Chapter 92


    Chapter Ny–Two


    “Myst words?” I asked, my breathing heavy. ‘Yeah... I guess I have something to say.”


    Or at least, I have something to do.


    “Fuck you,” I spat.


    And with that, I grabbed the de firmly within my one good hand and pushed it backwards with all of my


    strength in one quick movement. Strong enough for it to fly right into Thea’s face, sending her straight to


    the ground.


    I waited a moment to make sure she was down before proceeding to throw the sword into a corner as far


    away as possible. With two injured hands, it was impossible to wield it so removing it from the field


    entirely was better.


    I didn‘t waste time after that though. Somehow, even though I was still weak, I then slowly managed to


    get back on my feet. I had to use the wall to support me, pressing against it until I could stand on my own


    unsteady legs.


    However, my legs were probably the least of my current issues. After all, with two severely damaged


    hands and a sword wound to my shoulder, the condition of my body was already terrible.


    Despite my grim situation though, I was thankful for one thing at least. Thankful that she hadn‘t


    anticipated my attack. I‘d picked up on the fact that she was acting as though she‘d already won. Her


    grip had been loose, barely even trying to hold it steady against my chest, and that had cost her. A


    mistake born from her over–confidence.


    “You bitch,” she yelled, getting back to her feet.


    But I didn‘t wait


    Immediately, I stepped forward and kicked her directly in the chest with all my strength, sending her flying


    right into the opposite wall.


    ...And everything instantly swayed around me. As if the walls were living creatures.


    I wanted to throw up.


    FOCUS


    Before I could fall down, I quickly shot my leg out to the side and steadied myself, allowing me a short


    moment to bnce again.


    “You think that will be enough to hurt me?” I heard her say from somewhere in front of me.


    And with that, a blow was then suddenly dealt to my face, stinging pain recing where her hand had


    just been... and, before I knew what was really happening, the ground looked a lot closer than I


    remembered it being.


    I reached out with my arm, grabbing for the wall desperately, and thankfully prevented myself from


    completely falling down at the veryst second.


    “You think a child like you is worthy of such a thing?” she continued.


    ...And it was followed by yet another blow. This time it was a kick to my ribs that forced all the air out of m


    y lungs… and a metallic taste to fill my mouth.


    ‘*“It‘s a good n... but you need to adapt better,‘*‘ | suddenly heard Aleric‘s voice say in my head. They


    were the words he‘d said to me the day we were sparring in the gym, an echo of a distant memory now.


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    *You can‘t expect the other person to just stand there and not counter it. You need to think ahead more.


    Visualise how your opponent will move.”**


    But that was easier said than done when it was already taking all of my energy just to not pass out. I


    could forget about using any of my abilities to sense her moves right now. I would be lucky if I just


    somehow managed to survive the next few minutes alone.


    Though I couldn‘t help but think it was a little ironic. How, of all times to recall that memory, I was


    remembering that day in the gym right now. Because, just like how Aleric had been during that practice


    fight, I now, too, didn‘t have use of my hands anymore. With one dislocated thumb and another with


    slices embedded into it from the sword de, it was almost as if the roles were reversed. Though,


    obviously, I would rather my hands be handcuffed behind my back as opposed to my current painful


    situation


    ... But maybe that was the exact reason I had dredged up the memory.


    Just a little longer. I wanted to survive... for just a little longer.


    And so I pushed myself off the wall, immediately turning my body as I saw her move in for another hit,


    and narrowly managed to dodge her attack. Once again, it seemed she had underestimated me severely


    and was surprised by my quick evasion. In fact, she had underestimated me so much that she didn‘t


    even expect me to use her own momentum against her, kicking her leg out from under her mid lunge,


    and sending her flying back to the ground.


    It was the same technique Aleric had once used against me. I‘d spent so long trying to win against him


    that day that I must have learnt a few of his tricks in the process.


