CHAPTER 266: TO MAKE A DECISION.

The air was thick with tension, and the sound of boots echoed through the stone walls, blending with the screams of fear from the fallen guards.

No one had expected her strength to awaken like that. Maybe It was not written in the prophecy, and that gave her an advantage. She moved fast, striking with precision, making sure every guard felt the weight of her fury.

One guard lunged forward with a shout, but she was faster than lightning. Her hand turned into a claw, and with one powerful swipe, she tore across his chest, sending him flying into the wall. The stone cracked under the force.

Another swung his sword at her, but she ducked low, spun, and kicked him so hard he crashed into two others. Their armor clattered as they hit the floor, groaning in pain.

"Monster!" one shouted, his voice trembling with terror.

She showed her teeth in a cold, dangerous smile. "You haven’t seen a monster yet."

She rushed forward, grabbed his arm before he could raise his sword, and twisted with brutal force. The bone snapped like dry wood. With a low snarl, she threw him across the hall.

Three more soldiers attacked at once, but her instincts had fully taken control. She leaped high, flipped in the air, and landed behind them. Her claws tore through their armor as if it were paper. Blood splattered across the stones.

Then, breathing hard, she reached out and pulled the hood from one of the fallen guards.

To her surprise, the face beneath was normal—human. That wasn’t what she had expected. Her brows furrowed as confusion cut through her anger. Why were they hiding their faces?

Angela didn’t have time to think much about it as another guard aimed his rifle, but before he could pull the trigger, she was already standing in front of him. She snatched the weapon from his hands, bent it in half, and slammed her palm against his chest. The force lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into the wall.

The few guards who had just arrived stopped in their tracks. Even without seeing their faces, she could tell what they were feeling. Fear. Pure fear. One after another, they turned and ran as they saw the blood that painted the walls.

It was now a matter of life and death, but Angela chose to survive—not just for herself, but for her mates too.

She went after them. If she finished them all, the Patriarch would have no one left to defend him. Then she could finally teach him a lesson he would never forget.

Just as she ran down the stairs, a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a corner. Her jaw tightened as she tried to see who dared to stop her.

Before she could speak, the guard looked down the hallway and said, "We’ll go from that way. The fire upstairs is spreading. It’ll keep them busy for a while."

Angela tried to break free. She wanted to go back and fight. Her anger burned inside her. She had an unfinished score with the Patriarch. It had to end today.

"I have to go after that stupid king," she said, breaking free from his grip and stepping back toward the stairs.

"Do you think you can defeat him?" the guard asked, racing to stand in front of her.

Angela froze for a moment. He moved too fast—faster than any ordinary man. Her heart skipped as her eyes narrowed. For a second, she thought it might be one of her mates, because only they could move like that.

"Why are you in my way?" she snapped, anger cutting her voice. She knew it was only a matter of time before he felt the same wrath as his comrades.

"You asked me to help you, remember?" the guard said, raising his hands. He still kept his face hidden, and that made it hard for her to trust him.

"You are late," Angela said, shoving him aside as she pushed toward the stairs. She would reach the throne room soon.

"No, I am not," he insisted, offering his hand. "If you do not leave now, the Patriarch will find a way to control you in minutes and lock you up again. You have a chance now."

Angela sighed and took his hand. He led her back up the stairs. She did not know if he was telling the truth, but she followed her gut. If he tried anything, she would snap his neck and feed his bones to the birds.

"Why are we going back upstairs?" she asked as they ran toward the place where the fire had started. Heat rolled from the blaze, but the guard did not seem to care.

"There is a tunnel that leads outside these walls," he said, guiding her through the smoke and heat.

"Why didn’t you say that since?" Angela asked, surprised by the discovery. If she had known earlier, she would have escaped long ago.

"I had to send the soldiers guarding it away," he replied. "I told them they were needed at the entrance... that you were trying to escape." As they got closer to the room she had been locked in, the fire burned wildly, and she doubted if they could make it through. "Trust me... you can pass through this fire without getting hurt."

"I won’t be able to do it," Angela said, shaking her head as she stopped. The hallway was a wall of flames, and the heat scorched her skin even from where she stood. "We should look for another way."

"There isn’t," the guard insisted, stretching out his hand toward her. She shook her head again. Dying in a fire she started was not how she wanted this to end. The thought of her friends and her mates waiting for her made her heart ache. Jumping into the flames felt like walking into death itself.

"There they are!" one of the guards shouted. His voice echoed through the hall. Angela looked back and saw them...they had already spotted her trying to escape. Her heart pounded. If she stayed, she would be captured and forced to marry the Patriarch. If she ran into the fire, she might die.

Angela hissed under her breath as reality sank in. She had to make a choice before it was too late.