Chapter 195

Third Person POV

“We need to hurry and get you both back to the palace!” Nicholas shouted, trying to pull Cole away from his deceased mother and capture Char’s wrist. The battle was still going on around them; they weren’t going to stop until every last warrior and man in the Kingdom was dead and all the women were either dead or captured.

Nicholas noticed the women being captured and taken away earlier and his only assumption was that they were going to be used as breeding tools. It was a known fact that female wolves were strong and known for breeding strong heirs. Having wolves and bear hybrids would benefit the bears greatly.

Just as they finally started to run again, Char froze when she saw Eric with Xaden and Lucas.

Henry had just run off and she wasn’t sure where he was going, but he ran with determined steps, his wolf fully in charge of the moment.

“Charlotte, come on!” Nicholas urged, pulling her along with him.

She pulled her wrist out of his grip and started to run towards Eric. That was her brother, and he was the one responsible for this. She had to put an end to this battle before more chaos happened and more lives were taken.

“Charlotte!!” Nicholas yelled, running after her with Cole.

She needed to talk some sense into her brother; she knew in her heart that he wouldn’t hurt her.

Xaden was the first to see Char approaching and his eyes widened at the sight.

“Char, what are you doing out here??” He asked his tone a mix of shock and fear.

Ignoring his question, she turned to Eric who was watching her warily.

“Why are you doing this, Eric??” Char boldly asked her big brother. “Haven’t enough lives been taken??”

“Did anyone care when innocent human lives were taken?” Eric shot back. “No one cared when they were all being slaughtered by now that it affects you, suddenly everyone cares.”

“That isn’t fair, Eric. That didn’t have anything to do with us. It was our father’s order, and it happened years ago. Dad is already dead, so who are you after?? Why would you help the bears? You know they don’t care about you.”

“And you do?” Eric scoffed. “Don’t act like you care about me, Char. None of you did. The only one who has treated me kindly in all the years I've been alive was Maeve. She’s the only one who saw me as a person and not as an outcast.”

“Eric, you know that isn’t true. Xaden, Lucas, and I had never treated you poorly,” Char told him, tears filling her eyes. Nicholas stood behind her, ready to attack if necessary. He was being protective over her which was noticed by both Xaden and Lucas.

“And yet you never stood up for me when Henry or Dad made my life a living hell,” Eric seethed through his teeth. “The bears promised that they would make things right… that they would help me get the revenge I desperately sought.”

“The bears are lying to you,” Nicholas said, folding his arms across his chest. “They will say whatever they can to get you to help them, but once they are done with you, they’ll discard of you like they have the others. You can’t trust them.”

“I can’t trust any of you either,” Eric growled, darkness in his piercing gaze.

Cole grabbed onto Char’s leg, holding it tightly, his little body trembling. It squeezed at Char’s heart as she looked down at his tear-soaked face. He had just lost his mom, and probably his dad too.

That’s when Char had an idea.

She looked at Eric who was now noticing Cole; his expression was indifferent.

“Eric, you are angry because Dad sent an order to kill the humans and witches…” Char told him, her voice gentle. “He was the reason your mother was killed…a woman he impregnated to create you…”

Eric’s eyes flashed with grief and anger.

“Charlotte, you better have a point,” Xaden said, narrowing his eyes.

Char picked Cole up and held him tightly.

“To this little boy, you are no better than the King, Eric,” Char said, her eyes never wavering. “You killed his parents… he’s alone in this world because of you.”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Eric said through his teeth.

“Your betrayal killed them,” Char clarified. “It’s because of you that any of this is even possible. Just like the King didn’t directly kill your mother… you didn’t directly kill his. But she’s dead because of your actions…”

Eric was silent as he stared at Cole, a flicker of remorse crossing his eyes for a moment. Char knew she had him exactly where she wanted him; she was hitting him where it truly hurt.

“You have to stop this, Eric. Before any more innocent lives are taken and more innocent children are without their parents. Don’t turn them into you,” Char said, tears were now spilling out of her eyes as Cole whimpered.

“We need to go back to the palace,” Nicholas told her, his breath wisping against her ear.

