novelraw Chapter 1468 - 67 : Trapped
Chapter 1468 - 67 : Trapped
*Saoirse*
I gestured to Aleric with a nod, beckoning him to follow me through the heavy wooden doors that led outside. My breath caught at the sight before us. Axureon, in all his ancient glory, stood at the center of a majestic assembly of dragons that flanked him on either side.
They had come as promised.
"Did you truly believe I’d come here without an assurance of my own?" I asked Aleric, stepping forward so that the moonlight fell upon my face, revealing the determination etched into my features. My heart swelled, not with arrogance but with the fierce pride of my people. "We may be down, but we are far from being without our defenses."
The dragons, creatures of legend and might, stirred restlessly, their scales shimmering like a cascade of precious stones beneath the celestial light. It was a declaration of the power now allied with Hunters Glen.
"That dragon," I continued, my voice steady as I pointed toward Axureon, whose human form could barely contain the power that roiled beneath his calm exterior, "is bound to me, to my bloodline. It is the guardian of Hunters Glen, and it answers my call."
It was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.
Aleric’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he gazed upon the assembly of dragons before us.
The dragons behind me shuffled their massive forms, a low rumble echoing in their throats like distant thunder.
"Defiance until the end," Aleric murmured, his gaze flickering to the powerful beings that flanked me.
"Freedom until the end," I corrected him sharply, my eyes never leaving his. There was power in the look we shared, a silent conversation of wills. "Your move, Alpha Aleric."
He paused, his stance unyielding, but I could see the cogs turning behind his guarded expression. A laugh, brittle and cold as the winter air, shattered the silence. He threw his head back with the force of it. "Did you truly think your little display would frighten me, Saoirse?" His dismissive chuckle clawed at my resolve.
My heart faltered, but I steeled myself against its beat. "Your forefathers may have cowered before such might, but not you, I suppose?"
"Ah, history does have its secrets," he said with a sly grin. The moonlight danced wickedly in his eyes as he shared one of those secrets with me. "Centuries ago, my ancestors captured dragons, mere whelps then, powerless and scared. They’ve been kept sedated, their fire doused, and their wills bent to serve Blackstone."
I flinched inwardly, horror spreading through me like poison. My mind raced, trying to grasp the implications of his words.
"Impossible," I whispered, though the dread in my heart spoke otherwise.
"Believe what you will," Aleric replied, snapping his fingers like a maestro summoning his orchestra.
Warriors emerged, their torches casting an ominous glow on the procession that followed. Chained figures stumbled forward, their steps sluggish and eyes glazed—a dozen dragon shifters in human form, their proud heritage reduced to shackles and submission.
"Behold, the counter to your precious Axureon," Aleric announced, gesturing to the pitiful sight.
I reached out with my senses, despair mingling with anger as I felt the faint dragon essence within them, suppressed and broken. Tears pricked behind my eyelids. They were not for my plight but for these majestic creatures turned prisoners.
"Monster," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. My gaze locked onto Aleric’s triumphant smile.
His smirk widened at my anguish, relishing in the power he held over me. I could feel the eyes of the chained dragons on me, a silent plea for hope that I wasn’t sure I could provide.
"Your alliance is touching, Saoirse," he sneered, waving a dismissive hand toward Axureon and the dragons behind me. "But it’s ultimately futile."
I clenched my jaw, refusing to let him see the fear he stirred within me. "What do you want, Aleric?"
His mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "Your hand in marriage, my dear. You will marry me immediately tonight." He gestured grandly to the captive dragons. "Or these poor creatures will be forced to destroy your friends and decimate Hunters Glen."
My stomach lurched at the vile choice laid out before me—marry him and cement Blackstone’s rule over my home or stand by as innocents suffered. The weight of my decision pressed down on me, threatening to crush the resolve I clung to so desperately.
"Never," I spat. My voice was firm despite the dread coiling in my gut.
"Then do you choose death for them?" Aleric taunted, amusement lacing his words.
"Choosing you would be a different kind of death," I retorted, though bile rose in my throat at the thought of either outcome.
"Tick-tock, my fiery bride-to-be." His voice was a low purr, filled with the certainty of victory.
I glared at him, hate burning through my veins. Beneath the anger, a sickness festered. It was the realization that my defiance could spell ruin for those I sought to protect, not just my pack but also the dragons I had spent all my energy protecting with magic. My mind raced, grasping for an escape from the trap he’d laid.
If I had time... If I had time, I could lay those same protections over Hunters Glen. But he already had me in his clutches, and there would be no escape.
