Chapter 42: The Storm Before Dawn

The forest was too quiet.

Serena moved through the shadows like smoke, her senses prickling with tension. She was no longer the girl who flinched at snapping twigs or trembling under a blood moon. She was Alpha-born, touched by fate, carved by loss—and sharpened by love and war.

Behind her, Elias stalked with silent purpose. His eyes flicked around, assessing every rustle, every scent in the wind.

They were hunting, but also hunted.

“I don’t like this silence,” Elias muttered, keeping pace beside her. “It’s too clean. Like something’s sweeping behind us.”

“They want us to walk into a trap,” Serena said, eyes narrowed. “That’s exactly why we won’t.”

They stopped at the clearing. From here, the valley below sprawled wide, lit only by the faint glow of torches from scattered Council patrols. Serena’s sharp eyes traced the movements—slow, methodical. They were circling, sweeping in from the south, blocking off potential escape routes.

“We’re surrounded,” Elias confirmed grimly. “They’ll box us in by dawn.”

Serena pulled out the rolled hide-map and laid it flat on a rock. “Not if we hit first. We move north, draw them into the split ridge, and trigger the avalanche.”

“That’s risky,” he said, arching a brow. “You’d bury their scouts—along with anyone who doesn’t move fast enough.”

“It’s our only shot to scatter them without open war. If we take out their front line, we can buy time to regroup with the rest of the Nightfall warriors and strike properly.”

Elias studied her. “When did you start thinking like a general?”

“When you weren’t looking,” she said dryly. “Come on. We need to move before the sun catches our scent.”

Hours later, the plan was set in motion.

Serena stood on the ridge’s edge, overlooking the lower forest path where the Council’s lead patrol would pass. Below, warriors moved in silence, cloaks blending into the underbrush. Everyone had a role. Everyone knew what was at stake.

Elias stepped beside her, adjusting the bracer on his forearm. “You still sure about this?”

“No.” She smiled tightly. “But fear doesn’t cancel the mission. You taught me that.”

He reached for her hand and squeezed it once, firm and grounding. “I’ll be behind you. Always.”

Their moment fractured as a hawk cry rang through the trees—Rylen’s signal. The enemy patrol had entered the valley.

Serena took a breath and nodded.

Now.

With a single swipe of her claws, she triggered the hidden cord, releasing the stones and logs stacked precariously along the cliffside. The ground shook as the makeshift avalanche thundered down the slope, crushing trees and disorienting the enemies caught in its path.

Cries echoed below—confused, panicked.

That was the cue.

Nightfall warriors surged from their hiding spots, arrows flying, blades flashing in moonlight. Serena moved like lightning, shifting mid-sprint, her black wolf form sleek and deadly. She slammed into a Council soldier mid-transformation, knocking him aside before sinking her fangs into another’s shoulder.

Chaos bloomed.

Elias fought beside her, his silver wolf glowing beneath the dark sky. His growls were guttural, his strikes brutal. Together, they tore through the patrol—driving them back, deeper into the trap.

It was over in minutes.

Panting and blood-splattered, Serena shifted back, crouching beside Rylen who limped toward her.

“We took down the lead line,” he said, grimacing. “They’ll send more when this group fails to report.”

“Good,” Serena replied. “Let them come. Let them see we’re not running anymore.”

Elias approached, brushing a cut on her cheek. “We need to move camp. We bought a day, maybe two.”

Serena nodded. “Then we’ll use it. Rally the healers, bury our dead. We don’t mourn in fear—we mourn in strength.”

Rylen gave a sharp nod. “Yes, Alpha.”

It was the first time anyone had called her that aloud.

The word echoed inside her chest like thunder.

Later that night, the camp shifted into motion again.

Serena stood at the fire’s edge, staring into the flames, her hands still stained with blood. She could hear the low murmurs behind her—warriors speaking in hushed tones, healers tending to the wounded, scouts giving updates.

The pack was looking to her.

And she wasn’t sure she was ready.

But she also knew this: ready or not, the crown was hers to claim.

Elias joined her, wrapping a cloak over her shoulders. “You did well today.”

“I did what I had to.”

“That’s what leaders do.”

She turned to face him. “I thought I’d feel something more. Pride. Guilt. But I just feel... hollow.”

He studied her face, then pulled her closer. “You don’t have to be perfect, Serena. You just have to keep standing.”

She buried her face against his chest, breathing in his scent. “Will you still stand with me when this ends?”

“I’ll stand with you when it begins.”

He kissed her forehead, slow and steady. “The storm’s only getting stronger. But we’ve weathered worse. Together.”

And as the fire cracked behind them, and the forest braced for the next wave of war, Serena realized the truth:

She was no longer just surviving.

She was rising.