Mine
1188 Words
The moment Commander Voss gave the order, chaos erupted.
Hundreds of Shadow Hunters surged forward.
Steel flashed beneath the moonlight.
War cries echoed across the estate.
And then Lucien transformed.
The change happened so quickly that my eyes struggled to follow it.
Power exploded from his body.
A violent silver aura erupted around him, forcing everyone nearby to stumble backward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
My wolf instantly dropped into submission.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she had to.
Every instinct inside me screamed the same truth.
A king stood before us.
Not merely a Lycan.
Not merely a ruler.
Something older.
Something stronger.
Something terrifying.
Silver light engulfed Lucien completely.
The warriors lowered their heads.
The Shadow Hunters froze.
Even Commander Voss took a step backward.
Then the light disappeared.
A collective gasp swept across the battlefield.
I forgot how to breathe.
Lucien stood nearly eight feet tall.
His body was covered in black and silver fur.
Massive muscles rippled beneath his skin.
Silver eyes glowed like molten moonlight.
Claws capable of tearing through steel extended from his hands.
This wasn't a werewolf.
This wasn't even close.
This was a monster born to rule monsters.
The Lycan King.
In his true form.
For one terrifying second, nobody moved.
Then Lucien smiled.
And every Shadow Hunter immediately regretted being there.
He launched himself forward.
The explosion beneath his feet shattered stone.
The first line of attackers never even had time to react.
Bodies flew through the air.
Weapons shattered.
The battlefield descended into c*****e.
I had never witnessed power like this.
Not even Damon came remotely close.
The comparison wasn't fair.
Lucien was operating on an entirely different level.
A Shadow Hunter charged him with a silver spear.
The King caught it effortlessly.
Snapped it in half.
Then threw the hunter through a building.
The structure collapsed.
Several attackers turned and ran.
Lucien didn't chase them.
Because he had already identified the real threat.
Commander Voss.
The hunter leader cursed.
"Move!"
The remaining Shadow Hunters immediately surrounded him.
Protecting him.
Shielding him.
Lucien laughed.
A deep, terrifying sound.
"Do you really think they can save you?"
The confidence drained from Voss's face.
For the first time all night...
He looked afraid.
My uncle stepped forward.
"Asher."
Lucien's voice shook the courtyard.
"Take Ava and leave."
Asher's eyes narrowed.
"I'm not leaving without answers."
"Then you're an idiot."
The blunt response caught everyone off guard.
Even in the middle of a battle, Lucien somehow sounded annoyed.
The absurdity almost made me laugh.
Almost.
Instead, fear tightened around my chest.
The battle was becoming worse.
Much worse.
Bodies covered the courtyard.
Blood stained the stone.
And despite Lucien's overwhelming strength, the Shadow Hunters kept coming.
Like they didn't care how many died.
Like they had planned for this.
A horrible realization struck me.
This attack was never about winning.
It was about something else.
A distraction.
A delay.
A way to keep Lucien occupied.
My pulse quickened.
"Lucien!"
The King instantly looked toward me.
Even while fighting.
Even while surrounded by enemies.
His attention found me immediately.
The realization sent a strange warmth through my chest.
"I think this is a trap!"
His expression darkened.
Because he had already reached the same conclusion.
A second later, a horn sounded somewhere beyond the estate.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every Shadow Hunter immediately stopped fighting.
The sudden silence felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Commander Voss slowly smiled.
Lucien's silver eyes narrowed.
"What did you do?"
The hunter laughed.
Then looked directly at me.
"Ava."
My stomach dropped.
The way he said my name made me uneasy.
"We were never after you."
Confusion flashed through me.
What?
That made no sense.
They had attacked the estate.
Crossed the kingdom.
Killed dozens of warriors.
All because of me.
Hadn't they?
Voss's grin widened.
"You're valuable."
His eyes gleamed.
"But you're not the target."
The courtyard fell silent.
Every warrior stiffened.
Even Lucien stopped moving.
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
The hunter pointed toward the Queen Mother.
And everything clicked.
"No."
The word escaped before I could stop it.
The Queen Mother went pale.
Voss nodded.
"Now you understand."
My blood ran cold.
This entire attack.
Every death.
Every distraction.
Had been designed for one purpose.
To reach her.
The Queen Mother.
Lucien moved instantly.
But he was too late.
A figure emerged from the shadows behind the Queen Mother.
A hidden assassin.
Nobody had sensed him.
Nobody had seen him.
Until now.
The blade flashed.
The Queen Mother screamed.
Lucien roared.
The sound shook the entire estate.
Time seemed to slow.
The assassin lunged.
The silver dagger headed straight for the Queen Mother's heart.
And then someone stepped in front of her.
Me.
The decision happened without thought.
Without hesitation.
One second I was standing several feet away.
The next I had thrown myself forward.
The blade struck.
Pain exploded through my body.
A sharp gasp escaped my lips.
The courtyard froze.
Everyone stared.
The assassin stared.
The Queen Mother stared.
Lucien stared.
I looked down.
The silver blade protruded from my side.
Blood soaked my clothes.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Lucien's roar shattered the night.
The sound wasn't human.
Wasn't wolf.
It was pure rage.
Pure terror.
The assassin barely had time to blink.
Lucien reached him.
And the man ceased to exist.
The sheer violence of it left everyone speechless.
The King turned toward me.
And suddenly all the rage disappeared.
Replaced by fear.
Raw, desperate fear.
"Ava."
The way he said my name made my chest ache.
I had never heard that tone before.
Never heard someone sound so terrified.
My knees gave out.
The Queen Mother caught me.
Blood continued pouring from the wound.
My vision blurred.
The world became distant.
Cold.
Far away.
Lucien was suddenly beside me.
His hands pressed against my wound.
Trying to stop the bleeding.
His silver eyes were wild.
Panicked.
No.
Not panicked.
Terrified.
"Ava."
His voice broke.
The sound stunned everyone.
Because kings weren't supposed to sound like that.
Powerful rulers weren't supposed to look shattered.
Yet Lucien did.
The realization hit me even through the pain.
He cared.
Not because I was a princess.
Not because of my bloodline.
Not because of politics.
He cared about me.
The thought should have been comforting.
Instead it made my heart hurt.
Because I didn't understand why.
"Lucien..."
His head snapped up instantly.
"I'm here."
Three simple words.
Yet they felt strangely important.
The King leaned closer.
Close enough that only I could hear him.
"You are not dying."
The command almost made me smile.
Even now he sounded bossy.
My vision darkened.
Everything felt heavier.
More distant.
Lucien grabbed my hand.
His grip was desperate.
Almost painful.
But he didn't let go.
"Ava."
His voice shook.
The King of Lycans.
The man feared across continents.
Sounded afraid.
Afraid of losing me.
And before darkness swallowed me completely...
I heard him whisper something.
Something nobody else was supposed to hear.
Something that changed everything.
"I can't lose you too."
Then the world went black.
- Writer
