The golden phoenix

Mariana’s POV

There he was.

Nicholas stood at the end of the corridor with that same infuriating smirk on his face, slowly making his way toward us. Behind him were the guards from Mountcrest, men I recognized from my father’s household, their weapons drawn and their expressions filled with the confidence of people who believed they had already won.

My entire body went rigid. I could feel the rage rising inside me so quickly that it almost made it difficult to breathe.

I looked at Zayan, who was still on one knee, one hand pressed against his chest. Blood was slipping between his fingers, staining his clothes, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw something I had never imagined I would see. Weakness. Zayan had taken worse injuries than this.

I had watched him return from battles covered in blood and still stand as though nothing in the world could bring him down. So why was an arrow enough to make him struggle for breath?

“You?” I whispered, staring at Nicholas. Then my voice rose. “What did you do to him?”

Nicholas only smiled. He looked far too pleased with himself. “I was wondering when you would finally notice.”

My eyes dropped to the arrow buried in Zayan’s chest. Something about the metal caught the light, and suddenly I understood. Silver. Not just an ordinary silver coating either. The arrowhead had been laced with an unusually heavy amount of it, enough to weaken even an Alpha as powerful as Zayan.

My stomach twisted. Whoever had prepared that weapon had known exactly what they were doing. Nicholas had not come here to fight Zayan fairly. He had come prepared to bring him down.

“Mariana.” Zayan’s voice was strained, barely above a breath, but somehow I heard it clearly. “You have to leave. Now.”

I turned toward him.

He forced himself upright, gripping the wall for support, but his knees nearly gave way again. “Take the guards and go through the eastern passage. Get to the secure chamber. I’ll handle them.”

“You can barely stand.”

“I can still fight.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“I know.” His eyes met mine, and despite the pain twisting across his face, there was something else there. Fear. Not for himself. For me. “Please, Mariana. Run. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

My heart clenched.

Before I could answer, Nicholas laughed.

“Well, well, well.” His footsteps echoed through the corridor as he came closer. “If it isn’t Mariana. My rejected bride.”

I looked at him coldly.

His smile widened. “Or should I say the bride who was rejected by me?” He glanced toward Zayan. “And look at that. The all-powerful Warlord of Frostcrest. The man everyone trembles at.”

He spread his arms mockingly as though admiring the palace around him. “You know, I thought he would be stronger than this. I thought I’d have to fight him for hours before he finally fell. But look at him.”

Zayan’s breathing became heavier.

Nicholas chuckled. “You won’t be ignoring me like you did at the banquet anymore. Not for long, anyway. You’re about to die, and I’m about to take everything you’ve built.”

He gestured toward the grand halls around us. “This palace, these lands, this entire empire. Do you know what I think? I think you should take one last look around. Enjoy it while you can, Warlord, because soon enough, all of this will belong to the Graham family.”

The soldiers behind him laughed.

Zayan pushed himself away from the wall, trying to stand fully. “Don’t touch her.”

Nicholas tilted his head.

For a moment, his expression was almost amused.

Then he stepped behind Zayan.

Before Zayan could react, Nicholas grabbed a fistful of his dark hair and yanked his head backward. Zayan’s body jerked, his teeth clenched against the pain.

“Wow,” Nicholas sneered. “What a pitiful excuse for a warlord.”

The soldiers laughed louder.

My hands curled into fists.

Nicholas shoved Zayan forward and then pulled him back again, enjoying every second of it. “All those stories. All those legends. The great Zayan Alastor. The ruthless warrior. The undefeated warlord.” He looked at the men around him. “And now look at him.”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I stepped in front of Zayan.

“Nicholas, you don’t have to do this.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You don’t have to be my father’s puppet,” I continued, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Walk away. Right now. Frostcrest will reward you. You can leave with your life and whatever wealth you want. Just stop this.”

Nicholas stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.Then he looked over his shoulder at the soldiers.

“Did you hear that?”

They laughed with him.

“She thinks I should take a reward from Frostcrest.” He looked back at me. “Why would I take a reward when I can own it?”

He shoved me aside.

I stumbled.

“Mariana!”Zayan’s voice exploded through the corridor.

He tried to stand.

His legs failed.

He dropped heavily to his knees, coughing violently. Blood spilled from his mouth and hit the floor.

Everything inside me stopped.

“Zayan?”

Nicholas walked behind him again. He grabbed his hair and lifted his head.

“Look at your great warlord,” he mocked. “Doesn’t look so powerful now, does he?”

I couldn’t hear the rest of his words.

My eyes were fixed on Zayan.

His face had gone pale. His breathing was shallow. Blood stained his lips and clothes, and every breath seemed to cost him more than the last. The guards began hitting him from either side, forcing him upright whenever his body sagged.

“Hold him.”

Two men grabbed Zayan by the arms.

Nicholas stepped forward.

“Let’s see how much this great warlord can take.”

One of the guards struck him hard in the ribs.

Zayan’s body jerked.

Another blow landed.He coughed again, and more blood came from his mouth.

Something inside me cracked.

“Stop!”My voice thundered through the corridor.

Everything went silent.

