Chapter 5 - Blood and Gold
For three heartbeats, no one moved.
The water dripped rhythmically from the vaulted ceiling, plop, plop, plop, sounding like a ticking clock counting down the final seconds of peace. Fenrik stared at his hands, his chest heaving as the weight of Cassian’s words pressed down on him. The pack had betrayed him. The woman he loved had been forced to carry a terrifying burden alone. And the Kales—arrogant, manipulative, bloodthirsty Kales—were standing in his home, claiming his unborn children as trophies.
A low, guttural growl vibrated in the back of Fenrik’s throat. It wasn't the insane, fever-driven screech of a caged animal anymore. It was the cold, calculating, terrifying sound of an Alpha whose mate and pups had been threatened.
"Cassian," Fenrik murmured, his voice deadly quiet.
The Kale heir raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of surrendering, Ashvain? Wise choice—"
CRASH!
Fenrik didn't wait to finish the sentence. With a sudden, explosive burst of raw physical strength, he grabbed the remaining iron bars of his cell and yanked. The ancient stone anchors ripped out of the wall with a deafening screech of masonry and dust, the entire iron gate collapsing inward like dry twigs.
Before the archers could react, Fenrik lunged out of the cell like a fired ballistic missile.
"Shoot them! Shoot them both!" Cassian shrieked, stumbling backward as panic finally broke through his cool exterior.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
A volley of iron-tipped arrows hissed through the damp air. But they never reached their targets.
With a blinding flash of incandescent light, the massive golden entity behind Revna swept forward, its colossal paw swiping through the air. The arrows didn't just bounce off—they disintegrated into golden ash mid-flight, turning into harmless sparks that drifted gently to the stone floor like glowing snow.
Revna didn't blink. Her hand left Fenrik’s face, but the golden glow didn't fade; instead, it spread across her entire body, wrapping her in a brilliant, shimmering armor of pure light.
"You wanted our blood, Cassian?" Revna’s voice echoed with the resonance of a thousand ringing bells, shaking the dust from the rafters. "Come and take it."
The battle in the lower dungeons was swift and merciless.
Fenrik moved with a terrifying, reawakened grace, tearing through the front line of Kale guards like a scythe through tall grass. His bare hands, infused with the residual golden energy of Revna’s touch, shattered plate armor as if it were glass. He didn't kill out of mindless rage; he fought with cold, surgical precision, clearing a path straight toward the cowering Kale heir.
Cassian scrambled backward, his face drained of all color, his arrogant composure entirely shattered. "Monster! Demons! Guard me, you fools!"
The remaining guards rushed forward, but they were no match for the combined might of a reawakened Ashvain Alpha and a primordial golden guardian. Within minutes, the stone floor was littered with dropped swords and groaning mercenaries clutching bruised ribs and shattered armor.
And then, there was only Cassian.
The Kale heir tripped over a fallen shield, landing hard on his back against the damp flagstones. He looked up, trembling violently, as Fenrik stood over him, casting a long, menacing shadow. Fenrik’s golden eyes burned with an icy, unyielding fury, his knuckles dripping with sweat and adrenaline.
"Get away from me!" Cassian stammered, scrambling back until his shoulders hit the cold stone wall. "If you kill me, the entire Kale army waiting outside the gates will level this stronghold to the dust! You won't leave this mountain alive!"
Fenrik raised a heavy, calloused hand, his fingers curling into a fist, ready to end the traitor once and for all.
"Wait," Revna’s voice rang out, soft, yet commanding enough to stop Fenrik in his tracks.
Revna stepped forward, her golden aura casting long, dancing shadows against the walls. She looked down at Cassian, her expression completely devoid of pity, yet strangely calm.
"Let him live, Fenrik," Revna said quietly. "Killing him makes us murderers in the eyes of the council. Let him go back to his masters with a message."
Fenrik slowly lowered his fist, though his glare remained lethal. He grabbed Cassian by the collar of his fine velvet doublet and hoisted him into the air with one hand, shaking him like a ragdoll before throwing him hard against the floor.
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"Get out," Fenrik snarled, his voice vibrating with suppressed violence. "And tell your father that the Ashvain pack is awake."
Cassian didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, dropped his sword, and bolted up the stone stairs like a frightened rabbit, his panicked footsteps echoing away into the silence of the upper fortress.
