Chapter 51 Bloom

The deafening roar rising from the dark forest shattered the ancient silence of the ritual grounds like glass. Inside my mind, the newly formed web of glowing bonds trembled in terror. The hundreds of threads that had only moments ago been sealed into my veins suddenly pulled tight beneath the heat of foreign hatred and approaching death.

The sense of wholeness I had felt seconds earlier vanished, replaced instantly by a primal instinct to survive.

“They breached the border!” Beta Zane roared, every trace of his usual professional composure gone. “Form the defensive line!”

Masked figures burst from the shadows between the trees, followed by fanatical wolves whose eyes burned with pure hatred. Beneath the cold light of the full moon, they poured toward us like an avalanche.

But a living wall formed in front of me before they could reach the center of the circle.

Before they could reach me.

Cassian, Kai, and Ivy moved at the exact same moment, as though driven by one shared thought.

Cassian stopped so close in front of me that his back nearly touched my chest. The intense scent of blueberries and juniper rolled from his body, thickened by the heat of savage fury.

A low, earth-shaking growl rumbled from deep inside him. Axel had taken complete control. The burning need to protect me, amplified by our newly sealed bond, had transformed Cassian’s entire aura into something wild and uncontrollable.

The thick thread connecting us burned crimson with his rage. He didn’t even turn to look at me, but his unshakable command rang directly through my mind.

"Stay behind me. Do not leave the circle."

“Of course they had to show up right when the party was getting good,” Kai muttered.

He was trying to hold on to his usual sarcasm, but his claws were already extended and his hazel eyes had darkened almost completely. Ivy stood one step beside me, her gaze fixed on the approaching threat as she lowered herself into a defensive stance.

The attackers hadn’t come to negotiate. They had chosen the exact moment when the pack was still trapped in the ritual’s lingering trance, scattered and vulnerable, to destroy us.

The instant Alpha Ronan and Luna Sienna charged toward the enormous wolves attempting to break through from the opposite side, the ritual grounds became a slaughterhouse.

Chaos erupted everywhere. Claws struck bone. Flesh tore beneath fangs. The metallic scent of fresh blood flooded the air as bodies crashed into the earth. Then a masked attacker slipped through a gap on the left side of the line Kai and Ivy had formed.

A long dagger decorated with silver flashed in his hand as he lunged straight toward me. He moved too quickly for me to see his face, but the hatred in his eyes was unmistakable. He didn’t see me as a person. He saw me as a curse that needed to be erased.

“Bloom, watch out!” Ivy shouted while struggling to fend off another attacker behind her.

I still didn’t have a wolf to hide behind.

But something powerful and untamed was boiling inside my veins, carried by the very blood I had spilled beneath the runes only moments ago. I didn’t run. I didn’t retreat in fear. I let my instincts take control.

My body moved faster than my mind could follow, driven by nothing but pure reflex.

The instant the attacker thrust the dagger toward me, I tilted my head a fraction to the left.

The cold silver blade sliced through the air and grazed my cheek. At the same time, my right hand closed around his wrist. Pain flared through the wound that had only just healed across my palm. I pulled at the rune energy still flowing into my body from the earth and forced it into the attacker’s arm like a weapon.

I heard his bones crack beneath my grip. He groaned in agony. Before he could recover, I drove my left elbow hard beneath his jaw. The blow hit with so much force that he flew backward and slammed into the rune-covered stone with a deafening crash.

His dagger fell from his hand and struck the ground with a sharp metallic clang. For a second, even I froze. The power behind my own reflexes had shocked me. Then the thread inside my mind jolted with a sudden warning.

A massive wolf was charging at Cassian from behind, completely consumed by bloodlust. Its jaws were already opening as it prepared to tear into the back of his neck.

“Behind you! Left side, low!” I shouted, pulling on the bond between us with everything I had.

Cassian received the warning in less than a second without ever needing to look back. Just before the wolf’s teeth reached his throat, he ducked with impossible speed, slipped beneath its body, and drove his enormous claws across its chest.

The wolf’s agonized howl tore through the clearing. Cassian immediately turned his attention back to me. His blue eyes locked onto mine, burning with a wild light. The perfect connection between us had become the deadliest weapon on the battlefield.

We had become each other’s eyes. Each other’s ears. Each other’s protection from behind.

“We need to get out of here!” Kai shouted as he tore open an enemy’s throat and threw the body aside. “There are too many of them! More keep coming out of the forest!”

He was right. This wasn’t a simple attempt to sabotage the ritual. It was an organized, merciless execution aimed directly at the heart of Dark Moon. They were terrified of what would happen once I finally bonded with a wolf.

Then, on a high ridge overlooking the edge of the ritual grounds, a tall figure appeared. A cloak whipped violently around their body in the wind. Their face was completely hidden behind a silver mask. Unlike the other attackers, they didn’t charge blindly into battle. They simply stood above us in cold, unnerving silence.

