Chapter twenty five: betrayal's end

Freya's pov

The air was heavy with the weight of Riven’s words. I was gasping for air, feeling my heart sink deeper with each passing moment. 

"You’ve been toying with me?" I said quietly, disbelief coating my voice like something bitter. "You’ve been working with Kade all of this time?" 

Riven was silent for a moment entirely. His eyes were sharp like he was trying to figure me out. It was the first time I understood the coldness I noted in his eyes— similar to Kade's. 

"You were always the key, Freya," he said, a smoothness to his voice that felt almost soothing. "But I didn’t come for your heart. I came for your power. You were a means to an end. Nothing more." 

His words blew me like a punch to the bone marrow__Betrayal. The man I trusted, the man I believed was once an ally, had been plotting against me from the very start.

Finnick was by my side now with his protective stance. His eyes were trained on Riven, the tension was so thick in the air that it was borderline suffocating. 

"You lied to me," I was causing a lot of effort to remain calm. My hands were balled into fists and the flicker of power brewing within me had responded to my emotional state.

"You used me." And now with Kade, the one who wants to bring it all down.

Riven's grin stretched wider darker. "You don't understand Freya. It's not about Kade. It's about control. The power you carry...It's not something you can harness. I will harness it. Every bit."

In a moment of a swift blow, a dark energy rush came at me. The power blew me back, and I fell on the ground hard, hitting the wind out of me. I felt a deep pain, but I'd no time to think about it. I pushed up from the ground, my heart racing.

“Freya!” Finnick shouted, his voice filled with panic.

I watched him struggle against the effect, though it was akin to trying to walk through tar. The energy of the Riven was overwhelming us.

For the reason that I felt my strength leave me, I wobbled as I stood. My hands shivered as I summoned my power from within. A light of a god flickered within me, fulfilling my desperate wishes. Only now, it was different. It was brighter and more intense. It felt nearly uncontrollable.

"You'll try to stop me?" Riven asked in a provoking manner, moving closer. The darkness coiled around Riven like a mantle. Black wisps of magic meandered along the surface. "The world is going to burn. And I will be its ruler when it does."

Gritting my teeth I call on that power from within. I can feel the God flame, it pulsing, its warmth pushing back this cold darkness that Riven controls. But something is off. It’s not enough.

"You are too weak," said Riven in a low voice, lifting his hand for another blow.

But then something unexpected happened.

Finnick, looking battered but clearly undaunted, sprang forth. His wolf howled, a sound that was raw and fierce. It then struck with a blow that knocked Riven off his feet. The force of the blow sent Riven crashing into the nearest outcropping of rocks, and the dark energy around him flickered out momentarily.

“finnick!” I screamed, rushing to his side.

He bleeds but he still stands. His body took many hard hits from Riven. His eyes are full of determination when he looks into mine. "We are not over Freya."

But we didn’t have time to react to that surprise before another newcomer emerged in the distance.

I turned around, and I found a figure coming out of the wood.

He was encircled by a pack of wolves, by Kade’s wolves. There was a balefulness in their eyes, and their growls were echoing in the air.

Kade.

He was here.

And he was bringing an army.

I could feel my heart dropping in my chest. How had he found us?

Finnick's countenance shifted with the entrance of the wolves. His stature modified as well, and he announced, "We must vacate immediately."

But it was too late. Kade stepped forward, his figure tall and imposing. He locked his gaze on mine and the smile on his lips sent a shiver down my spine.

“Freya.” The voice of Kade was smooth like slime. But the edge to it made it shiver-inducing. “I’ve waited for this.”

Kade is worse than Riven. He's been worse. Now, knowing he and Riven were together, I understood the odds. The odds against us.

"Understanding seems to come hard to you," said Kade, stepping closer. "This is my world now. Your power, your flame, belong to me. You, Freya, will be the key to everything I have wanted."

I was too frightened that I couldn't hide it. The war is here now, and it wasn’t just a fight for survival.

I looked over at Finnick, a mix of anger and regret on his face. He stepped forward, and then I heard the low, dangerous growl from his chest. ‘You’re not taking her, Kade. Not now, not ever.’

But Kade responded with laughter, his eyes shining. “Do you truly believe you can prevent me?”

The wolves that had surrounded Kade stood in motion with a deadliness that was almost a physical presence. The atmosphere was thick with the crackle of potential violence, and the tension of it was almost suffocating. And suddenly, I knew that the battle to retain the god’s flame in the pack was no longer about me, and my place in the pack, but about survival. For Finnick, the rest of the pack. Everything.

I reached deep within me, pulling on every ounce of strength I had. The flame of god responded, but it was wild—unstable. I could feel it rising, like a crown brewing inside me, but I wasn’t sure I could rein it in.

“Freya, no!” Finnick shouted, his voice desperate.

But I was not listening. I was unable to. My running days were over. I had no intention of hiding.

I raised my hands, calling upon the power inside me.

A blinding light suddenly appeared in the clearing. It wasn't my power. It was new to me.

The air locked with energy, and a voice roared in my mind.

It’s time.

And then, just as fast as it had came, the light disappeared.

The world went silent.

And I knew something had changed.