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Chapter 28

The chamber pulsed with unstable energy, jagged cracks racing up its blackened walls. The ritual circle at its center glowed crimson, blood dripping from its runes. Theresa stood at its core, eyes wild, hair whipping around her face as she raised her hands high, her voice booming with ancient words that clawed at the edges of sanity.

"If I cannot have the vessel," she snarled, "then I will become the gate!"

Her body began to glow, darkness spiraling around her in unnatural tendrils. Her soul, already tainted, was being offered to something far worse—an entity sleeping beyond the veil, one that required blood and sacrifice to awaken.

Bavanda, still kneeling on the cold floor, her silver eyes dimmed with confusion and pain, watched in horror. She could feel the pull, the lure of power, and the screaming echoes of thousands of lost souls clawing to return through Theresa.

“She’s trying to open a door…” Bavanda whispered. “To something worse.”

Suddenly, a blast of pure fire lit the room.

Baron and Avynna crashed into the chamber with fury unmatched. Baron’s warrior's all in their wolf forms, loomed behind him—massive, spectral, glowing with white fire. Avynna’s power shimmered around her like a veil of starlight, and the moment her feet touched the stone, the darkness recoiled.

“Enough!” Baron roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The floor cracked beneath him, shaking the entire fortress.

Theresa snarled and flicked a hand. A wave of darkness shot at them—shadows screaming in its wake.

Avynna stepped forward and lifted both palms. A radiant light burst forth, meeting the darkness in midair. The explosion sent rubble flying, the force staggering everyone except the two Alphas, who now stood united, facing down the woman who had nearly destroyed their family.

From the shadows, bloodied and barely standing, Loco reemerged. One arm clutched his ribs, blood trailing down his face, but his eyes locked on Bavanda. Nothing else mattered.

"Bavanda," he called hoarsely. "You have to stand now. Only you can end this."

She looked up at him, breath shaking. Their eyes met, and for that brief moment where she stared into his eyes, her world reached stability. There was this strong emotion in his eyes, so intense that it held the reins of her tilting world and pulled it back to balance.

What was this emotion? It was love.

And then—just like that—her light returned.

Her body shimmered as she rose. Her wolf’s presence surged behind her—elegant, luminous, powerful. Her hair lifted slightly in the charged air, her eyes glowed like moons, and the floor beneath her cracked as her energy surged outward.

Theresa screamed, feeling her control slip. She hurled a bolt of raw darkness toward Bavanda. But it never reached her.

Loco stepped in front of it, shielding her with his body. He crashed to the floor, gasping. Bavanda’s scream echoed through the chamber.

And that was her breaking point.

Silver light burst from her, rippling outward like a shockwave. Everyone froze—even time seemed to pause.

She walked forward, glowing brighter with each step, her feet silent over broken stone.

Theresa's voice wavered. “You are mine. I made you!”

“No,” Bavanda said softly, then louder, “You only woke the strength that was already mine.”

She raised her hand. Energy surged, a brilliant spiral of moonlight and fire, laced with everything she was—her parents’ love, her brother’s smile, Loco’s faith, and her own unbreakable soul.

With a final cry, she released it.

The light struck Theresa.

There was no scream—just silence, and then a whisper of air as the dark priestess was consumed. The portal behind her shattered into a thousand shards, the runes scorched from the stone. The crimson light faded.

The chamber went still.

Bavanda collapsed to her knees beside Loco, cradling his head as he looked up at her with a faint, pained smile.

“You came back…” he whispered.

She smiled through tears. “You brought me back.”

Baron and Avynna rushed forward. Avynna fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her daughter, trembling.

Baron knelt beside them both, his strong hand on Loco’s shoulder. For once, he didn’t speak. He only nodded in silent respect.

Behind them, the stronghold groaned—and the walls began to fall.

But for now… they had won.

The chamber was crumbling, stones falling from the ceiling as the fortress began to collapse under the weight of broken magic. Shadows screeched and dissolved into smoke, fleeing the touch of light that now radiated from Bavanda’s awakened form.

Theresa’s body lay motionless, her once-commanding presence now nothing but a withered husk, her ritual undone. The corrupted altar cracked, blood-red symbols evaporating as the dark magic that sustained the fortress unraveled.

"It's over," Loco whispered hoarsely, stepping beside Bavanda. His body trembled from blood loss and exhaustion, but he offered her a hand. "Let’s go home."

Bavanda didn’t move at first. Her gaze was fixed on Theresa’s body, the one who had twisted her soul and nearly dragged her into the abyss. Her fingers clenched, jaw tightening. For a moment, it seemed she might break again.

But then she looked up—at Loco, at her mother and father waiting near the broken archway, at the warriors who had risked everything for her. The light in her eyes returned.