    But the move came at a cost though, one that immediately took its toll as the whole room began to sway


    once more. Worse still, it was followed shortly after by specks of ck dots that began to cloud my


    vision. I wouldn‘t be able to keep this up for long. My body was already past its limit.


    “You stupid…,” Thea started, pulling her leg up in what would have been an attempt to kick me from the


    ground.


    But I quickly jumped away as fast as I could.


    Although, that ended up being maybe a little too fast.


    The sudden jerk to my body caused me to wince from the pain and I grabbed at my shoulder, teeth


    gritted.


    “Enough!” Thea roared, nowpletely furious.


    ...And I cautiously took another step backwards to be safe.


    Her eyes were filled with nothing but malice as she got back on her feet. So much anger... so much


    hatred. It was as though she wanted my death more than she even wanted Selene‘s in that moment. I


    could feel the sheer frustration and aggression rolling off of her in waves.


    *This was the creature inside my head all these years.


    “Why are you prolonging the inevitable? Do you think you can actually win against me? In your


    condition?” she sneered


    And I barely dodged another hit to my face, avoiding it by not even an inch as her fist flew past my eyes.


    I didn‘t respond though, instead I just silently countered the attack by kicking her knee out from the side,


    focusing everything on just my will to keep going. The move was weak but it at least forced her to spin


    into a crouch in order to prevent herself from hitting the ground again.


    Unfortunately for me though, she didn‘t let it stop her for long. Instead, she took advantage of the new


    position and used it to try and counter kick me, this time aiming for my shins in an attempt to submit met


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    chawki Ninely Iwo


    o the floor. If she could manage to get me down, we both knew the fight would be over. I wouldn‘t have


    the strength to get up again.


    And, though I did end up sessfully jumping backwards to dodge her attack, I quickly realised she‘d


    done just that anyway.


    Checkmate.


    Whether herst attack hit me or not, it didn‘t matter. No, she had just been betting on me being too


    injured to have any real sense of spatial awareness, jumping away from her until my back was suddenly


    pressed up against the corner.


    ...I was trapped.


    “Answer me!” she demanded and threw another punch towards me.


    ...But I moved quickly, bringing my sliced up hand in front of my face and grabbing her fist before it could


    make contact. And, as a result, I could feel the cuts there begin to bleed once more.


    “You keep...,” I tried to say between breaths, my body beginning to slump. Already my grip on her hand


    had ckened, forcing me to release her. “You keep underestimating me... because of what I am.


    Because... because you think you‘re better than us.”


    “If you think we‘re equals then you‘re grossly mistaken. Possessing a piece of a God does not make you


    better than what you are. The fact you have even tried to fight me like this is proof of how delusional you


    are.”


    “But I wasn‘t...,” I said weakly, now starting to slip towards the ground. “I wasn‘t trying to win, Thea. I


    knew i t was over... the moment you pulled that de back out of me.”


    “Then I don‘t understand. What was the point in attacking me? In causing yourself further needless


    pain?”


    “The point was... the point was to distract you... to keep you here... Just long enough for....”


    And then the thunderous sound of footsteps suddenly exploded from the top of the stairway, a melody of


    growling to apany it.


    I’d never heard such a sweet song before. A fitting tune to die to.


    It was the sound of allies... the sound of my pack.


    Brayden had done exactly what I hoped he would do. He‘d rallied up an attack unit. Not just a few stray


    warriors who had been standing around upstairs... but a real force, with substantial enough numbers to


    be able to handle someone like Thea. It meant he had figured out that I was nning to dy her.


    And a small smile crept to my lips as Thea‘s face slowly turned to one of horror, the realisation of her


    situation now dawning on her.


    She may possess strength far greater than any Alpha but even she wouldn‘t be able to defend herself


    against an army of trained wolf warriors. Not in such a small enclosed area as this.


    ...Your move, Thea.


