The Final Showdown

Addy

Soloman strides through the dust, a ball of light aimed directly at him. His right hand is raised, his left hand extended to the side, forming an L shape. His left fingers are slightly curled.

“I suggest you let her go now, or I’ll burn you where you stand,” he snarls.

Ewart laughs. “You think that can hurt me? Nothing can harm me here. My magic protects this place.”

Four more figures emerge from the dust. Tate, Ranjit, Drake, and Kevin step forward. Ewart’s gaze snaps to Kevin.

“What are you doing? I told you to kill them if they showed up.” He glances at the men standing nearby.

Kevin laughs, pointing at himself. “Tricking you into thinking I’d betray my Alpha was the easy part. You were desperate when you tried to make that foolish deal with me. I told them what you wanted, and it was easy to make you think you were in control. Tate showed me how to open portals for them. Now, it’s your turn to be dealt with.”

Ewart roars, the ground shaking beneath them. They stagger as their balance is lost. Soloman’s light ball fades as he steadies himself against the wall. Drake grabs the table I’m strapped to, scanning the room for the key to unlock the restraints. His gaze lands on Phebe by the control panel.

He snaps his fingers. “Give me the key before I kill you for good.”

Her eyes widen, then narrow. “You think I’ll obey you? Once she’s gone, we can be mates. That’s what I’ve been promised.”

His hand clenches into a fist. “You’ll never be with me. I don’t care how hard you try. I’ll kill you again and again until you cease to exist. You’ve manipulated me for too long. It won’t happen again.”

She cackles. “You think you can survive the bond breaking without someone to help you?”

His growl vibrates the floor. “You’ll never be by my side. If she dies, I die with her.”

Her eyes bulge. “You’d die with her instead of choosing another?”

His eyes darken, his wolf close to the surface. “Yes. That’s what happens when you have a mate. They’re your life. Whatever happens to one, happens to the other. You’re not Luna material. I see that now.”

She slams her hand on the machine, which starts buzzing. The ceiling opens, and she smirks. She runs towards the chair, but Ranjit grabs her, pulling her against him.

“How do you stop the machine?” His voice is deadly.

She looks at us, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

Drake tugs at the restraints, but they won’t break. Ewart laughs, then runs to the chair. He sits and grips the armrests.

“Now you’ll see your precious Mystic die. I’ll have all her powers soon,” he says, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

Tate, Soloman, Kevin, and Drake all pull at a restraint, trying to break it as the ceiling opens, letting sunlight hit the machine. The metal beneath me heats up, and Mystic screams.

Suddenly, my mother appears in a flash of light. “Enough!” she snaps.

Ewart’s eyes widen at the sight of her, her white hair flowing down her back. Time freezes when she snaps her fingers. Only the three of us can hear and speak.

“How dare you,” she hisses. “Did you think I’d let you drain my only child of her power?”

She touches the table, and the metal restraints snap open. I sit up, rubbing my wrists to ease the pain. Drake’s face is full of concern, his hand frozen mid-pull on the now-open restraint.

I touch his face gently. “I love you with all my heart. Please give us a few minutes. I promise I’ll explain everything. No more secrets.”

She sighs as I hop off the table and stand beside her. She wraps an arm around my waist, her gaze never leaving Ewart.

“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, Ewart. You used to be a good man. What happened?”

He leans back in the chair. “I did everything I could to please you. You cast me out, sent me here. My heart changed. I loved you, but now it’s hardened.”

She tuts. “You became power-hungry. I couldn’t let you continue. After I got pregnant, you tried to gather troops to overthrow me. There will always be a moon goddess for the wolves. That won’t change, no matter what you do. The balance of the gods won’t be disrupted because you want to be king.”

He taps his fingers together. “So?”

She brushes her hair back. “So? You don’t understand the consequences?”

He laughs. “I don’t care about the consequences. I deserved power, but you denied me.”

She shakes her head. “You can’t just take power. Those positions are chosen. I told you this a million times.”

He growls at her. “You let others marry into power.”

She chuckles. “That’s exactly why you could never be one. The chosen ones do their jobs wholeheartedly. They don’t try to bend the universe to their will.”

Ewart stands and walks towards us. “I know I can’t win this argument. Your power is a hundred times greater than mine. What happens now?”

She sighs. “You broke the rules. Many of them. I have no choice but to end this realm. Everyone here will cease to exist, including you. The last straw was when you kidnapped my daughter to steal her powers. That was the worst thing you could have done. It sealed your fate.”

His eyes dart around, realizing he has nowhere to go. “What if I change?”

She shakes her head. “It’s too late. The higher powers are fed up with you. I was the one who stopped them from destroying this place until now. I watched you abuse an innocent child for your amusement. I couldn’t interfere because it would reveal her identity. They tried to get past me, but I stopped them. I knew you’d slip up and do something that would end this place forever. Now they’re coming for you and everyone here.”

Lightning cracks across the sky. He falls to his knees.

“Please, I can change. Don’t do this!” he cries.

My mother steps back, pulling me with her. A bolt of lightning strikes him. His body glows, and he screams as the light intensifies. Then, with one final cry, his body explodes into a million pieces of light that float down and fade away.

A tear rolls down my mother’s cheek. She wipes it away. “I warned him this could happen. He wouldn’t listen.”

She snaps her fingers, and time resumes. Drake looks at his hand on the open restraint, then around the room for me. When he sees me, he smiles and rushes over, pulling me into his arms.

“Addy, thank goddess you’re safe,” he says, hugging me tightly.

He looks at my mother, sets me down, and kneels, bowing his head. Kevin does the same. Tate and Soloman chuckle.

She smiles at them. “Please rise. You’re mated to my daughter. There’s no need to bow to me.”

Drake looks up at her. “Your Majesty, it’s proper to bow in your presence.”

She places her hand gently on his shoulder. “Drake, you’re a good soul. Not many wolves are privileged enough to see me; they only pray for what they need.”

He rises slowly, his head bowed in respect. “I’m honored that you chose me to accompany this amazing woman on her journey.”

She leans in, planting a kiss on his cheek that makes him flinch. “You were the perfect choice to help reclaim what was lost so many years ago. I’ve waited a long time to find the right person for this task.”

He lifts his head, gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you. She was treated so badly growing up. More should have been done to prevent it.”

A spark of anger flashes in her eyes. “Ewart possessed her father, forcing him to do his bidding and control her mother. I couldn’t intervene without revealing her true identity. Despite his torment, she’s grown into a wonderful woman.”

Drake’s eyes widen in surprise. “You mean her parents weren’t responsible?”

She smiles softly. “Not entirely. They were ensnared by him, but they resisted every step of the way. He was too powerful for them to escape, but they tried.”

Drake turns to me. “We need to tell my father this. He can be reinstated as Beta since he wasn’t at fault. What happened to everyone back home?”

I take his hand in mine. “They’re frozen in time. It’ll be as if we never left.”

He exhales a breath that stirs my hair before his lips find mine. My mother clears her throat with a soft cough.

“Young love, always a joy to witness,” she says, turning to Ranjit. “Ewart has been dealt with, and they’ve granted your request for fun. Destroy this place; let no one survive.”

Phebe, still in his grasp, gasps as his hands glow brightly. A scream escapes her as she too begins to glow. Ranjit tears her in two, each piece disintegrating into light as he tosses them aside. They fade away as they drift to the floor. He bows slightly to us before leaving the room, a broad smile on his face. Screams echo from all corners as light floods the room. He’s eliminating everyone in this realm. My mother waves her hand and the chaos subsides.