The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 285

NARRATOR

Celine watched the battle from a distance.

Her role was to protect the three Selenias from any surprise attacks.

Even though she knew her mate was incredibly powerful, that he had an army of fearless soldiers willing to die for him, she couldn’t help but worry.

"Mother, don’t overexert yourself!"

Valeria’s shout snapped her out of her intense focus on the bloody battle unfolding beneath her feet.

"Grandmother!"

"Keep the incantation going! I can handle it! We’re at the critical point—come on, Valeria, fight for your daughter, take control!"

Through the iridescent veil surrounding the Selenias, Celine heard Gabrielle’s urgent command.

Blood stained the corners of her lips, yet her eyes shone vibrantly with the blue of her youth.

Her sight had returned, and the scars on her face had faded as the power she had long lost surged back into her body.

Valeria closed her eyes and took command of the spell. Her mother had already exhausted herself.

Celine watched as raven wings began sprouting from Valeria’s body, like feathers rising into the air, crackling with golden magic.

Those feathers transformed into even larger, more ferocious ravens, their cries frenzied and wild. They absorbed the power of the Selenias and turned golden.

"NOW, SIGRID!" Valeria roared, sending them all toward her daughter.

Her mother followed with a battle cry, holding back just enough energy for herself and the unborn pups.

The hair on Celine’s nape stood on end as she took in the awe-inspiring sight.

Golden lightning arced violently through Sigrid’s body.

Her boots lifted from the ground, her eyes shut, her head tilted upward, her black hair swirling in the air, crackling with magic.

A blinding explosion of light forced Celine to avert her gaze, and at the same time, a shockwave of power slammed her into the rocky mountainside.

Blood burst from her lips as the impact stunned her, but she quickly pushed herself up, ready for an attack.

Except the attack hadn’t even reached this area—it was happening miles ahead.

"Goddess, what is this crushing weight on my chest?" she thought, struggling for breath. "If I feel like this from so far away, what must it be like at the vanguard?"

She squinted into the distance.

Through the violent clashes between specters and supernatural warriors, she finally spotted it—King Aldric was battling what appeared to be a man.

A man who exuded an aura of invincibility.

*****

ALDRIC

"BEOF!" I roared, hurling one of those disgusting specters aside as I saw the massive white lycan crash into the ground like he weighed nothing.

He was badly injured. How? Just moments ago, he was fine.

And standing over him, a man pressed him down with a single foot.

Black armor, thick and unyielding, encased his entire body like an impenetrable shell.

From his back, enormous claws—like giant pincers—extended outward, twitching.

His face… it was hidden behind a black, skull-like mask.

It had to be him. That suffocating power could only belong to Umbros.

The dark creatures around him went wild, launching themselves at us with renewed fury.

I had let my guard down for just a second. Just long enough to get close. I only needed one opportunity.

My steel claws shot toward the weak spot I had been studying—the gap between his mask and his neck.

I lunged forward, knowing it could cost me my arm.

My other hand burned from the corrosive magic as I gripped the spear, keeping it from burrowing deeper into my wound.

My lycan bared his deadly fangs, my claws just millimeters away—an imminent strike. But every instinct in me screamed, blaring like war horns.

"DAMN IT, ALDRIC! GET BACK! HIS BACK CLAWS ARE ABOUT TO STRIKE!"

Azarot surged forward, pushing our body to its absolute limits.

We moved, but I knew—we couldn’t dodge this completely.

"If you’re taking me down, bastard, I’m taking you with me! This is for touching my daughter, you damn pervert!"

I roared, bracing for the pain, for the blades curving toward me, ready to rip into my back.

My claws finally struck, digging into his mask, cracking its hardened shell.

And my fangs lunged for his throat, ignoring the agony of the spear wound and the deadly attack closing in on me.

I didn’t even have time to glimpse his face. I was going to rip him apart.

I wasn’t trying to kill him—I didn’t think I could with this strike.

But I was going to take a piece of him with me.

Then, in a flash, golden sparks blazed in my lycan’s pupils, contracting at the sudden burst of brilliance.

It all happened in an instant.

Magic threads wove around me, yanking me away from Umbros, flinging me far from his attack.