Chapter 97 You Ruined Everything
ARDEN
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I wasted no time leaving the campus. I didn’t bother telling anyone where I was going–not the professors, not the administration, not even Tessa. Quite frankly, with how things were developing in Elite, staying there felt like sitting inside a glass box while the world burned just outside.
What good would lingering do when the people I loved were in danger?
So I ran. I didn’t even pack anything; I just grabbed my trusty backpack and my jacket before leaving.
The journey to the North was blurrier than I’d like to admit. My paws padded through the grass, and I ignored how some of the twigs intruded on my skin uninvited. I must have been bleeding, but pain was the last thing on my mind. My thoughts circled like vultures, and I ran harder, desperate to arrive before reality could make itself permanent.
From the news, I recognized the slope of the land. I knew that mountainside. That was the facility where Honey was held–the place where broken wolves were brought to heal.
It was the last thing I wanted to see destroyed in this fractured land of ours.
I didn’t know what I expected when I arrived–perhaps to be wrong. Maybe I hoped to pull up and find nothing but calm buildings and birds in the trees. But as I crested the last hill, smoke punched me in the gut.
The facility was… gone. It wasn’t just damaged; it was obliterated. Ash and charred walls. Piles of rubble where cabins once stood. Trees that had formerly lined the path like quiet guardians were now scorched and cracked down the middle.
I stepped out of the car like a ghost, the air still smelling of soot, making me wrinkle my nose. This was beyond an attack. This was a warning–a declaration. My throat tightened, and my chest burned. I wasn’t even aware I was crying until I tasted salt at the corners of my mouth.
He did this. Mr. Winters did this. It wasn’t enough to ruin Cade’s name or to threaten me. He had to burn down the one place in the North that stood for peace. What more did he want? Wasn’t it enough already?
I stumbled closer, my boots crunching over debris. The clinic was gone. The garden-
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Honey’s favorite place–was flattened into ash and charcoal. I tried not to look at the blackened stone arch that used to bear her name.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I barely had the strength to check it.
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Mrs. Callahan: “Arden, I’m sorry I only got to contact you now. We arranged everything in the facility, and they’re currently staying at a safe space.”
I sighed in relief the moment I read the first message. However, my breath hitched again as the second message appeared.
Mrs. Callahan: “He’s lost control. We need your help. Cade is on his way to the United Factions. He won’t listen to anyone.”
“What?” I gasped, reading the message again. Cade. Storming the United Factions?
No, no, no.
I turned on my heel and shifted back. My heart thrashed wildly in my chest, pounding out the same frantic rhythm over and over again. Cade, don’t do this.
Cade, don’t do
I understood what he was feeling. But if he went there now, in this state, he could get himself hurt. Or worse, he could become the one to cause damage that couldn’t be undone.
I had to get to him. I had to stop him. “I’m coming,” I whispered. “I’m coming, Cade. Just wait for me.”
And with that, I sped toward the capital.
***
The moment I arrived at the gates of the United Factions, I knew I was too late.
The place was a chaotic mess. Guards were everywhere–scrambling, shouting, struggling to maintain control of a situation that was clearly beyond their grasp. The banners flapped against the tall walls of the facility, signaling that today was the final day to file for candidacy as Praetor. Leaders and royals from all regions were gathered here, their entourages moving through the grand courtyard.
But no one was looking at them.
Everyone was looking at him.
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“There! Stop him!”
“Get that wolf under control!”
“He’s heading straight for the central grounds!”
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I hastily adjusted my clothes, shoving past the crowd that had begun to gather. My breath caught when I saw him.
Cade.
Or rather–his wolf.
Massive, dark
grey, and blazing with fury.
He stormed through the stone corridors as if nothing could possibly stand in his way, eyes locked ahead, the air vibrating around him from the raw force of his growl. The sound ripped through the square, rattling the chests of everyone present.
Even I flinched at that monstrous sound.
“Who is that?”
“That’s Cade Callahan!”
“I thought he was expelled?”
“I thought he wasn’t even a True Alpha…”
“He doesn’t belong here!”
Cade didn’t care.
He kept going, teeth bared, tail flicking once in warning.
I ran toward the commotion, desperate to follow him, but a line of guards held me back. I tried to push through, but they closed ranks quickly.
“Let me go!” I shouted, shoving at their hands. “I’m with him!”
“Settle down, miss,” one of them barked, grabbing my arms. “It’s dangerous.”
“I know him!” I pleaded again, but it was no use. “He’s not going to hurt anyone! Just let me
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through-”
“No one gets past the line,” another growled. “Orders.”
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I thrashed, trying to duck under their arms, but the line tightened. I was restrained, pulled back even as I caught a glimpse of the clearing.
The clearing behind the central building–used only for elite soldier training and high–stakes combat testing.
The crowd moved to encircle it in a rough circle.
And there, in the center, stood Cade.
He had shifted back.
The wind tousled his hair as he straightened, his chest rising and falling, bare and glistening under the sun. Only his jeans remained. His back muscles flexed with every breath, and I could feel his anger radiating even from this distance.
The murmurs picked up again.
“He’s doing the unmistakable.”
“So unruly. Unfit to be a True Alpha.”
“Is this what the Callahans represent now?”
“He’s embarrassing himself.”
But none of that mattered to him.
He stood firm, like a storm poised to strike.
And then, he stepped forward.
Mr. Winters emerged from the building with impeccable timing, as if he had orchestrated this entire spectacle. He walked casually into the circle, his robes pristine.
“I apologize,” he said to the crowd, “for the behavior of my former student. Clearly, he’s still emotional about his recent expulsion.”
“It’s not that!” Cade’s voice boomed across the clearing, silencing everyone.
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He pointed directly at Mr. Winters, eyes wild, broken, and burning.
“You!”
His voice cracked with rage.
“You ruined everything!”
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