Chapter 238: The White Wolf

Rhydor’s POV

A white wolf stood in the middle of the smoking field. Or was it a fox?

I genuinely could not tell as I lay propped on my elbows in the bloody dirt. The creature’s ears were high, sharp, and pointed, looking exactly like the ears of a mountain fox.

Yet the broad, powerful jawline and the regal structure of its face belonged entirely to an ancient wolf. It was as if two completely different mythical beasts had been fused together by some forgotten, divine magic.

The body was utterly magnificent, covered in long, snow-white fur with bold black stripes running down its sides like a massive winter tiger.

And then there were the tails. Nine massive, thick white tails flared out behind its body, swaying through the air in perfect, hypnotic harmony.

A nine-tailed hybrid of wolf and fox was something beyond rare. It was a legend from ancient folklore, a creature that shouldn’t even exist in our world.

I remained pinned to the ground, staring up in absolute awe as this stunning, impossible beast took another slow step toward me.

Wherever its dark paws touched the earth, sudden patches of glowing blue ice crystallized over the dirt, spreading outward in soft, frost-like flowers.

A heavy, breathless silence descended over the entire battlefield. Every single warrior in the courtyard, both my own pack members and the dark enemy soldiers, stopped mid-swing.

Swords lowered. Bowstrings loosened. Enemies and allies alike slowly backed away from each other, grouping in collective shock as if they were suddenly on the same side.

Everyone was staring at the magnificent beast with pure, unadulterated terror written across their faces.

The creature’s brilliant, ocean-blue eyes completely ignored the surrounding crowd, staying strictly locked on one specific person standing a few yards away.

I turned my head to see who held its intense gaze.

It was the Alpha King.

"Lysander," the white beast’s voice echoed through the vast clearing.

Her mouth did not move a single inch, yet her words resonated with a deep, reverberating power that shook the very air.

"Haven’t you made enough of a mess around here for one day?"

I blinked in complete confusion, looking back and forth between the creature and the king. The message felt like a private, telepathic link meant solely for Lysander, yet every single soldier standing on the field could hear her voice clearly ringing inside their heads, including me.

Lysander stumbled backward two steps, his sharp eyes widening in horror as the color drained completely from his pale face.

"No," Lysander choked out, his voice trembling with a level of shock I had never heard from him before.

"It is not possible. It cannot be you! I destroyed you with my own hands. I destroyed you!"

"Are you truly certain it was me you destroyed all those years ago?" the white wolf asked, her tone completely calm and unbothered. "Or was it the other way round?"

"Even if you try to spin the truth..." Lysander snarled out, his brow pulling down in wild, frantic confusion, "...you died right along with me! You sank into the frozen water! You died in the deep!"

"Do you honestly believe I am the same Luna who took your life back then?" the white wolf asked, her voice dropping into a dangerous, freezing chill.

Lysander let out a vicious, beastly snarl, his mind completely snapping under the weight of her presence.

"Go straight to hell!" he roared into the sky.

He threw his head back and shifted instantly into his black wolf form. He was massive, with a raised, crown-like bone structure embedded deep into his forehead.

With a powerful leap off the earth, he launched his massive wolf form high into the air, aiming his razor-sharp fangs directly at her throat.

He never made it down.

Mid-leap, his entire black body froze dead in the air. Thick, solid blocks of glowing blue ice swept over his fur instantly, trapping him mid-flight like a helpless statue suspended five feet above the ground.

"Do you honestly think you can lay a single claw on me?" The white beast asked softly.

She took a long, lazy stretch right there on the frozen grass, lowering her front shoulders to the dirt while extending her back legs like a relaxed house cat.

She looked comfortable, entirely unbothered by the legendary monster frozen above her head.

"Do you really believe I would allow a creature like you to lay a finger on me ever again?" she added, letting out a soft, delicate yawn that showed off her long white fangs.

Lysander remained locked in the ice, suspended in midair, his eyes wide with helpless, frantic rage.