Watching.

Watching all of us.

But most of all...

Watching me.

The silver-masked figure slowly raised one hand. Then pointed directly at me. That single gesture sent the remaining attackers into one final, savage assault. But Dark Moon had already recovered.

Under Alpha Ronan's command, the pack moved with flawless coordination, launching a devastating counterattack that shattered the enemy's formation. Through the countless bonds now woven into my mind, I could feel the strength of my own pack surging around me.

Our defense had become an unbreakable wall. Realizing the battle had completely shifted in Dark Moon's favor, the silver-masked figure simply turned away. Without a word. Without hesitation. They disappeared back into the darkness of the forest.

The moment they retreated, the surviving attackers followed one after another, abandoning the fight and fleeing into the trees. Within seconds...

The clearing that had echoed with snarls and clashing claws fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone was breathing hard.

Kai retracted his claws while Ivy brushed dirt and blood from her clothes.

"...So what was that supposed to be?" Kai muttered between breaths. "Why attack us just to run away?"

The same question hung over everyone. Why would such a well-organized force strike once and immediately retreat?

Alpha Ronan's booming voice cut through the uneasy murmurs. "Everyone stay calm!"

"The wounded are to be taken to the infirmary immediately."

"Anyone fit to move will return to the pack house."

"The border defenses are to be doubled at once."

Once he'd finished issuing orders, Ronan walked straight toward me. The weight of his Alpha presence still lingered around him, along with the heat of battle. His eyes settled on the fresh symbol sealed onto my forehead.

"You are one of this pack now, Bloom." His voice was steady.

"And as you've seen, the attacks are only escalating."

"We can't afford to waste any more time."

"You and your team need to descend into the Forbidden Vault beneath the library as soon as possible."

The council members approaching from behind him nodded in agreement. So did the rest of our team. But Luna Sienna stepped forward before anyone could respond.

"They're all right, Alpha," she said gently. "But Bloom has endured two brutal trials, survived silver, and then fought through an attack immediately afterward."

Her eyes softened as they met mine.

"Her body and mind need time to recover."

"The Vault will be opened tomorrow."

"Today..."

"We rest."

Ronan let out a slow breath before giving a reluctant nod. "Very well."

As everyone gradually dispersed, our group made its way back toward the pack house. Cassian silently fell into step beside me. He didn't say a single word. Our shoulders brushed together as we walked. When we reached my room, Ivy and Kai peeled off toward their own rooms.

Cassian stopped at my door. Then, making it abundantly clear he had no intention of leaving, he pushed it open and followed me inside.

The moment he entered, he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wood.

His shirt had been torn apart during the fight. Deep claw wounds stretched across his shoulder and the side of his chest, fresh blood still slowly seeping from them.

He looked as though he barely noticed.

"Are you seriously out of your mind?" I snapped as I hurried to the cabinet and pulled out the first-aid kit.

"What are you doing here instead of the infirmary?"

I pointed toward his injuries.

"Look at those wounds!"

A faint smile touched Cassian's lips. Not his usual teasing grin. Just something quiet... And deeply tired.

"The healers at the infirmary are a little too rough for my taste, Little Fox."

His voice was soft. "And..."

"I needed to be with you."

"Oh-" I sighed.

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with your stubborn wolf instincts right now."

Ignoring any chance he had to argue, I guided him toward the edge of the bed and pushed him down into a sitting position. Taking a cotton pad and antiseptic from the kit, I carefully pressed it against the fresh wound across his chest.

Cassian inhaled sharply through clenched teeth. But he never looked away from me.

"You should've gone to the infirmary," I muttered, trying to keep my voice gentler as I cleaned the injury.

"Axel might be ridiculously strong, but what if those claws had been coated in silver?" I glanced up at him.

"Do you ever think about yourself?"

His answer came almost as a whisper. "I spend so much time thinking about you..."

"...there isn't much left for myself."

My hand froze against his chest. Slowly... I lifted my eyes to his. Only then did I realize how close we'd drifted to each other.

The warmth of the room mixed with Cassian's scent, wrapping around us like an invisible cocoon. The blue flames burning in his eyes had completely replaced the fury from the battlefield.

Now...

There was only longing. His breath brushed softly against my skin. He slowly lifted one warm hand and gently closed it around the hand I'd been using to clean his wound.

His fingers slipped naturally between mine. His gaze drifted to my lips. The air in the room suddenly felt warmer. My heartbeat pounded even harder than it had during the battle. His closeness. The heat radiating from his body.

The golden thread connecting our minds vibrating wildly between us... Everything locked me in place. I'd completely forgotten about treating his injuries. All I could do...

...was lose myself in the endless blue depths of his eyes.