Chapter 173
Elara’s POV
My face fell into my hands. Tears slipped between my fingers, but I didn’t even care to wipe them away. For what felt like an eternity, I stayed there, unmoving.
When I finally forced myself to lift my head, I wiped the remnants of my tears. A deep breath filled my chest.
I was done.
I wasn’t going after Thorne. No matter how much my heart screamed for it, I couldn’t–no, I wouldn’t.
Thorne had his own war to fight. He didn’t need me to play the hero, especially when his plan had never made sense to me in the first place. If he wanted to die for whatever cause he believed in, I couldn’t stop him.
But… god, the ache in my chest… It didn’t go away. Even after making the most logical decision of my life, it felt like my heart was being twisted in knots.
I stood up, shaking my head as if trying to clear my thoughts. My jacket fell loosely around my shoulders as I grabbed my sneakers, slipping them on with mechanical precision. I was going to leave, get away from this palace, get away from all of it…
But then-
Knocking.
Wendy was at it again. Her voice echoing down the hallway, driving the maids up and down, cleaning up the mess from the chaos earlier.
I froze. No way I could be seen now. Not in this state.
So, I did what anyone trying to avoid notice would do–I stayed still keeping the lights off and my breath shallow, waiting for the noise to die
down.
Forty minutes later, the hall was silent again, and I knew it was my moment.
I cracked the door, slipped into the hallway, and made a beeline for the West Wing. The palace was still bustling with guests and servants, but they were all distracted on the other side, thankfully.
I took the staircase quickly, feet barely making a sound as I reached the ground floor. The West Wing was empty–perfect.
But just as I thought I was in the clear…
The floor gave way beneath me.
The rumble started softly, like a growl far beneath the earth. It grew louder, louder–until the palace seemed to tremble, groaning like a living
thing.
The walls shook, and a deafening roar rattled my ears, like the entire foundation of the place was being ripped apart.
Artifacts fell, crashing to the ground with a terrifying crash. A chandelier above me swayed, then dropped straight down, the crystal shards reflecting the dim light as they shattered around me.
I barely dodged in time. One of the flying glass shards scraped across my arm. My chest heaved as I swore under my breath.
“What the hell is going on?”
TR
Chapter 173
Another wave of destruction slammed into me, and I lost my footing. The floor cracked wide open beneath me, and I fell – dropped into se abyss below.
“AHH!”
The world spun, and my body slammed painfully against the ground. I groaned, trying to regain some sense of balanced, but the dust was thick, choking me as it filled my lungs.
Two distinct howls tore through the air behind me.
I whipped around, eyes wide with disbelief.
The moon hung high, bathing the ruins in silver light, and in the middle of the wreckage stood two
wolves.
One was massive, sleek and black as the night itself. The other was thin, sickly, its bones jutting out from its frame.
I couldn’t breathe.
Thorne and Lance.
I’d known Thorne was meeting with Lance for the ritual, but this… this was something else. They were fighting, right here, right now. And it was destroying everything in its path.
any
I hadn’t heard the full conversation, but it didn’t matter. The fight spoke louder than words.
“You lied to me, Thorne!” Lance growled, his voice laced with venom.
“You said we were in this together,” Lance snarled, lunging at Thorne with a speed that made my stomach churn. “You promised me everything, but you just wanted the power, didn’t you?”
The wolves clashed, their teeth flashing as they locked together in a brutal fight. Bones cracked.
Thorne was dodging and striking back, but his movements were growing sluggish. It was clear he couldn’t keep this up forever.
I had to do something.
There had to be a way out of this.
I darted behind a half–collapsed pillar, my heart pounding in my ears. The ground shook again, and I swore I could hear the walls groaning under the pressure.
The wolves were locked in a death match, but Thorne–he was weakening.
Lance had no fear. He was relentless, and with each attack, he was leaving deep cuts on Thorne. This wasn’t going to end well.
My eyes darted around, searching for anything, any way to stop this madness.
There.
A pillar, leaning precariously against a crumbling wall.
If I could knock it down, we could trap Lance, give Thorne the breathing room to escape.
I had one shot.
I rushed out from behind the pillar and yelled, “THORNE!”
Chapter 173
He turned, his eyes narrowing with confusion.
I pointed at the pillar. His expression changed instantly, and without a word, he understood.
We didn’t need words. Not anymore.
Thorne dove back into the fight, sinking his fangs into
Lance’s neck, lifting him up with ease and tossing him at the wall
The crash echoed through the ruins as the pillar fell, crushing Lance under its weight.
“Let’s go!” I shouted, already moving toward Thorne.
The black wolf crouched low, letting me climb onto its back. With
a
single bound, we were off, leaping over the debris and heading for the
back gate.
The palace was a ruin now, nothing more than crumbled stone and dust.
Screams echoed in the distance, but we didn’t stop.
The wind whipped past me, and I clung to the wolf’s fur, my eyes barely able to stay open against the rush.
Minutes later, we reached the woods near the South Gate, where Alden was waiting. He looked startled when he saw me.
“Elara, are you okay?” He asked, his eyes flicking to Thorne.
I barely spared him a glanced, pulling him close. “He’s hurt,” I hissed. “He needs help, now.”
Alden hesitated. “Helping him wasn’t part of the plan,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Please,” I begged, my voice trembling. “It’s urgent. He’s dying.”
As if on cue, a groan came from behind us.
Thorne–back in human form–was staggering forward, blood pouring from a wound in his side. His face was pale, his body trembling.
I rushed to him.
“Thorne!” I screamed. “Hold on!”
But it was too late. He collapsed to his knees in front of me, his body failing him.
And I knew–everything I feared was finally happening.
AD
