Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kayden
Layla shifted mid-leap and slammed into Finn's arm as it reached for Kai. The impact sent him flying. His back smashed against the stone wall with a sickening thud. Debris rained down, clattering on the ground.
"Cover!"
I raised my gun and squeezed the trigger three times. The shots formed a triangle pattern, cutting off every escape route. Finn rolled left. Layla grabbed Kai by his collar and dragged him to safety.
"Get him out!"
Two warriors rushed in, flanking Layla on both sides. She shifted back and scooped Kai up. The kid's face was purple, still coughing hard, but alive. At least he was alive.
"Fall back!" I didn't turn. My eyes stayed locked on Finn. "Everyone back!"
Layla clutched Kai tight. The warriors shielded them as they retreated toward the mine entrance.
Good. They were safe.
Finn pushed himself up, dusting off his clothes.
"Alpha through and through," he said, licking blood from the corner of his mouth. "Fast reflexes."
"But do you really think..."
His form started to blur—the shift coming.
"Next time, you can still protect them?"
Before the words died, he blurred into a streak of gray-white and bolted for the exit.
Running?
My body began to change. Spine lengthening, limbs hitting the ground, silver fur rippling through my skin, gleaming in the moonlight. The shift took less than three seconds. I was already out of the mine.
Ahead, Finn's wolf form weaved through the trees at blistering speed.
Not fast enough.
I launched off all fours, leaving a crater in the dirt. My body shot forward like an arrow. The gap closed fast.
Finn glanced back. His blood-red wolf eyes flashed with surprise.
He hadn't expected this.
I opened my jaws, fangs bared, and clamped down on his hind leg. My teeth pierced fur, sank into muscle, scraped bone. Finn screamed—the sound sharp enough to shatter glass.
He whipped around, front paw slamming into my head. The force knocked me loose. I flew backward and crashed into a tree trunk. My ribs screamed.
Damn it. His strength was off the charts. The vampire genes had rebuilt him.
Finn didn't run. He turned and came at me. He'd given up on escape. If he couldn't run, he'd fight to the death.
I sprang up just before he landed and dodged. His claws raked the tree trunk, carving five deep grooves. I lunged from the side, aiming for his flank—
But he was faster. He kicked off his hind legs and flipped clean over my head. The second he landed, his tail whipped around like a lash and cracked across my face.
Shit!
My vision blurred. Blood filled my mouth.
Finn pounced. His paws pinned my shoulders, slamming me to the ground. His jaws opened wide, fangs aiming for my throat—
I kicked up with my hind legs, nailing him in the gut. He flew back, hit the dirt, and rolled several times before stopping.
Can't let him pin me.
Once he got on top, with that kind of strength, my throat would be gone in three seconds.
We both got up and stood facing each other under the moonlight. Two wolves. Similar colors. Both panting. Both bleeding.
"You've gotten stronger, brother." Finn's voice echoed in my mind. "But not strong enough."
"You know how powerful vampire blood makes you? Speed, strength, recovery... all beyond wolves."
As his voice faded from my head, I noticed his wounds healing. The flesh I'd torn was knitting back together, visible to the naked eye.
Goddamn vampire genes. He could self-heal.
I couldn't.
The longer this dragged on, the worse my odds. I had to end this fast.
We moved at the same time.
Collided midair. This time, neither of us dodged. Pure force against force. My claws sank into his shoulder. His teeth clamped on my foreleg.
Pain! But I didn't let go. I bit down harder. So did he. His fangs pierced skin, hit bone. The grinding sound echoed between us.
See who breaks first!
We rolled across the ground, snapping bushes, crushing rocks. Blood splattered everywhere, black under the moonlight.
Finn suddenly released his grip, reared his head back, and slammed it into my face. Everything went dark. I had to let go. Finn flipped me over and pinned me beneath him. His front paws pressed my shoulders. His hind claws dug into my stomach. His jaws opened wide—
No!
I twisted, but his weight was crushing. His fangs came closer. I could see my own blood still dripping from them...
Then a rock flew in and cracked him in the head.
His aim faltered.
I seized the moment, threw everything I had into a roll, and knocked him off.
Then I saw who'd thrown it.
Layla stood nearby, another rock in her hand, ready to throw again.
She hadn't left.
She was helping me.
But now she was exposed.
I snarled at her to get back.
Finn saw her too.
"How touching," his mocking voice slithered through my mind. Finn climbed to his feet. "Then I'll kill her first. Make you watch..."
I lunged, caught his hind leg in my jaws, and yanked hard. He hit the ground. I jumped on his back, claws ripping into his spine.
