Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 189

Scarlett

Chapter 189

Scarlett’s POV

“What’s going on?” I managed to ask Clay, my voice barely a whisper. We stood in the dimly lit hallway, and the look on his face made my heart skip Fear had taken root in his expression, something rarely saw there. Worry, thick and consuming, etched lines across his forehead as he looked past me eyes clouded with something deeper, something dark.

“Garland has finally come,” Lucian said, his tone grim, his voice heavy ke a stone sinking into deep water. My heart lurched, a rush of dread curling through my stomach. I could feel the change within me-my wolf, stirred beneath the surface, her presence intensifying my anxiety. The air was charged thick with tension and something else. Something sharper. Deadlier.

Clay, Lucian, and Maxwell weren’t just standing around; they were moving with purpose, linking minds, mobilising troops, readying themselves. The truth hit me then like a cold slap. This wasn’t a skirmish or a raid like we’d faced before when those thieves tried to steal women from Redcape. No. This was something much darker, a real battle. This was war.

I felt the power thrumming through me, the magic simmering beneath my skin, and Midnight’s primal strength lurking within, ready to be unleashed. But doubt clung to me, thick as fog. Would I really be able to fight?

“Stay, inside, Scarlett,” Lucian said, his voice steady but tinged with worry. “We don’t want you getting hurt.”

But Midnight, fiared to life, her spirit refusing to be caged.

“Because I’m a woman?” I challenged, the words coming out sharper than I intended. Lucian sighed, his shoulders dropping as he looked at me with a mix of exasperation and genuine concern. I could see the hesitation in his eyes; he wanted to keep me safe, yet he knew my strength. He didn’t want to offend me, but he didn’t want me on the front lines, either.

I drew in a breath, feeling the simmer of borrowed magic thrumming beneath my skin. “I have some magic of my own that I’d love to test on these intruders,” I said, my voice fierce. But before I could take a step forward, Clay/put his hand on my arm, stopping me.

“Please, Scarlett,” he pleaded softly. “Hide your magic for now. We don’t want anyone to know you have it-not yet. Not until we’re certain it’s safe. Elsa said the consultation would be tonight. Please,” he repeated, his eyes searching mine, echoing Maxwell’s earlier warning.

Reluctantly, I nodded, my chest heavy with unspent energy, the fire of Midnight still crackling inside me.

We stepped outside into the chilling night air. All around us, people were scrambling for sheer, ducking behind walls, gripping weapons thtly in their hands. I could feel the fear in the air, see it reflected in their faces.

“Garland,” Clay muttered under his breath, and I could hear the tremo, in his voice.

“The troops are stationed,” Lucian added, glancing at the thickening shadows. “Thanks to Keith, we have a fighting chance. His jaw clenched. “We trained with the warriors this morning.”

I realised then why he and Maxwell had been gone when I’d woken up. They’d been out here, preparing, getting ready to li Carated.

A speeting voice echoed in my head suddenly, dripping with arrogance “You three don t stand a chance. Forfeit om, and I might be you keep wat positions

“under me.” It was the distinct tone of a Valkin alpha, reaching out through the mind link. I knew instantly that it was clarat, launang as he

us to defy his

i locked out at the horizon and felt a chill creep over me. Fruta cifry kugle, I could see them Cartel’s withe duards usa deseus a then, aspe and vicious, prowling forward, their fur glistening under the light try & emerged from the studs, opting the a dark wave, forcing the people growing to itp,

9:23 am PPP

Chapter 189

Thee

eip panic. Sereams rang out, and I could see the fear twisting through everyone’s expressions.

Our own men started to shift, their bodies trembling as their wolves took over, ready to meet Garland’s pack with muscle, claws, and fury. But as I looke closer, I realised this wasn’t just a psimal clash. This wasn’t going to be solved with brute strength alone.

Then I heard it-the sharp crack of a gunshot, the distant boom of a bomb. They weren’t just here to fight with teeth and claws. Garland’s forces were arr to the teeth.

“Tell them not to shift,” I said, my voice tense, slicing through the chaos around us. “This might be a gunfight in disguise.” My words hung in the air like warning, sharp and heavy, and for a heartbeat, everything froze-still and silent.

And then, suddenly, my vision blurred, and a familiar darkness overtook me. No, not now, I thought, trying to shake it off, but the vision held me captive. This wasn’t the time or place, but the sight pulled me under, sweeping me away.

I saw him–a tall, dark-skinned man, strikingly handsome, his presence as commanding as it was sinister. He looked to be in his late forties, his eyes gleaming with a dark, twisted confidence. He stood amidst two rows of snarling enemy wolves, a smirk tugging at his lips as his gaze settled on me. That smirk turned into a taunting smile, and he laughed, the sound curling through me like smoke.

“Foolish girl,” he said, his voice smooth yet sharp. “How silly of you to have come back.”

Before I could respond, a new scene unfolded-warriors appeared, stepping out from the shadows of the wolves. They moved with cold precision, guns in their hands, their faces hard and unyielding.

The timing was precise, chillingly so. Just as my mates and our warriors began to shift the enemy warriors raised their guns, aiming with deadly intent. The shots rang out, merciless and deafening, bullets tearing through flesh, the sound of life slipping away filling the air as our people fell. The ground was littered with the fallen, lives snuffed out in an instant. Panic gripped my heart as I witnessed the devastation.

Then, out of the smoke and chaos, a new figure appeared-a wolf, beautiful and fierce, with a pelt of whitish-grey and piercing green eyes, like shards of emerald. It sprinted across the battlefield, moving with fluid grace and raw power. There was something otherworldly about it, something ethereal and unyielding. A green flame blazed in its wake, a line of fire separating us from the enemy, its heat scorching and wild. The flames held them back, burning

them, forcing the attackers to recoil, howling in pain and fear.

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