Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 171

Aiden's

pov

I knew this house from memory, I realized, as I followed my uncle's pungent scent, trying to sniff out where he was hiding like the rat that he is. Victor used to bring me here to train away from the prying eyes of the maids and soldiers who were still loyal to my parents and could start an awful rumour about him.

It was with a heavy heart that I parted from my mate and my friends turned brothers. Lily would never forgive me if I didn't come back to her. She already resented me a bit for wanting to do this on my own... It's just one of the many "things I need to spend the rest of my life making up to her.

My blood thrummed with excitement as his scent got stronger and stronger and my feet quickened its pace. I was practically drooling at the thought of ending this once and for all.

I found him waiting for me, his hands folded as I stepped into the sparring room.

My thoughts were filled with memories as I stepped into the amphitheater that had been where I had trained for most of my life and had been where my uncle had beaten me almost half to earth under the pretense of training me.

Looking around the row of seats that rose in steps down to the ring at the center where my uncle was waiting for me, I took in a deep breath and reminded myself that I could not leave here without making sure that he was dead

As if he had been waiting for me, he turned his head away from staring at something on the wall and smiled at me and I hated the part of me that had really wanted to build a home with him after my parents died... The naive part of me that had remained hopeful even though he had shown himself time and again that he was nothing more than a monster that preyed on the weakness of others.

"That took you long enough, nephew, I have been waiting for you." His voice echoed round the hall and almost sounded like he had genuinely missed me even though he had drugged me up and left me to die and I snarled, done "with this sham.

"Today is the day you die by my hands, Victor. I hope you said your prayers to whatever demon you worship this morning."

Victor laughed, obviously amused by my words.

"You've always been stupid but it seems the drugs have finally seeped into your brain. You think you can beat me with those drugs in your system? With your powers dulled like a blunt knife? You'll be lucky to even land one blow on me and that would probably be because I'd let you so that you don't feel even more useless. You need all the luck you can get." He replied and it was my turn to smile.

"I don't need luck to beat you. Ask the goddess for mercy, uncle, for you will replace none with me."

I roared and transformed into my Lycan form, my senses heightening and all I could see was red as I lunged for my uncle, who transformed almost immediately, blocking my punch with a tremendous amount of strength.

He met me punch for punch and we were a blur of teeth and fur, claws and growls as we attacked each other, both of us knowing that only one of us would come out alive

I could feel my body revolting against me, the drugs in my system causing me to be more sluggish and less coordinated. I forced my body to act right. I couldn't afford its inadequacies right now and Lily would have my head if I didn't return back to her. It was clear that Victor could see me struggling and

- capitalized on it, pushing me into a corner as he slammed me against the wall and dealt a hard punch that made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

Just as I was trying to regain my balance, I slipped and staggered back, my vision blurring.

Victor didn't stop, not that I was expecting him to not seize the opportunity to get rid of me and he kicked me hard in the stomach, picking me up by the throat and squeezed hard enough that my eyes bulged out and I struggled for air. "Worthless scum. You should be thanking me for not getting rid of you all those years ago after you narrowly escaped dying with your miserable family. But patience is not denial, Aiden and tonight this will be the last breath you take."

He smiled, his face boasting victory as he tightened both hands around my throat and as I closed my eyes, fell myself slipping away, my life leaving my body and it fell so good to give up. It fell so easy to just surrender to the darkness, but I could not allow that. I could not allow Victor to win and continue to cause havoc. I could not abandon my loved ones, my best friends... my mate. I had to avenge the death of my parents and make sure that Victor never stole life from any other family again. I needed to make sure that other werewolves never experienced what I went through. I needed 1o win.

Finding strength even though it felt like there was nothing left, I gripped at his hands with my own hands and Victors eyes widened in surprise. I locked my bloody lips and pushed back at him, feeling my powers rise as Nyx, my

- wolf whose presence I had hardly felt some moments ago rose to the forefront, lending me his powers and I roared, blasting at him with my powers and flinging him into the other side of the room.

The battle has just begun.

Lily's pov

Bloodshed. c*****e. There were no words to describe the streets of Shadow cove, filled with blood and screaming as innocents were cut down. Shaking my head to stop myself from losing focus especially with a winged beast trying and failing to grasp at my claws, I shoved down the deep sorrow that I was feeling and managed to bring it down with my shadows, quickly proceeding to set it on fire, thanks to the powers that I had inherited from Zac through our bond.

I realized that letting Dahlia out had helped me to have better control over my abilities, because there was no way I could have even a quarter of the battlefield experience that 1 had demonstrated without her help, but using it for a long period was causing me to burn up. Fast. I really couldn't afford to use it again because it felt like I would spontaneously combust if 1 did

My heart was not getting any better than my body, tugging me almost forcefully in Aiden's direction because I was sure he was in danger. He was wounded. Terribly so and yet....

