LOGIN“Alaric is safe,” I cut Kael off sharply. I couldn’t let doubt take root. “Cassius will protect him. That’s what we’re trusting. That’s what we have to believe.”
“And the rest of the threat?” Martin asked, reading over Kael’s shoulder. “Burning Black River? Scattering our people?”
“She’d do that anyway,” Helena said. “Whether Sophia su
The objects slammed into the wall and exploded.Not with fire, but with magic that ate through stone like acid. Gaps tore open in our defenses almost instantly. Enemy forces poured through.“Plug those gaps!” Theron shouted, already moving to rally warriors to the breaches.I shifted mid-stride. The damaged connection with my wolf screamed in protest, but it obeyed. The change hurt more than it should have. I pushed through the pain, anyway.No time for weakness.An enemy wolf lunged at me through one of the new openings. I met it head-on, all teeth and fury. We crashed together in a tangle of claws and snapping jaws. It was strong, but I was desperate, and desperation made me vicious.I tore out its throat and kept moving to the next.And the next.Around me, Black River’s defenders fought with everything they had. Every inch of ground cost blood. But for every enemy we killed, two more took their place.“Fall bac
“Magic is imprecise at this level,” Aldric said as he pressed the small crystal into my palm. “But it’s your best chance. Maybe you're the only one.”I stared at the crystal. Such a small thing to carry so much weight.“And if it doesn’t work?” I asked.“Then we all become Seraphine’s puppets, and she rebuilds her empire using our bodies as tools.” His voice was bleak. “There is no backup plan, Sophia. Either you stop her, or everything ends.”“No pressure, then.”“I’m sorry.” He sounded genuinely regretful. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. Sorry I couldn’t stop her decades ago, before she slid this far. Sorry, the burden of fixing my failure now falls on you.”“It’s not your failure.”
“Alaric is safe,” I cut Kael off sharply. I couldn’t let doubt take root. “Cassius will protect him. That’s what we’re trusting. That’s what we have to believe.”“And the rest of the threat?” Martin asked, reading over Kael’s shoulder. “Burning Black River? Scattering our people?”“She’d do that anyway,” Helena said. “Whether Sophia surrenders. This is just her trying to dress up the slaughter as mercy.”“Probably,” I agreed.“But we should put it to a vote. Let the people decide if my life is worth their safety.”“No,” Kael said at once.I raised an eyebrow. “No?”“No,” he repeated, voice firm. “We’re not putting your life up for a vote. Th
All evacuations were finished. Every outer settlement stood empty. Their people—some willingly, most not—were now packed inside Black River’s walls.The fortifications had reached seventy percent. Not perfect, but strong enough to fight from.Our numbers sat at four hundred thirty-seven combat-ready wolves, plus the fifty reinforcements from Shadow Peak who arrived last night.We were as ready as we could be.Which wasn’t saying much.I stood on the eastern wall at first light, eyes scanning the quiet land beyond our borders. Somewhere out there, Seraphine was moving her pieces into place.We had one day left.One day to wait and wonder if any of it would be enough.“Couldn’t sleep either?” Erica’s voice came from behind me.I
Day two of the evacuation brought additional complications.The three scattered homesteads were digging in harder than the major settlements. Word of the forced removals had spread overnight, and now families were ready to fight back.“They’ve barricaded the doors,” the team leader reported. “Set up basic defenses. Nothing serious, but enough to slow us down.”“How many families?”“Fifteen total. Maybe forty wolves.”Forty wolves who would rather stand and fight than run.I should have respected that kind of stubborn courage.Instead, I just felt tired.“Give them one last chance,” I said. “Full evacuation by sunset. If they refuse, breach the barricades and move them by force.”“That could t
“Good. How many settlements are we clearing?”“Five. Western, northern, and three scattered homesteads. About four hundred wolves in total. Half civilians, half fighters.”“Timeline?”“If it goes smoothly, two days. If there’s real pushback…” Theron shrugged. “Could stretch to three.”“We don’t have three smooth days,” I said. “Seraphine’s deadline hits in four. I want every wolf behind these walls by the end of day three. That gives us one full day to get ready before she moves.”“And if she moves early?”“Then we adjust.” I kept walking. “But I don’t think she will. She gave us a week on purpose. She’ll wait the full seven days just to show she’s the one in control.”“You’re betting a lot on how her head works.”“I’m betting on her ego,” I correc
"Is it? She's spent two centuries collecting pieces of ancient magic. Studying the First Wolves. Learning how they created the packs. She wants to undo that creation. Reshape it in her image.""How do we stop it?""The ritual requires three things: Moon's Tear. Royal Blood. And a thousand wolf sacr
"How?"His eyes met mine. Gold flecks are more prominent than usual. Power stirring beneath the surface."By not playing defense anymore. We go on offense. Find Leighton. Capture him. Make him tell us what he's told her.""He's in Cult territory. Protected. Would it be suicide too?""Then we're sma
“You have to! That's what he's doing! Buying you time!”Through the bond, I felt Kael's determination.His absolute certainty that I needed to survive. Go, his voice in my head. Get them to safety. I'll follow.You'd better.I promise.I ran. Carrying Liana with magic. Marcus is limping behind. Awa
The war room hummed with tension as pack members filed in around me. I took my seat at the head of the table, acutely aware of the Luna Mark still glowing faintly on my shoulder—a constant reminder of last night's awakening. Kael stood behind me, his hand resting protectively on my shoulder, stead







