Chapter 81: Chapter 81 The Temple of Chains
Victoria
The ruins of an ancient temple loomed before us, half-swallowed by the dense forest that bordered River Valley Pack territory. Even in decay, the structure emanated a strange power that made my skin tingle and Ava stir restlessly within me. Thick vines crawled over crumbling stone walls, moonlight filtering through gaps in what remained of the roof, casting eerie shadows across the moss-covered floor.
"This place feels wrong," I whispered to Leo as we crouched behind a fallen column. "Like it’s watching us."
His amber eyes scanned the shadowy interior, his body tense beside mine. "It’s an old power site," he murmured. "Wolves used to worship here centuries ago, before the territory wars." His hand found mine in the darkness, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Focus on your brother’s scent. Is he here?"
I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The temple smelled of wet stone, decay, and something more primal—blood. Enzo’s blood. My eyes snapped open. "He’s inside. And he’s hurt... badly."
Leo nodded grimly. "Tiny, take the east entrance with Delta team. Victoria and I will approach from the main hall." His voice was barely audible, but I knew our warriors would catch every word with their enhanced hearing.
Tiny’s massive silhouette melted into the darkness with surprising grace for someone his size. Leo turned to me, his expression severe in the dim light.
"Stay behind me," he ordered softly. "No matter what we find in there."
I raised an eyebrow. "We already discussed this. I’m not hiding while my brother—"
"I’m not asking you to hide," he cut me off, brushing a strand of hair from my face with unexpected tenderness. "I’m asking you to let me take the first hit if it comes to that. My body heals faster than yours."
The concern in his eyes made my throat tighten. After our confrontation with Marcus’s hologram earlier, Leo had been even more protective—if that was possible. I nodded reluctantly.
"Fine. But if you get yourself killed trying to play hero, I’ll never forgive you."
His mouth quirked in that half-smile that always made my heart skip. "Noted."
We moved silently through the ruins, stepping over fallen debris and under sagging archways. As we ventured deeper into the temple, the air grew heavier, charged with something I couldn’t name. The plants around us seemed more alive, more aware, rustling without wind as we passed.
*We know you, daughter of two worlds,* they seemed to whisper. *The blood of the forest runs in your veins.*
I shivered, trying to focus on the task at hand. After what felt like an eternity, we reached what must have once been the temple’s main chamber—a circular room with a cracked stone altar at its center. And chained to that altar, his body limp and bloody, was Enzo.
"Enzo!" I gasped, forgetting all caution as I rushed forward.
Leo’s arm shot out, catching me around the waist. "Wait," he growled, nostrils flaring as he scented the air. "Something’s not right."
I strained against his grip. "That’s my brother! He’s dying!"
"And this is exactly how Marcus would want you to react," Leo hissed, his eyes scanning the shadows. "Think, Victoria. It’s too easy."
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Marcus wasn’t known for carelessness. If Enzo was here, exposed and seemingly unguarded, it was a trap.
"Aurora," I suddenly realized. "She’s not here. Marcus has split them up as insurance."
Leo nodded slowly. "Clever girl," he murmured, a hint of pride in his voice. He tapped his comm unit twice—a signal to Tiny and the others to proceed with extreme caution.
"We still need to get to him," I insisted, my eyes fixed on Enzo’s battered form. His chest rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths. "He doesn’t have much time."
Leo’s jaw clenched as he considered our options. "I’ll approach first. Cover me from here—if anything moves, anything at all, you call it out."
Before I could argue, he was moving, a shadow among shadows as he crossed the chamber toward the altar. I held my breath, every sense straining for signs of danger. The plants around me trembled with warning—*danger close, predators waiting*—but I couldn’t pinpoint the threat.
Leo reached Enzo without incident, checking his pulse with two fingers against his neck. "He’s alive," he confirmed softly. "But barely."
Relief flooded through me, quickly followed by suspicion. This was too easy.
"Leo," I called quietly, "I think we should—"
A sudden movement from above cut me off. I looked up to see dark shapes descending from the broken ceiling—Marcus’s men, at least six of them, dropping into the chamber with military precision.
"Leo!" I screamed as two warriors landed directly behind him.
He whirled, instantly shifting into a fighting stance, but one of the attackers had already drawn a weapon—a short blade that gleamed with an unnatural blue light.
Silver-infused steel.
Everything seemed to slow down. I saw the blade arcing toward Leo’s back as he grappled with the first attacker. I saw Enzo’s eyes flutter open, confusion and fear crossing his battered face. I saw my own hand reaching out uselessly, too far away to help.
And then I felt something surge within me—not Ava, but something older, wilder. The plants around the temple responded instantly, vines whipping through the air with a life of their own. One thick tendril wrapped around the wrist of the warrior with the silver blade, yanking him backward just as the weapon would have connected with Leo’s spine.
Everyone in the chamber froze, staring at the animated vines that now writhed across the floor like serpents, responding to my unspoken command.
"What the fuck," one of the warriors whispered, his eyes wide with fear as a vine curled threateningly around his ankle.
Leo used the distraction to his advantage, disarming his opponent with brutal efficiency before knocking him unconscious with a precise blow to the temple. He glanced back at me, his expression a mix of shock and appreciation.
"A little warning next time," he said dryly, before turning to face the remaining attackers.
The fight that followed was chaos. Tiny and his team burst through the side entrance, engaging Marcus’s men with coordinated precision. Leo moved like a force of nature, his attacks flowing with lethal grace as he carved a path toward me.
I focused on keeping the vines active, using them to trip and restrain our enemies while making my way to Enzo. When I finally reached the altar, my brother’s condition made my heart sink. His face was barely recognizable beneath the bruises and dried blood, and his breathing had grown even shallower.
"Enzo," I whispered, cradling his head gently. "Can you hear me?"
His eyes fluttered open, glazed with pain. "Vic?" he croaked, his voice a broken shadow of itself. "You... came."
"Of course I came, you idiot," I said, tears stinging my eyes as I worked to unfasten the chains binding him to the altar. "You’re my brother."
A weak, bitter laugh escaped his cracked lips. "After everything... I did to you?"
I paused, memories of his cruelty flashing through my mind—the years of torment, the final betrayal of selling me to Leo to clear his debts. Yet looking at him now, broken and vulnerable, I couldn’t summon hatred. Only pity, and a complicated tangle of love that had never truly died.
"We’ll talk about that later," I said firmly. "When you’re not bleeding all over this creepy altar."
His eyes suddenly widened, focusing on something behind me. "Victoria—"
A sharp pain exploded at the back of my skull, sending me sprawling across the stone floor. Through blurred vision, I saw a massive figure standing over me—one of Marcus’s elite guards, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
"Got you," he growled, raising a silver-tipped boot to stomp on my face.