Chapter Sixty
Faelen’s POV
The sounds of chaos woke me up at midnight, jolting me up in my small, cold cell.
At first, I thought I was dreaming… hearing the distant clash of weapons, the sharp cries of warriors…
But as the noise grew louder, I realized with horror that the attack had begun. The Steeprock pack had launched their assault.
My heart pounded in my chest as I scrambled to my feet, gripping the bars of my cell. I could hear footsteps rushing past the dungeon entrance, the sounds of men shouting orders.
Hunter’s pack was caught off guard. This wasn’t supposed to happen so soon, I felt. But that had been the plan all along.
My stomach twisted in fear, for Hunter, Caleb, and everyone else in Howle Wulf.
And here I was, locked away while everything I’d tried to prevent was happening right above me.
I paced around in my cell, thinking quickly. I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. Hunter might hate me, but I couldn’t let him and his people fall.
Not like this. I had to find a way out.
I ran to the cell door, yanking on the bars. They didn’t budge, of course, but desperation pushed me.
I scanned the room, trying to think. There had to be a way out, some weakness I hadn’t noticed.
The guards outside were probably distracted by the chaos upstairs… maybe I could convince them to let me out, or at least trick them somehow.
As I strained to listen, I heard faint voices nearby, but not close enough. I needed to act fast.
My pulse raced as I reached for a loose stone I’d noticed in the wall days ago. I pulled at it with all my strength, wincing as it scraped against the wall, and finally, the stone came free.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
I pressed myself against the bars, listening for footsteps. Soon enough, I heard the clatter of armor as a guard rushed past.
I gripped the stone and threw it as hard as I could against the cell wall. It made a loud clanging sound, and I ducked back into the shadows.
The guard approached quickly, clearly agitated. “What the hell was that?” he muttered, stepping closer to my cell.
Now. I had to act now.
As soon as he got close enough, picking up the stone again, I reached through the bars and swung it at his head.
The guard let out a grunt of surprise as he staggered, clutching his head. I then reached for his keys, my hand shaking, but I managed to grab them before he could recover.
I shoved the key into the lock, twisting it with trembling hands. The door creaked open, and I didn’t wait to see if the guard would get up.
I raced down the corridor, my feet barely touching the stone floors as I sprinted toward the exit.
The sounds of battle grew louder as I emerged into the courtyard, the night air filled with smoke and the clash of weapons.
The attack was already in full swing. Warriors from Steeprock and as I suspected, Belladonna as well, stormed the grounds, engaging Howle Wulf fighters in vicious combat.
I had to find Hunter and Caleb to help them. I ran through the chaos, keeping low and moving between buildings.
My heart clenched at the thought of Hunter who I knew would be in the middle of the fighting, facing attack against my own pack, unaware of how deeply I cared for him.
Suddenly, I spotted Caleb, his face stained with dirt and blood, fighting off two attackers at once.
I ran toward him, ducking under a blade that whizzed past my head. “Caleb!” I shouted over the heat of battle.
He turned, his eyes widening in shock when he saw me. “Faelen? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I escaped,” I panted, out of breath but determined. “I need to help. Where’s Hunter?”
“He’s in the main hall, trying to hold them off. You should be hiding, not out here!”
“I’m not going to hide while your pack is being slaughtered!” I shouted back. “I can help, Caleb. I know how Belladonna fights.”
He hesitated for a split second, then nodded grimly. “Fine. But stick close to me.”
Together, we fought our way through the chaos, my heart pounding in my chest.
The flames roared higher as we reached the main hall, and I could see Hunter through the smoke, battling fiercely alongside his warriors.
His back was to me, but I could see the raw power he fought with as he cut down enemies with a fierceness I hadn’t seen before.
I pushed forward, ignoring the sting of cuts and bruises as we joined the fight.
When I reached Hunter, I shouted his name, desperate for him to see me… to know that I hadn’t betrayed him.
He turned, his eyes blazing with fury, and then confusion when he saw me fighting beside him.
“What are you doing here?” he yelled, his voice rough with emotion.
“I told you,” I shouted back, blocking a blow aimed at my side. “I’m not your enemy.”
For a moment, our eyes locked, and in that brief instant, I saw the war clearly inside him. But then a familiar look replaced it as he nodded in affirmation.
