“Yes, General, I’m making sure my team’s ready. Unlike some people who just stand around flexing their control like it’s some kind of workout.”
General Brackwell’s eyes narrow. The flicker of surprise vanishes instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating gaze I know all too well. As the insubordination register, his posture stiffens, jaw clenching so tight I swear I can hear it. He takes a slow, deliberate step forward. The silence between us stretches tight, as a wire ready to snap. Wyll and Caleb edge closer while his soldiers stay rigid, waiting for a signal, an order. My father’s eyes flick over my team, then snap back to me.
“Watch your mouth,” he growls, but it’s never just about words with him. No emotion, just that predator’s stare I learned to be wary of. I raise an eyebrow. The challenge burning in my chest, and a slow, cold smile curls my lips.
“You want me to watch my mouth? Well, that will depend on whether you still have what it takes to back up your threats?" The General rage cuts across his stoned features. The only emotion he is truly capable of feeling. My heart’s pounding loud enough to echo around the yard, but whether it’s fear or excitement, who can say? All they see is how wild I’m feeling.
The General’s muscles tense, then ripple as he drops into a crouch. A low, guttural growl rips from his chest. Bones snap, joints twist, the shift comes fast. Thick tufts of white fur tear through his skin as his body contorts. He grows, hulking and brutal, undeniably an alpha. But his fur, once brilliant, is now dull, graying with age. The harsh weight of control has worn it down, dimming even the fiercest lycan.
The wolf inside me surges, power flooding my veins as the shift begins. Bones stretch, muscles twist, and fur erupts from my skin in a radiant burst that makes the very air vibrate.My coat gleams blinding white, catching the dim light as flame on snow. I feel my lycan, stronger, taller, and more dominant. Rising above the General, my frame towers as my eyes glow with power and certainty.
A guttural growl tears through the night just before he lunges. No hesitation, only brutal force as his massive body bolts toward me. I twist aside, and claws rip through the air inches from my skin. But in a single savage swipe, I tear down his side. Deep, ripping flesh and spilling hot blood onto the stone. He staggers, snarling, and eyes blazing. The rage pouring off him is primal and growing stronger by the moment.
This fight isn’t over, not by a long shot. My father strikes again, this time faster than I’m ready for. His massive claws rake across my chest, tearing through flesh and flooding me with burning crimson. The pain is brutal, but I use it, turn it into fuel, a vengeful drive. Yet, I’m too slow. Before I can fully recover, he hammers into me, a shockwave rattling my bones. I snarl as the alpha slams me down, pinning me beneath his crushing paw. His claws dig deep into my skull, sharp and unyielding, stealing my breath. For a moment, I feel the full weight of his power. The years spent spreading fear, all packed into the strength coiling in his muscles.
{You managed to hit me. That’s impressive,}he snarls through our mind-link, his jaw snapping closer, pressure building.{But you still have so much to learn.}
I catch sight of Wyll restraining Caleb. He knows no one can stop this. When lycans follow the law of nature, nothing breaks its course.
{Now that your little tantrum is over,}he continues, voice sharp,{you’ll follow my orders. Starting with the Grianstad Eve Ball. You’ll go with Heather. Am I clear?}My vision flares, rage surges unleashed. A deep, bitter chuckle escapes me.
{Or what? You’ll kill me? Nah, I don’t think so.}
{Maybe not you, boy, but them. Your precious mundane, your pitiful pack. Easy to make them disappear.}
Something inside me snaps. Pure rage floods my veins, burning away all pain. In one brutal motion, I’m on my feet, jaws clamping down on his neck, slamming him to the ground with a force that shatters stone. A low, desperate whimper escapes him, but he scrambles back to his legs. Four steps away, trying to keep the distance. We circle each other, snarling, eyes blazing the same hue and yet so different.
{Tell me, what’s got you more furious? Being responsible for your brother’s death or that whore dying?}His voice is a knife, sharp and cruel.
The mention of Sammy cuts through me, and for a flicker of a moment, my focus slips. He strikes without mercy, canines shredding into my side, ripping through muscle and skin. Pain crashes over me as a tidal wave, but the anger inside me roars louder, drowning out the agony. This isn’t about me anymore. It’s about her, about my people, the only ones he will never be allowed to threaten again.
Claws tear through the air, slashing into his flank. The General howls, pain ripping as I sink deeper, shredding flesh and muscle. He lashes out, trying to shove me back, but I ignore the burning cuts and drive my claws further into his ribs, twisting him down to the ground. It’s his turn to be powerless. Fury blazes hotter with every breath as I snarl close to his face, towering over him.
{This is the last time you threaten my family. The last time you speak her name. You don’t deserve that honour. Cross that line again, and I’ll show everyone who the real alpha is.}My growl echoes through the minds of every lycan gathered in the yard. Devoid of any care, I withdraw my claws, followed by a red river crashing to the paved floor.
Shifting back to my human form. Naked, bloodied, and utterly indifferent to the sight of the bleeding wolf on the ground, I walk away. He stopped being my father a while ago, but tonight, he’s officially nothing to me.
47
Avilyna
MY LEGACY
I concludethat every passage leading to the valkyrie’s temple is built the same way. The darkness of the stoned staircase slowly fades as we reach the bottom. Before us, the water reflects the fluorescent glow from the cave walls, shimmering as liquid glass. Echoes of past lives fill the void, ghosts of warrior women laughing, training, and tending to their daughters, materialize before my eyes as living shadows, and the air hums with their giggles. Pegasus descend from the cave’s opening, landing softly to bathe in the underground river, another place where Kvirr’s presence is stronger.
The spirits’ vision pulsates with blinding intensity before vanishing. Leaving behind a trail of blood dripping down my chin. My hand quickly moves to wipe it away, erasing the proof of what just happened before Sensei Sato turns around. He stops in front of what I know is now my mother’s statue. The katana rests flat across the statue’s outstretched palm—light glints off the blade’s glassy surface, casting a soft, ethereal purple glow.
“This,” Sensei Sato says, his voice steady, “is your legacy, Avilyna. Every ruler of Elgar inherits an aetherium weapon. Crafted from the very stone of the Gods. It’s the only material untouched by magic.”
“Ruler?” I raise an eyebrow, smirking. “Yeah, sure. Because I’m just so royal. And let me guess, those merchants selling aetherium weapons are scammers?”
He nods. “Charlatans, mostly. If you’re lucky or know the right people, you might find weapons infused with it that offer some resistance to spells. But the purest stone, that’s what you want.”
I fold my arms, sarcasm dripping. “So, let me get this straight. You, Sensei Sato, the respected teacher, are going to help me? The girl who probably should be locked up for what she is, just because I might be the late Queen’s daughter? You do realize monarchies can be rotten to the core, right?”
“Call me Kazuki,” he replies, voice heavy. “After you arrived in Elgar, certain... details began to reappear. The King giving orders to the council with two children in tow…not just one. All the scriptures say the King and Queen had only one son, but I know without a doubt that you were there. I knew your mother; she was my friend, and you, young girl, are the princess Avilyna Morween. And with the law branding valkyries as traitors, everything points to someone not wanting you alive.” Kazuki lowers himself to one knee, his arm raised to his shoulder in a solemn gesture. “I must honour my royal vow, my duty to protect the rightful heir of Kallahan. I, Kazuki Sato, am at your service.”
Frozen in place, my heart ricochets inside my ribcage. The deep breaths I take do nothing to calm it. My gaze flickers to Kazuki, his words sinking deeper than I expected. Around me, the weight of my legacy presses down, a whisper.
