Chapter 174: Monster
*~Hazel’s POV~*
"No... no..."
I collapsed to the floor, my body weak and trembling. Cayden’s screams had faded into silence. Once alive with his cries, the battlefield was filled only with the terrible sound of Jonathan’s wolf celebrating—.
Tears poured from my eyes, blinding me. My chest heaved as I turned toward my mother. "I promised my babies," I whispered, my voice breaking, "I promised them they would grow up in a normal household. But now... now they no longer have a father. And I couldn’t do anything to stop it."
Her arms closed around me, pulling me against her chest. Her hand stroked my hair gently, her heartbeat steady yet heavy. "There’s nothing we could do," she murmured, sorrow thick in her tone. "Nothing, Hazel. And I don’t even know if we can make it out of here alive. If Cayden is gone... then we must not run. If we run, Jonathan will hunt us down—and when he catches us, he will drain the life of others. Especially your babies."
Her words crushed me. My shoulders shook violently as I buried my face into her chest. "Then we should just stay here and die," I muttered. "At least if we die, my babies will be spared the pain of watching."
She flinched but said nothing, only holding me tighter. My voice cracked again. "Now my babies... they’ll live without a mother, without a father. Even worse than me. At least I had a father, even though he was the worst parent in the world. At least I had someone. But them? They’ll have no one."
She tilted my chin and pressed her lips together, her eyes swimming with regret. "No," she whispered. "They’ll still have family. They’ll have Cayden’s parents. They’ll have grandparents who love them. They won’t live a terrible life like you and I did. They’ll be loved. They’ll be safe."
Her words pierced me. For the first time, I saw it—the reason she had left me with my father. Perhaps she had thought it was safer. Maybe she had believed I’d at least survive. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Jonathan’s shadow loomed closer, and survival itself seemed impossible.
We clung to each other, bodies pressed close, waiting for death. And then—footsteps. The ruffling of leaves.
My heart leapt. "Cayden?" I scrambled to my feet, hope sparking in my chest. But when the figure stepped into view, my hope shattered.
It was Caspian.
Relief and dread warred inside me. I shoved at his chest. "Run. Leave here. Now!"
His eyes widened. "What? Hazel, what’s wrong with you?"
"Leave here!" I screamed, my voice raw. "Run before Jonathan gets here!"
He turned his gaze toward my mother behind me. She gave a solemn nod. "Go, Caspian. Leave."
But he only looked more confused. My hands shook as I grabbed his. "Please. Protect my babies. I’m leaving them in your care. Just... run. Before it’s too late."
"Where’s Cayden?" Caspian’s voice wavered, sharp with fear.
I froze, my throat tightening. My mother looked away, but I forced the words out. "He’s dead."
The glint in Caspian’s eyes dimmed instantly, the joy draining from him like blood from a wound. "What?"
"Cayden is dead," I repeated, my voice cracking. "And if you stay here, Jonathan will kill you too."
"Then we run," Caspian said firmly, jaw tight. "We leave together."
"No!" I snapped. "If we run, we lead Jonathan straight to the pack. To my babies. We risk everything. He won’t spare anyone. Not them. Not my mother. And so..." My voice faltered, but I forced it out. "So we give ourselves to him."
Caspian’s eyes burned with fury. "To hell with that! What do you mean Cayden is dead and I should leave you here? Where is Jonathan? Where is Cayden? I’ll fight my way through!"
He moved to push past me, but I shoved him back with all the strength I had left. He staggered, stunned by my desperation. My mother rose to her feet and pressed her palms to his chest, forcing him back again.
"You need to leave, Caspian," she said firmly, her voice low but final.
Her eyes shone with tears, but her tone carried no hesitation.
"Leave. Now."
But Caspian was adamant. "Why? What are you two hiding from me?" he demanded. His voice was sharp, desperate.
Before either of us could answer, a bone-chilling shriek tore through the air.
My blood froze. That voice—Cayden’s voice.
"What?" My heart slammed against my ribs. "He’s alive?"
Without hesitation, the three of us sprinted in the direction of the sound. Branches snapped beneath our feet, the ground trembling beneath the sheer force of what we were about to see. And then—
We stopped dead in our tracks. Our jaws dropped.
Cayden was not merely standing. He was flying.
Suspended in the sky, dark veins pulsing across his arms, his chest, his face. Enormous black wings stretched wide behind him... he was horrifyingly dangerous.
Jonathan was no longer in wolf form. He had shifted back into his human state, struggling, helpless. Cayden gripped his throat in one massive clawed hand.
And then—he let go.
Jonathan plummeted. His back slammed against the earth with a sickening crack, landing on a dagger already embedded in the ground. The blade pierced straight through him, ripping a howl of agony from his chest before silence swallowed him whole.
The scene was horrifying. The kind of image that would be carved into my memory forever. Yet at the same time... it was satisfying. Pleasing, even, to watch Jonathan’s end unfold so brutally.
Still trembling, I lifted my gaze back to the sky. Back to Cayden.
Oh. My. God.
I had always called him a monster in anger. But this? This was no ordinary monster. This was something beyond that—something otherworldly.
Beside me, my mother’s lips parted in awe. Her eyes glistened with something between terror and reverence. "I told you," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I told you, Hazel. The dark magic fused with his wolf... and it created something extraordinary."