Page 257 of A Warrior's Fate

Isla knew she’d reached the peak of whatever power she’d muster, and one last time, her wolf emerged. She freed herself from the rogue’s hold, and her claws tore through flesh with a vengeance.

The witch screamed as blood flowed down her face from the long scratches crossing over her features, what remained of her eye, her torn lip. And Isla could do nothing but fall to the ground in a heap at her feet. The witch’s blood rained down on her skin as she battled her body to move, but she couldn’t. She was so exhausted that even the sharpness of the needle, the burning pain from the poison were simply signs she was still alive.

“Get her up!” the witch roared, and Isla was lifted violently.

The liquid flowed through every bend and curve of her body, and her wolf thrashed and shuddered and whimpered. It fought and fought, as the bond twisted and tugged until the beast went wholly still.

And one last pull from Kai—hard and pleading and desperate—was the last thing Isla felt before everything went dark.

CHAPTER 55

KAI

It was too quiet.

Everything was somehow so loud—but too quiet.

Head aching, pulse thrumming, Kai looked up at the bloodied man before him.

A pool of crimson lay around Brax’s limp body, oozing from his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the deep gashes in his skull made by the rogue’s own claws. Like he’d fallen from his shift and just gone—mad.

“Isla.”

To his call, Kai heard nothing back. He felt nothing there. Just cold and darkness. Just him.

The gates were opening, the crowd who could get to the floor rushing towards him in a wave of flailing arms and cheering. But—

She’d been fading away, and he’d felt it before. Too many damn times. Something was wrong, and it was all he could do to hold her and keep her there. Keep her here. With him.

“Isla.”

He didn’t know what happened–or rather, how it happened. He knew what he did.

He pushed. Let himself into that void festering inside him.

It had been beckoning to him for months, this power. A taunt, a haunting that all his problems would be solved if he embraced it. Used it. A gift it was, it told him. And he needed the fight to be over. Needed to find her.

So, he gave in.

“Isla!”

People were behind him—talking at him, gawking at him, beholding Brax’s body with curious and disdainful stares and confused words. There was a hand on his back, and Kai whirled with a snarl that made Ezekiel stumble. Made everyone stumble. Made them cower. Made them bow.

The power writhed in his gut, rising, calling him to use it again.

The beta had lied. For months. Was still hiding things. Had to know what he was doing to Kai, to his own daughter. What he was risking for the pack.

Kai could end it here, he knew. He could end a lot here. If he got his hands on Cassius…

But—

Get out. Get out. Get out.

Those had been Brax’s pleas that he couldn’t speak—because Kai had taken them away.

The rogue had been rendered silent to all but primal screams as he thrashed, clawing at himself to rid his mind of whatever was inside. Whatever had snuck in through barriers and shields and tore him to ruin.

Kai didn’t know how he did it, but he’d broken him. And if he didn’t pull back now, he wouldn’t just shatter Ezekiel or Cassius. He felt like he’d shatter the world.

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