We fought side by side, and for that moment, nothing else mattered except stopping the attack.
Steeprock and Belladonna was strong, but we were stronger. Hunter had taken my advice and had prepared for the attack.
As I fought my way through the chaos, I heard my name called out in a voice I knew too well.
My blood ran cold as I turned and saw Raven standing not far from me, her dark eyes shining with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
She wasn’t fighting, just watching , like a predator stalking its prey. Her lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Faelen,” she said, her voice cutting through the noise of battle, “I thought I might find you here. What a surprise.”
I immediately felt a rush of fear and anger rise in my chest. Of course, she wasn’t surprised.
Raven had always been perceptive, always one step ahead. But now, seeing her standing there, so calm in the chaos, made my heart race.
“I should’ve known you’d turn,” she continued, stepping closer, her boots crunching on the bloodstained ground. “I told Alpha Zodd from the start that you wouldn’t be able to go through with the mission. He trusted you too much, cared too much for you. But I always had my doubts.”
My throat tightened at her words, her taunts cutting deeper than the wounds on my skin. The weight of all I’d done hit me all over again.
She had doubted me, even warned Alpha Zodd, and now, she was here to finish what I hadn’t been able to do.
“Doesn’t matter now,” she said with a cruel smile. “Once I deliver your head to him, he’ll forget his foolish loyalty to you. I’ll be the one he praises. You? You’ll be nothing but a traitor’s corpse.”
Without warning, Raven lunged at me, her blade flashing in the fire light as she attacked.
I barely had time to block her strike, raising my own sword just in time to deflect the blow.
The force of it unsettled me, and I stumbled back, trying to regain my footing.
Raven was faster, stronger, better trained. Each of her strikes came with deadly purpose and accuracy, and I struggled to keep up, barely managing to block her blows.
My heart raced as panic set in… this wasn’t just any fight. Raven was ruthless, and now, she was out for blood. My blood.
She grinned, sensing my fear. “You were never cut out for this, Faelen,” she hissed, swinging her blade in a deadly angel. “Just another pretty face trying to survive in a world that will crush you.”
I bit my lip, trying to block out her words, but it was hard. She was right. I was failing, and I knew it.
My arms ached from the strain of holding her off, my breath coming in gasps.
Raven pressed her advantage, slashing at me with increasing force, and in a moment of distraction, she knocked my sword from my hand.
I gasped as the blade clattered to the ground, falling out of reach. Raven’s eyes shone with pleasure as she raised her sword for the killing blow.
This was it. I was going to die.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the end. But it didn’t come. Instead, a loud, wild growl ripped through the air, followed by screaming.
I opened my eyes just in time to see Hunter… his body half transformed between his human form and his massive Alpha wolf.
With a swift movement, his sharp claws dug into her flesh, and Raven screamed as she tried to fight him off.
But Hunter was too strong, his eyes burning with a wild rage. He was driven by something I thought was deeper than rage, something quite… protective.
Hunter then released her, and with one final scream, Raven fell beneath him. Blood dripped from his mouth as he stood over her lifeless body, his chest rising and falling.
He looked wild, dangerous, his half shifted form a terrifying sight to anyone who didn’t know him. But to me, in that moment, he was my savior.
I fell to my knees, breathing hard, still in shock from how close I’d come to death. Hunter’s eyes locked onto mine, and I saw the remnants of his rage just beneath the surface.
For a moment, I thought he might turn that anger on me. But then his gaze softened, and he shifted back into his human form, his body trembling from the exertion.
“Are you… are you okay?” he asked, his voice rough and strained, like he was barely holding himself together.
I nodded, still unable to find my voice. My whole body was shaking, adrenaline coursing through me.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Hunter saved me. Despite everything… despite the lies I told, the betrayal… he had saved me.
He reached down, pulling me to my feet, his hand warm and solid against mine.
For a moment, we just stood there, surrounded by the chaos of the battle, staring at each other.
“Why did you…” I started to ask, but Hunter cut me off with a hard look.
“I wasn’t going to let her kill you,” he said, his voice soft, as if he wasn’t a beast moments ago. “No matter what.”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. Hunter didn’t say anything else, but his actions spoke louder than words ever could.
Despite everything, he had chosen to protect me. And I wasn’t sure what that meant for us or for my place here.