Mathias (#1 The Chronicles of the Demon Wolf)
Chapter 20

Mathias stares at the mirror in horror. Thousands of hideous creatures come out of the cracks on the ground. Chelsea laughs maniacally, looking content at her summoning. He could never expect things would have come this serious. First, the corrupted trees. Now, hell breaks loose once again.

All these years, he had fought so much to keep the peace—to keep what his parents had built. But now, it’s falling apart once more. Maybe if he was insane enough in the past, he could have killed Arthur instead of giving him the chance for a trial.

“The area is contained. As far as we’ve concerned, the creatures are still within perimeters of our barrier. They would not reach the nearest town,” Cynthia says, motioning her hand above the mirror and the vision disappeared.

“How long the barrier could hold?” Ryker asks.

“Not for long. Chelsea is growing stronger. It’s like…” she pauses for a moment. “…she’s absorbing the power emitted through the crack. It’s recharging her.”

“We all know Arthur purposely stole the artifact to free the Goddess of Death. With the corrupted energy all around us, this is basically a makeshift Underworld.”

The more they’re getting information about Arthur and his plan, the more the fate sides with him. Mathias couldn’t think of a thing. Everything is in Arthur’s favor right now. With the energy corrupted all around them, the surviving witches and wizards couldn’t do a thing either because they’re not black magic practitioners. Mathias has a little to no army. They could barely hold on with the situation. Everything is hanging by a thread.

It would be a losing fight on his side if he decides to go after Arthur now. Mathias needs an army but his army is within the corrupted trees. He needs to come up with a plan. Lives are at stake here.

Mathias walks out of the office, leaving everyone else dumbfounded by his action. He couldn’t think on his own. His mind races in unknown speed and it scares him. Before all of these, he could ask his old man for advices but Cohen isn’t in a good condition either.

He stops on his track when he sees Eva talking to Sebastian. Deep inside of him, Mathias feels jealous seeing how close she’s standing in the embrace of her mate. Then, he realizes she was never his to begin with. Since the beginning, Mathias knew Eva was never destined to be his mate and Luna.

Yes, they had the chemistry but fate had something else in store for them. As much as it hurts him seeing her finally accepting the fate, Mathias knows sooner or later he would have to do the same.

But, he lost both of them.

Chelsea and Eva.

Little did he know, Mathias already the room where his mother is admitted. She looks paler than before. It looks like she didn’t have any color left on her skin. He knows the corrupted energy is affecting her as much as it affects him.

“Momma,” he says, reaching for her hand.

Mira smiles weakly to her son. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Mathias sits down next to the bed. “I don’t know what to do. Everything is falling apart. I did this.”

“You knew exactly what you had to do. You just didn’t have the courage to do it.”

“He was my friend—a brother…I couldn’t…” he pauses, looking guilty. “He wanted to change the world. To bring peace. To unite everyone. But…he used my trust.”

Not only his trust, but everyone’s trust too. Arthur betrayed all of them. They believed he wouldn’t become what his father had become. But, he proved them wrong. He never planned to be good—to be the one who would protect the world. All he wanted was avenging for what had happened to his family.

Moving her right bruised hand, she reaches for Mathias. “Sometimes, people that we love would be the ones who hurt us the most. You’re just need to decide who would worth the pain.”

He looks into her eyes. The beautiful and piercing blue orbs of hers that his father had fallen in love with is slowly losing its color. Mathias knows it has something to do with the corrupted energy. It’s taking its toll on everyone.

This is Mirabelle Kingsley, the last survivor of the King Xavier’s House. Whenever everyone speaks of her and the things she did, Mathias feels ashamed. His mother was a strong woman and still is. She fights until the end. But, he failed to follow her reputation. He was nothing like his mother or his father.

Through their sweat and blood, they built the kingdom that everyone had dreamed of for many centuries. Now, it’s crumbling down because Mathias defied the fate. When one defied the fate, the consequence could be seen all around them. This is his punishment for defying what the fate had written for him.

How could he do this? To his mother? His family? To everyone? He was the future of the Kingsley family. He was the future Alpha of the pack. He was a leader to everyone who pledged their loyalty to him. Because of his own stupidity, he destroyed everything.

Before he could reply her, Mathias hisses when her claws pierce his hand. He moves his attention to her eyes. Suddenly, he no longer seeing his mother. The demon wolf is taking control of her. Something is definitely wrong with her behavior.

“Step back!”

Someone pulls Mathias aside before his mother could do further damage to his hand. A loud and piercing scream fills the room. She trashes on the bed as Stefano binds her down with unseen force. The sound of bones cracking could be heard. She’s forced to shift to her demon wolf form.

“What’s wrong with momma?” Tanto barges in followed by the rest of their siblings.

“What’s happening?” Ryker questions. “Speak.”

“She’s coming for your mother,” the High Lord answers. Fear is evident in his voice.

For the first time, they hear fear laces in Stefano’s voice. All these times, he had never fear anyone. Not even the Angels. This time, it’s different. His voice is not the only thing that holds fear. Even his eyes look terrified for whatever is happening.

“The Goddess is coming for your mother,” Stefano adds.

“Goddess of Death? She should have found a vessel by now,” Cynthia points out.

Stefano shakes his head. “No, not her. The Moon Goddess is coming for your mother.”

A/N

Hey guys, sorry for the super late update for my book. I've been super busy because I'm working for a construction company and involved in a big project. So, my schedule is tight and everything. I will try to update ASAP but fingers crossed.

I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for the comments, likes and reviews for all my books. I wish I could reply them all. I really appreciate to hear the feedback from my readers.

Anyway, happy weekend.

Lots of love,

Zhensachiko.