Episode 6 – The Car and the King
(Elena's POV)
Snarls, hands crashing into each other, and the hiss of power meeting power broke the silence.
Adrian was the first to lunge, and his move was quick and dead on. Lucien grabbed his arm in the middle of the blow, turned it around, and pushed him back with so much force that it broke stone. It sounded like thunder as it went through the cave.
As I fell back, I pushed against the wall and held on to the pendant. Lycans charged each other with electricity when their claws touched. Strength met an older, more powerful force.
"Stop!" I yelled, but the rain made it hard to be heard.
Adrian's eyes became very cold. "Do you think you can take her from me?"
The low growl that Lucien let out was scary. "I think you already lost her."
I couldn't see him because he was moving so fast. Adrian hit back, and both of their bodies hit each other very hard. I didn't understand the background behind each blow.
The cave shook. When the fire went out, rocks fell from the roof.
It got too much for me. I yelled "Enough!" as I ran between them. But I was thrown back by a huge burst of energy before I could reach them.
I fell hard to the ground. My arm hurt a lot, and I couldn't see clearly.
After that, silence.
There was a new sound in my ears that I didn't know before: tires on wet ground.
There was a black SUV parked right outside the cave. Its headlights were so bright that they could be seen through the rain. There was no more fighting right away. The two men stopped moving.
There was a hole in the door.
Someone tall in a dark coat came out. Every step controlled and moved slowly. It looked like the rain didn't bother him. The air felt heavy, dominating, and impossible to ignore his presence.
Lucien tensed up. Adrian's jaw got lock up.
The man's voice carried easily through the storm. He spoke in a cold, smooth tone, "I guess I got here just in time."
It was hard for me to breathe when he got closer.
Lucian Draven.
The name that every pack made noise with. The Lycan King who was in charge of the northern territories. Everyone feared him, even Adrian, who called him "the monster behind the crown" one time.
He was scary, but not a monster. He was even worse. He was calm, hard to read, and knew too much about what power meant.
Lucian looked at me with eyes that were a deep golden color with gold streaks. It seemed like the world had stopped.
"Elena Rivers," he said slowly, as though testing the shape of my name. "Daughter of Alpha Rowan." Still living.
I stared, unable to speak. "You... knew my dad?"
He gave a small nod. "He was loyal to me in the past." Before the Council turned him into a ghost story.
Lucien , who was sitting next to me, spoke before I could. "You don't belong here."
Draven smiled in a way that wasn't funny. "Yet, here I am. Cleaning up your mess like always."
Adrian spoke up in a sharp tone. "This is between me and her."
Draven looked at him. "Do you think anything that has to do with my bloodline happens without me knowing?"
The words made my skin crawl. "Your... bloodline?"
Lucien 's jaw got tight. "He's my brother."
I stopped moving. "What?"
They were like two sides of a mirror-very different and also very much the same. The ghost Lucien who lived in the dark was rough and wild. They were all controlled by Draven, who was exact and dangerous.
Adrien swore under his breath. "Of course."
Draven was looked at by Lucien. "She's safe with me."
Draven's eyes got tough. "You can't claim what fate has already written."
I found their words hard to understand. I asked, "What are you talking about?"
Draven walked up to me and kept his eyes on me. "Your bloodline has the Moonfire Bond." It links you to the royal line and the person who has the royal mark.
He looked at Lucien. "And that mark isn't his."
It hurts a lot in my heart. "You mean-"
Draven said, "Yes," but he didn't say more. "You are my fated mate."
It was quiet in the cave. It looked like the rain outside stopped.
I couldn't hold back the words as I looked at him. "That's not possible."
Lucien barked. "You're lying."
Draven's voice didn't change. "You know I'm not." This bond hasn't been used since her father died. She is the last person in his family.
Adrian moved toward me, and I didn't know what he was thinking. "Elena..."
I turned away from all of them and shook my head. "No." This can't happen-
Draven's look changed; it wasn't friendly, but it knew what she was feeling. "Have you felt it? The pull you can't explain."
He was right. The strange heat that had been burning my skin since I ran last night. What my wolf did when power was close.
Even though I wanted to deny it, my quiet made it clear.
Lucien glared at him and said something mean. "She isn't yours to take."
Draven said, "She's not yours to keep."
Adrian's hands clenched into fists. "Do you think she's a prize to be shared?"
Draven looked at him with harsh, cold eyes. "Be careful, Lycan." You let her down once already. You'll never get another chance.
Power curled between them like smoke as the air became tight.
I took a deep breath. "Why me?"
Draven looked at me again, but this time his voice was down. "Because you are the only one who can control what is coming."
"What's coming?"
He didn't say anything. He moved out of the way and pointed to the car instead. "Get in." I'll explain on the way.
Lucien moved right away to stop me. "Don't. No matter what he's planning, it's not protection; it's control."
The tone of Draven's voice changed. "Do you think she's safer with you?" A few of the packs already know she's alive. Hunters are following her scent. "You can't keep her hidden forever."
It got cold in my stomach. "Hunters?"
Draven said "yes." "These aren't the same ones as before." These people are trained by the Council. They need to get the Moonfire Bond. They will take your blood to wake it up if they catch you."
It got darker on Lucien's face. "You knew this and didn't say anything?"
Draven said, "I was waiting for her to come to me on her own." "But there's no more time."
He put out his hand to touch me. His eyes were calm, but they held something fierce, something that felt like the truth.
"Pick, Elena."
I looked at both of them. I was saved by Lucien, and his touch made me feel warm in the cold. And Draven, the king who talked like he knew what was going to happen to me.
The rain outside stopped and became a whisper.
"Don't trust him," Lucien whispered.
Draven said in a low voice, "You will die if you stay."
I thought about it for a second, and then there was a loud bang.
A shot.
Lucien moved so fast I couldn't see him. He knocked me to the ground, and another bullet hit the cave wall, breaking the stone. He swore and turned to look at the trees.
At the edge of the trees, dark forms with weapons started moving with deadly accuracy.
Hunters.
Draven's voice could be heard over the noise. "Do you believe me now?"
Inside the cave, Adrian's growl could be heard as it turned into a wolf. "We need to go!"
As more shots flew, Lucien picked me up and kept me safe. The air was filled with the smell of smoke and silver.
Draven looked at the car. He yelled, "Get her inside!"
Lucien glared. "I don't have to listen to you."
"Then she dies!"
Draven did not wait. He opened the door to the car, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the car. As I fell behind him, Lucien was right there with me. Adrian stayed outside and fought two scary-strong hunters off.
Draven slammed the door shut and yelled something at the driver. The SUV then started moving.
The world got cloudy as we drove into the storm. With my heart beating fast, I pressed my face against the window and saw flashes of claws and blood go away behind us.
Lucien spoke to Draven in a low, angry tone. "You just started a war."
Draven looked ahead at the road. "No," he said in small voice. "I just told you who the war is really about."
Every part of my body shook when I looked at him. "Who?"
He finally looked me in the eye.
"You."
