登入"You need to sleep."Kael’s voice came from the doorway, low and steady. I didn’t look up from the maps scattered across the kitchen table."I can’t. The divine enforcers arrive tomorrow. I need to memorize every escape route, every weak spot in our defenses—"He crossed the room in three long strides and gently pulled the pen from my fingers."Sera… you’ve been staring at these maps for six hours straight. You’re running on nothing but coffee and nerves. Come to bed.""People are counting on us—""Which is exactly why you need rest," he said softly, taking my hand and tugging me toward the bedroom. "You can’t fight if you’re about to collapse.""Kael, I can’t just—""Yes, you can. Four hours. That’s all I’m asking."I let him lead me into the bedroom and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. Suddenly the tiredness hit me like a wave."What if I can’t do this?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. "What if tomorrow comes and I freeze? What if I’m not strong enough?"Kael
Five days after Damien left, the first wolf fell sick.Young male. Twenty-three. Healthy and strong.He collapsed during patrol. By the time they got him to the clinic, he was burning with fever."I don't understand," the doctor said, checking vitals. "Everything's shutting down. It's like his body's attacking itself."Two hours later, three more wolves showed the same symptoms. And by nightfall, ten were sick."It's the Goddess," Helen said, her face grim. She'd examined the sick wolves with magic. "Divine plague. I've read about them. She has done this before to the packs who defied her.""How do we stop it?" Marcus demanded."There is nothing we can do about it. She's the only person who can cure it. That's the point. Submit or watch your people die."I looked at the sick wolves lying in makeshift hospital beds. One was a teenager. Sixteen. She'd been at the meeting, voted to fight.Now she was dying for that choice."There has to be something," I said. "Some cure, some magic—""T
Scylla barely agreed, but she did."I don't like children," her voice rumbled through the phone like distant thunder. "They're loud, messy and they break things.""He's well-behaved," I lied."All parents say that. That's not new. Fine. One week and after that, I'm returning him back, whether your war is over or not.""Deal."Saying goodbye to Ezra was the hardest thing I'd ever done."I don't want to go," he said, holding firmly to Mr. Whiskers. "I want to stay with you and Kael.""I know, baby. But it's not safe here right now. Scylla will keep you safe until Mama fixes things.""Are you fighting the bad guys?"I glanced at Kael. He nodded slightly."Yes.""Then I should stay and help! I'm Silverblood too!""You're five. Your job is to be safe so I can fight without worrying about you.""But—""No buts. You go with Scylla. You learn from her. And when this is over, you come home. Okay?"He hugged me tight. "Okay. But Mama? You have to win. I don't want a new mommy again."My heart s
"There are twelve vehicles coming up the mountain road."Marcus's voice crackled through the phone at 6 AM. I jerked awake, nearly dropping it."What?""Twelve SUVs. All with Thorne Pack insignia. Damien's here, and he brought an army."Kael was already out of bed, pulling on clothes. "How long do we have?""Twenty minutes. Maybe less if they're pushing through the speed limits.""Get everyone to the town square. Now."I scrambled up, my heart hammering. "He can't just invade Pinehaven like that.. This is neutral territory.""He can if he's carrying divine mandate." Kael tossed me my jeans. "The Goddess probably gave him authority to retrieve you by force.""Then we fight.""Not yet. First we see what he wants. Maybe—""Maybe nothing. You know what he wants." I put on my clothes, grabbed my phone. "Mrs. Ravenna, I need you to take Ezra somewhere safe. Like right now."Ten minutes later, we stood in the town square with every supernatural being in Pinehaven. Wolves, witches, vampires
The divine messenger arrived at noon. I was actually expecting something dramatic like thunder and lightning but to my surprise nothing like that. Just a woman walking down Main Street like she belonged there.Except for her eyes that glowed with divine light. And power radiated off her in waves that made every supernatural in Pinehaven stop and stare.She walked straight to Morning Moon Café, sat in the corner booth and ordered coffee, then she waited.Marcus called me. "She's here.""I know. I can feel her." The bond with Kael was screaming danger."We're gathering. Come to the café in ten minutes. Don't bring Ezra."I left him with Mrs. Ravenna again. Grabbed Kael. We met Marcus, Lydia, and the supernatural leaders outside the café."Remember," Marcus said. "We listen. We don't attack.""Unless she attacks first," Celeste added."Obviously."We walked in together. A united front.The messenger looked up from her coffee and smiled. But It didn't seem like a good positive type of smi
"Again."Ezra stumbled, caught himself, and shifted back to human form. Sweat dripped down his face despite the cold morning air."I can't. I'm tired.""Then you push through tired." Kael's voice was patient but firm. "In a real fight, your enemy won't care if you're exhausted or not. Again."We'd been training for three days. Kael pushing Ezra to shift faster, smoother, and with more control. I watched from the tree line, ready to intervene if it got too intense.Ezra closed his eyes. Concentrated. His body rippled and reformed into a wolf pup with silver eyes and dark fur."Better," Kael said. "Now hold it for five minutes. Move around. Get used to the body."Ezra-wolf trotted in circles, testing his legs. He was getting better. The shifts came easier each time."He's a natural," Lydia said from beside me. She'd been observing the training, taking notes on Silverblood development and improvement."He's five. He shouldn't be shifting at all yet. Don't you think?""Well, normal wolves