Once. Twice. Three times. Flesh tore. White bone showed through.
Finn howled, thrashing and rolling wildly to throw me off. I clamped my jaws on the back of his neck—right where the spine met the skull.
With everything I had—
Crack.
Bone snapping.
Finn's body convulsed violently, then slowly went still.
I released him and stepped back.
Finn lay on the ground, slowly shifting back to human form. Fur receded, revealing pale skin. The wounds looked brutal. Blood pooled beneath him.
But he was still breathing. Barely. Like his last breath.
I shifted back too, dropped to my knees beside him, gasping for air. Everything hurt—ribs broken, shoulder torn open, back shredded. But I was still standing.
Finn's eyes opened slowly and stared up at the night sky.
"Still... can't beat you... huh?" he whispered, each word taking everything he had left.
Layla ran over and dropped to her knees beside me.
"You..." She looked at my wounds, eyes welling up. "You're bleeding so much..."
"I'm fine." I grabbed her hand. "Just scratches."
"Liar." Her tears spilled over. "Your ribs are..."
"Shh." I turned to Finn. He was still staring at the sky, eyes glazing over.
"You could've chosen a different path," I said. I didn't know what else to say. Of course I hated him. But now, there was something else. Something sad.
"Maybe," Finn coughed up black blood. "But then..."
"I'd just be pathetic."
"A bastard nobody wanted."
"I'd rather..."
His breathing grew weaker.
"I'd rather be a monster than pathetic."
"What about love? You sold your soul to the devil. You lost love forever." I looked at Finn, those eyes fading now, still fixed on the sky.
Finn's eyes flickered.
"Love?" His voice barely a whisper. "What's that..."
"I don't... remember anymore..."
His hand lifted slowly and reached for the bracelet on his wrist. The moon and star charms pressed together. With the last of his strength, his fingers trembled, stroking the two charms.
Then his hand dropped and hit the ground.
"Kayden, I still hate you."
The wind carried the words away.
Layla's fingers found his pulse and held there a few seconds.
"He's gone," she said softly, standing up.
I stood too and looked down at the body.
Moonlight fell across Finn's pale face. All that twisted rage, all that madness—gone. Only calm remained. And maybe a hint of relief in his smile.
"Look at his bracelet," Layla said quietly. "Victoria wore one too."
"I saw it before she took the poison. Exact same design."
"So he really..." I looked up at Layla, voicing the question gnawing at me. "Did he still love Victoria?"
Layla was quiet for a few seconds. Then she laughed, but there was no humor in it. Just sorrow. And something else I couldn't name.
"Maybe," she said, looking at Finn's body. "But his heart was already full. Hate and ambition took up all the space."
"Where could he have kept love?"
I took her hand and pulled her close.
"We won't become that," I said, resting my chin on her head. "I won't let hate and the past destroy us."
"We won't," Layla leaned into my chest, voice muffled. "We won't."
"Daddy... Mommy..."
Kai's voice came from nearby, choked with tears. I released Layla and turned around. A warrior was holding Kai. His face still pale, the fingerprints on his neck vivid. But he stretched out his little hands toward us.
I strode over, took him, and held him tight. Layla came close. I wrapped my other arm around her.
The three of us held each other.
"It's over," I whispered in Kai's ear. His small body was still trembling. "Baby, it's all over."
"Daddy's here. Mommy too."
"We're both here."
Kai cried harder, arms tight around my neck, his other hand clutching Layla's shirt.
"So... so scary..." he sobbed. "That... that bad man..."
"He's dead," Layla said softly, kissing his forehead. "He can't hurt you anymore."
"Really?"
"Really."
Kai's cries faded into hiccupping sobs.
I held them both and felt my heartbeat finally slow.
It was over. Finn was dead. The war was over.
Footsteps came from the trees. The other warriors arrived, Marcus leading them.
"Alpha." He jogged over. "The border's secured. Enemy forces retreated."
"Casualties?"
"Thirteen critical. Twenty wounded," Marcus said. "Seven dead."
"Reorganize the pack by protocol."
"Vampires and traitors cleared out," Marcus continued. "Three prisoners. Already taken back for interrogation."
"And..."
He glanced at Finn's body.
"What about him?"
I looked at Finn, at the bracelet on his wrist.
"Cremate him," I said. "Scatter the ashes in the river."
"Let him..."
I sighed.
"Let him be free. Just once."
Marcus hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, Alpha."
I carried Kai, held Layla's hand, and we walked toward the estate.
Behind us, the warriors worked the scene—carrying wounded, clearing bodies, putting out fires still burning.
The sky began to lighten. Dawn was coming. This long nightmare...
Finally ended.