Three Against One
738 Words
Chapter Twenty-Six: Three Against One
Elara's POV
The room exploded into chaos.
Draven's massive black wolf crashed into the masked attacker with enough force to send both of them through the shattered doorway.
The walls shook.
Wood splintered.
Furniture shattered.
I stumbled backward, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"Draven!"
A deep snarl echoed through the hallway.
The masked man laughed as he rolled to his feet.
"So this is the famous Alpha of Nightshade."
Orion's growl shook the entire corridor.
"You will never touch our mate."
The attacker tilted his head.
"Interesting."
His crimson eyes shifted toward me.
"You can hear them, can't you?"
My stomach tightened.
"Who are you?"
He ignored my question.
Instead, he smiled.
"You've begun awakening."
Lunara's voice became dangerously calm.
"Do not answer him."
Vespera sounded equally cold.
"He feeds on knowledge."
The masked man chuckled.
"I see both of you have awakened."
My breath caught.
He knew about them.
How?
"You've waited eighteen years."
His smile widened.
"And now..."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"The White Wolf finally speaks."
Lunara growled.
"He knows too much."
"And the Crimson Spirit..."
His smile grew darker.
"...still has that temper."
Vespera hissed.
"I'd like permission to kill him."
"Denied," Lunara answered.
"Spoilsport."
Even now...
Even in the middle of danger...
They argued.
Somehow, it steadied me.
The attacker raised one hand.
Dark energy gathered around his fingers.
"I've come for what belongs to the Hollow Court."
Draven shifted back into his human form.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Blood trickled down one arm where the stranger's blade had cut him.
Yet he still stood between me and the attacker.
"You'll leave."
The masked man laughed.
"Or what?"
Draven slowly picked up his sword.
"You'll find out."
Power rolled through the room.
Every instinct screamed that these two Alphas were evenly matched.
Outside, battle horns echoed again.
Ryder shouted orders from the courtyard.
"The eastern wall has been breached!"
More warriors rushed into the packhouse.
The attacker glanced toward the window.
His smile disappeared.
"So many interruptions."
He looked back at me.
"This isn't over, Princess."
"I don't even know who I am!"
For the first time...
The masked man looked almost sympathetic.
"No."
"You don't."
"But when you remember..."
His crimson eyes darkened.
"...the world will never be the same."
Before anyone could stop him...
He threw a small black crystal onto the floor.
Smoke exploded through the hallway.
Draven lunged.
Too late.
The stranger vanished.
Only his voice remained.
"We'll meet again, Eclipse Heir."
Silence fell.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Draven immediately turned toward me.
He crossed the room in seconds.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He gently checked my face, my hands, and my arms, making sure I wasn't injured before finally letting out a relieved breath.
Orion rumbled softly.
"She's safe."
Lunara answered with warmth.
"Because you reached us in time."
Vespera smiled.
"Thank you... Orion."
The black wolf sounded surprised.
"You are family now."
Warmth spread through my chest.
Not just through me...
Through Lunara.
Through Vespera.
For the first time...
The four of us truly felt connected.
Just then, another voice echoed from the doorway.
"My King!"
Cassian rushed into the room with dozens of Royal Vampire Guards behind him.
The moment his crimson eyes landed on the cut across Draven's arm...
Then shifted to the fear still lingering on my face...
Something inside him snapped.
Ancient vampire power burst from his body.
Every candle in the hallway extinguished.
The temperature dropped.
Even the Nightshade warriors instinctively stepped back.
His crimson eyes glowed like living fire.
His voice thundered through the packhouse.
"They entered this home."
"They threatened my—"
He stopped himself.
His jaw clenched.
For just a heartbeat, pain crossed his face.
Then the King regained control.
"They threatened this young woman."
He slowly looked around the room.
His gaze settled on Draven.
Then Alpha Magnus.
Finally...
On me.
"No one will face the Hollow Court alone."
He turned toward his captain.
"Send word to every member of the Supernatural Council."
The captain bowed immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cassian's voice echoed through the hall.
"The Hollow Court has declared war."
The room fell silent.
Outside...
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Far beyond Nightshade's borders...
A hooded figure stood on a cliff overlooking the kingdom.
He watched lightning split the heavens.
Then smiled beneath his silver mask.
"The game has finally begun."
- Writer
