Chapter 115 - 117

Chapter 115: Chapter 117

Chapter 117

[The ending of this Chapter, which is Alex’s POV of childbirth, may be found extremely triggering and graphic. But if you’ve got the strength—God help you—proceed.]

KAI’S POV

Remotely, the door opened and I stepped into the highest tower of the castle where the view of the entire pack stretched before me.

"Please, tell me everyone is out of their houses." I uttered without moving my lips, mind linking with Clawface.

"Yes, sire. They’ve been taken in by every neighbouring pack that would have them." He replied.

A measure of relief tempered my brewing distress.

"And you, Marcellan?"

"The royals were a bit resistant, but when I told the story of our enemies, they fled without waiting for a part two." He chortled, nearly drawing a snort from me.

But I couldn’t find any humour in it.

If anything, I wanted Nathan here. Since the dawn of the day, it had been clear war would break out. There was unease in the nature surrounding the castle, and anyone listening could hear it whispering, craving blood and souls.

But yes, I needed it to be today. For Nathan to come so I could find Alex, to know where the mother of my children was, and where my heirs themselves were.

As if my thoughts had been read, the air split as four portals tore through it.

It was on a field in the distance, a clearing spanning many acres of land. A fitting spot, truly.

When men began to pour from the other side, I spoke into the link, connecting with all my warriors, including Clawface and Marcellan.

"The throne needs you now more than ever. Let’s get this over with."

I had almost vaulted out of the window when a scent pulled me back. I turned around as the door swung open on its own, revealing my father.

"Father, I wasn’t...I didn’t think you’d..." Words lodged like shards of glass in my throat as I frowned, unsettled that Father was truly here.

Of all the times I had expected him to show up.

"What? Did you think I’d let you march blindly into war with a tyrant Mage-wolf?"

"What...what do you mean?"

He stepped forward, letting his presence settle. "Not being on the throne anymore doesn’t mean I’m devoid of information. Now, I supported you when you married this Omega, but with him came all this chaos." Father stopped directly before me and I swallowed hard. "But you chose him as your mate, so whatever fate you suffer through that is yours to bear. I’ve always felt you deserved punishment for what you did to your brothers anyway. Death would be too merciful on you, son, and so I brought you..."

A procession of five men entered, carrying a treasure chest. It landed with a metallic thud.

"I don’t want you dying easily. You must endure the throne till old age, Alpha Kai." He offered a courteous bow, deep and respectful, and I opened the chest.

My eyes widened at the armour stacked within it.

"What...what is this?"

"Stupid." Father rolled his eyes. "Your brother was supposed to earn this, but regardless... this is an impenetrable shield forged by the very first werewolf and the founder of SilverFang. Long story short, it’s a century old and a family heirloom. I gift it to you."

My lips twitched to the side and before I knew it, I had pulled Father into an embrace. "Thank you, Father."

He simply nodded, but even behind his masked expression, I caught a glint of pride. The men escorted him out, and I called after him just before his departure.

"Stay safe, Father. When this war is over and I’ve won, I’ll come and see you. With our family."

His brows arched, sharpening the already stern features of his face.

By the time Clawface and Marcellan arrived, I had the armour on. Its golden plates settled against my body, fitted with a precision that felt deliberate. As though made for me.

Its adorning chains rattled softly against the hard contours, and finally I reached for the helmet, casting my crown aside onto my throne.

"This day, knights and royals stand together to cleanse our world of evil. It has come into our home to erase us, but we shall not wither nor flee. Do what you must, and even if you were to fall, make sure you take one of theirs with you." I declared, and the crowd roared.

Just outside the castle, Nathan’s forces had gathered. I gave the signal for the castle walls to be opened, then claimed the last piece from the treasure chest. A spear.

It caught the final gleam of sunlight before the entire sky darkened to match that of the House of Steele. Chaos was brewing, and it would either swallow us or fuel us.

War cries took over, and I shut my eyes.

"I swear to you, sweet peach, I will find you, and I will end this so you may have a home to return to."

My spear cleaved the air, cutting through it alongside the first armoured man before me. I lurched into the heart of the battlefield, slicing through bodies on either side. Then, when a clearing came with the sight of the Mage-wolves who had kept the portal open, I pressed towards them.

My eyes narrowed on one who bent the power of the sky to his will. The very one who had banished the sun and whipped the air into a savage gust.

When his eyes met mine, I moved only faster. I knew this bastard. He must have had a hand in Leo’s death.

Though I held no particular sympathy for Leo’s passing, he had meant a great deal to Alex, and for that, I would avenge him.

"My targets are those sorcerers. Fight with me, Clawface and Marcellan."

I had barely finished the link when they appeared at my sides, and together the three of us charged.

"But leave that one to me. The one named Ser Cavriel. He is mine." I said simply.

???

Alex’s POV

"Fuck," one of the nurses shrieked as the light above me shattered against my power.

It drew at my blood, sapping a great deal of my strength, yet I continued to let it pour. My rage and resilience.

I was done being a puppet or bowing to precautions. Until my stomach lurched and my core began to shift.

"Ahhhhhh!!!!" I yelled, blinding flames sparking at the edges of my vision. "Goodness, please!"

My core weakened, heralding childbirth. The babies were ready to come.

"No, please. No, not now..."

"Finish the job, you bastard!" Nathan seized the surgeon by the throat and lifted him.

"Sire, I’m sorry," the man trembled before Nathan, his eyes dropping to the floor. "The anaesthetist is dead. I can’t proceed without..."

The scalpel was already moving. It swept clean and buried itself in the surgeon’s skull.

As he dropped, my breath caught without my knowledge at the deaths surrounding me. Nathan stepped forward, retrieving the same scalpel and wiping it clean.

A ghostly smile on his face, he pressed his hand to my stomach. "Don’t worry. I’m not a professional, so I’ll be quick."

Nothing could have prepared me for the tearing of my flesh just below my navel. The pain, sharper than any dagger, sharper than being stabbed through the heart itself, detonated through my entire body before it tore all the way up to my brain.

The sound of my skin parting met with the anguished cries of the babies wanting out, urged by the potion Nathan had forced down my throat. Not until the following month were they supposed to come.

My skin split like flesh on a butcher’s slab, carved open while I was awake and alive. Blood drained out of me and my vision dimmed. I clawed at the straps, my fingers digging into the metallic edges of the stretcher. There was nothing else but the agony consuming my belly.

"You scream a lot, honestly. That’s nice to hear." He cooed.

As though the monster wasn’t malicious enough, he tore the rest of my flesh apart and began to drag out the twins.

My ears deafened, my eyes blinded, and my heart hammered strangely against my ribs. My toes curled. All I could do was writhe and scream in agony.

"All the pain I endured because you stabbed me in the back. I’m merely returning the favour."

"Ahhhhhhh!"

The pain reached its peak and I zoned out. My brain went numb, and a silent, incoherent siren pulsed in my ears. I followed the trail of the sound, where darkness resided.

And darkness suddenly sounded like a better escape. I clutched to it.