    She looked frantically between where I sat to where I could only assume her secret passage was


    located. It was like I could see her trying to calcte the time required toplete each task in her head,


    the cogs quickly moving to figure out what she should do... and it would have made meugh if I


    physically could have


    | already knew if she took the time to kill me now, that she would likely be surrounded by wolves upon


    finishing the job. Even almost dead, I wasn‘t going to make it easy for her; something she should have


    realised by now. I would squirm and dodge as much as possibly could just to make every second count.


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    Which meant she had to put her faith in me dying of my own injuries. It was the only way to utilise the


    time needed to escape. However, for someone like Thea, I knew that even that would be excruciatingly


    difficult for her. The only person Thea truly trusted was Thea; even if it was just to put trust in me to die of


    injuries impossible to recover from.


    And with every second ticking down, she had maybe a minute before my pack made it down all those


    flights of stairs.


    “Better... start running. Thea,” I smirked.


    But she had other ns.


    She immediately reached down and grabbed at one of my ankles, now determined to drag me away with


    her. It was almost suicidal to waste time doing something like that. Something she surely had to realise,


    especially since the unit was so close by.


    “What are you...?” I started asking, before I used my other foot to kick her hand away. It was the veryst


    ounce of energy I could muster but it was luckily just enough to free myself.


    It seemed even Thea was surprised I had enough in me for that, her anger only burning further. In fact, if


    looks alone could kill, there wouldn‘t have been a reason for Thea‘s current dilemma. For someone with


    such a pretty face normally, that scowl sure did not suit her.


    The real question now though was why would she attempt to bring me with her..? To attempt something s


    o reckless?


    Not unless....


    Not unless she needed my body too. That my death alone wasn‘t going to be enough to retrieve her


    power back.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Well, then. It looked as though I‘d managed to royally screw her out of her long–awaited victory. Myst


    ditch effort to stall her might have been far more effective than I initially intended. Maybe my death wasn‘t


    going to be the beginning of the end as I originally thought.


    We stared at each other silently for a moment, our faces resolute as we both refused to let the other get


    what they wanted. But unlike Thea, I wasn‘t ying a game as bad as hers. For her, the situation was


    growing more dangerous as every second ticked by.


    But, in the end, it resulted in just the way I thought it would. One where, finally, with ast curse spat


    towards me, she bolted towards where a stack of boxesid in the corner, shoving them aside and


    disappearing behind them.


    ...Finally, she was gone.


    I breathed out a sigh of relief upon her exit andid staring up at the ceiling. And every time I would startt


    o feel myself let go, I would quickly reel myself back into consciousness.


    I still wanted to hang in there... for just a little bit longer.


    That memory from earlier was still dancing in the front of my mind; the one that had helped me to fight


    against Thea for as long as I had. I‘d been so reluctant in agreeing to spar with Aleric that day and yet it


    had ended up being the thing that possibly just saved thousands of people. Now I wouldn‘t even get the


    chance to tell him or thank him.


    I’d won that fight too,’ I recalled with a small smile. I remember squealing in delight over how happy I‘d


    been to knock him down. And I remember... I remember how it had been the most excitement I‘d felt in


    years That, in that moment, it was a reminder of how I was still strong despite it all; despite the cor and


    my situation


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    And, as I continued to reflect, I remembered something else too. Something I‘d buried over thest few


    months. I remembered what happened right after that match.


    ...How we‘d kissed.


    What would have happened if I hadn‘t fallen asleep that day? If I‘d gone back to speak with him and


    worked things out like I wanted to? There never would have been a misunderstanding about Lucy, no


    confusion over my parents‘ death... I never would have given inpletely to Thea due to my feelings of


    grief and betrayal.


    Thinking back now, it had been her voice screaming at me to pull away from him that day, filling my head


    immediately with doubt instead. But then... didn‘t that mean the feelings I‘d had for him were genuine


    during that moment?


    I guess I wasn‘t going to find out.


