đ Episode 50: The Last Dawn
Lila's POV
The world erupted in chaos.
Wolves poured from the treeline in a wave of fur and fangs, their howls shaking the night. Ethan's pack clashed with them, the forest exploding into roars, snarls, and the wet sound of tearing flesh.
I gripped the iron poker in trembling hands, my chest heaving. Every instinct screamed at me to hide, but I couldn't. Not now.
Because I saw him.
Marcus.
He moved through the battlefield like a shadow, calm in the storm, his crimson eyes fixed on me.
My heart stuttered. He wasn't just here to fight. He was here for me.
"Ethan!" I shouted, panic threading my voice.
Ethan turned, his golden eyes locking on Marcus. Fury blazed across his face, his wolf pushing to the surface.
"Stay behind me," he growled, his claws lengthening, fangs flashing.
But Marcus only smiled.
"Alpha," he purred, his voice carrying easily over the carnage. "At last."
Ethan's POV
The sight of him made my blood boil. Marcusâmy greatest threat, my greatest failure.
But tonight, it ended.
"You'll never touch her," I snarled, stepping forward.
He tilted his head mockingly. "Touch her? Oh, Ethan⌠I'll own her."
Rage ripped through me. With a roar, I lunged.
We collided with bone-shattering force, claws and fangs slashing, the ground trembling under our weight. Sparks of agony lit my body as his claws tore across my shoulder, but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
This wasn't just a fight. This was war.
Lila's POV
The battle around me blurredâwolves tearing into each other, trees splintering under the force of the fightâbut my focus was on them. Ethan and Marcus, locked in a dance of death.
Every strike Ethan landed, Marcus countered. Every wound Marcus gave, Ethan fought through.
But I could see itâEthan was holding something back. He wasn't using his full strength.
Why?
Then it hit me. He was protecting me. Even now, with his life on the line, he feared losing control and hurting me in the crossfire.
Tears burned my eyes. He was willing to die to keep me safe.
And I couldn't let that happen.
Ethan's POV
Marcus's claws raked across my chest, and I staggered back, blood dripping into the dirt.
"You're weaker than I thought," Marcus sneered, circling. "Your love makes you soft."
I wiped blood from my mouth, my wolf snarling for release.
"You wouldn't understand," I spat.
He lunged, his claws flashing toward my throatâ
And then a scream split the air.
"Ethan!"
Lila.
My head snapped toward her. She wasn't hiding. She was running straight toward us, iron poker raised high.
"No!" I roared, terror flooding me.
Lila's POV
Marcus's eyes widened just as I swung. The poker seared into his arm, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. He howled, staggering back.
"You littleâ" he snarled, spinning toward me.
But Ethan was faster.
With a roar that shook the trees, he tackled Marcus, driving him into the ground.
Ethan's POV
I pinned him, claws digging into his chest, my wolf howling inside me. For a moment, I nearly lost myself, nearly ripped him apart in blind fury.
But then I felt it.
The bond.
Lila's presence, steady and fierce, anchoring me.
I looked down at Marcus, his crimson eyes blazing with hate. "This ends now."
He spat blood in my face. "Then do it. Be the monster you've always feared."
I froze. The words cut deep. Because part of me had always feared he was right. That if I gave in fully to my wolf, I'd lose myselfâand her.
But then I felt Lila's hand on my shoulder, her voice steady.
"You're not a monster, Ethan. You're mine."
And just like that, the fear shattered.
I let my wolf free.
The Final Duel
My claws tore through Marcus's defenses. He fought viciously, but for every strike he landed, I landed three. Strength I hadn't dared to use before surged through me, fueled by the bond.
Marcus's confidence cracked, his snarls turning desperate.
"You can't win!" he spat. "If you kill me, you'll lose yourselfâ"
"No," I growled, slamming him to the ground one final time. "I'll finally be whole."
And with a final, brutal strike, I ended him.
His scream echoed through the clearing before silence fell. His body lay still, his crimson eyes fading into dull emptiness.
Lila's POV
The battlefield quieted. Marcus's army, seeing their leader fall, broke into chaosâsome fleeing, some surrendering. Ethan's pack quickly overpowered the rest.
I stood frozen, my chest heaving, staring at the man I loved.
He turned to me, bloodied but standing tall, his golden eyes still burning. But they were softer now, steadier.
It was over.
I stumbled forward, and he caught me, pulling me into his arms.
"It's done," he whispered into my hair.
I clung to him, tears spilling freely. "You didn't lose yourself."
He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his thumb brushing away my tears. "No. You saved me."
Ethan's POV
As dawn broke, light spilling across the forest, I realized what I had almost lostâand what I had finally found.
For years, I had feared my wolf, feared the bond, feared myself. But with Lila, I wasn't weak. I wasn't dangerous.
I was whole.
I pressed my forehead to hers, my voice low. "No more running. No more hiding. We face everythingâtogether."
Her smile trembled, fierce and beautiful. "Together."
And as the first rays of sunlight bathed us in gold, I knew the war was over.
But our story had only just begun.
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⨠End of Episode 50
Final episode