Chapter 206: Tonight, the North falls

Elvira moved swiftly through the thick overgrown, clutching her cloak as sharp branches tore at the hem. The Solstice had begun, and the woods had come alive with loud howls and the familiar sound of shifting.

She was supposed to meet Conri at the edge of the forest before the Solstice even began, but she had been unable to leave. For some strange reason, Samantha had been trailing after her, making it nearly impossible to slip away unnoticed.

Fortunately, the Gamma had eventually approached Samantha, giving Elvira the chance to blend into the crowd and disappear.

As she hurried forward, she thought she heard a twig snap somewhere behind her.

She whirled around, her eyes narrowing as she searched the forest which was gradually brightening under the full moon. Nothing moved. There was no one there.

Her paranoia was making her jumpy, especially when she knew the night was about to turn into a war zone.

She turned and hurried on, quickening her pace. She could feel her Lycan stirring within, itching to be set free. She almost gave in, but she forced a tight leash on the beast. If she ruined whatever Conri had planned, he would kill her.

After walking for several minutes, she finally reached the spot Conri had specified; the base of an enormous tree with thick, gnarled branches and roots bursting out of the earth. The spot was empty.

She looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. Where was he?

Suddenly, a hand shot out from behind the tree and yanked her backward. She opened her mouth to scream, but the same hand clamped over her mouth. It took her a brief second to recognize Conri’s face in the dark.

"You bitch!" he snarled, releasing her mouth and shoving her away from him. "You’re late! I told you to be here before the Solstice began."

"It wasn’t my fault," Elvira hissed back, stumbling. "I couldn’t leave, not with Samantha following me around. I swear, it’s almost like she knows something. I told you we had to get rid of her."

"Forget about her," Conri snapped. "No one will believe a word she says. Besides, after tonight, you won’t have to worry about her because she’ll be dead."

He straightened, running a hand through his hair. "Now, were you followed?"

Elvira shook her head. "I wasn’t. I thought I heard a twig snap, but it must have been my imagination."

"We don’t have time for this," another voice spoke suddenly from the darkness, startling her. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, a deep, masculine baritone that instantly set her nerves on edge.

She looked at Conri, her eyes wide. "Who else is here?"

"The Rogue King," Conri muttered. "Now, here is the plan..."

?"Leave that to me, Conri," Ragnar cut in as he slowly stepped out of the shadows. His face was hidden beneath a deep-hooded cloak, but his eyes gleamed with a faint reddish-gold, the sign of his own beast itching to emerge under the Solstice moon.

He came to a stand beside Conri, though his gaze remained fixed entirely on Elvira.

"Leave," he ordered. "You shouldn’t be here when the massacre begins."

Elvira’s eyes flew back to Conri. "Why are you leaving? And what does the Rogue King have to do with any of this?"

?"Dorian forbade me from attending the Solstice," Conri muttered bitterly. "Not that I want to be here anyway. The only thing I regret is that I won’t be around to see the bastard get his heart ripped out."

He turned to Ragnar. "I’ll return to the hospital to be with my son. Kill every last one of them if you have to, including the girl. I don’t care."

"What about me?" Elvira hissed. "Does he know I’m on your side?"

Conri didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked away into the shadows, leaving her standing alone with Ragnar.

She took a wary step back, her expression guarded. "What exactly is your plan, Ragnar? I hope you know Conri will kill you if you let anything happen to me."

Ragnar grinned suddenly, revealing rows of vicious, sharp teeth. "Kill me? Foolish girl, Conri works for me. Once your Lycan King is destroyed, he and I will rule the North together."

"Then I guess you don’t know who you’re addressing," Elvira shot back defensively. "Once Conri claims the throne of Wintercrest, he will reject his mate and marry me. I will be his Luna, which also makes me your Luna."

Ragnar felt the sudden urge to laugh. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, he would have actually laughed. The foolish girl genuinely believed she was part of Conri’s plan.

Even Conri didn’t realize he was nothing more than a pawn. Once he used the Hybrid’s blood and freed his master, Ozai, the entire realm would burn. Conri would die alongside every other living soul in this wretched kingdom.

Ragnar forced the thought aside and focused his cold eyes on Elvira. "Conri tells me you are wearing a talisman to keep your mate bond suppressed."

Elvira nodded curtly, pulling the chain out from inside her cloak. "Yes. What about it?"

"Once I give my signal, my rogues will attack. They will target the girl first. The moment she is dead, take off the talisman."

Elvira frowned, her confusion deepening. "Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

?"Don’t question me, girl!" Ragnar snapped coldly. "Conri told me you were a brat. I can see he was right."

He stepped closer until he towered over Elvira’s small frame. "Stay away from the battle once it begins. The moment the girl dies, Dorian will go feral. Take off the talisman so the mate bond will immediately subdue him, binding him to you and leaving him weak enough for my rogues to destroy."

Elvira had a dozen more questions on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them down and nodded. "Fine. But how do you plan to attack? Dorian has the entire Northern territory sealed off."

"My rogues are in the forest as we speak," Ragnar grinned wickedly. "They have been here for days, hidden perfectly in plain sight. Once they receive my signal, the massacre will begin. Tonight, the North falls."

His head snapped up suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the dense tree line. A sound had reached his ears–a soft, breathless gasp. It was faint, but he caught it clearly.

"Someone is here," he muttered, shoving Elvira aside and stepping past the tree. He sniffed loudly, catching the faint, lingering scent of lavender in the air.

A deep growl tore from his throat as he began pushing through the surrounding brush, following the scent.

?From where she crouched in the undergrowth, Alyssa held her breath, trying desperately not to make a single sound. She could clearly see Ragnar’s massive frame moving toward her, his eyes glowing eerily in the dark.

Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. She hadn’t meant to gasp out loud. She had arrived just in time to hear Elvira and Ragnar discussing the plan to subdue Dorian using the talisman once the attack began.

Because of the distance, she hadn’t caught every single detail, but what she had heard was enough. And when Ragnar revealed that his rogues were already hiding inside the forest perimeter, the shocked gasp had slipped past her lips.

Now, as Ragnar drew closer to her hiding spot, she prayed to the goddess that he wouldn’t see her.

He walked right up to the bush where she was hidden and stared straight at her. For one terrifying second, Alyssa was certain it was over, that he had already caught her. She was certain death was the end.

To her utter shock, however, he blinked, turned away, and walked right past her, still sniffling the air and searching the gloom. Confusion knitted her brows. His gaze had landed straight on her, and under the bright glare of the full moon, she should have been impossible to miss.

Then the truth dawned on her. Her Hybrid powers must have activated, pushing through the restraint of the talisman and cloaking her in invisibility. It was the only logical explanation.

After searching for a few more moments and finding nothing, Ragnar turned back to Elvira. "Go back to the clearing and wait," he muttered, casting one last suspicious glance over his shoulder. "Keep an eye out for the girl and follow my instructions."

Without another word, he dropped to all fours, shifted into his massive rogue form, and bounded deeper into the forest as Elvira hurried back down the trail.

Alyssa waited until they were gone before she slowly stepped out of her hiding spot.

She had to find Dorian. She had to warn him immediately that they were already surrounded.