Chapter 8 - Fire and Blood
Vivien stood amidst the swirling vortex of silver light, staring down at her own hands in disbelief. The raw, primal force coursing through her veins was intoxicating, heavy, and hot—like liquid fire rushing through every artery.
The two remaining rogues didn't wait to see what she would do next. Terror overcame their predatory instincts, and they scrambled over the shattered wood, fleeing down the hallway.
Down in the courtyard, the battle raged in blood and rain.
Valente’s black wolf was a whirlwind of violent destruction, ripping through Laurent soldiers with savage efficiency. But he was outnumbered. Duke Laurent, wielding a silver-bladed halberd, struck Valente across the flank, leaving a deep, sizzling wound that spilled dark crimson onto the muddy ground.
Valente collapsed to one knee, his human form momentarily forced back out by the sheer agony of the silver poison coating the blade.
"You were a fool, Valente," Duke Laurent laughed, stepping forward and raising the halberd over Valente’s head. "You traded your heart for political peace, and in the end, you lost both."
"Get away from him."
The voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the din of battle like a thunderclap.
Duke Laurent paused, turning his head toward the grand staircase.
Vivien descended the marble steps. She walked slowly, calmly, surrounded by a radiant aura of silver fire that turned the falling raindrops into mist before they could touch her skin. Every step she took left a scorched, glowing footprint on the wet stone.
The remaining Laurent soldiers shrank back in instinctual terror.
"What... what is that?" Duke Laurent stuttered, his arrogant posture dissolving as he felt the crushing weight of her aura—a power that far surpassed any Alpha King present.
Valente, clutching his bleeding side, looked up through blurred vision. His jaw dropped. "Vivien...?"
"You came into my home," Vivien said, her voice echoing with a double-layered resonance that sounded like the voices of a thousand ancient queens. "You threatened my child. You betrayed the pack."
She raised her right hand. The silver light coalesced into a razor-sharp spear of pure magical energy.
With a flick of her wrist, she sent the spear flying through the air. It struck Duke Laurent’s weapon, instantly shattering the heavy silver halberd into dust and throwing the Duke fifty feet across the courtyard, slamming him into the stone wall where he collapsed, unconscious and broken.
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Seeing her father defeated in seconds, Genevieve let out a terrified screech and tried to run toward the outer gates.
Vivien didn't even turn her head. She slammed her foot onto the ground, and a wave of silver fire shot through the earth, erupting in front of Genevieve, forming a towering cage of flames that trapped the Alpha female where she stood.
