Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 31 - CLASH OF STEEL AND BONE

Egon slammed the table with brute force, sending a chaotic storm of food, plates, and glassware crashing against the walls around us. In a blink, I was lifted from my seat and pressed firmly against the wall by Egon.

His black eyes bore into mine with an intensity that mirrored the wildness I had seen when he saved me from the skinners. I knew Ares was back in control, but instead of fear, I felt nothing but relief.

Suddenly, Rolf and Leif appeared beside us, their eyes equally dark with furious anger. "Go, Alpha," Leif spoke, his voice a low rumble. "We've got this."

Egon emitted a low growl, his chest heaving with each laboured breath. The warm air of his breath brushed against my face, yet he listened and turned away to dive into the chaos behind him.

Glancing around, I noticed that the dining hall was now filled with more people than before. Lord Blackbridge's guards had entered the room, swords drawn as they attacked the shifters.

None, except Egon, had shifted into their beast forms, indicating that Lord Blackbridge's potion had indeed worked against them.

Lord Blackbridge was nowhere to be seen, and with dread, I realized he had escaped. I frowned, I wondered how he had managed to do that. The other nobles were still here, hiding behind overturned chairs and tables, their faces full of fear as they looked for a way out of the chaos.

My gaze fell on Lord Thorbrand, trembling under a table as he shielded himself with his arms. His wife was pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the room. It was the first time I had seen her face, as she held it upright instead of her usual hunched, submissive posture. She was beautiful, with full lips and a bronze skin that almost seemed to glow under the candlelight of the room. Yet, her features were tainted by the fear in her large, dark eyes as she watched the chaos in front of her.

My heart leaped as I saw a blade suddenly fly through the air, heading straight for the woman. In a desperate attempt to defend herself, she raised her hands, but before the blade could reach her, one of the unfamiliar shifters stepped in front of her, catching the weapon with his bare hands. The blade sliced deep into his palm, blood spurting instantly and running down his arm. Yet, he showed no signs of pain, merely tossing the weapon back at the culprit, striking the guard in the throat.

The shifter paid no heed to the fallen guard at his feet. Instead, he seized a broken chair leg from the ground and lunged back through the chaos, thrusting the makeshift weapon with savage precision into the leg of a nearby guard.

Around him, other shifters fought with a deadly grace and lethal intent. Their movements were not just brute. They were calculated and honed, showing that they were not only skilled in their animal forms but also trained warriors in their human forms.

My eyes flickered from one brutal scene to the next. The dining hall had become a battleground, where the clash of steel and bone echoed against the walls.

I caught sight of Runelda, her gown tangled and stained, yet she moved with surprising agility, using every available object as a weapon against her father's guards. Ducking under a swinging sword, she distracted a guard with a blow to the head from a stray plate before sweeping his legs out from under him with a swift kick.

My attention snapped back to Ares, whose fury was dominating the chaos. His arms were like thunderbolts, slamming guards against walls with such force that they crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

One guard managed to evade him and made his way towards Leif, Rolf and me. Yet, before he could close the distance, Ares seized him by the collar with a roar of rage, ending his life with a fierce twist of his neck.