Chapter 10

A L I N A

A searing cold builds in my chest, spreading outward until it consumes me. My vision blurs, and every sound around me fades, replaced by a deafening roar in my ears...

My roar.

The vines restraining me begin to crystallize, a shimmer of frost spreading across them with unnatural speed. Isalda gasps, yanking her hand back as jagged shards of ice shoot toward her, grazing her arm. Her cry of pain is drowned out by the sudden howl of wind swirling around me, cold and biting.

It takes me a moment to realize what’s happening. My hands are trembling, but it’s not fear fueling me—it’s fury. Snow and ice burst from my fingertips, wild and uncontrollable, consuming everything in their path. The temperature plummets, and frost crawls across the stone walls, creeping toward Magnus and his guards like a living thing.

“Magnus!” I scream, my voice laced with anguish and rage. My breath fogs in the freezing air, and every word feels like a storm breaking loose. Ice spikes explode outward, slamming into the guards closest to me, killing them instantly. Their cries are cut short as they’re encased in frost, their bodies frozen mid-motion, their faces twisted in terror.

Magnus steps back, his calm demeanour cracking as the deadly chill spreads through the room. “Alina…” he begins, but his voice falters as a shard of ice narrowly misses him, embedding itself in the stone with a sharp crack.

I don’t give him a chance to finish. I raise my arms, and the frost surges forward, razor-sharp and unforgiving. The air grows heavier, the cold sinking into every corner of the grand hall. Snow begins to fall, swirling in a chaotic dance around me as if summoned by my fury.

The guards hesitate, their weapons trembling in their hands as frostbite claims their fingers. One lunges toward me, but a wave of ice erupts from the ground, skewering him before he can get close. His body collapses, frozen solid, and shatters into pieces upon impact.

Through the chaos, I fix my gaze on Magnus. His golden hair glints faintly in the dim torchlight, now flickering weakly against the overwhelming cold. The man who betrayed me. The man who destroyed everything I loved... the man who threatened to take everything away from me...

He doesn’t retreat. Instead, he watches me, his lips curling into a smirk. “Do you think this changes anything?” he asks, his voice cutting through the icy storm.

I grit my teeth, channelling every ounce of my power. A massive spike of ice forms in front of me, jagged and gleaming. With a sharp motion of my hand, I send it hurtling toward him.

But Magnus is fast. He avoids the attack, the ice slamming into the wall behind him and fracturing the stone. His smirk deepens as he steps closer, his confidence unwavering.

“Is this all you’ve got?” he taunts, his tone mocking.

The fury burns brighter within me, and I summon more power. The snowstorm intensifies, the winds howling like a beast unleashed. The cold cuts through everything, but as I push myself further, a sharp pain lances through my chest. My vision blurs, and the frost around me falters.

“No…” I whisper, stumbling as the strength drains from my body. The ice begins to crack and melt, the deadly chill retreating as my legs give out beneath me...

That's when I remember... Isalda's vines... they have a neurotoxin... one that can kill a regular Werewolf... but as a Lycan, it will only slow me down...

Magnus approaches slowly, his steps careful as he watches me. The smirk on his face is infuriatingly smug as he stops before me, looking down at my trembling form. “You’ve always been too soft, Alina,” he says, his voice dripping with contempt. “Powerful, yes. But undisciplined. Emotional. Weak.”

I glare up at him, the fire of defiance burning in my chest despite my failing body. “This isn’t over,” I hiss, my voice shaking with rage. “You’ll regret this, Magnus. I swear it.”

He chuckles, the sound as cold as the ice I wielded. “Bold words for someone on her knees. No one else is coming to help you. Everyone is most likely dead at this point, and you, will soon follow...” he sneers.

Behind him, Isalda steps forward, her emerald eyes gleaming with triumph. She loops her arm through his, her smile venomous. The room falls silent, save for the faint creaking of melting ice and the shallow echo of my ragged breaths. My body trembles, drained of strength as I force myself to stand, though my legs threaten to buckle beneath me. My gaze shifts to the lifeless forms of my parents, grief clawing at my chest. I want to stay, to fight, to bring Magnus to his knees, but I know the truth—this isn’t a battle I can win. Not now. Not alone...

The torches flicker weakly in the freezing air, and distant shouts echo from the hallways. Reinforcements. My pulse quickens, and I clench my fists, frustration and desperation warring within me.

I can’t die here. Not yet.

"If you can hear me... any of you... Lord Alinos and Lady Kaela have fallen... abandon the castle... now..." I say through the link that connects everyone that is a part of this family, everyone that serves under my family... in the hopes that someone, anyone will hear me.

With one last, lingering glance at the ruined hall and the people I’ve lost, I turn and run toward the nearest exit. My breath clouds the air as I force myself to move, ignoring the ache in my chest and the weakness in my limbs.

I have to get out of here, and I have to do it before it's too late...

The forest looms ahead like a shadowy maw, the dark canopy swallowing the faint moonlight. My bare feet crunch against the brittle leaves, my steps rapid as I run through the forest. Each one feeling heavier than the last, every breath shorter. Blood drips steadily from the gashes on my arms and torso, soaking through my ruined dress and leaving a trail behind me. I press my hand against my side, hoping to stem the flow, but the poisonous sting from Isalda's vines lingers, cruel and unrelenting.

They’re close. I can hear them...