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Chapter 24: Silver and Gold
The lycan lunged for Zoe, and everything inside me snapped into motion.
I grabbed the nearest thing I could — my dagger— and hurled it with all my strength. It smacked into the creature's side, barely making it flinch, but it was enough to turn its murderous gaze on me.
"Come on, ugly," I growled, staggering to my feet.
The lycan snarled, foam dripping from its lips. Blood matted its fur, but not enough. Not nearly enough.
I reached for my quiver and cursed under my breath.
Empty.
No silver arrows left.
All I had was my bronze dagger.
I gripped it tighter anyway.
Because that was the only choice I had.
The beast charged.
I barely managed to sidestep, slashing at its side as it passed.
The dagger bit in — shallow, but enough to make it yelp in surprise.
It spun around faster than I could react, swiping a massive claw toward my chest.
I jumped back, tripped over a root, and barely rolled out of the way before its claws sank into the dirt where my throat had been.
The ground shook with the force of its strike, dirt exploding into the air.
I scrambled to my feet, heart hammering so loud it drowned out everything else.
Every breath burned in my lungs.
I had to be faster.
Smarter.
The lycan lunged again.
I ducked under its swipe, stabbing upward with all my strength.
The dagger bit into its side — but it barely flinched.
Celestial bronze could hurt it.
But it wouldn'tstopit.
It was like trying to fight a hurricane with a toothpick.
The lycan let out a guttural snarl and raked its claws across my arm.
Pain flared white-hot.
The world narrowed to that one burning line from my shoulder to my wrist.
Warm blood soaked through the shredded fabric of my jacket almost immediately, dripping from my fingertips.
I stumbled back, the dagger slipping in my sweaty, shaking grip.
I needed a plan.
I needed—
The lycan slammed into me full-force.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs.
I hit the ground hard, a sharp crack splitting through my shoulder as it wrenched at an impossible angle with a sickening pop.
White-hot agony exploded through my body.
I screamed through gritted teeth, trying to shove the monster off me.
The lycan circled me, jaws slavering, lips peeled back in a feral grin.
Blood poured from the gashes on my arm, pooling on the forest floor.
Every heartbeat was a hammer pounding against my skull.
I forced myself to my knees, panting, the world spinning around me.
Come on, come on, come on—
It pounced.
I threw myself sideways — not fast enough.
Its claw raked down my leg, tearing flesh like paper.
The pain was blinding, all-consuming, a firestorm that tore through my nerves.
I collapsed hard.
My leg twisted at an unnatural angle underneath me — broken, useless.
The world tilted and dimmed.
Blood soaked my torn clothes, sticky and hot against my cooling skin.
My hands trembled violently, and the dagger slipped from my fingers.
The lycan prowled closer, savoring the moment.
Its paws crushed the leaves and twigs beneath it with slow, deliberate steps.
I tried to crawl backward, but my body wouldn't cooperate.
My dislocated shoulder hung uselessly, my broken leg screaming with every twitch.
"No…" I gasped, the word barely a whisper.
"Not like this..."
The lycan pinned me down with one massive paw, its weight crushing the air from my chest.
I could hear the wet gurgle of my own breath.
Its claws dug into my side, tearing deep.
More blood poured out, soaking into the dirt beneath me.
I could feel it — the strength draining from my body, second by second.
I struggled weakly, slapping at its paw with my good hand, but it was like trying to move a mountain.
The beast leaned in close, breath hot and rancid against my face.
Drool dripped onto my cheek.
I tried to raise my dagger again, but my fingers barely responded.
My vision blurred.
Everything spun.
The lycan reared back, jaws open wide, ready to end it.
In that moment, the world slowed to a crawl.
All I could think about was how cold the night air felt against my skin.
How the moon seemed so far away.
The lycan roared.
And then—
His claw never hit me. It stopped.
Zoe.
She threw herself between us.
The world slowed down, a terrible slow-motion dream I couldn't wake up from.
The lycan's claw — meant for me — punched through her chest instead.
I heard the wet, horriblesoundit made.
I saw her eyes go wide with pain.
Her body jerked forward, her mouth opening in a silent gasp.
Then something impossible happened.
The lycan howled in confusion — a guttural, panicked sound.
Because the claws that had punctured Zoe's body… were changing.
Turning rigid.
Shining.
Gold.
Starting where they had pierced Zoe's body, the transformation spread outward like wildfire.
The lycan yanked its paw back, trying to retreat — but the gold crawled along its skin, over its wrists, up its arms, unstoppable.
Its fur stiffened into metallic strands.
Its muscles hardened mid-movement.
The beast stumbled back, howling and thrashing, but it couldn't shake it off.
It clawed desperately at its own body, trying to tear the gold away — but every scratch only hastened the transformation.
The gold spread across its chest, its ribs, its spine.
Cracks echoed through the clearing as the lycan's bones solidified into metal.
Its howls grew weaker, sharper, until they sounded less like a monster and more like a thing.
One final, choking snarl — and then silence.
The lycan stood frozen mid-lunge, transformed entirely into a grotesque golden statue.
Its face was twisted in agony.
Its jaws were still open, forever caught in its final roar.
The forest was eerily silent.
Except for Zoe.
She crumpled next to me, blood pouring from the gaping wound in her chest.
Her breaths were shallow, rattling, like each one might be her last.
I dragged myself toward her, every inch of my body screaming in protest.
I didn't care.
I didn't feel the blood loss anymore.
Zoe was lying on her side, blood pooling beneath her.
Her skin was pale, her breathing shallow and fast.
"Zoe," I whispered, "No, no, no—"
I choked out, reaching for her hand.
Her fingers were cold.
Sticky with blood.
But they twitched weakly around mine.
She turned her head just slightly, enough to meet my gaze.
A small, tired smile tugged at her lips.
"You were right, Aiden," she whispered.
Her voice was paper-thin, carried away almost before it reached me.
"I'm strong."
The light started to fade from her eyes.
"No, no, no, no, no," I said, choking on the words. "Stay with me, okay? Please, just—stay—"
Her hand twitched, reaching for mine.
I grabbed it, clutching her cold fingers in both of mine, ignoring the pain screaming through my body.
But she was already slipping away.
In the end, it was a soft thing — a sigh, almost — and then she was gone.
Zoe's lifeless body sprawled beside me, still and pale under the merciless moonlight.
The golden lycan loomed above us like a tombstone.
The world blurred again — but not from pain this time.
From tears.
I didn't even realize I was screaming until my throat went raw.
I pressed my forehead to hers, shaking, sobbing, bleeding.
The world felt too big, too empty.
Like the night had swallowed everything and left nothing behind.
Footsteps pounded toward us through the woods.
Shouts.
Voices.
Thalia burst into the clearing first, her bow half-drawn, eyes wild.
Sasha and Rey followed close behind, weapons ready.
They froze when they saw us.
The gold statue.
The blood.
Me clutching Zoe's hand.
Thalia's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Sasha gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
Rey stumbled back a step, pale as a ghost.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
The night closed in around us.
Heavy and final.
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