Rejected and Claimed by her Alpha Triplets-Chapter 287 - the ground

287

~Rowan’s POV

Fridolf straightened, laughing, actually laughing. "Is that the best the sons of Richard can do?" he mocked. "You’ve grown soft. Your father would have been ashamed."

Damon snarled, his wolf eyes burning bright gold. "You have no right to say his name!"

Fridolf raised his sword again, his smile never fading. "I have every right. I gave him his end, just as I’ll give you yours."

Kael lunged first. Fridolf met him head-on, their blades clashing. Sparks flew. Fridolf moved like a shadow, every strike clean and precise. He wasn’t just fighting, he was enjoying it.

Damon rushed in beside Kael, claws slicing across Fridolf’s arm. Blood splattered across the dirt. Fridolf hissed and countered with a powerful swing, cutting into Damon’s shoulder. Damon stumbled back but didn’t fall.

Their men were still fighting all around us. Growls, cries, the wet sound of claws tearing flesh, chaos everywhere. But all I could see was Fridolf.

I forced myself up, my hand pressed to my wound. Every breath was pain, but I didn’t care. Not anymore.

Kael shouted, "Rowan, don’t..."

Too late. I ran at Fridolf again, blood dripping from my injury. He turned, saw me coming, and his grin widened.

"So stubborn," he said, raising his sword.

I ducked under his swing, slammed into him with all my strength, knocking him off balance. We rolled through the dirt, growling, fists and claws flying.

"You destroyed everything!" I yelled, clawing at his chest.

Fridolf punched me across the face, hard. "I rebuilt it!" he shouted back. "I gave this world strength!"

"You gave it hell!" I roared.

He drove his knee into my ribs, then reached for his sword again. I caught his wrist, forced it back, but he headbutted me, stars burst behind my eyes. I stumbled.

He kicked me backward, then stood, his sword raised high. "This is where the line ends, Rowan!"

Before he could strike, Damon’s wolf crashed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. Kael followed, his claws tearing into Fridolf’s men as they tried to interfere.

"Rowan, fall back!" Damon shouted, his voice echoing through the fight.

"I’m not leaving him!" I snarled, staggering to my feet.

Fridolf was already rising again, wiping blood from his lip. "You three never learn," he said coldly. "Always together. Always foolish."

Kael’s eyes burned. "We were brothers!"

Fridolf smirked.

He lunged forward again, swinging at Damon. The blade scraped across Damon’s chest, opening another deep wound.

"Damon!" I shouted.

He growled through the pain, grabbed Fridolf’s arm, and slammed his fist into his jaw. The crack echoed. Fridolf stumbled, spat blood, and laughed.

"You think this changes anything?" he hissed. "You think killing me will cleanse your guilt? You killed your father. You always will."

Something in Damon’s face broke then, a pain so deep I could feel it even from where I stood.

Kael roared, slamming into Fridolf, throwing him several feet back. "Stop talking!" he shouted.

Fridolf landed hard, but he rolled, rose, and smirked again. "You’ll never be free of me. I made you what you are."

I staggered closer, blood still flowing from my wound, my claws trembling. "Then we’ll unmake you," I said.

Everything felt heavy: the air, the ground, my body.

My hands were shaking, blood dripping from my fingers. Damon stood to my left, his breath rough and shallow. Kael was behind me, limping, blood running down his arm.

Fridolf wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Blood. His eyes burned like coals.

He looked at us, all three of us, and smiled. "Still standing, are we?"

Damon’s voice was low, dark. "Barely. But enough to end you."

Kael spat blood. "You’re not walking out of here."

Fridolf chuckled, hoarse but proud. "You three never learn. You fight for honor. I fight to win."

He moved fast, faster than any injured man should. His claws flashed, catching Damon’s side. Damon staggered but didn’t fall. He turned and slammed his fist into Fridolf’s jaw.

The sound was loud, a deep crack that made even the fighting men nearby freeze for a heartbeat.

Kael came next, roaring as he hit Fridolf square in the chest. Fridolf went down, rolled, and rose again with blood dripping from his nose.

I ran at him before he could catch his breath. He turned, caught my shoulder, and dug his claws deep. Pain exploded through me, but I didn’t stop. I slammed my head into his, heard him grunt, and then hit him again, harder.

Fridolf swung at me, catching my side. I gasped, the world spinning for a second. Kael pulled me back just before Fridolf’s next strike.

"Stay together!" Damon shouted. "Move as one!"

And we did.

We moved like we were one body, one fury. Damon took the lead, catching Fridolf’s arm and twisting it. Kael hit him from behind, slashing deep into his back. I came from the side, punching and clawing until his face was red and raw.

Fridolf screamed, shoving Kael off him, then caught Damon by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

"DAMON!" I shouted and charged, throwing all my strength forward. I hit Fridolf so hard the wall cracked. He stumbled, blood pouring from his mouth.

Fridolf looked at the three of us, weak, bloodied, barely standing, and he laughed again. "Then come."

We did.

We hit him together, claws, fists, teeth, fury. He hit back, wild and brutal. Every strike shook my bones. His claws tore my chest. My blood hit the ground in thick drops.

Damon growled, voice hoarse, "For Father!"

Kael yelled, "For everything you took!"

And I roared, "For the child you killed!"

Fridolf screamed in rage, pushing back with all his might. For a moment, I thought he would throw us off. But Damon hit him again, a clean blow that broke something in his ribs. He staggered. Kael kicked him hard. I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground.

He hit the dirt with a thud that echoed.

For the first time, I saw something new in his eyes, not hatred, not madness, but fear.

He coughed, spat blood, and still tried to rise. Damon pressed a foot on his chest, holding him down.

"Stay down," Damon growled.

Fridolf smirked weakly. "You can’t kill me. You need me."

"No," Kael said. "We just need you gone."

Before Damon could reply, one of Fridolf’s men stumbled forward, clutching his side and hit Damon all of a sudden, making him to stagger back. His uniform was torn, his face streaked with blood.

"Lord Fridolf!" he shouted. "We have to retreat. We can’t hold the line any longer. The rest of the men, they’re dying!"

Fridolf glared at him, chest heaving. "You coward..."

"Please!" the man coughed. "If we stay, none of us will survive."

For a moment, Fridolf said nothing. Then he gave a short nod, his breath ragged.

He turned to us, his lips curling in a weak smile. "This isn’t over," he said. "You’ll see me again."

Damon leaned closer. "If you live that long."

Fridolf chuckled, low and hoarse. He nodded to his guard. "Sound it."

The guard raised a small whistle and blew. The sharp note cut through the air.

Instantly, Fridolf’s men began to retreat, limping, dragging each other, leaving bodies and blood behind.

Kael tried to move after them, but Damon caught his arm. "Don’t," he said, panting. "Not now. You’ll fall before they do. You are hurt."

Kael clenched his fists. "He should die tonight."

"He will," I said, wiping blood from my face.

We stood there, surrounded by the dead and the dying. The night smelled of iron and smoke.

Hald came running through the broken courtyard, face covered with sweat and blood. He stopped when he saw us and bowed slightly, his eyes wide with worry.

"Alphas," he said breathlessly. "You need to see the healer. Now."

Damon wiped his mouth. "Later. Secure the grounds first."