Chapter 332: _Burn The World To Protect Her
Kaelos’ POV
*****
The world was still burning when I finally forced my legs to move.
The energy dome was gone—shattered into ash and light—and so was he.
Marcellus Sterling, the traitor Beta, the man who had broken Caroline, who had laid waste to Layla, who had dared to touch Odessa... but also the man who’s been my best friend for so long.
Nothing remained of him but smoke and a stain on the earth.
And yet, it didn’t feel like a victory.
The air reeked of charred flesh, and blood.
Soldiers of my pack stood frozen in the ruins of the battlefield, some with wide eyes, some with tears, some with heads bowed like the weight of what had just happened had crushed them all the same.
But my gaze was only on her.
Odessa.
She was still standing at the epicenter, though barely. Violet flames crackled weakly around her body, the last remnant of the storm she had unleashed.
Her lush blonde hair clung to her damp face, her eyes dim but unwavering, her skin pale from the sheer drain of what she had done. She had burned Marcellus down to nothing... and nearly herself along with him.
I didn’t think when I saw her like that.
My body moved, faster than my heart, and I was at her side in a blink. Her knees buckled the moment my arms wrapped around her, and she sagged into me like a broken wing finally folding.
"I’ve got you," I whispered, holding her as though my hands alone could anchor her to this world.
Her body trembled against mine, heat still clinging to her skin like she carried fire in her veins. But beneath the warmth was something else... something brittle.
Her breaths came shallow, ragged, as though she was both here and somewhere far away, chasing ghosts I couldn’t see.
The grief that I’d been bottling hit me hard just then.
Caroline, Layla... The baby we had never even gotten to meet.
So much had been taken from us in such a short time that my heart couldn’t decide whether to rage or collapse.
All I knew was that she—my mate, my queen, my wife—was still here. And I wasn’t letting the universe steal her too.
"Kaelos..." Odessa rasped, her voice broken.
"I’m here." I pressed my forehead to hers, managing a small smile. "I’m here, my love. You did it. It’s over."
But her eyes, shimmering with tears and exhaustion, told me she didn’t believe it.
"He’s gone," she whispered, but it wasn’t triumph. It was disbelief. Like she couldn’t comprehend it, like if she blinked too long, he’d crawl back out of the ashes.
I tightened my grip. "He’s gone. And you’re still standing. That’s all that matters."
She shook her head weakly. "It doesn’t bring Caroline back. Or Layla. Or..." Her voice cracked.
She didn’t say it, but I knew.
The child she had lost before it could even take its first breath.
A lump rose in my throat but I swallowed it, staying composed for her.
"I know," I murmured, my own voice breaking. "I know, Odessa. And I hate it. I hate that all we have tonight is ashes. But you’re not alone in this. You hear me? I’ll carry it with you. Every piece of it."
She broke down just then, silent tears slipping down her cheeks as her body crumpled further into mine.
And I let her.
I let her bleed grief into my chest because if she couldn’t, it would eat her alive.
And gods help me, I couldn’t lose her to that too.
.
.
Time blurred after that.
Thorian and Janelle approached us, their expressions grim. They didn’t speak at first, but only looked down at Marcellus’ ashes like they didn’t quite believe the bastard was truly gone.
Althea appeared soon after, her hands glowing faintly as she surveyed the battlefield with the sharp, calculating expression of someone already planning the next move.
We won tonight, but it didn’t feel like victory. It felt like survival.
And survival always meant the war wasn’t done.
"We need to return to Europe," Thorian finally said, his deep voice solemn. His blue eyes flicked to Odessa and me, and for once, the arrogance was gone. "Ryker won’t stay quiet after this. He’ll know Marcellus is dead, and he’ll take it as both an insult and opportunity."
Janelle’s jaw clenched, her usual poise cracked by fatigue. "We’ll regroup our forces. Strengthen the circles. But make no mistake... this won’t end here. Ryker will come for all of us."
I shifted Odessa in my arms, her head resting against my shoulder, half-asleep from exhaustion.
Damon growled low in my chest at the thought of Ryker’s name, that cursed tyrant.
He had already taken too much from me... he had taken my mother all those years ago, my people’s peace, and now indirectly, even our baby.
"I don’t care what it takes," I said flatly, my voice firm. "I’ll tear Ryker apart with my bare hands if I have to."
Althea stepped forward then, her long fingers weaving through the air.
Threads of light formed between her hands, coiling into a swirling oval of silver-blue energy. The portal shimmered, reflecting landscapes I didn’t recognize.
"Go," she told Thorian and Janelle. "Your people need you. When the time comes, I do hope we see you back here."
Janelle hesitated, turning her head to me.
She stepped closer to me, her expression softening.
"Kaelos..." She glanced at Odessa, then back at me. "You’re going to need allies. When Ryker rises, remember this: we will stand with you. Always."
It caught me off guard.
Janelle wasn’t known for her warmth, but there it was, plain and unvarnished.
Thorian inclined his head. "A war is coming and as reluctant as I am with... trusting your territory’s alliance with the witches, I want you to know you won’t fight it alone."
I nodded, the words heavy but welcome. "I’ll hold you to that."
They gave one last look at Odessa, who was still trembling in my arms but safe, before stepping through the portal. The light swallowed them, and then it collapsed with a snap, leaving silence in its wake.
The battlefield was emptier without them, but the weight of what they’d said lingered.
A war against Ryker. An inevitable storm.
I looked down at Odessa again, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She stirred faintly, her lips parting. "They’re gone?"
"Yes," I whispered. "Back to Europe. But they’ll stand with us when the time comes."
She gave the faintest nod, her eyes fluttering shut again.
I kissed her forehead, holding her tighter. "Rest now, love. You’ve given enough tonight."
As I carried her through the ruins of a battlefield littered with the dead and the broken, I knew one thing with a clarity sharper than any blade:
We might have survived tonight, but survival wasn’t enough anymore.
Ryker was coming.
And when he did, I would burn the world itself to protect her.