Chapter 102
Zephyrine
+8 Pearls
Footsteps, soft, yet heavy. Then the pounding of hooves, echoing through the battlefield. A sharp command leaves my lips before I charge, my Great War horse propelling me forward with feral speed.
Blood splashes as I slash my way through the chaos. Ahead, a portal opens, and from it crawl creatures that have no right to exist in this shifter empire. Demons, their limbs slick with darkness, pour forth.
Rain of arrows suddenly hails down.
“Shield!” I scream, and the command echoes. One arrow comes from behind, but before it can pierce me, a shove from behind. Moon deflects it. He takes the arrow in my stead and falls to the ground.
The formation breaks. My warriors falter, distracted by the sudden chaos.
Before I can steady myself, blood and screams spill around me. Heads roll, shields shatter.
“Cowards,” I murmur under my breath but then I see her. From ahead, the demon general, her face hidden in shadow. She leads the attack with precision and cruelty, leaving a trail of Ashmere warriors‘ bodies in her wake.
I surge forward. Retreat is not an Ashmere option. My warriors follow. Suicidal, but loyal. We have the Moon Goddess‘ blessing. Rituals for protection and luck completed.
We reach the portal, and I swing my blade, splitting the unholy spell as it grumbles and recoils.
The Demon war general freezes, horror on her face, and charges again. Darkness surges from her. So thick, choking, corrupting everything it touches. Her horse gallops in rhythm with mine, blades drawn. We clash, sparks flying as I roll and parry, the impact rattling my bones.
Before I can blink, my helm falls. My long hair cascades down, my face revealed. I meet her gaze, eyes I will never forget, the ones that haunt my nightmares to this night.
A soft voice shakes me.
“My lady? My lady?”
I suddenly jerk awake, swiftly reaching for my blade behind the bed, aiming it at her.
Visions blur. My senses wither. When the sound of running footsteps comes, I blink again and realize it is a nightmare and the one I have threatened with my blade is no one but Blue.
I drop the sword immediately. Instead of moving away for safety, away from me who has just threatened her life, she rushes to hug me, as though to bring me back to reality.
For a long time, I stay in her arms, my heart racing.
Many reasons I left Ash Pack after the war five years ago come to mind. This is among them. The nightmare that refuses to leave.
I blink again, and Blue pulls back to bow.
173
12:30 Sat, Sep 6
Chapter 102
“I’m sorry, My lady. I… I was only worried about you.”
Isolde, who has watched with concern with the maids, steps forward in anger.
26%.
+8 Pearls
“You dare not touch an Ashmere. She is going to be an Alpha. How dare you hug her?” she snaps at Blue, but I hold out a hand in exhaustion.
“There lived a young orphan. Assigned as a maid in the Royal home. Working for the first Princess, she learned gentleness and kindness. Working for the second Princess, she learned to mask her feelings with rage and bluntness. She moved away later to work with another great woman. She is loved and treated with kindness. She is favored all the time, and as time passes, she begins to grow tired of receiving. Instead, she wants to give.”
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Rouge ls a Female Alpha (Zephyrine)