Northern Lands: Bound by fate

Chapter 29

ZANDER

I couldn't hear anything above the pounding of my heart in my chest. Conan took the lead, as the moons in the Asterion filament infused my wolf's spirit with more strength than I could have imagined. While we walked towards the castle, cloaked under the magical mantle of the Asterion forest and its inhabitants, I noticed the muscles in my physique and the sharper fangs protruding from my mandible.

I was stuck in his form, but it was clearly for a reason. My wolf's muscles were bulkier, and I had the impression that Conan was bigger in Asterion than on Earth. A werewolf was an impressive creature, standing out between normal wolves. Here, I was massive and deadlier. What I had thought to be a stumbling block, as I could not change back into a human and communicate with the group, was going to result in an advantage in battle.

And we all knew it was coming to that. Tybalt wasn't going to let Calandra out of his sight until he secured the throne and the following of the Asterion people. He would have to keep acting and keeping up the charade to make sure nobody would rebel.

With the carefully crafted plan in motion, all the elements discussed thoroughly as a group and, making sure none of us was going to be put in unnecessary peril, we decided to attack the castle during the wedding ceremony.

It took a lot from me to not storm the castle as we uncovered Tybalt's plans. My mate was behind those walls, held against her will and facing the future she had run from in the first place. The only thing that kept me sane throughout the preparations was knowing she was a strong woman, a born Gamma female and heir to the throne of one realm in this vast universe. She was remarkable, and I knew she was fighting every chance she got.

Figuring most guards would be stationed at the courtyard for the ceremony and the main doors left unattended during the celebrations, we grasped the opportunity. It didn't matter that I repeated a prayer in my head as a mantra to arrive in time to stop the handfasting. I felt Calandra's heartbreak the moment we entered through the great hallway. I knew we had to wait for the perfect opportunity to make our way inside with our varied group, but that didn't mean I felt less of a failure.

The pain bloomed in all the pack members that had accompanied me, and pity lay in their gazes. But I wasn't ready to give up my mate so easily to a coward that had enlisted a black magic witch to do his bidding and killing for him.

Abraxas and Kenna had prepared an elixir to temporarily blind the Asterion soldiers we passed as we made our way inside; we didn't want to cause them harm, as they were only people following orders. We needed the momentum to stun them and move forward into the castle. The tree nymphs weaved as spirits through the walls to scour the first floor while Ilaria had received the mission to find Calandra with pixies controlled by Priamos when we arrived, parting our ways with the ruling Asterion king and the blonde mage.

I could only hope they found her soon.

We crashed into the ostentatious ballroom, with grandiose heavy wooden doors and golden fixtures. Tall decorated glass windows spanned the entire walls, the sun shining through, showing a spectacle of lights and colors on the marble floor. As we fought off a group of guards and castle knights on patrol, I could not believe my ears.

"Zander!" I heard Cal's voice calling me, and my head whipped up over the ruckus and echoes resounding in the ballroom.

Our gazes met, and my chest expanded, warmth spreading as I saw her on the other side. She was safe and Ilaria was with her. Her fae wings sparkled in the light of the sun that shone through the crystal windows and the white wedding dress she wore hung tattered to pieces from her curved frame. Something had violently ripped it to pieces, strapped together with fighting leathers, just as the warrior princess I envisioned her to be. Fierce and relentless. She carried a sword in her small hands, a determined look on her features as she joined us.