    But if I was lucky... maybe, just maybe, I would get to see him onest time if he arrived with the attack


    unit. Was that too much to ask? To want to die with confirmation that he didn‘t loath me for my actions?


    That, even in myst moments, he didn‘t lose faith in me despite everything I‘d done... despite that being


    more than I deserved? More than I ever did for him in either life...?


    I‘d let him be his own destruction the first time, too weak to save him from Thea. I despised him for


    years because of the things he‘d done that were out of his own control. And, unlike him, I had missed all


    the obvious signs. The signs that he had immediately picked up on inside me; the anger, the rash


    behaviour... his inability to feel the mate bond. Because they had all been there the first time... I‘d just


    wrongly assumed that it was purely because he hated me so much.


    He became a monster in that life,pletely unrecognisable from the man I knew today. A creature of


    pure hate and drive to acquire power. Now, knowing exactly what Thea‘s influence felt like, it was a


    wonder he held on as well as he did for the almost ten years he was involved with her. I‘d lived through


    just three and already I‘d sumbed to almost killing everyone.


    And yet, with the roles reversed, he hadn‘t once doubted me in this life. He‘d kept fighting, kept believing


    that whatever made me be this way, wasn‘t actually my fault. That I was still me deep down...


    somewhere. Something even Cai had given up on.


    He might not have been able to fix what Thea did to me... but he did save me. Save me from myself…


    and save others from me.


    He‘d been doing it since almost the beginning too. Countless times he‘d stopped me from making


    mistakes based on negative emotions, quickly bing the only one to truly get through to me; a task


    that even my father and Cai had previously failed at. He‘d been a voice of reason to call me out on my


    rinsanity, never being afraid to step in if he thought I‘d gone too far. It was the sort of thing I could have


    used most after giving in to The.... yet l‘d imprisoned him.


    If only I‘d trusted him sooner, if I‘d judged him based on the man he actually was instead of continuing to


    believe he would inevitably be the same person I‘d known. Maybe I would have been able to rely


    on him earlier and prevent all of this from getting so messed up.


    “I‘m sorry.” I whispered, closing my eyes.


    I wanted his forgiveness as I plunged into the darkness; for leaving now and making him pick up the fight


    i n my absence. Leaving behind a world where I, once again, was unable to save him from Thea.


    “I‘m sorry...”


    I was sorry to Cai too. I‘d turned a good man who once only saw good in others, into someone who


    hated even the sight of me. For a time, he was my best friend… someone who I loved and relied upon. If


    not for him, I would have followed in those same steps which led me to bing another docile Luna.


    Who


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    Chapter Ninely Two


    knew where I‘d be now if he hadn‘t shown me that I could be more. That I was stronger than what


    others


    saw me as.


    “Aria.” I heard a voice yell nearby.


    The warriors had arrived. They would need to hurry if they wanted to catch Thea. I knew they would be


    able to track her scent through the hidden passage without any issues but they would have trouble


    finding her if she made it outside. With her skill, it would be too easy for her to hide once she was back in


    an open space.


    “Aria!”


    “...I‘m sorry,” I replied weakly, unable to open my eyes again. “I wasn‘t... I wasn‘t strong enough.”


    “Hang in there.”


    But it was toote for that. ‘Hanging in there‘ implied that there was a chance of survival, of which no


    person was capable of doing. Everyone knew the effects of silver were merciless.


    “Protect… the morgue,” was all I could say with my final breath. Myst and final warning to help them in


    their future battle.


    And I let myself rx, the pain finally shutting off as I gave in to the darkness enveloping me.


    I didn‘t get my final wish but maybe that was only fair. I didn‘t deserve the absolution I desired. I hadn‘t


    done anything worth receiving that blessing.


    For what it was worth though, I couldn‘t be too disappointed in my current state. After all, my regrets and


    guilt did tell me one thing in my final moment.


    ...It told me that I truly was still capable of caring. That I truly was still myself... deep down.


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