Then the air exploded.

A force erupted from my body with such violent power that the walls seemed to shake beneath it. The guards holding Zayan were thrown backward as though they weighed nothing. One crashed against the wall. Another was sent across the corridor, his weapon flying from his hand. Several soldiers slammed into the stone pillars, groaning in confusion.

Nicholas was thrown backward too.

His shoulder struck the wall with a sickening thud, and he slid down before catching himself.

“What…” he gasped. “What was that?”

I stood completely still.

My breathing was heavy and my hands were shaking.

But I wasn’t afraid.

I was furious.

Every time they had struck Zayan, something inside me had burned hotter. Every insult. Every blow. Every drop of blood. Every time I had watched someone hurt me and expected me to endure it quietly came rushing back.

The years of pain I had swallowed because I had been told I was weak.

And then I looked at Zayan, the man who had never treated me like I was weak.

The man who had given me a home when my own family had thrown me away.

The man who had stood between me and danger without ever asking what it would cost him.

Something ancient stirred inside me.

A growl echoed through the corridor.

My eyes burned.

Heat spread through my veins, racing through my body like molten fire. Golden light flickered around my skin, and flames seemed to curl through the air around me without burning anything they touched.

Nicholas’s expression changed, his smile disappeared.

Zayan lifted his head.

His eyes widened.

“What…?”

A howl tore through the palace.The sound was so powerful that the remaining guards froze.

Then my body changed,Bones shifted and my muscles expanded.

Golden light consumed me.

And from within that light emerged a wolf unlike anything any of them had ever seen.

It was enormous.

Far larger than an ordinary wolf. Larger than any Alpha wolf I had ever seen. Its fur shimmered like molten gold beneath the light, and flames danced around its body as though they belonged to it. Its eyes burned with an ancient power that made even the strongest warriors instinctively step backward.

The corridor fell completely silent as everyone stared.

One of the guards whispered the words first.

“The Golden Phoenix Wolf.”

Nicholas’s face drained of color.

“No.”

Another soldier shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

“The bloodline was extinct.”

“It can’t be.”

Nicholas stared at the enormous wolf standing before him. “She’s too weak.”His voice cracked.”How can someone like Mariana possess that kind of power?”

“Maybe it’s dark magic,” one of the soldiers whispered desperately. “Maybe she’s using some kind of spell.”

But I heard none of them.

The wolf inside me had awakened and it was furious.

I moved.

Nicholas barely had time to react before the Golden Phoenix Wolf lunged toward him.

Its jaws caught him by the body and lifted him from the ground.

His scream echoed through the corridor.Then I slammed him into the wall.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

The stone cracked beneath the force.

Nicholas cried out as his body was thrown against the wall repeatedly before the wolf released him. He crashed onto the floor, barely conscious.

The golden wolf disappeared back into me.

I stood over him.

Nicholas looked up at me, breathing heavily,For the first time in my life, I saw fear in his eyes.

I stepped forward.

“You know what?” I said quietly. “Killing you would be too easy.”

He stared at me.

“You’ve caused me too much pain for me to give you something as simple as death.”

I placed my foot over his leg.

His eyes widened.

“Mariana—”

I pressed down. A sharp crack echoed through the corridor.

Nicholas screamed.

I didn’t stop.

The strength of the wolf surged through my body, making the pressure beneath my foot almost effortless. Another crack sounded as his other leg gave way.

His screams filled the corridor.

“Please!” he cried. “Just kill me!”

I looked down at him and I smiled.

“No.”

His face twisted with pain.

“That would be mercy. And someone like you doesn’t deserve mercy.”

I turned away from him.

Most of the soldiers were already down. Some were unconscious. Others were crawling away, terrified of getting anywhere near me.

Only one remained standing.

He was young.

Far too young.

His armor looked almost new, and his hands were shaking so badly that his weapon nearly slipped from his fingers.

I looked at him.

He froze.

“You.”

He swallowed.

“Yes, my… my Queen.”

“Take Nicholas…Take him back to Mountcrest.”

He nodded rapidly.

“Yes. Yes, my Queen.”

“Tell my father this is his last chance. He can turn away now, or he can watch everything he built disappear.”

I glanced down at Nicholas.

“And consider this a gift.”

The young guard rushed toward Nicholas, terrified to even touch him.

I crouched beside Nicholas.He looked up at me through pain-filled eyes.

“Oh,” I whispered, remembering something. “I heard you and Wren got married.”

His expression changed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t attend.”I smiled sweetly.”So consider this my late wedding present to Wren.”

Nicholas stared at me in horror.

“Take him.”

“Yes, my Queen!”

The young guard dragged Nicholas away, struggling beneath his weight. Nicholas’s cries faded down the corridor until there was nothing left but silence.

I stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, the flames around me slowly disappeared.

The golden light faded and then suddenly, all the strength left my body.

My knees weakened.

I stumbled.

“Mariana.”

I froze.

That voice, I turned instantly toward it.

Zayan was still on the floor, one hand pressed against his bloodied chest, his eyes fixed on me.

“Mariana…” he whispered again.

And I ran toward him.