#10 Power Draws Power

Daeira POV

I woke at five sharp, my body already humming with awareness. The sky outside was still navy and purple, stars barely faded, and the air smelled like wet grass and silver.

Today, we were welcoming another pack. Two thousand wolves. They’d answered the call. They wanted a home. And we were going to give it to them.

By the time the sun kissed the mountains, the first of them began arriving. Some on foot. Some limping. Some carrying pups or leading elders. All of them looked exhausted. But hopeful. Like the minute they passed through the wards, they could finally breathe.

We had a whole welcome setup ready, big ass breakfast buffet, tents with couches and blankets and actual beds, and half the kitchen staff buzzing around with drinks and coffee.

“Feed them. Let them sleep. Let them rest,” I told Velwyn, who nodded and was already ushering kids to the pancakes.

I stayed back at first, watching them trickle in, eyes wide, sniffing the air like they were waiting for it to all disappear.

Eventually, they all made it. And that’s when she stepped forward. Tall. Graceful. Older. Eyes like dusk. “I am Moon Priestess Avera,” she said, bowing deeply. “We came from the western forests.”

I bowed in return and gestured behind me. “Meet our Moon Priestess, Mirra. You’ll work together now.”

The women embraced like they already knew each other in some cosmic way and wandered off toward the ritual grounds. Tarin came up behind me, a clipboard in hand and a sparkle in her eyes. “I’ll ask the witches about magical construction for a moon temple. Avera will need a sacred space.”

I nodded, squeezing her hand.“Good call.”

She hugged me tight. “It’s so nice, having the keep alive again. The land. The hope. These last five years have been hell, Dee. Your people… we’re grateful.”

She turned and rushed off toward the witches. And I? I turned to the new pack. Thousands standing in a wide half circle as the priestesses began chanting in low, ancient tones. I stepped forward, my knees steady, chest full of fire and calm, and repeated the ritual words once again.

The moment the bond snapped into place, my knees buckled. So many emotions. Love. Grief. Relief. Faith. Home.

They reached for me immediately, crying, sobbing, shouting thanks and praise. Pups hugged my legs. Elders held my hands. Warriors clutched their chests like their hearts had been freed. I stayed with them for hours, just being there.

Touching them. Holding space. Listening. They didn’t need speeches. They needed presence. I was still deep in conversation with an elder when Commander Hartfell jogged up, face grim.

“Alpha.” I turned.

“There’s movement down the mountain. Five thousand wolves. Shifted. Running in formation.”

I blinked. “What the fuck?”

“We’re mobilizing. Could be an attack.”

“Or could be something else,” I muttered, my pulse rising.

I turned to the gathered wolves behind me.

“Go to the town. Find your homes. Get comfortable. Stay safe. If we need more space, the witches are already waiting, they’ll create what we need. You’ll know them when you see them.”

They moved fast. I sprinted up the tower stairs with Tarin on my heels, breathless by the time we reached the overlook. And then I saw them. Wolves. So many wolves.

Five thousand, at least, thundering over the ridge like a silver tide. Silent. Focused. Moving in precise formation like a fucking military unit.

My heart slammed into my ribs. “Oh shit,” I whispered.

"Lunaryn?" She didn’t answer at first. I could feel her, though....tense. Alert. Then came her voice, slow, curious. "I smell… something."

What something?

"A mate."

I choked. “A WHAT?!”

"A mate," she said again, unbothered. "Maybe more than one."

“WE CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE?!”

"You’re the most powerful Alpha alive. You’re gonna need more than one anchor to ground you."

I stared out at the incoming wolves, and my knees locked.

Thousands of pawsteps echoed up the mountain trail, carrying fate with them. And somewhere in that oncoming wave of fur and bone and destiny…

Was someone tied to me by the Moon herself. A second chance mate after Kade had ruthlessly rejected me.

“Oh boy,” I whispered.

"Oh fucking boy," Lunaryn agreed, grinning in my soul.

The sun gleamed off the polished stone of the front gate, arched and graceful, carved with moons and silver wolves in motion. The words glowed like a blessing from the goddess herself:

WELCOME TO PACK SERALYN.

PLEASE CHECK IN WITH THE GUARDS.

