Page 27 of Traitor Wolf (Bonded by Fate Duet #1)
Chapter Nineteen
T he sky was ink-black when Kaelric’s wolf peered at me in the darkness, eyes glowing gold through the brush.
I exhaled and stepped forward, my boots silent over pine needles and cold moss. Night had fallen, and we were ready to save Elia. The camp below was hushed, almost peaceful, with flickers of firelight dancing against tents and rock. The air buzzed, not with life but with magic.
Beyond the camp, the moon lit up the Aerlyn border, where Kaelric told me that if they escaped to, Elia was probably lost to us forever.
I’d completely pushed the nonsense of Val suggesting I was Kaelric’s mate from my mind.
She was clearly mistaken. There had to be another reason he didn’t eat first in my presence .
The ward shimmered faintly above the tree line, like glass over water, barely visible unless you knew what to look for.
I paused at the edge, and Valkaryn pulsed in my palm, her voice sharp in my mind.
‘Hold me steady.’
I gripped her hilt tighter and stepped closer. The ward flared the moment I came within arm’s reach, sensing intrusion, rippling like an awakened beast.
‘Now,’ she whispered.
I raised the sword, letting her guide the motion. She hummed with a pitch I felt deep in my bones.
With a clean, sweeping arc, I sliced downward through the invisible barrier.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, like the slow shatter of ice under pressure, the ward fractured.
Hairline cracks of light splintered across the air, before breaking apart entirely, dissolving into pieces that floated up like dying embers into the darkening sky.
The magic vanished.
Kaelric’s pack surged forward behind me, seven wolves in motion, shadows streaking through trees. They were silent, deadly.
Kaelric passed me in a blur of white fur and muscle, a growl rising deep in his throat. They leapt over the ridge and dropped into the camp like a wave of violence, tearing through the first unsuspecting sentinels before they could even scream.
Chaos erupted in the camp then.
Enemy wolfkin shouted out to raise the alarm, transforming from human to wolf mid-motion. I ran forward, and even in the darkness I saw claws slashing, snarls echoing off stone. The ones who had taken Elia were sloppy and unprepared.
Until he stepped out.
The man was tall, clad in black Aerlyn leathers trimmed with silver. His eyes glowed violet as he raised a glowing hand. Magic bled off him in waves.
An Elite.
I couldn’t see if he had a house insignia from here. Or if he was just a regular Elite, not of royal blood.
He looked right at me, and I felt evil practically dripping off of him.
Behind him, I noticed one of Kaelric’s female wolves shift into human form right away and drag an unconscious Elia over her shoulders and to safety.
Relief rushed through me at the sight.
We got her.
Kaelric’s growl split the night then. It was a call to fully attack. We had Elia—now it was payback time. But the Elite moved faster. Out of nowhere, he sent a spear of blue light straight toward my chest .
Without thinking, I came up with Valkaryn in my hand and blocked the blow. She gave a battle cry in my grip, a sound so fierce in my head that I wondered if others heard it, because it made even the wolves pause for a second.
I felt her power surge through me, heat, fire, and pure rage. She wasn’t just angry. Valkaryn was furious.
This man had attempted to harm me, and she wasn’t having it.
The Elite conjured another blast, this one laced with fire.
But instead of aiming for me, he pivoted and flung it toward Kaelric’s wolf.
It shot from his hand faster than I could warn the alpha.
The orange blast caught Kaelric’s wolf across the shoulder as he was mid-jump.
Kaelric’s wolf spun and hit the ground hard, snarling in pain as fur burned away from flesh.
I screamed his name, and Valkaryn erupted then.
Power surged through my arms as she dragged me forward, faster than I could move on my own. She caught the Elite’s next blast and devoured it, swallowing the magic like it was air.
Her blade ignited with firelight, edges glowing white-hot. Then she attacked through me as if we were one being. I stood between Kaelric and the Elite. Val moved in a deadly arc downward, and the Elite’s smirk vanished the moment she struck.
He blocked, but barely .
Every time he tried to push magic, Valkaryn met him blow for blow. Faster. Wilder. She wasn’t just fighting, she was punishing him. I felt like a puppet, letting her use my body.
I barely had to think. She moved my body with precision, each swing fed by her fury.
Beside me, Kaelric popped up with fury in his eyes, blood staining the white fur of his shoulder. His pack tore through the remaining enemies around us. I could hear the crunch of bone and the yelp of a fallen wolfkin. But I couldn’t look.
Not while Valkaryn had the Elite pinned.
With a final roar that came from her but bled out through my lips, she arced up and slammed down, cutting straight through the Elite’s warding arm. Blood sprayed as he screamed, and his arm dropped to the ground with a sickening thud.
Valkaryn hissed in satisfaction, and then with one final strike across his throat, the Elite fell.
Dead.
I staggered back, my hand still wrapped around her hilt, chest heaving. The air smelled like ash and blood, like war.
Kaelric padded to my side, shifting as he came. Smoke curled off his burned skin, but his eyes, still glowing faintly, landed on me.
“You okay?” he rasped, reaching me and taking my face into his hands, probing my brow, my neck, my collarbone. The touch was so soft, so tender, I had to keep the moan off my lips. He was inspecting me for wounds.
I nodded, my pulse still thundering. “I am now.”
His eyes flicked to Valkaryn. “What the Hades was that?” There was a smile on his lips.
I looked down at the sword, still vibrating faintly in my grip. She pulsed once. Satisfied.
“She got angry,” I said softly. “Because he hurt you.”
Kaelric looked at me like he wanted to say something else. But instead, he reached out, just brushing my hair from my shoulder.
“I think you’re ready for the next trial.”
And even with blood all around me, and dead bodies…
I laughed.