The Phoenix Sanctum was quiet beneath the lavender dusk.
Evening had softened the brilliance of the sunstones embedded into the cliffside, their golden shimmer mellowing into a warm pulse that bathed the land in gold and rose. The air smelled of honeysuckle and the ever-burning sacred flame that curled through the air like a dragon’s breath—warm, steady, eternal.
It had been nearly a year since Tyler took the throne beside Nalia.
A year since the old laws were broken and reforged.
A year since she stepped out of the shadows of history and into the light of her people.
The change hadn’t come without growing pains, but as Nalia stood at the top of the high balcony overlooking the sanctum gardens, she didn’t feel the weight of failure or fear anymore. She felt... peace. And purpose.
The kind that wasn’t born overnight, but shaped through loss, love, and relentless fire.
Below her, Phoenixes moved through the gardens and walkways—laughing
The woods were quiet.Not eerily, not fearfully—just… peacefully. Like the land itself had finally exhaled.Cheyenne walked slowly, the crunch of leaves under her boots steady and rhythmic, her hands shoved deep into her hoodie. Behind her, the Blood Moon Packhouse glowed softly with the sounds of laughter and life. The twins’ birthday celebration was still raging strong inside. But she needed air. She needed quiet. She needed this.“I didn’t think we’d ever get here,” Koa said in her mind, her voice thoughtful, no longer as cryptic as when they first met. “Not alive, anyway.”Cheyenne smirked. “Speak for yourself. I had a ten-point plan and everything.”“You had a bottle of whiskey and a list titled ‘People I Might Punch.’”“…Which is a plan, thank you very much.”The wind stirred gently, brushing her hair into her f
The Phoenix Sanctum was quiet beneath the lavender dusk.Evening had softened the brilliance of the sunstones embedded into the cliffside, their golden shimmer mellowing into a warm pulse that bathed the land in gold and rose. The air smelled of honeysuckle and the ever-burning sacred flame that curled through the air like a dragon’s breath—warm, steady, eternal.It had been nearly a year since Tyler took the throne beside Nalia.A year since the old laws were broken and reforged.A year since she stepped out of the shadows of history and into the light of her people.The change hadn’t come without growing pains, but as Nalia stood at the top of the high balcony overlooking the sanctum gardens, she didn’t feel the weight of failure or fear anymore. She felt... peace. And purpose.The kind that wasn’t born overnight, but shaped through loss, love, and relentless fire.Below her, Phoenixes moved through the gardens and walkways—laughing
*Six months later.*That’s how long it had been since the world shifted on its axis with the arrival of Kael and Liora—half a year of late nights, early mornings, endless diapers, and more magic-infused baby giggles than anyone thought their hearts could handle.Also? Not a single piece of furniture remained exactly where it had originally been.Tora sighed as she watched Kael crawl—no, charge—across the floor like a fuzzy wrecking ball. One little paw still popped out now and then as if his inner wolf was trying to get in on the action. Meanwhile, Liora, not to be outdone, had scrambled up the side of the couch and was attempting to scale it like some sort of glowing, fireproof mountain goat."She’s climbing again," Tora muttered, not bothering to raise her voice.“I see her,” Jax said from the kitchen, sipping coffee like it was the only thing keeping him upright. “I’m just trying to give her
*Tora’s POV*The world had gone quiet.Not literally, of course. Somewhere nearby, a nurse dropped something that clattered against tile. Someone else laughed—Chelsea maybe, or possibly Cheyenne tormenting someone into an early grave again. But in here, in this room, with two tiny bundled lives nestled against my chest…everything else faded out.I had no words.Which, to be fair, was a rare occurrence for me.Liora let out a soft snuffle against my collarbone, tiny fingers curling into the fabric of the blanket they’d wrapped her in. Her skin was warm, flushed with that soft golden hue all dragonlings were born with. And tucked right beside her, pressed against my other side, Kael was sleeping like he hadn’t just roared his way into the world hours earlier. The kid had lungs, and attitude. Clearly his father’s son.I felt Jax’s arm curl protectively around my back, his warmth seepin
It was the kind of morning that felt stolen from a fairytale—sunlight soft and golden, birds chirping harmonies that even Cheyenne couldn’t bring herself to curse. She reclined in one of the lounge chairs just outside her and Gunner’s cabin, wearing sunglasses too big for her face and sipping iced tea like she didn’t have the weight of the world tattooed into her DNA.The pack grounds were alive with laughter and lightness. Chelsea and Ben were trying to teach Darian how to skip stones by the creek—he was mostly just yeeting them like weapons. Jax and Tora were lounging under the shade of a willow, her head on his lap as he lazily braided a strand of her hair, a soft smirk on his lips every time she smacked his hand for tugging too hard. Isolde and Thorne were doing that thing where they pretended not to be affectionate, yet somehow never stopped touching.Even Cheyenne had her guard down. The calm wasn’t just rare. It was suspicious
The Guardians gathered once again in Tora and Jax’s expanded cottage—now boasting a fully finished nursery-in-progress, courtesy of the overachieving dads’ club. The scent of cinnamon tea, toasted bread, and a faint lingering hint of sawdust clung to the air as they filed in, dropping onto couches and chairs with the kind of exhaustion only world-saving and baby-growing could bring.Mira sat perched on the hearth, her hands folded in her lap as her calm gaze swept over the group.“So,” she began slowly, “We need to begin making preparations. The role of the Primal children—”“Children. Plural,” Tora muttered, rubbing her temple. “Don’t remind me.”“Right,” Mira said with a sympathetic smile. “Twins. Both potential vessels for something greater. We don’t yet know which of them will inherit the mantle of Guardian, or if both will. But we do know this: they