Chapter 107: Alpha vs. Omega Lucas POV

All I could do was observe. 

My entire existence begged me to step in, step in, and support Anna as she faced Oliver alone. However, I was unable to. 

I shouldn't. 

This was her fight. 

Standing opposite Oliver, Anna's body was bruised and covered in blood, yet her unwavering will remained burning. I had never seen the raw electricity crackle in the air around her before. It was hazardous, untamed, and wild. There was nothing weak about the dim glow that flickered from her palms, like a fading ember. The ground beneath her boots seemed to be reacting to her, quivering in expectation of what lay ahead. 

Oliver rolled his shoulders and grinned as though this were merely a minor annoyance. I shuddered at his self-assurance. For so long, he had ruled by terror, destroying anybody who tried to oppose him. He now considered Anna to be simply another idiot who believed they could prevail. 

However, she wasn't. 

She was unique. 

"Are you sure you don't want to beg?" Oliver tilted his head in question. His tone was sarcastic, almost amused. "It would be easier for you." 

Anna's mouth twisted. "I don't beg." 

Oliver laughed. "Let's see if you can back that up." 

Then he moved. 

I hardly noticed it. 

He stood motionless for a moment. Then he was on her, a flurry of strength and muscle, claws slashing. Like a wolf closing in on its prey, his motions were smooth and predatory. 

His speed was alarming, but Anna was able to dodge at the last second and twist out of his reach. His attacks were unrelenting as he pushed forward, pushing her back. Anna moved with an elegance that contradicted her fatigue, even if every blow was planned and intended to kill. She sidestepped, ducked, and weaved, avoiding his claws by millimeters while her body moved in a flurry. 

My heart struck my ribs hard. 

Her strength was greater than ever before. Oliver, however, was seasoned. He was deadly due to his years of battle-hardened skill. 

Beside me, I could hear Maia holding her injured shoulder and breathing deeply. "She can do this," she said in a voice that was almost a prayer. "She has to." 

That was what I wanted to think. I had to think that. 

Oliver's next blow was deflected by Anna, who then retaliated with a burst of force that sent him reeling back. This was the first time his grin faltered.

He hummed in slight surprise as he wiped at the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Not bad." 

Anna didn't wait until he was ready. 

I had never seen her move so quickly as she did when she lunged. She struck, each blow coming with force and driven by something more primitive than anger. Energy radiated from her hands, the light growing brighter with each strike. Oliver stopped the majority of them, but several managed to get through and hit the battlefield with grotesque thuds. 

Oliver snarled, deflecting her subsequent blow and striking back with his own. Anna's motions became more precise and acute as she twisted out of reach. She wasn't merely using strength to fight. 

She was outmaneuvering him. 

My instincts were screaming for me to intervene, so I tightened my fists as the struggle played out in front of me. It took all of my strength not to run to her each time Oliver's claws were within a hair's breadth of her. 

However, this was Anna's time.

She was battling for more than herself. 

For everyone Oliver had ever harmed, she was battling. 

For Maia. For Leo. For all the omegas who had been harmed by his domination. 

For me. 

Oliver growled, now irritated. He was accustomed to winning battles and to his adversaries collapsing under his might. Anna wasn't breaking, though. 

She was winning.

"You think you're something special?" Oliver's breathing became labored as he spat. "You are nothing. A weak little child acting like a hero."

Anna's eyes were burning. "And you're just a pathetic coward hiding behind power that doesn't belong to you." 

Oliver lunged, but Anna was prepared. 

Sidestepped. 

Quickly. 

Too quick even for him to follow. 

Then... 

He felt a terrible burst of energy hit his back. 

Oliver yelled as he struck the ground, causing the ground to tremble. 

Quiet.

The combat that was going on all around us seemed to pause. 

Anna straightened, her stance unbroken, her chest rising and falling with exhaustion, and my breath caught. 

She had him. 

She had him. 

Maia took hold of my arm. "Lucas, she..." 

Oliver, however, moved again before she could continue. 

Quicker than previously. 

His claws ripped through the air before I could even process it...

Aimed directly at Anna's throat. 

I stepped forward, my body responding automatically. 

Anna, however, did not falter. 

She caught his wrist.

Using only her bare hand. 

Then... 

She released a surge of unadulterated, dazzling strength that launched Oliver into the air. 

Harder this time, he slammed against the ground. The air was hazy with dust and debris, making him invisible. 

With her shoulders set and her breathing heavy, Anna stood erect. However, her eyes... 

Her eyes were blazing. 

Around us, the rebels were stunned and immobile. As Maia muttered, "Did she just..." even her fingers pushed into my arm. 

Oliver's face contorted in rage as he moaned and pushed himself up. 

Anna stepped forward. "It's over, Oliver." 

He wasn't listening, though. 

His gaze grew gloomy. 

And I understood... 

He wasn't finished yet. 

His whole body vibrated with barely contained wrath as he let out a low, guttural snarl, and my heart raced. 

He had no intention of stopping. 

Until she died, that is. 

"Anna," I called in a hurried tone. "End this. Now." 

She paused. 

I could see the weight of what she was going to do, the war that was inside her. 

She had no desire to become him. 

Oliver was the kind of monster she didn't want to be. 

But if she allowed him to survive... 

He would pursue her relentlessly. 

She tightened her jaw. 

Then...

She held up her hand. 

Around her fingertips, energy grew and crackled with terrible intensity. 

Oliver's eyes slightly expanded. 

I had never known him before, but for the first time...

He appeared terrified. 

Anna spoke steadily. "You don't get to hurt anyone else." 

The energy generated... 

Then... 

She struck. 

The detonation ripped through the air like a storm, a blinding torrent of power and light. Oliver's arms went up in a last-ditch effort to protect himself, but it did no good. He was lifted off the ground and slammed into the ground with a force that rocked the battlefield as the energy devoured him. 

Oliver lay still as the light went out, his body burned and broken.

Over him, Anna stood with her hands still blazing faintly and her chest heaving. 

There was silence for a while. 

The rebels' cries reverberated around the battlefield as they burst into applause. 

With a trembling gasp, Maia released her hold on my arm. "She did it." 

With my heart still pounding, I nodded. "She did." 

However, I couldn't get rid of the notion that this was just the beginning as I observed Anna. 

War had a costly price, and the wounds it caused would take time to heal. 

But we were ahead for the moment.