Lysara's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the dark shapes that moved like shadows in the distance. The howl of the pack echoed through the trees, its sound almost deafening, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble with the weight of their approach.

  Valerius stood at the front, his posture rigid, his crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness. His sword was still sheathed, his fingers rexed but poised, ready for whatever came next. His expression was unreadable—cold, calm, like the stillness before a storm.

  But Lysara knew better. Beneath that exterior, something was stirring. The tension in his shoulders told her all she needed to know: he was preparing for something bigger than before.

  "This time," Valerius muttered under his breath, "I’ll handle it."

  Lysara turned to him, confusion crossing her features. "What do you mean? Last time, you—"

  He cut her off with a sharp gnce. "You’ll stay back. Don’t get in my way." His tone was final, and there was an edge to it that made her heart tighten.

  Before she could protest, the first of the lycans emerged from the shadows. A hulking beast with blood-red eyes, its fangs gleaming as it charged forward, followed by two more of the same size and ferocity. Behind them, hundreds of lycans moved like a relentless wave.

  Three General Lycans.

  Lysara’s pulse quickened. The numbers were staggering—she knew they couldn’t win this fight without a significant advantage.

  But then, something unexpected happened.

  Valerius stepped forward, eyes burning like twin rubies in the dark. He didn’t draw his sword. Instead, he raised his hand to the sky, and for a brief moment, the air around them seemed to thrum with an unnatural energy. A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

  Then, with a whisper of words no one could hear, Valerius released his power.

  The ground beneath them cracked. A wave of dark energy surged from Valerius, a ripple of raw, primal power that spread outward in an instant. The lycans in the front row were knocked back, sent tumbling like ragdolls. The force of the bst sent trees splintering, their trunks snapping in half as the dark energy expanded outward.

  Lysara stumbled back, stunned by the sheer force of it.

  She had seen Valerius fight before, but this—this was something else entirely.

  Valerius’s eyes glowed brighter, the power emanating from him growing stronger with each passing second. The three lycan generals—massive, monstrous creatures—snarled, their eyes narrowing as they began to circle, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  The remaining lycans, numbering over 300, hesitated for a moment. They knew better than to challenge a vampire of Valerius’s caliber, especially one with his bloodline. But they were relentless. They charged.

  Lysara watched as Valerius moved. His speed was a blur, too fast for her to follow. His strikes weren’t just physical—they were pure energy. He cut through the pack like a storm, each wave of his power reducing the lycans around him to nothing but ash and dust.

  But despite the overwhelming dispy of strength, the lycan generals were not so easily defeated. They moved with a precision and coordination that was unnatural, a level of intelligence far beyond that of ordinary lycans.

  They understood the fight, knew that Valerius was their greatest threat, and they acted accordingly.

  One of the generals lunged, its cws extended, aiming straight for Valerius’s throat. But he was ready. In a blur of motion, he dodged, spinning around and smming his fist into the lycan’s side. The creature was sent sprawling, but it quickly recovered, its eyes burning with fury.

  The other two generals attacked simultaneously, their massive forms crashing toward him. Valerius gritted his teeth, using his dark energy to shield himself as the two lycans struck in unison. A battle of raw power ensued, but Valerius was holding back. Every move, every strike was calcuted, controlled. He was fighting with restraint—holding himself back for the one person who mattered most.

  Lysara.

  It didn’t take long for the lycans to find an opening. One of the generals broke through Valerius’s defenses, its cws raking across his side. He grunted in pain, his body staggering back as the wound burned. But he refused to fall.

  "Valerius!" Lysara cried out, panic creeping into her voice. She reached out, but the battle was moving too fast.

  Then, as if the lycans had been waiting for it, the general lunged for her.

  Lysara’s heart stopped. The lycan’s jaws snapped open, but before it could reach her, Valerius was there. With a roar, he smmed the creature to the ground, his fist glowing with dark energy. The lycan let out a deafening howl, but it was silenced in an instant.

  Valerius was bleeding, his body battered from the fight, his energy—while immense—was not limitless. He had to protect Lysara, and that meant holding back even more than he wanted to.

  Aris had been fighting beside them the whole time, though her strength was beginning to wane from the sheer number of enemies. With every strike, she felled lycan after lycan, but even her skill and speed were not enough to overcome the sheer weight of the enemy forces. The lycans kept coming, relentless and savage.

  Still, she wasn't idle. She could only do so much against the overwhelming numbers, but she remained a crucial support in distracting the generals, keeping them off bance as Valerius unleashed his power.

  Despite Valerius’s overwhelming strength, Aris was key to his survival. When a general almost caught Lysara again, it was Aris who unched herself in between them, drawing the lycan’s attention just long enough for Valerius to intercept. Aris struck, and with quick, precise movements, she bought Val enough time to shift his focus and protect Lysara once more.

  Aris panted, sweat dripping from her brow, but she remained determined. Her sword was slick with lycan blood, but her focus remained on helping Val keep Lysara safe.

  "Valerius, you can't keep this up for much longer!" Aris shouted through the chaos, her voice almost drowned out by the sounds of battle. "The numbers... we need to finish this!"

  But Valerius only nodded, his eyes flicking toward Lysara—his only focus now. He couldn’t afford to lose her.

  As the st of the lycans were driven back, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence. Valerius dropped to his knees, blood dripping from his wounds. His body, once an unshakable fortress, was now broken and battered. Lysara rushed to his side, her hands trembling as she touched his bloodied arm.

