With blazing eyes and a torn-apart soul, Lyne glared at Luana and the stone in her hand. 

"You know, if I were you, as a mother who has empathy for her daughter," Luana began to say as she walked in circles around Lyne. "I'd dive into that water and save my baby." 

Lyne looked back at her daughter who was still afloat, her tiny arms unable to hold her on the surface for long. 

"You may have won this time but not next time," Lyne hissed, looking into Luana's eyeball. "And that next time is soon."

With that, she jumped into the water and swam her way to her daughter, arms and legs fluttering the strong current. She grabbed her daughter by the waist and held her tight to her body, swimming back to the shore. She climbed back to the surface and bent to check her daughter who sat on the floor, weak. 

"My baby." She muttered, hands running over Aurora's face and body. "Are you okay?" 

Aurora breathed heavily. Lyne felt guilty. She was the reason her daughter passed through all these. If she had been left in Los Angeles, none of these would have happened. 

She looked about with her wet hair sticking to her neck and saw that the cave was now empty. 

"We should get out of here." She rose and carried her daughter, holding her dearly to her bosom. 

"I'll get that Onyx even if it means using my last breath." She resolved under her breath as she walked outside the cave.

The rain fell heavily by the time she got outside the cave and thunder rumbled. She looked at each side before proceeding to the way that led to the back of the city. She ran as fast as her legs carried her. She would need to keep Aurora in a place where no one would be able to find her. As she ran to the gate, something stopped her and she looked back.

The only place that could be safe for her daughter lies in the middle of the city and she was ready to keep her daughter away from the war. Going to the back city gate, she beckoned to Effinton to take Aurora to the temple.

"What? Your Highness, with all due respect, that is only insane."

"The only insane thing right now is not keeping her there. The Werecats are everywhere, including Luana and she'll stop at nothing to make sure my daughter and I die." Lyne snapped back, placing her daughter down and looking into her blue eyes. "She is my treasure and she must be protected at all costs. I may not be the Alpha yet, but this is my fate." 

She rubbed the little girl's light brown hair, her emotions lifted making her heart swell. Tears rushed down her eyes as she stared at her for a long while before kissing her forehead and placing her forehead on hers. 

"I love you, Aurora." She mumbled and Effinton pulled her arms away from her.

"We have to go now, Your Highness if we seek to reach the temple faster." He said and she nodded, sniffling. 

"Okay. Please, Effinton," she grabbed his arm as he turned to go. "Protect her at all cost."

He nodded curtly and took the girl away with three other men. As soon as Effinton disappeared with her daughter, her eyes switched back to red and she turned towards the war fields, determined to kill everyone. 

★★★★★★★★★★

Clank!

The two swords clashed and Zeidan struggled to push it back against Shelbrooke who stepped back and swerved it to strike his ankle but he did a backflip, kicking his hand in the process. Shelbrooke staggered backward but only for a short while as he gained balance. 

"This won't last for long as soon, I'll be above everyone and victory will be mine."

"What do you mean?"

"What he means is," a feminine voice sounded and Luana showed from amidst the pandemonium holding a green stone that shone brightly in her hand. "Soon, you'll be forgotten."

"Luana." He muttered unbelievably. "I shouldn't have trusted you."

"But you did." She laughed. "Surely, you never stopped to think all by yourself if I was happy with you. All you ever thought of was you and you alone. No one else." 

He shook his head, his wet hair sticking to his forehead. He was heavily drenched in rain.

"I never included you in my circle of consideration. Why should I ever think of you in the way you want? The only person I ever loved truly is Lyne and I still love her." He replied but her black eyes dilated and she shook her head.

"Then, I'm sorry but this is where we part ways."

Luana raised her hand and a green blast blew him away, making him hit a horse carriage that stung his back like a sword stab. He touched his stomach and felt a slab of pain ranging from his abdomen to his back and chest. He breathed raggedly, looking up at Shelbrooke who came over and pulled him by the collar. 

A punch came and he was sent to the floor, fast. He coughed and retched, spitting blood. He was getting weaker. Especially with the Onyx in their hands, there was no way he could stand a chance. He turned on his back to face them, eyes closing and breathing shallow. 

Shelbrooke came again and pressed his boot on his chest tightly, making his body sink deeper into the muddy water and sand. 

"I always knew one day, you will be under my feet but I never knew it would be this soon," Shelbrooke said as he pulled back the hair that plastered against his forehead, his scarred face visible. 

"Maybe you're just being a little too fast!" 

A feminine voice yelled from afar in the rain and he managed to sit up to see who it was, he was amazed.

Lyne jumped up and twirled, kicking Shelbrooke's face and sending the man on the floor. She helped him up and he looked into her eyes.

"I asked you to stick to the back gate." He chided but she hit his arm.

"I promised never to leave you, didn't I? I'm just fulfilling my promise."

"You're just so stubborn!" He muttered.

"Well, why don't you help stubborn take care of Shelbrooke while I take care of this bitch?" Lyne smirked before turning to face Luana who now stood erect. She wore her hair up and held it with a long pin.

Zeidan turned too and they now had their backs turned to each other, each of them facing their respective enemies. 

Zeidan spread his hands and a huge ball of lightning was visible in his hands, while Shelbrooke spread his and had long claws. Lyne spread her hands too and her claws sprouted with fangs out while Luana clenched her fist on the Onyx with green light seeping from her hand.