"Time is running out," he whispered, stepping closer, his breath hot on my face. He gripped my hair in his fingers and tugged until my eyes met his. “Make your choice, Saoirse. Wedded bliss or certain death?”
With every second slipping away, the choices before me grew heavier, the consequences more dire. Closing my eyes, I reached out beyond the confines of my flesh, letting my consciousness drift until it found him. Axureon’s presence was a beacon in the dark, his ancient soul a comforting thrum against my own.
"Axureon," I whispered through our bond, "Aleric has captive dragons. He threatens to unleash them upon your kin unless I bind myself to him by marriage. Now."
There was a silence that stretched between realms, and then his voice came, resonant and steady within my mind. "Then we have no choice but to withdraw, Saoirse.”
"Retreat?" Panic fluttered in my chest like a caged sparrow.
“The captives are my priority. We must free them from Aleric’s grasp, Saoirse. Surely you understand the importance of their freedom. We will go, rally our forces, and return to free them and you."
What about my freedom?
"But he will not wait. He will force a union before you return, and my people will fall under Blackstone’s shadow."
I felt the soft mental brush of his apology. "I am truly sorry. But as you are bound to your people, so am I to mine. I cannot abandon them to torment and chains. You must understand."
"Understand?" The word was a shard of ice in my throat. How could I accept such cold calculus? Even as indignation flared within me, I knew that his decision bore the weight of centuries.
“Do what you must, Saoirse. I will return in three days.”
"Three days?"
"Three days," he confirmed, solemnity woven through every syllable. "Hold strong, Saoirse. We will return."
The connection ebbed even as I tried to reach out to reason with him, leaving me alone with the echo of his promise and the reality of the harrowing choice that lay ahead.
I felt a gust of wind that whipped my hair around my face. The ground beneath me trembled slightly as Axureon, with his massive wings unfurling, signaled the retreat. In a flurry of movement, the dragons took to the sky, their forms shrinking against the sky. My heart sank as the beating of their wings faded into the distance, leaving a hollow silence in their wake.
"Beautiful creatures," Alpha Aleric mused, watching them go with an unreadable expression. "But even they must heed the call of duty, it seems."
His voice snapped me back to the grim reality before me. I turned, meeting his gaze, the defiance still burning in my chest. "They will return," I said, though my voice was less certain than I wished it to be. “And you will regret ever making these threats.”
"Perhaps," Aleric replied with a dismissive shrug. "But for now, you are here, and you are mine. There is much to prepare." He gestured to two of his warriors who stepped forward, their expressions stoic. "Escort Saoirse to the Luna suite. Ensure she is made ready for the ceremony by whatever means necessary."
Their hands were firm but not unkind as they guided me away from the open courtyard and through the winding stone corridors of the stronghold. The Luna suite, a room meant for comfort and luxury, felt like the softest prison as its doors closed behind me.
I surveyed the opulent room. The air was heavy with the scent of lavender and cedarwood.
"Miss," one of the servants said, her voice gentle as she approached with a gown in her arms. "We are to help you prepare for the ceremony."
She held up my dress. The fabric was exquisite, a cascade of white and silver that shimmered like moonlight on snow. It should have been a garment of joy and celebration, but a wedding dress only ever seemed to bring devastation for me. Instead, it felt like a shroud being draped over my future. I stood motionless, my mind racing for a solution that refused to surface.
"Please," the servant urged, her eyes sympathetic. "It is time."
With each layer they added, the weight of my situation pressed heavier upon my shoulders. I could almost feel the chains of this unwanted union closing around me, colder and more binding than any iron forged by man.
"Is everything to your liking, Miss?" another servant asked, mistaking my silence for bridal nerves.
"Everything is perfect," I lied, forcing a smile. The truth was I had never felt more trapped. As they finished their ministrations, arranging my hair and fastening the delicate veil, I realized that my choices weren’t choices at all.
"Alpha Aleric awaits," the servant announced, her voice a tolling bell that signified the march towards an uncertain fate.
"Thank you," I whispered, knowing that gratitude was expected of me, even when my soul was rebelling against the very notion of this farce of a marriage.
As they led me toward the great hall, where Aleric was waiting flanked by his pack and none of my kin, my thoughts whirled. What could I do? How could I save my people, the dragons, and myself?
"Be strong, Saoirse," my mother’s voice echoed in my memory. With a spine tempered in fire, I walked onward, outwardly serene while inwardly screaming for a miracle.