  "Valerius, please..." She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Why... Why didn’t you just fight them all out? You didn’t need to protect me like this."

  Valerius looked up at her, his crimson eyes filled with exhaustion but a hint of understanding. "Because I couldn’t lose you," he whispered, his voice strained. "I wasn’t going to risk it."

  Aris, breathless from the battle, approached them. "We’ve won... but barely. You need to rest, Valerius. You’ve pushed yourself too hard."

  But Lysara couldn’t stop staring at him, at the extent of the damage he’d endured to protect her. Her heart twisted in agony. He had sacrificed so much. And for what? Her?

  "I... I don’t deserve this," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You shouldn’t have done this for me."

  Valerius reached out, his hand brushing her cheek with surprising gentleness. "You don’t have to deserve it," he said softly. "You’re have enough worth to sacrifice myself this much."

  Lysara knelt beside Valerius, her heart pounding as she took in the sight of his battered body. His once pristine clothes were torn, his skin cut and bruised, yet despite everything, his eyes remained clear, albeit weary.

  The pain etched across his face didn’t just come from the physical wounds he bore. It was something deeper—something she couldn't quite pce.

  She had spent so long trying to understand him. His coldness, his detached demeanor, the way he would always distance himself from her despite everything they had been through together. It made no sense. They had fought side by side, shared moments of danger, yet he had always kept her at arm's length, never once letting her in.

  But now, after everything—after he had risked his life for hers, after his body had taken blow after blow to protect her—he said those words: "You don’t have to deserve it. You’re worth it."

  Lysara’s eyes widened, and for the first time, she let the question escape her lips. "Why? Why are you saying these things now?"

  Her voice trembled, a mix of confusion and vulnerability that she rarely allowed herself to show. She had seen him cold and distant, always putting up walls, keeping his emotions hidden. But in the moments after the battle, when he had nearly died protecting her, those words had slipped from his lips with a sincerity that caught her off guard.

  "Why now? After everything... after the way you’ve treated me before?" She couldn’t stop herself from asking, her heart racing as she waited for his answer.

  Valerius, still on the ground, took a moment to catch his breath. His eyes met hers, and for the first time, there was something in his gaze—a flicker of something she hadn't seen before. It wasn’t just the cold, detached warrior she had come to know. There was warmth, a rawness that left her breathless.

  He looked away, his lips pressing into a thin line as if trying to hold back the words that threatened to spill out. His voice, when it came, was strained, like he was fighting an internal battle just as fierce as the one they had just faced.

  "I… I don’t know how to expin it," he muttered, his voice almost a whisper. His words were slow, unsure. "I’ve never been good at this. I’ve never had to… care about anyone like this before."

  Lysara frowned, her heart aching as she listened to him. He was so guarded, so careful with his words, but in that moment, she could see the struggle in his eyes. He was trying, but it was clear that expressing his feelings wasn’t something he was used to.

  "I’ve never known what it’s like to feel..." He trailed off, his gaze turning toward the bloodstained earth beneath them. "What I feel for you… I can’t even name it. It’s not something I understand. I’ve never had anyone to care for, to protect like this." His hands, stained with blood, clenched at his sides. "I thought I wanted to do this because I wanted to use you… but it’s more than that."

  Lysara’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what he was saying. She could see it in the way his voice faltered, in the hesitation before every word. He was scared. Scared of the emotions he didn’t understand, scared of how much she had come to mean to him.

  "I don’t want to lose you," he continued, his voice thick with emotion he tried—and failed—to suppress. "That’s why I did what I did. I wasn’t going to risk it."

  Lysara blinked, her heart swelling with emotion. She had known Valerius as a warrior, as someone who never let emotions dictate his actions, who kept everyone at arm’s length. But now, in this moment, she understood.

  He wasn’t just a cold, distant vampire. He was someone struggling to understand feelings he had never experienced before. He was afraid of losing her—not just because she was important, but because he was slowly falling for her in a way he couldn’t control.

  Lysara reached out and touched his arm gently, her fingers brushing the bloodied skin. "Valerius..." she whispered, her voice soft and tender. "You’re not alone in this. I’ve never wanted you to be."

  For the first time, Valerius allowed himself to meet her gaze fully. There was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes—something he had never shown before, and it made her heart race.

  He swallowed hard, the words coming out in a rush. "I… I don’t know what to do with this feelings of mine for you, Lysara. But I can’t lose you. That’s all I know."

  Before Lysara could respond, Aris, who had been standing at the edge of the battlefield, approached them. She was covered in cuts and bruises, but her presence was a welcome relief amidst the tension. She had been a crucial part of their survival, and her fierce loyalty had kept them from being overwhelmed by the lycans.

  She cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "I’m gd we survived, but this battle’s not over yet. We need to move before more of them come."

  Lysara nodded, turning to face Aris. She had almost forgotten about the fight itself, too lost in the raw moment with Valerius. But Aris was right—they couldn’t afford to stay in one pce for long.

  Lysara is witnessing the wound of Valerius being healed slowly until the wound doesn't bleed anymore but it's still there. Maybe because the wolf has some kind of energy slowing their healing capabilities.

  Or maybe his true power has been restrained this whole time.

  "Right," Lysara said, standing up and offering Valerius a hand. "Let’s go. We’ll deal with this together."

  Valerius stood, his body still aching from the battle, but there was a newfound determination in his eyes. He had just let his walls down—something he had never done before—and Lysara could feel it. She could feel the trust growing between them, the bond strengthening with every passing moment.