She took his hand.

The fortress groaned violently, cracks racing along its obsidian walls. Gina and Rayna barked orders, rallying the warriors and guiding them through the collapsing structure.

"This way! Stay together!" Gina shouted, slicing down a lingering shadow creature that tried to block their path.

Rayna covered their rear, dual blades flashing. "We don’t have time—move!"

The forest outside wasn’t any safer. The corrupted magic that once kept the stronghold hidden now thrashed wildly, turning the trees into claws and the air into a storm. Roots surged from the ground, attempting to trap fleeing warriors.

Bavanda stepped forward, her wolf glowing silver in her eyes. She raised her hand, channeling the last reserves of her power. “Stay behind me!”

She unleashed a radiant howl, the sound slicing through the night like a blade. The twisted forest recoiled, and a path opened—shaking, narrow, but safe.

The pack pushed through.

When they finally broke free of the dark forest, daylight was creeping over the horizon. The sun touched Bavanda’s skin, and she stumbled.

Loco caught her just before she collapsed. “Stay with me,” he murmured, but her eyes had already closed.

“Someone get the doctor!” Avynna cried, racing forward.

They carried her into the heart of the pack, through shocked, grieving, and awed warriors. She was taken to the infirmary immediately. The doctor tried what he could—but Bavanda didn’t respond. She was breathing, heart steady, but she wouldn’t wake.

Later that evening, just as despair began to creep into the hearts of those who had fought for her, a knock echoed through the packhouse gates.

A woman stood there—cloaked in flowing robes of white and silver, her silver hair coiled intricately atop her head. Her eyes were like moonlight itself.

Avynna and Aaron exchanged glances. It was Nancy who spoke up. “Who are you?" 

The lady looked around, at the broken and injured family, her lips parting as he let out a heave. “You all survived." She mumbled.

“My name is Atena,” she said softly, “sent by the Moon Goddess. I have come for the girl.”

Nancy's eyes widened. “Atena? The great healer of the mountains, how… what are you doing here?” She exclaimed.

Gina and Rayna appeared at the door, the shock registering on their faces too. "Great Atena, it is a pleasure to have you here.” Gina exclaimed.

"Baron, let her in.” Rayna added.

Baron, though still alarmed, stepped out of the way for her to walk in.

Atena looked around briefly at the wounded warriors lying around. “You all have indeed done well. Where is the girl?" 

Baron's instincts rose. “What do you want with my daughter?" 

Avynna held him back. “Baron…" 

Atena spoke before she could. “Let your guard down, Lycan Alpha. I mean no harm. As I said, the moon goddess sent me.”

Avynna ran to her, tears still clinging to her lashes. “Please, please help her. We don’t know what to do.”

Atena placed a hand over Avynna’s. “She is not dying, child. She is healing.”

The healer entered the room and knelt beside Bavanda, placing her palms over her chest. A soft hum filled the air, the kind that made every soul present go still.

Atena looked up with solemn eyes. “She is in a self-induced coma. Her spirit is cleansing itself. The darkness she took in… it’s unraveling from within. This is her battle now.”

“How long?” Baron asked, voice low and hoarse. “How long is she going to be… like this?”

“Could be months… or years. The body heals with time, but the soul… the soul walks at its own pace.”

Silence filled the room. But despite the grim news, there was hope in Atena’s eyes.

Avynna pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “We’ll wait. No matter how long it takes, we’ll wait.”

Far from the healing and hope of the living world, darkness still stirred.

Deep within a cavern laced with ancient black stone, the remaining remnants of Theresa’s dark forces knelt in trembling silence. Shadows whispered among themselves, fearful.

A throne sat atop a jagged dais, its figure cloaked entirely in writhing smoke and shadows. The true master. The architect of the war.

One trembling minion approached and fell to its knees. “My lord… the girl… Bavanda… she survived.”

A silence so thick it could strangle the air followed.

Then, with a shriek of pure wrath, the cloaked figure rose. One movement—and the minion was obliterated, erased from existence.

The shadows around him recoiled. The figure turned, voice echoing with dread and fury:

“This is far from over.”

A pulse of pure darkness radiated from the throne, spreading through the shadow realm.

The war was only beginning.

Hey Guys please check my other stories: The Lycan and His healer mate, His Purchased Wife, 365 Days in Dmitry Cage, The fatal Lycan and his mysterious mate, Xiol's Treasured Mate, The luna and the lycan, Flash Marriage: President's Seduction, In Adonis world, Alpha's little Vampire Mate on R.a.d.i.s.h.

Also you can check Alpha Lucious on F.i.c.t.i.o.n.m.e and His Purchased wife on Readink

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Betrayed by My Ex, Claimed by His father on Goodnovel