Chapter 105: The Breach

The halls of the Alpha estate had never felt so empty.

Serena wandered back inside after Elias left, but every inch of her body felt like it remained on that balcony, clinging to his last words, the press of his lips, the look in his eyes.

She touched her fingers to her mouth.

He’d said he loved her. And she had said it back.

It should have brought comfort, solid ground in a life that had shifted so violently under her feet since arriving in this territory. But instead, the weight of it settled on her chest like an omen.

Because even love wasn’t enough to stop what was coming.

She paced the room, barefoot, every step a silent echo in the night. Moonlight spilled across the polished floors, casting ghostly shadows as her mind whirled.

A breach.

At the northern border.

That wasn’t a scouting error or a rogue wolf wandering too close. Someone had deliberately broken through. And she didn’t need Elias or Theron to confirm what her instincts were already screaming.

They were coming.

The threat that had haunted her dreams, whispered warnings into her magic, and flared each time the moon rose—was no longer distant.

It was here.

A low hum sparked in her fingertips, followed by the now-familiar prickle of heat that danced along her skin. Her power was reacting to her fear, her instincts, her rising sense of purpose. It wanted out. It wanted to protect.

She clenched her hands into fists. “Not yet,” she whispered.

But deep in her chest, the ancient energy stirred.

The wolf inside her—stronger now, fiercer—growled with warning.

And then came the knock.

This one was softer. More tentative.

Serena crossed to the door and opened it to find Lira, breathless, her blonde hair tangled as though she’d just sprinted from the training fields.

“We need you,” Lira said. “Now.”

Serena didn’t hesitate.

She threw on her boots and followed Lira down the winding halls, every sense sharpening. The estate, once calm and majestic, now buzzed with the kind of tension that preceded battle.

When they reached the war room, the tension was thick enough to choke on.

Maps were spread across the long oak table. Pack warriors stood in tight formation along the walls. At the head of the room stood Elias, his Alpha presence dominating the space, flanked by Theron and Zara.

Everyone turned when Serena entered.

“About time,” muttered Theron, though his tone held less venom than usual.

Elias’s eyes met hers. A flicker of relief. Then command.

“Come here.”

She did, stepping to his side.

He pointed to the northern edge of the map. “The breach occurred here—Raven’s Hollow. An ancient crossing point, long sealed by the barrier. The enchantments should have made it impenetrable.”

“But they didn’t,” Serena said quietly.

“No,” Elias confirmed, jaw tight. “Whoever it was, they knew where to strike. The breach was clean, deliberate. No signs of forced physical entry. Magic, Serena. Dark magic.”

A silence fell.

“Were there casualties?” she asked.

“Three border sentinels. Dead before they could shift. Another is missing.”

The words struck her like cold water.

Zara leaned forward. “We need answers. And your power—whatever it is—might be the key to finding out what kind of magic bypassed the barrier.”

Serena inhaled slowly. “Let me see the site.”

Theron frowned. “It’s unstable. We don’t know what’s still active there.”

“I don’t care,” Serena said. “If this magic is anything like what’s been haunting me, I’ll feel it. I need to.”

Elias placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go with you.”

She nodded. “Then let’s move.”

The northern border lay in ruin.

The forest was eerily silent when they arrived, the usual sounds of nocturnal life replaced by an oppressive hush. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting long, twisted shadows across the ground.

The scent of blood still lingered.

Serena crouched near the edge of the breach—a rippling tear in the magical ward that looked like melted air, barely visible to the naked eye but pulsing with energy to anyone attuned to it.

She reached out.

Pain.

A flash of something cold and black shot through her hand and up her arm, and she gasped, jerking back.

“Serena!” Elias moved to her, but she held up a hand.

“No—I’m fine.” Her breath came fast. “It’s not just dark magic. It’s ancient. Blood-bound.”

She stood, trembling slightly. “Someone offered a sacrifice to pierce the barrier.”

Elias’s jaw tightened. “That’s forbidden magic.”

“It’s more than that,” she whispered. “It’s personal. Someone used this to send a message. To me.”

She could feel it now—like fingers brushing the edge of her mind, testing, probing.

Her heart pounded. “They know who I am.”

Elias’s eyes narrowed. “Then we need to strike first.”

“No,” she said. “We need to prepare.”

He looked at her, and something shifted between them again. Recognition. Trust. Partnership.

“Then we’ll prepare. Together.”

Back at the estate, Serena stood alone in her room, watching the shadows dance across the floor. She couldn’t sleep. Not now.

She turned toward the full-length mirror in the corner. Her reflection stared back—stronger, fiercer than she remembered. Her eyes seemed to glow faintly with power. She wasn’t just a girl anymore. Not just a mate.

She was something more.

Her fingers brushed the scar at her collarbone—the one she’d received the night of the fire, the night her powers had first awakened.

Whoever had breached the border… they’d made a mistake.

They thought she was weak. Just a pawn.

But they didn’t know what she had become.

And they didn’t know what she was willing to do to protect what was hers.