CHAPTER 305: _I’M SO TIRED

Odessa’s POV

*****

When I could no longer feel my baby’s life again, I snapped.

I blamed myself for it, telling myself mentally that I should’ve noticed the signs before the miscarriage hit.

When my baby died, it was like a seal was broken. My magic coiled out like it was a time bomb which had been waiting for this exact moment.

And then somehow I managed to get out here in this moment — floating hundreds of meters above the pack outside, a ball of dark energy twirling around me.

My reasoning was simple: if I surrendered myself to the Lord of the North, he would leave the rest of the people I care about alone.

But...

"Whatever you think you’ve lost, we’ll get it back," Kaelos yelled below all of a sudden, his voice breaking. "But I’m not losing you."

I stared down at him, feeling the spark of the mate bond reigniting again. It had been clouded by the awakening of the chaotic magic within me, but his hopeful words had broken through, pulling me out of the void.

Unfortunately, deep in my mental space, I was still waist-deep within the darkness.

’Kill him,’ a deep, sinister voice whispered in my mind as I stared at Kaelos with warmth.

As it did, an image flashed inside my mind... Kaelos was cut in half horizontally, his entrails and blood littering the carpet grass underneath his feet.

My heart skipped a beat as I turned my head away from him, closing my eyes. ’No. No, leave my mind and leave him out of this!’

I knew damn well who the voice belonged to.

Ryker.

’But he’s a distraction. Can’t you see?’ he continued casually, as my outstretched arms slowly relaxed beside my body, the blood rain reducing. ’As long as he’s still alive, he’ll hinder you from reaching your full potential.’

My eyes twitched as I shook my head, placing both my hands on it and trying to push his voice away.

But it was no use.

I had started this whole thing by literally calling on him during my outburst. He had taken root in my mind and there was no stopping him.

Desperately, I locked my gaze on Kaelos, my heart shattering when I noticed the hope flickering within his eyes. The orb of dark energy twirling around me slowly subsided, a huge bolt of red lightning lighting up the ground and sky as I whispered one word.

"Run."

I noticed the terror that spread through Kaelos’ eyes but I ignored it, tearing my gaze away from him and floating toward the entrance of the pack.

I needed to be as far away as possible from him.

’Odessa!’ his voice managed to break into my mind through the mate bond, spreading warmth through my being. ’P–Please, come back. Don’t let him win.’

Meanwhile, Ryker’s voice echoed simultaneously. ’Let me win? Darling, all I’m offering you is a chance to embrace your full potential. Look at those rogue wolves up ahead.’

I blinked, realising that I’d already travelled to the pack’s main gates within seconds via flight.

My eyes squinted as I focused my attention on the ground close to the pack gates. There was a fierce battle happening, rogue wolves trooping into the pack through a huge hole they was made in the pack walls.

Fighting against them were the pack soldiers but also Luna Queen Janelle, Alpha King Mwansa and my aunt Althea.

The three fought fiercely, with Janelle using hand-to-hand combat to bring down rogue wolves who transformed, Althea creating forcefields to protect the soldiers while also simultaneously obliterating rogues with energy blasts and elemental attacks.

And as for Mwansa, he shifted into his wolf, which stood on its hind legs and had thick black fur like the night.

’Look beyond the pack.’ Ryker urged even though I was too focused on the fact that Mwansa’s bipedal wolf was somehow smaller compared to Damon.

I followed Ryker’s direction and looked beyond the walls of the pack, spotting even more rogues charging toward it with pure bloodlust in their eyes.

And beyond them was a young man in his early thirties with his right hand outstretched, pointing at a glowing green portal from which the rogues were running.

’One of my artificial hybrids.’ Ryker revealed casually, as if it hadn’t taken us weeks to realise the existence of these monsters. ’You could easily annihilate him and the rest of the rogues without much effort.’

I clenched my jaw, the blood rain spiking again as blood red lightning painted the ground with a light of the same colour.

I ignored the metallic scent hitting my nose like a wave, narrowing my eyes on the artificial hybrid who soon raised his head, noticing my presence.

His eyes flared with panic as he instantly conjured a bright green forcefield to wrap around him like a protective bubble.

But I ignored that, landing on the damp soil outside the pack walls, my eyes still fixed on him.

With a flick of my wrist, red lightning bolts fell like whips of judgment from the sky, blasting the rogues who were still trooping out of the portal into a mist of blood.

Tens of them... and none of them even had the chance to scream.

The other rogues who were trying to breach through the portal froze at the other side, backing away with fear but all my attention now was on the artificial hybrid.

My arms glowed brighter with the dark sigils on them which began morphing into my signature violet colour with a black hue. I clenched my right fist, causing an invisible force to descend on the artificial Hybrid.

He fell to his knees, shivering as he struggled to gain back control of his body.

"P–Please..." He pleaded, managing to raise his head and stare at me.

I looked into his hazel eyes coldly before tightening the clench of my fist, watching as his bones constricted and cracked like wood in a flame before he finally combusted into a pulp of blood and organs.

Some of it sprayed on my body and my face but I ignored it, turning my gaze to the portal the rogues had been running out of. I tilted my head, standing only a few feet in front of it.

Just when I raised my right hand to touch it, a voice thundered behind me.

"ODESSA!"

I glanced over my shoulder, my heart clenching when I saw Kaelos jumping through the hole made by the rogues.

The blood rain was slowly subsiding now and so was the storm which came with it.

"Odessa, step away from the portal." He continued, his teeth bared with frustration. "P–Please. We’ll..."

Months. Ryker had been in my head for months.

Whispering when I tried to sleep. Watching when I tried to eat. Twisting every moment of quiet into something ugly.

He’d even taken over the mind of a maid once — made her smile as she dug into her own stomach just so he could send Kaelos and me a message written in her blood:

The True King shall ascend the throne when the sky is painted red.

Was that what was taking place now? I had no clue.

I had fought him every second since, but... gods, I was so tired.

"Oh, Kaelos." My voice came out alongside a guttural voice which overlapped with it.

Ryker’s voice.

"I’m doing this for you. Ryker is only going to keep on coming after me so I’ll give him what he’s asked for all this while." I continued sharply.

Kaelos shook his head, trying to step closer but I wiggled my fingers, causing a dark violet force bubble to surround him.

His eyes widened with panic as he slammed his fists repeatedly on the force bubble. "NO! Odessa!"

My jaw tightened but I closed my eyes, looking away from him. I stared at the portal, wondering if I was doing the right thing.

Probably not...

But it’s better than Ryker coming after anyone else that I cared about. Even if it meant Kaelos would never forgive me.

With a heavy breath, I stepped into the portal, Kaelos’ yells and roars drowning out.

And as the portal closed behind me, my eyes blurred.

"Welcome." A deep voice spoke with glee.

Before I could see who it was, everything faded to black.