I heard a shrill scream just as I forced down my thoughts and I turned just in time to see the beast narrowly miss me thanks to Cade punching it out of the way with his bare hands, pummeling it into the ground until it stopped

" breathing.

"Thank you," I said, panting as I rushed to meet him and he squeezed my hand, both of ours covered in blood and managed to still crack a smile in the midst of this chaos.

"I'll always watch your back, sunflower."

"But who watches yours?" I asked, anxiety tugging at my heart, the vision I had of him flashing in my head.

I had told him about the vision I saw of him and he had told me that the only way hed go was if he'd go protecting me.

I didn't like the sound of that either.

"I'm indestructable, my queen. There's no reason to watch my back, so stop worrying before I kiss that pout off your face."

"But rhodium. I don't want you hurting yourself for me. You matter too 48

"Don't you get it, Lily?" He suddenly exploded, losing some of that clear-cut control he usually has.

"Don't you

understand? I don't live if you die!" He was panting, his hand clasping mine was trembling like he had caught a cold. "So don't worry about me, okay? Let me do the worrying for you." "Cade "

"Cynthia is dead, Aiden is taking care of Victor." He craddled my cheeks with his trembling hands. "We've won this war, Lily. You can rest easy now."

We turned around to see the rest of the wolves finish rounding up the rest of the ferals and winged creatures that had appeared out of nowhere right on the streets and the mages had managed to seal the rest of them away.

It was over. We won. I heaved a sigh of relief and just as I was about to fall into Cades arms, exhaustion hitting my bones, I felt an invisible hand wrap around my neck and squeeze hard, cutting off my air supply. As quickly as the feeling came, it disappeared but the warning was more than enough for me to know what was happening.

Something was happening to Aiden and I needed to get to him right now. I didn't give a s**t that he wanted to kill his uncle himself. I wasn't going to lose him. I couldn't.

Sprinting in the direction the bond was pulling me too, I rushed into the amphitheater ready to save him and paused, taking in the scene before me. Aiden was... winning.

Infact there was no trace of the weak, almost dying mate that I had been forced to send away to go and fight his deranged uncle. Sharp spikes fashioned from shadows erupted from the ground and pinned Victor in place and his screams was the sweetest thing I have ever heard

I watched as Aiden crouched down to pull his uncle a head close and whisper something in his ear that caused him to begin to yell and thrash out but there was nothing that's could be done, because Aiden reached into his chest, his laugh cold and sinister as he dug his claws into Victor's flesh and ripped his heart out of his chest.

Eerie silence enveloped the hall as Aiden rose to his feet, panting hard as he stared at the heart in his hand before dropping it to the ground, his eyes wide with shock and

"disbelief.

I rushed over to him and even though I was standing right beside him, he didn't look up. Probably didn't even notice I was there,

, his eyes on the ground as he painted and when I hugged him from behind, his panting turned even harsher and louder, his entire body shaking as he finally fell to the ground.

I went down with him as he turned and clutched me to his chest, his body wracked with sobs that made my heart tighten with relief. He was okay. He was here.

"I-I did it." He whispered shakily and I rubbed his back, looking at Victor's lifeless body as I helped Aiden up to his feet. Victor's eyes remained open as if he had died in shock, which served him right.

"The worst is over, my love. You did it," I whispered, cupping his face as he smiled through his tears. "You killed your uncle!"

He grinned at me, a satisfied sigh leaving his lips.

I was about to tell him that we had also won on the outside when awareness tingled my spine and I looked over Aiden's shoulder and saw a hooded person, drawing a bow and nocking an arrow in our direction, at Aiden.

1 didn't even need to think about it, my reaction was instant as I shoved Aiden to the ground and covered his body with mine.

heard a grunt and thud and when I touched my body, there was no arrow.

I opened my eyes and my body went cold as I saw what

*had transpired. Cade had thrown himself in front of me and taken the arrow and as I watched his chest rise and fall very slowly, the vision I had seen about this exact scene kept replaying in my head.

"No..." I gasped, looking around to replace the shooter, to even catch their scent, but they were already gone.

"Are you out of your mind, Lily? Why the hell would you jump in the way of the arrow for me?" Aiden growled, his voice breaking with fear and anger, furiously shaking me and that was when I snapped out of my shock, cold sweat breaking out on my face as I rushed to kneel beside Cade, taking his hand.

"No..." I whispered, "no no no!" I screamed, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Why?" I whispered, my body shaking with grief and Cade smiled, "indestructable, remember? I ca-" the words died in his throat

Opening his mouth, he tried to speak but no words came out. He tried again and this time, blood spurted from his mouth

He blinked in confusion, quickly ripping the arrow out of his chest and that was when his eyes finally widened in horror because he was not healing, but bleeding very fast.