Catapults lined the walls above us. Ballistae. Silver tipped arrows longer than my arm. The new guard station was a fortress of its own, armed to the damn teeth. Our soldiers, roughly two hundred, stood tall at my side in full gear, Commander Hartfell silent beside me, and Tarin just behind, clutching her clipboard like she might beat someone with it.

And then we saw them crest the ridge. Five thousand wolves, in perfect formation. They stopped before the gate, claws digging into the earth. Then, in a wave of movement, they began to shift.

I closed my eyes and turned my back for a beat, thousands of naked warriors shifting all at once is not exactly subtle. I heard shuffling, clothes being passed around, muttered curses and half laughs.

When I turned back, three wolves stood at the front. One woman. Tall. Regal. The kind of confidence you feel in your bones. Long braids, dark eyes, a scar down one cheek like a statement. And then...two men. Twins. Identical. Huge.

They looked like something off the cover of a supernatural romance novel, with tattoos, smirks, and muscles that screamed bad decisions. They were HOT.

And the second I looked at them? My whole damn body lit up. My ovaries screamed. My thighs clenched. The hairs on my arms stood at attention. My heart skipped. My breath caught. And Lunaryn? She lost her fucking mind.

"THEY’RE OURS. THEY’RE MATES. BOTH. BOTH. MINE. MINE. MINE."

"Are you SURE?"

"Yes, bitch. I’m screaming inside. Take me to them. Immediately." She was wagging her white fluffy tail and panting in my mind. So impatient.

My knees were a little unsteady, but I held it together as the woman stepped forward and spoke.

“We are a rogue pack now,” she said firmly, her voice strong enough to cut steel. “We come to you seeking shelter and allegiance. We are former soldiers of Bloodhowl, but no more. We are done fighting for tyrants and thieves with no honor.”

She looked right at me.“We’ve waited years for a worthy Alpha. We heard the White Wolf had returned. That Daeira Seralyn had taken up residence here, and was welcoming the broken.”

I swallowed hard. My heart thundered. My voice was calm.

“What you heard is true.”

“We are all welcome?” she asked, softly now. “Even those with Bloodhowl scars?”

I stepped forward. I felt the twins watching me like they already knew. “If what you say is true, then yes, you are all welcome here. I want nothing to do with Bloodhowl. They were responsible for the murder of my pack, my family, five years ago. That war ended in blood.”

Gasps. Murmurs. Heads bowed. I continued, louder now.

“We will provide refuge and safety to any wolf affected by them. And I plan to take them down. For what they’ve done. For what they’re still doing.”

The woman’s eyes lit with fierce pride. She turned, looked back at her army, and shouted: “SERALYN!”

Thousands of fists slammed to hearts. The sound echoed like a war drum. I beckoned the moon priestesses forward. Mirra and Avera stepped into the clearing, both aglow with divine energy.

“Before the wards allow you entry,” I said, “we must link. If you are truly with us, this is how we unite.”

The woman didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. That you’d link with us so freely, so immediately… it speaks volumes, Alpha. You have my respect. This cannot be easy for you.”

I nodded once. “It’s not. But it’s right.”

She nodded back. And then, we knelt. All of us. Thousands on the earth. Silent. Steady. The priestesses raised their voices, ancient and melodic, the chant wrapping around my bones. I repeated the words, vows of leadership, protection, unity.

The second the last word left my lips, it hit. The link slammed into me like a tidal wave. Emotions. Names. Faces. Loss. Hope. Pride. Loyalty. Overwhelming loyalty. I was theirs. They were mine. It was rock solid. I felt incredible. I felt powerful.

Wolves cried openly. Some shouted. Many reached for me, touching my arms, holding my hands, weeping with gratitude. And Lunaryn? She started howling.

"THEY’RE RIGHT THERE," she wailed. "Our mates. Our anchors. The twins. They’re perfect. Don’t ruin it. Don’t run. Don’t scream."

"I’m not screaming!"

"I AM."

I slowly lifted my gaze to the two men still standing calmly at the front of the crowd. They hadn’t moved once. But their eyes? Locked on me. Glowing with power. Hunger. Recognition.

And I knew, no prophecy in the world could’ve prepared me for this.

“Oh boy,” I whispered under my breath.

"Oh, baby girl," Lunaryn replied. "You have no idea what’s coming."