She kept her eyes locked on Eric’s, seeing a slight glimpse of remorse in his eyes. She knew without a doubt that Eric would make the right decision; she had to trust in that. With a nod, she went with Nicholas and Cole, pack to the palace, leaving Eric with his thoughts as his other two brothers stared at him warily, wondering what he was thinking.

Little did Eric know, an older woman had been watching him.

…..

Maeve’s POV

I couldn’t stand around any longer as the war continued. I had been watching everything from inside the palace, my eyes never leaving the window. Xaden was still somewhere out there and worried about him every second. This type of stress and worry wasn’t good for me or the baby.

The tension was high in the palace, women and children were hysterically crying, praying that their loved ones made it out alive.

I stared up at the sky, seeing the swirls of darkness swirling around the sky. This was the witches doing; I needed to somehow get through to them. Without the witch’s help, the bears wouldn’t be stronger. They wouldn’t have their help. I needed to somehow talk to the witches and get them to stop.

I looked around the room at the tired women and children. I wasn’t going to tell them I was leaving. They didn’t need to worry even more. The shield would remain even with me gone.

Without a word, I snuck out of the room and outside. As I made my way through the wastelands of what used to be the Capital, I held onto my stomach protectively. The scent was of gunpowder and bomb smoke, making it difficult to breathe. There wasn’t much fighting going on around these parts anymore; it had moved to different territories, destroying things that were still standing and killing those still alive.

I found myself scanning the area for any signs of Xaden, hoping to get a glimpse of him. My heart was pounding in my chest with each new body I came across. Xaden hadn’t marked me, so if he died, I wasn’t sure if I’d feel it or not, but I prayed with everything in me that he was alive and still fighting.

He was going after Eric, and I knew that Eric shouldn’t be underestimated by no means. I wrapped my arms around myself, following the dark swirls; the thicker it got, the closer I knew I was. I could hear the distant cries of lives being taken and I winced at the sound.

I couldn’t help but feel to blame; I shouldn’t have helped them in the first place. This was not what I wanted and wished that I could turn back time and prevent myself from ever agreeing on that island.

I saw Mirage and the others huddling together, a shield surrounding them, protecting them from the fight.

Their eyes were like they were in deep concentration. But Mirage opened hers when she sensed me approaching. Her eyes widened as I neared.

“You shouldn’t be out here right now,” Mirage warned. “It’s too dangerous. You must care for yourself and your child.”

“I came to talk to you,” I told her. “You have to put an end to this. Please… with your influence, the bears are able to take over. Without it, they have nothing.”

Mirage shook her head.

“It’s too late now; the Kingdom is destroyed.”

“it’s not too late to reverse it,” I told her. “You told me you wanted peace; I know you now that you were only saying that to get me to help you, but I also know that deep down, you truly want peace. There’s no way you want to do to everyone else what the King had done to you. He took everything from you and now you are taking that anger out on the entire kingdom. It isn’t fair to them to have to pay for his crimes.”

A flicker of remorse flashed through her eyes.

“You don’t understand,” she said, her tone filled with urgency. “We made a deal with the bears. They told us they will keep us alive if we help them…”

“The King is dead, Mirage. There is no one here who wants to hurt you anymore. You have to believe me when I tell you that you’ll be safe if you help us now. But if you don’t… we can't guarantee your lives.”

Mirage narrowed her eyes, and I could see the doubt hidden with them.

“How can you be so confident and sure?” She asked.

“Because I am the Luna Queen,” I told her. “Or else I will be… this is my Kingdom, and my family will always be welcome in my Kingdom. But only if you do the right thing now and don’t make us fight against you.”

The other witches were now watching me, warily. They were looking at Mirage to find out what to do, but even Mirage seemed to be at a loss for words at the moment. Just as she was about to say something, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, nearly making me crumble to the ground.

I hissed in pain, holding my stomach tightly as I trembled.

“M…my baby…”

Then, I felt a warm liquid pooling between my legs, and Mirage gasped.

“You’re bleeding,” she whispered hoarsely. “Holy shit.”

I stared between my legs and my heart dropped when there was a pool of blood beneath me on the ground. I let out a choked sob… something was wrong with my baby.