Cara’s pov
Brian staggered back, clutching his side where Ryder had slashed him. His eyes burned with fury, and Asher, his wolf, growled from within, enraged by the pain but more so by Ryder. Blood poured from the wound, soaking Brian’s clothes, but he didn’t falter. He couldn’t. He still stood, not wavering.
Ryder chuckled darkly, his scarred face gleaming with satisfaction. He twirled the silver blade in his hand, its edge glinting in the dim light of the cabin.
“Look at you, Brian,” he sneered.
“Bleeding like a wounded animal. It’s fitting, really. The mighty Rogue King brought to his knees by someone who knows you better than you know yourself.”
Brian’s eyes darkened, the fury bubbling just beneath the surface. His breaths came in harsh, ragged gasps as he fought to remain standing. But his gaze, his intense, unwavering gaze, never left Ryder. He was calculating, biding his time.
“You think you’ve won, Ryder?” Brian growled through gritted teeth. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind a blade.”
Ryder smirked. “Coward? I prefer the term ‘strategist.’ But it doesn’t matter what you think. You were the coward years back”
“It doesn’t have to come to this. You are pained at what happened years ago , but to tell you, It wasn’t my fault” Brian shouted
“Stop whining, ooh great alpha rogue, your days of glory are over” Ryder said, twirling the silver blade, looking at the wound on brian that is refusing to heal. “The fact is, I’ve already won, quit, and surrender. She’s mine.” His eyes flicked to me, his smirk widening.
I struggled against the chains, desperate to break free and help Brian. The silver chain stung from the wolfbane that was on it, burning into my skin, but the pain was nothing compared to the tortures I have undergone with wolfsbane in the past. My heart raced, pounding so loudly in my ears. I couldn’t let Ryder hurt him anymore. I wouldn’t.
But as I fought amidst the pain, something began to stir inside of me, a strange feeling, I had never felt before. It started deep in my chest, like a spark ready to ignite. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew one thing, I was not ready to find out what it was.
Ryder, noticing my struggle, laughed again. “Do you feel it, Omega? The helplessness, the futility? You are nothing. You were born to be a slave, and that’s how you’ll die.”
Brian roared at Ryder’s words, his fury erupting. With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward, grabbing Ryder by the throat and slamming him into the wall so hard the wooden panels cracked beneath the force. Ryder gasped, his smirk finally faltering as Brian’s strength became undeniable.
“You don’t get to decide her fate,” Brian growled, his voice dripping with venom. “Not anymore.”
“Neither are you to decide the fate of my people” Ryder shouted with bitterness in his voice.
I gave you the chance, Ryder, I lowered myself to pardoned you once. Don’t say this old friend didn’t grant you mercy” Brian finished raising his hand-filled claws to deliver the finishing blow.
But Ryder, ever the snake, grinned through his pain. “You think this is over? You think killing me will stop what’s coming?”
Brian’s grip tightened. “I don’t care about your pathetic plans. You’ll never hurt her again.”
With a growl, Brian threw Ryder across the room. The villain crashed into the far wall, slumping to the ground in a daze. But even as Brian stalked toward him, ready to finish him this time, something shifted in the air, a chilling, unnatural presence.
I widened my eyes in fear, at the unatural chilling presence, and from the smile on Ryders face, it terrified me.
Ryder’s eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction. “Oh, you poor fool,” he rasped, coughing up blood. “Did you really think I came alone?”
The ground beneath us trembled, the very air thickening with oppressive energy. The already damaged cabin couldn’t withstand the pressure and collapsed in on itself. I scrambled for safety, narrowly avoiding being buried in the rubble.
Outside, howls echoed through the forest, and I knew what was coming before I even saw them.
The Ryders pack.
Dozens of wolves, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent, burst from the shadows, filling the cabin and surrounding Brian. They were feral, crazed, their fur matted, and their teeth bared in vicious snarls. These weren’t ordinary wolves. They were warriors, Ryder’s last loyal enforcers, willing to die at his command.
Brian glanced around, his jaw clenched in determination. He was outnumbered, bleeding, and barely standing, but he refused to back down, nor show weakness.
“Brian, no!” I shouted, but my voice was drowned out by the snarls of the wolves closing in on him. I could see the pain etched on his face, the toll the battle had taken, but he wouldn’t surrender. Not for anything.
Ryder staggered to his feet, laughing maniacally as his wolves closed the circle around Brian. “Do you see now, Rogue King? This is where it ends. You can’t save her. You can’t save yourself.”
Brian’s wolf, Asher, howled inside him, pushing him to fight, but it was clear he couldn’t take them all on. Not like this.
“Old friend, this is how it ends,” Ryder said, smirking. “you will die in the hands of the pack you almost destroyed”
And then, without warning, the power inside me surged again, this time with a force that left me breathless.
It started as a spark but quickly became a roaring flame, spreading through my veins like wildfire. I gasped, the chains around my wrists suddenly feeling lighter, looser. The silver no longer burned. It was as if my body was rejecting it.
I could feel the power building, an ancient force so strong it felt like my blood was boiling. I was terrified, but I embraced it. I had to, for Brian, for my survival.
Standing in the clearing surrounded by dozens of wolves, Brian still stood, blood dripping from his body. He looked unfazed, though I knew he couldn’t fight them alone. I had no choice. He would be killed, and I would be taken by Ryder as a slave. Who knew what he would do to me?
With a final surge, I yanked my arms apart, snapping the chains like they were nothing.
“What the fu…” Ryder stammered, his eyes widening in shock. Even Brian seemed speechless as I tore the chain laced with wolfbane like it was paper.
The wolves turned toward me, their eyes wide with surprise, but they were too late.
I didn’t know what I was doing, but it didn’t matter. I was tired of bottling it all in, tired of being the weakest Omega, tired of being treated like an object. I could no longer suppress that burning power. The force inside me fueled by my anger took control, and with a single thought, I pushed it outward.
A shockwave exploded from my body, sending the wolves flying across the clearing. Ryder stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock as the power rippled through the air, the very ground trembling beneath us.
For the first time, I saw fear in Ryder’s eyes.
“What… What are you?” he asked, but his voice sounded distant, like I was underwater. The world was spinning, and in the chaos, I heard my name being called. But I didn’t know who was calling me. A deep fatigue took hold of me, I couldn’t keep my eyes open again.
I was falling
but a hand caught me before I could fall on the ground.
The tingling from the time in the forest started again, sending shocks of electricity down my weak body. The person was talking, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. A deep slumber was calling out for me, and with pleasure, I embraced it, drifting away. oblivious of what was happening around me.