Page 68 of Fated Wolf's Redemption

I want to tear it down. Rip it apart with my teeth and make sure nothing ever touches her again. But that’s not the play. Not yet.

“We go in together,” I say, turning to face the others. Max stands near the wall, wiping the last of the blood from his blade. Kylie adjusts her bindings and mutters something under her breath about suicidal plans. Oscar reloads, silent as always. Myeyes land on Sophia last. “But once we’re inside, we follow the plan.”

She looks at me questioningly. “Which part? The bait, the blood, or the part where you try to fry a semi-sentient gate with a lightning tantrum?”

I step in close. “The part where I use the storm you anchored to me to end this.”

Her mouth curves like she wants to argue, but she doesn’t. She nods instead, slow and sharp. “And if it doesn’t work?”

“Then I bury it. And whatever’s inside it.”

The others don’t flinch. They’ve seen enough to know I mean it. Sophia doesn’t flinch either. She’s learning. Or maybe remembering.

I lay the plan out fast and clear.

“The outer glyph ring is attuned to her,” I say, jerking my chin toward Sophia. “When she steps into it and bleeds, it’ll trigger the final sequence. That’s when the gate will flare—open, just a little. That’s the window. I’ll feed my power into it. It’ll think it’s being answered. If I can push enough current into the anchor line, the feedback will flare every active sigil.”

Kylie whistles low. “And we just... what? Ride it out?”

“No,” I say. “You and Max destroy the anchor sigils the second they glow. You’ll know them. They’ll be tied to her blood and mine. Anything that responds when the surge hits? Kill it.”

Oscar looks up. “And if something comes through?”

I meet his gaze dead-on. “We kill that too.”

Sophia crosses her arms. “You’re putting your soul in its hands, Lucas.”

“No,” I say, stepping toward her. “I’m putting mine in yours.”

She doesn't blink. Just reaches for the knife at her thigh and nods. “Then let’s give the gate a show.”

The chamber appears transformed this time. It feels colder, as if the chill has seeped into the very walls, and hungrier, as though it has developed an insatiable desire.

At the center of the dais, the shattered windglass has partially reformed—not fully restored, but enough to resemble the shape of a door. Behind it, the pulse is steady now, a rhythmic throb that has replaced the previous erratic surges and unpredictable spikes. It waits expectantly… for her.

Together, we move as a single entity down the shadowy corridor, where glyphs illuminate beneath our feet in lazy, spiraling paths, casting a warm glow that seems to welcome us back with familiarity.

Kylie is the first to break away from the group, her footsteps echoing softly as she heads toward the eastern ring to set her charges with precision. Max veers off to the west, his movements purposeful and calculated. Meanwhile, Oscar stands vigil at the entry point, his blade hanging loosely at his side, ready yet relaxed, as if he is a sentinel guarding the threshold.

Sophia walks alongside me, her steps as silent as a whisper in the night. Her hand brushes against mine just once, a brief and fleeting touch, then it’s gone. Yet that moment is enough. Her scent envelops me, a mix of storm and heat, anchoring me to this moment. She is claimed. She is mine.

I have an overwhelming urge to seize her hand and flee, to whisk her away from this place and bury the entire mountain beneath us. But I resist. We must stay, must see this through if we want to bring an end to it all. With determination, she steps into the ring of glyphs, and the stone beneath her feet springs to life.

The air around us pulls taut, charged with anticipation. Glyphs along the outermost circle ignite in succession, each one flaring to life in a perfect, mesmerizing spiral. The sharp scent of ozone intensifies, mingling with the tension in the air. Beyondthe windglass, something stirs—slow and sinuous, as if testing the limits of its reach with a deliberate grace.

I raise my hands to the heavens, summoning the storm. It responds with a deep, pulsing rumble that resonates beneath my skin. I feel its power coiling within my chest, winding through my limbs like a living force, ready to be unleashed.

Sophia draws her knife, moving to my side as the others file out. She doesn’t speak right away, just threads her fingers through mine like she’s anchoring herself with the contact. I stop her before the corridor and pull her close.

“Ready? This doesn’t happen without you,” I murmur. “You do this, we end it. We break Lina’s chain.”

Her voice is tight but steady. “And if it takes me with it?”

I tilt her chin until her eyes meet mine. “It won’t. I won’t let it.”

Her lips part like she wants to argue. I cut her off with a kiss—not soft, not slow. Final. Possessive. She leans into it like she needs the taste of me to steady her next step. She is afraid. She knows what I’m asking her to risk… so do I.

The gate pulses once as we enter, like it recognizes us. No creatures come forward this time. No malformed hybrids. Just silence.

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