Chapter 50

~Farren POV~

My plan had fucked up…

BIG time.

As I had reached the King's chambers, I'd been overridden by unexpected company. I had not been expecting all hell to have broken loose downstairs either.

I was glad that Aaden and Derek got through, but it had been my worst nightmare when the gate had closed in my face. Now, I was at the mercy of dear old Dad.

I'd been captured, brought back to the King, and forced to my knees. I stayed like this now, awaiting for the bastard to show his face. Finally, I heard the doors on the opposite end of the main room open, and his all too familiar footsteps.

He walked to the throne at the head of the room and sat down, chuckling as he went. You just wait, you bastard. I thought, feeling a little smug.

"Farren Briar Gardenia Caverly," he stated my full name, pissing me off instantly, before continuing, "seems you've been messing around with too big a mission. Tsk, tsk." "Yeah, and until last evening, we were demolishing everything in our paths, what makes you think we'll back down now?"

I didn't receive an answer, but instead was kicked hard in the ribs and pushed toward the throne. Coughing, I tried to sit up, but growled when he reached forward and took me by the throat, angrily glaring into my eyes. "I never would have believed you could get this far, and for what? You're going to lose." His breath wafted over my face, and I shuddered, smelling blood, and I believed it to be fresh. "As the princess, you should have known first and foremost that treason would get you killed. But, as punishment, I'm going to make you watch your friends die."

I let anger radiate through me, giving me extra adrenaline. "Oh yeah?" I scoffed, "I have something you don't!" "What could you possibly have that I don't already?"

"The Alpha and his Luna."

Lorcan Kern's body went stiff, rigid. With a roar, he stood, gripping my throat tightly, cutting off my supply of air. I struggled against his vampire strength, but I could only do so much with my half human side. "Foolish girl!" He bellowed, his eyes turning a brilliant shade of crimson, "You cannot defeat me! I will kill you first!"

He threw me onto the ground, delivering a swift, sharp kick to my stomach before I could recoup. I coughed more, sucking in small, precious bits of air between heaves.

After a few minutes, Lorcan replaced his calm demeanor once more, and sat down. I looked up at him from the floor, blood dripping from my nose. "Arrogant child," he said, looking down at me as if I were the most pathetic thing he'd ever seen, "you have no hope. My guards took down almost your entire group yesterday evening. The young Alpha will not return for little you when he's got a Luna to protect. Loyalties never last when love plays a part."

Oh, how wrong he was. What he didn't know, and never would, is that Aaden and Derek weren't fighting for themselves. They were fighting for their family. They might not make it in time to save me, but they would put an end to Lorcan's reign, that I knew for certain.

I hauled myself to my feet and spat a mixture of blood and saliva at the foot of his throne. "Be it me, or them, or a random ally, you will die." I said to him. He said nothing, then smiled.

"Take her down to the dungeon boys. Use your imaginations."

~Aaden POV~

"I can't believe Farren's dead…"

Hearing my own voice utter those words still sent shock waves through me. Farren was dead…?

Could it really be? But there was absolutely no way she could have survived that trampling and the beatings. "What the hell are we going to tell Spencer?"

I sat on the grass, letting Derek give me strength and I offered him mine. We couldn't return to the base; that would be dangerous. So, we were camped out in an open field, praying for daylight.

"I highly doubt the King would allow them to just kill her, Aaden," he glanced down at me before returning his eyes to the woods edge, "he'll have her beaten, tortured, possibly burned alive. There may be a way and time to save her. We have to try."

"What can we do?" "Fight. We're going to rest here for a while, then we're going to attack again. If the King dies, the others will run off. We have to get rid of him." I agreed, but there were so few of us. We'd gone from 112 people last night to fifty-four. With so little, could we fight our way to the King?

We had to try.

When the sun was just beginning to rise, we called a meeting, attempting to devise a new strategy. But, I was determined, while they fought their ways to him, I needed to find Farren. If she was alive, and damn, I sure hoped she was, I'd get her freed and we'd join back in.

Derek agreed to this, even though he didn't like it. But, then a thought occurred to me.

Draw the bad guys to us.

"Derek, if we make them come here, they won't have the advantage of hiding places. If we bring them to the open field, there's nowhere to run." He looked at me in surprise, and I saw the wheels in his head turning. "Okay everyone!" He said loudly, bringing them in again, "Your Luna has spoken. There will be a change of plans. Instead of attacking the castle again, we're going to bring them here. I need all of you to get ready for this. Once we've attracted them here, Aaden will sneak into the castle and retrieve Farren. Are we clear?"

There were mumbles of agreeing and I stood taller. "I love you," Derek said, bringing his lips down on mine. "And I love you. Fight hard, and I'll see you when I come back."

Now, I stood just outside the castle, hiding in the foliage of the plants and bushes. Derek, as well as another twenty people, ran through the still open castle door, and minutes later, came running back out. It took a little while, but suddenly, there was a crowd rushing out of the door, taking off down the trail, scarily quiet. They were using their senses to try and find their trail, one that they had deliberately left behind.

