Chapter five: where monsters begin

Freya's pov 

A scary figure jumped into the moonlight, its gigantic shape looming over us like a hurricane. My breath stuck in my throat as I took a glare of it. The enormous creature was too huge, its terrifying dark fur, black as night, its eyes blinking an uncanny eerie amber. I froze, powerless to sprint my gaze from the huge beast. 

"Is that...?" I mumbled, my voice low over the resounding of my heart. 

Finnick’s expressions had void of color. He matched back, his hand instinctively stretching for the dagger at his side. "That's him. Kade’s leading in reinforcements."

The words struck me like a thwack to the gut. My mind bolted, trying to bring together the nightmare unveiling before me. Kade. Yes of course. This was his doing. He’d been waiting for this day—the day when Finnick and I were at our most unguarded. When we were at each other's throats, when our trust was wore out. 

I smelt the blood splash to my face, fury exploding in my chest. "You...You brought this upon us," I spat, my voice shaking with rage. "You..you wanted to prove something. And now, look what’s happened."

Finnick met my gaze, guilt masked all over his face. "I never meant for it to come to this." His words were almost pleading, but they dropped flat, worthless in the air between us. 

I didn’t know whether to trust him anymore. I didn’t know how or what to do anymore. My hands clenched into paw, nails ploughing into my palms. 

The ugly beast growled again, this time__louder,a deep sound that quivered between the ground, profound and primeval. Its golden eyes interlocked onto us, the hunger in them undeniable. 

And in that moment, everything clicked. "Kade was the real threat." Not the creature. Not Finnick. Not the lies. Kade. He was the architect. He had planned out everything—the betrayal, the alterations, the traps we’d slipped into. He was the one drawing all the strings. 

Finnick was just a pawn. 

My heart thumbed in my chest as I met Finnick’s eyes, feeling the pressure of the situation settle on my tiny shoulders. This was too large for the both of us. Larger than the pull that had erected between us for so long. 

The creature let loose another heavy bone-rattling growl, its gigantic figure shifting, stepping closer. It was playing with us. I could sense its presence forcing in, like a dark cloud frightening to swallow us whole. 

“We need to do something,” I said, my voice steady now, no longer shaky with fury but a keen, despairing determination. 

Finnick’s eyes flared to the massive creature and then back to me. “do you realize something here?” he said, his voice hoarse. “It’s not just a monster, It's a protector.”

“A protector?” I repeated, incredulous. “A protector of what?”

“The city," Finnick said, his gaze never leaving the creature. “The city Kade plans to burn to the ground.”

I sensed a cold quiver run down my spine. “set it ablaze ? But why?”

“Because Kade believes it’s the only way to rebuild it. To reset everything. To shatter the old world and build a new one from the ashes. He knows... he believes it’s the only way to make things right this time.”

“The only way?” My laugh was hollow, bitter. “By destroying everything?”

Finnick nodded grimly. “Kade has always thought of himself as the savior. But he's blinded by his obsession. And now he's willing to unloose the best of it."

It was hard for me to believe it. Kade had always been heartless, but this—this was above anything I’d ever thought of. Destroying everything in his way to create something new. He was a beast, and I’d been a halfwit to ever think I could control him.

The creature growled again, this time, louder, and I stepped back to reality. The beast was closer now, its huge shape only a few feet away. Its black fur was polished and extensive, its eyes glittering with a hunger that made my stomach rumble. 

“freya, You have to trust me,” Finnick said, his voice urgent now. “We don’t have all the time.”

“Trust you?” I fired back, my heart pounding in my chest. “finnick, How can I trust you,? you’ve used me. You've lied to me ,you —"

“I never planned any of this!” he interrupted, his glare wild. “But now we have no choices. We need to work together if we’re going to stop Kade. The creature—it’s only the part of what he’s planning. If we don’t do something now, everything we know will be dead.”

I didn’t have time left to harvest his words. The creature pounced, and without thinking, I thrust Finnick out of the way, rolling to the corners as the beast's claws pierced through the air where we’d just been standing. My heart stopped for a beat, my body froze.

It was quick. Too quick. 

I fell to my feet, adrenaline pushing through my veins. Finnick was already back on his balance, his dagger blinking in the moonlight as he directly pointed at the creature. The beast whisked him aside effortlessly, landing him into the dirt. 

“No!” I shouted, panic rising in my chest. 

Finnick groaned, but he was alive. Barely.

The creature turned its amber gaze on me, its snarl deafening. It was toying with us. But I was not about to let it win.