Warwick stood motionless, his fingers tightening around the orb as the runes continued their eerie pulse. I could see the gears turning in his mind, his confidence flickering like a faulty flame. He wasn’t as sure of himself as he pretended to be, and it gave me hope-a fragile, burning ember that I clung to fiercely.
“Why the silence, Warwick?” I taunted, my voice cutting through the heavy air like a blade. “Afraid to admit I might be right? That they’re coming for me, and there’s nothing you can do to stop them?”
His gaze snapped back to me, and for a moment, I thought I’d finally pushed him too far. The runes on the walls flared brighter, casting his face in harsh, angular shadows that accentuated the sharpness of his features. “Do you ever stop talking?” he muttered, stepping closer with slow, deliberate movements. “I thought by now you’d realize the only thing your words are good for is wasting your breath.”
I smiled grimly, refusing to back down. “Funny, coming from someone who’s spent this entire time monologuing about fate and destiny.”
The magic binding me pulsed in response to his growing frustration, the dark tendrils tightening around my body, squeezing the air from my lungs. I grimaced, struggling against the pressure, but I didn’t let my resolve falter. If I showed even an ounce of weakness now, Warwick would exploit it without hesitation.
“You don’t get it, do you, Audrey?” Warwick’s voice was low, laced with venom and something else-an undercurrent of desperation he couldn’t fully mask. “I didn’t choose this. I didn’t want to be at war with your precious pack or fighting for scraps of power. I only wanted you to see reason.”
“And this is your way of convincing me?” I bit out, ignoring the burning sensation creeping across my ribs as his magic coiled tighter. “Binding me, locking me away in your sick little sanctuary, cutting me off from everything I love? If you think this is what reason looks like, then you’re even more lost than I thought.”
His eyes darkened, the golden-green glow intensifying as he loomed over me. “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for you, Audrey. If you were anyone else, you’d already be broken.”
I scoffed. “You’ve mistaken my silence for fear. I’m not broken, Warwick. I’m waiting.”
His brow furrowed, confusion flashing across his features before he quickly masked it with his usual smugness. “Waiting for what? Logan? Mal? As I said, they’ll never-”
“I’m waiting for you to slip up,” I interrupted, my voice steady despite the pressure against my chest. “And you will, Warwick. You always do. Because for all your schemes, for all your planning, you can’t help but let your arrogance get in the way.”
Warwick’s laugh was sharp, biting. “Arrogance, you say? It’s not arrogance when I’ve already won.” He crouched in front of me, the orb glowing faintly in his hand like a poisonous heart. “The Nexus is mine now, and so are you. The sooner you accept that, the less painful this will be.”
“That’s your problem,” I retorted, leaning forward as much as the chains would allow. “You think winning is about control. About power. But power means nothing when it’s built on lies and fear. And Logan, Mal, the pack
“They’ll tear it all down,” I said, my voice gaining strength despite the suffocating weight of Warwick’s magic. “Your lies, your fear, your so-called power-it won’t last. It never does. People like you always underestimate the strength of those they dismiss.”
His smirk faltered, and I caught the barest flicker of doubt in his eyes. It was fleeting, but it was there.
Warwick straightened, his hand clenching around the orb as if tightening his grip on reality itself. “You think their strength matters? That brute force and loyalty will save you from what I’m building? The Nexus belongs to me now, Audrey. I hold the key. I control its power. And there’s no pack, no bond, and no amount of defiance that can change that.”
“That’s the thing, Warwick,” I countered, my voice steady and sharp. “You don’t control the Nexus. Not really. It’s alive, and it knows you’re a thief.”
The flickering runes seemed to shimmer brighter, almost in agreement, as if they, too, rejected Warwick’s claim. His jaw tightened, his expression hardening as he advanced a step closer.
“Keep lying to yourself if it helps you sleep,” he said coldly. “But the Nexus doesn’t reject me. It chose me.”
“No, it didn’t.” My voice was calm, but the fire inside me burned brighter now, fueling the spark of rebellion that refused to be extinguished. “You forced your way in. Twisted it to your will. But the Nexus isn’t some mindless tool you can bend forever. It’ll turn on you. Just wait.”
His hand shot out, gripping my chin roughly, forcing my head back so I had no choice but to meet his piercing golden-green gaze. His face was mere inches from mine, and the intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
“You think the Nexus will save you?” he hissed, his voice a dangerous whisper. “It’s mine, Audrey. Just like you will be.”
My stomach churned, but I refused to flinch. I kept my glare steady, unwavering, even as his magic coiled tighter around me, pressing harder against my ribs.
“You don’t own me,” I spat through gritted teeth. “And you never will.”
For a moment, something flickered in Warwick’s expression-uncertainty, or perhaps anger at the truth he couldn’t deny. But then it vanished, replaced by cold resolve. He released my chin with a sharp shove, turning on his heel and pacing toward the altar.
“You talk like you have a choice,” he said, his voice carrying a bitter edge. “But that’s where you’re wrong. The choice was never yours. It’s mine. And I’ve already made it.”
He placed the orb on the altar, the carved symbols etched into its surface glowing faintly as they connected with the runes on the stone. A low hum resonated through the chamber, the air growing colder as Warwick began murmuring words in a language I didn’t recognize.
I struggled against the magical chains binding me, pulling with every ounce of strength I had. But they held fast, tightening with every futile movement. Sweat beaded on my forehead, my heart hammering as the atmosphere in the room shifted.
The runes along the walls pulsed in time with Warwick’s chant, their green glow spreading like veins of fire across the stone floor. The orb began to vibrate, its light intensifying with each passing second until it became almost blinding.
“Stop this!” I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”
He didn’t stop. He didn’t even falter. If anything, his chanting grew louder, his voice echoing off the walls with a terrible resonance that made the air feel thick and heavy.
Panic surged through me. I couldn’t wait for Logan and Mal any longer-I had to act now. Closing my eyes, I focused every ounce of energy I had inward, reaching for the wolf buried deep inside me. Warwick’s spell had locked it away, but I refused to believe it was gone.
Come on, I pleaded silently, clinging to the embers of my fading strength. I know you’re there. I need you.
For a moment, there was nothing-only the oppressive weight of Warwick’s magic and the sound of his relentless chanting.
But then, deep within me, I felt it. A flicker of heat, small but fierce, like a spark catching dry tinder. It grew rapidly, spreading warmth through my limbs, and I felt the chains around me begin to tremble.
Warwick’s chant faltered as he turned toward me, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What are you-?”
Before he could finish, I roared, the sound echoing through the chamber as the power within me surged to life. The chains snapped like brittle threads, and I lunged to my feet, every nerve in my body ignited with newfound strength.
Warwick stumbled back, his hands flying up instinctively as I advanced on him. For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes-a stark, visceral fear that fueled my resolve.
“You made one big mistake, Warwick,” I said, my voice low and dangerous, as the wolf inside me clawed at the surface. “You underestimated me.”
And then I lunged.