I waited until the coast was clear, when the last person had rushed out for a while, then climbed out of my hiding place. Just as I reached the door, I heard the fight start from the field, and worry set in my heart. Focus, I thought, save Farren. This is your job. Save her, bring your family back and serve justice!

I snuck into the place, running mostly on my tip toes over the hard floors, begging no sound to echo. I dashed into a room silently after almost catching the attention of a roaming guard. I waited until he passed in front of me, then sprung and took his head off.

"One less of you to worry about." I mumbled, then went in the direction he had come from.

Thankfully, I came across a door in the floor. Opening it slightly, I nearly gagged at the sudden, raging smell that invaded my nostrils. Blood, pain, tears. I listened closely, hearing nothing until I took the first step.

"Fucking asshole!" That was Farren's voice!

She was alive at least, but for how long if I did not hurry? Holding my breath for a few seconds, I silently rushed down the stairs, using my ears to try and find her exact position. Stopping in front of one door, I was startled when a bear of a man came hurriedly out of a door just yards away. I pushed myself against the wall, hoping he didn't see me. He turned away from me and began walking down the corridor.

Sighing quietly, I went to the door he'd come from and opened it. A dank room was lit by a single, flickering bulb, and there was no sign of Farren, but in the corner, there was a withered looking figure. I walked over quietly for a closer look, but the body made no noise or an attempt to move. I reached out and pressed my fingers to the throat, but received no answering thump. This person was dead.

Feeling a new wave of sickness overcome me, I backed up, and made my way back out the door. I checked every door in this direction with no luck. I was about to turn and go in the opposite direction when I heard Farren yelling again. That came from the east wing, and I made my way carefully over, pausing to listen for her again.

She didn't disappoint me.

"Take that thing and shove it up your ass!" Screams followed her words, and I quickly made my way in without being noticed. The guy chuckled angrily, wielding a cattle prod, sticking it to random parts of her body every few seconds. "Fucker," she said weakly. "Oh just wait Princess, you've got more fun, creative things coming your way."

"Not on my watch." I growled, repeating the words she'd once used when coming to save me. Quickly, I leapt on him, ripping his head from his body, and throwing it into the corner of the room.

"Boy, am I glad to see you." She said, trying to sound amused, but pain etched her words. "I'm going to get you out of here." "No," she groaned, "I don't leave until that asshole is dead in pieces." "Farren, you're beyond weak and ill." "I don't care. Help me, Aaden, please."

I sighed, then untied her wrists. They were bloody from the ropes that had had her suspended midair, and she rubbed them once her feet hit the floor. "Come on," she said quietly, struggling to walk normally to the door. "Farren-"

"You're not talking me out of this. He dies, today." I wanted to scream in frustration, but I understood. We were going to have to cut the snake's head off.

I helped her up the stairs. "Where is Derek?" She asked. "Fighting. They lured them to the field away from here." "What? That's…that's genius! Lorcan Kern never figured on his warriors leaving the battle grounds. He's as good as dead without protection."

Without another word, she took off, painfully, running in the direction of the main room. Sure enough, when we arrived there, he was inside, sitting on a golden throne, reading some papers, with a guard on either side of him.

Angrily, she slammed open the doors. The King stood at once, angered by the loud intrusion, then a look of disbelief came over him. "It can't be…" He said, his eyes growing rounder and paler by the second.

"It can be," Farren spoke, sounding triumphant, "and it is. This ends, now."

"Guards! They're in the main room!" "Too late for that! They're outside, they can't hear you!" She was victorious already, and she knew it.

The King's face grew angry, his eyes deepening to red. "That's not possible! You're just a mutant! You cannot defeat me!"

The two guards on his sides decided this was the time to bail, and they took off out of the side doors in the room. "Fools! Come back here and defend your king!" Lorcan cried out angrily, but they neither turned around nor made an effort to.

Farren's cold eyes struck at her father. "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to avenge my mother, Ella, VANA!" She screamed the last name, flying across the room and smashing her fist into his cheek. He roared with anger before reaching out and smacking her down.

She rose back up without going down fully and bashed his chin with her head. He screamed then, and I was taken back to see how she'd mutilated the bottom half of his face with that. His jaw had unhinged, hanging open as if there were no support. "You little bitch!" He yelled around his broken face.

"That was for Vana and Ella," then she swung out and connected her foot to his chest. At once, she came down hard and crushed his chest. From where I was, I could hear the bones snap. He inhaled sharply, gasping.

"That was for my mother, you son of a bitch. And this…well, this is from me."

With those words, she reached out with both hands and pinched his throat closed. As he gasped, I noticed his neck elongating, and with a sudden, loud popping noise, she detached his head.

She stood, looking like a new woman, and turned to me, her eyes glowing yellow, like sunshine rays.

Victorious.

After so long, and so much pain, she'd killed him.

**Thank you so much for reading! It's so weird that the story is coming to its close! There will be one more chapter after this, and then the epilogue! I want to say thank you again to the readers, and to those of you who favorited and followed and kept up throughout Aaden's, Derek's, and everyone else's lives. Please, R&R and have a good day!**