf sensed the weakness in his body, it snarled.

That’s my MATE!

THE MOTHER OF MY CHILDREN!

And in that moment, I understood Frederick’s intentions.

He was going to attack Alex.

I lost it all...

ALEX’s POV

Gravity spat me out like some unwanted irritant.

I was hurled into the sky. My veins cracked with power. My body was restored, every ache and wound erased. I felt free. I felt unstoppable.

The moment I landed, my eyes snapped open and I rushed toward Marcellan. I didn’t know how it had happened, but I could feel everything. The instant my feet touched the ground, the frequency of the world resonated with me.

My Aetherblood resonance was finally beginning to make sense. The entire bloodline of Aetherblood was with me, and their strength coursed through my veins.

The guards along the corridor were barely a hindrance. My fingers scarcely flicked before they were hurled through the windows, the glass sparkling as it shattered into fragments beneath the sun.

The weather was strangely beautiful, its radiance matching the intensity of my defiance. The bars broke apart the moment I reached them. I didn’t even have to cast a spell.

I simply had to think it.

Marcellan’s eyes widened, his body stiffening. He stepped carefully out of the cell, the once dark prison illuminated by the light surrounding me.

Then the glow faded, and I stumbled. I expected to hit the floor, but Marcellan was there to catch me.

"I was about to be executed," he said his first words to me, his tone quivering.

"I was about to die in my dreams," I replied, matching the competition of our shared gruesome fates.

He chuckled before draping my arm over his shoulder. With his other hand around my waist, he helped me out of the prison.

But as we stepped onto the asphalt, Marcellan suddenly stiffened beside me. My eyes caught an inhumanly fast beast racing toward us.

The collision was almost upon us when the wind swept my hair aside and another creature slammed into the first from the flank. They crashed across the ground, both beasts tumbling over one another.

As I looked closer, I realized one was Frederick and the other was Kai. I’d seen Kai in his full wolf form before, an unmistakable beast, but he was different this time.

He was man and beast, and it’s the same with Frederick.

Blood coated his fur, and when I looked ahead, my gaze landed on the distant dome. A knot formed in my stomach as an uneasy sensation settled over me. Whatever was happening there, it certainly wasn’t good.

Frederick and Kai lunged for each other’s throats, but before either could strike, I used my magic to force them both to the ground.

With a swift movement of my hand, the earth split apart. Barbed vines burst from the cracks, thickening into thorny tendrils lined with jagged spikes. They wrapped around both Alphas, digging into their flesh and drawing blood whenever they struggled, anchoring them firmly to the earth.

I wasn’t just Kai’s mate anymore.

I was the Aetherblood.

And I had to choose. I had to choose peace.

My eyes blazed emerald green as my power spread outward toward the distant dome, my consciousness connecting with every wolf present.

"Stop this madness," I said.

My lips never moved, yet my voice echoed inside their minds.

It was the same way I’d once encountered the One Tree. I’d never seen it speak, yet I’d heard every word. With the knowledge gathering inside me, I was finally beginning to understand these things. Perhaps the One Tree had even appeared as a tree because I’d expected it to, never knowing that it was me.

And I was it.

"None of you are innocent. MoonBlade imprisoned the power of Aetherblood, hoping to claim it for themselves, and in doing so helped create Nathan’s villainy, when that power belonged to the entire world. SilverFang has its own failings as well. You isolated yourselves from the rest of the world, allowing poverty and resentment to grow, and desperate minds breed desperate evils."

Everything finally made sense.

Nathan hadn’t been welcomed into MoonBlade because Frederick was kind. He had wanted the power of Aetherblood for himself. Frederick was a hypocrite who claimed to despise Wolf-Mages, yet sought to steal centuries of their power. And when his plans failed, he’d revealed Nathan’s past to me in the hope that I’d turn against him. Hate him more than I already did.

That explained why Nathan had attacked MoonBlade. I’d expected SilverFang to suffer his wrath instead, but it was obvious now that his hatred ran deeper. He held a grudge against them both.

And I could use that. I could bring both Packs together against a common enemy. This could be the beginning of peace.

"Let go of your pride. You share an enemy that must be stopped," I said before releasing them.

The warriors remained calm, though I stayed alert in case either side changed their minds.

Frederick approached me, his voice strained. "So, what sort of alliance are you proposing?"

"Not one where one side profits from the other," I answered. "One built for the safety of all our people, where we protect each other because we must and work toward making the world safer and better for everyone."

I paused before adding,

"In the end, we’re all wolves, and we all die the same death."

Frederick studied me for what felt like forever. I’d like to believe I was imagining it, but I could have sworn I’d caught a flicker of respect in his eyes.

That couldn’t be right... could it?

Before turning to leave, he spoke. "Bring me Nathan’s head first, and maybe I’ll consider this selfless alliance you’re proposing."

A smile tugged at my lips.

Maybe I truly was a Peace-Bearer Aetherblood after all.

Kai crushed me against his chest, holding me so tightly his body trembled. His eyes shimmered with tears. That was unexpected.

Wait... Kai could cry?

Is he crying? Yo, how was it that today I’d discovered two sides of him I’d never known existed?

Ha!

Aw...he was actually a crybaby.

I guess it’s true what they say: wonders never cease...