I stared at her, my mind spinning in endless circles. Who on earth is this?

"You know, I have had a ridiculously long and exhausting day," the white wolf said casually, shaking out her nine massive tails.

"I honestly cannot even remember how I still have the physical strength to stand upright on four legs right now. I just need to lie down somewhere quiet and take a very long nap."

She glanced up at the suspended black wolf with mild boredom.

"I am just going to spare your pathetic life this time around," she said in a light, conversational tone.

"Now take your remaining little minions and clear out of my sight while I go get some proper rest."

She tilted her sleek white head to the side, her sharp fox ears twitching slightly in the cool breeze.

"You had better pray to the stars that after I finish resting, I do not wake up feeling like coming after you," she added softly, her voice carrying a terrifying underlying threat.

"Because if I do decide to hunt you down... I will be twisting your neck the entirely wrong way."

Without another word, the glowing blue ice encasing Lysander’s black wolf form instantly melted away into thin air.

Lysander dropped hard onto the muddy ground, landing awkwardly on his paws. He scrambled backward instantly, his tail tucked slightly as he kept his dark, terrified eyes locked on her every move.

He raised his right paw, and a tearing, pitch-black portal snapped open in the air directly behind his back.

He took three quick steps backward, retreating straight into the dark void.

Seeing their leader fleeing the field, one of his eager young warriors let out a battle cry and rushed forward, trying to dive into the open portal right behind Lysander to escape with him.

Before his boots could cross the threshold, the dark portal snapped shut with a violent, deafening crack.

The magical rift sliced the charging warrior clean in half. The top half of his torso vanished straight into the unknown void, while the bottom half collapsed lifelessly onto the dirt with a sickening thud.

"Ouch, that was pretty brutal," the magnificent white creature muttered softly under her breath, watching the gory scene with a tiny flick of her tail.

I pulled myself up off the dirt, staring at the white wolf in utter disbelief.

A sharp realization settled deep in my chest. This was her. This was the legendary female Alpha predicted by the ancient prophecy, the ancient warrior destined to balance the scales and face the Alpha King in battle.

Yet, despite the immense, terrifying power rolling off her skin in waves, I was not expecting the chosen savior to be so relaxed, playful, and casually easygoing.

Then, without any warning, a sudden, blinding sensation struck the deep center of my chest.

A heavy, golden warmth erupted through my bloodline, pulling hard at my soul and snapping a powerful, invisible cord into place between my chest and the white wolf standing on the grass.

The sheer intensity of the connection made my heart slam against my ribs.

It was the golden mate bond.

Mate! Logan shouted inside my head, his wolf spirit howling in pure, explosive triumph.

Rhydor, look at her! She is our mate!

No! Absolutely not! I slammed back internally, my hands clenching into tight fists as panic flared in my throat.

No! I do not want another mate! I refuse to accept this!

Were you not the one weeping in the dirt just two minutes ago? Logan argued back sharply, his tone filled with intense frustration.

Were you not the one promising the heavens that if you were given another chance at life, you would not make the same mistakes again?

Yes, I said those words! I barked back into our shared mind space, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

But I was not referring to some random new mate popped out of nowhere! I was referring strictly to my Azura! I only want Azura!

The white wolf slowly turned her sleek head toward me.

She didn’t speak out loud. She simply lowered her rear onto the frozen grass, sitting down comfortably in the middle of the quiet clearing.

She lifted her right hind leg straight into the air and casually licked her paw like a clean house cat, unbothered by the hundreds of eyes staring at her.

Once she was done, she lowered her leg back to the earth, resting her massive chin on her front paws. She turned her striking, ocean-blue eyes directly onto my face, staring straight into my soul.

Suddenly, her smooth, familiar voice echoed with crystal clarity inside my head, laced with a mix of heavy annoyance and deep, playful sarcasm.

"I honestly cannot believe you are sitting there rejecting me all over again... you annoying and total stupid jerk."