# No More Shadows

Daeira POV

It’s five p.m., and this place looks like something out of a storybook.

The field outside the keep has been completely transformed. Massive wooden tables stretch across the space beneath enchanted tents that shimmer faintly in the evening sun. Plush cushions. Hanging lanterns. A whole ass playground nearby where pups are shrieking and climbing and throwing mud pies at each other like tiny maniacs.

Music drifts through the air, soft strings, hand drums, a flute. Wolves I don’t even know have pulled together instruments, and they’re playing like they’ve waited their whole lives for this moment.

Velwyn and the kitchen staff are still flying around, stocking up a buffet table so full it could feed a small army. Grilled meats, fresh salads, loaves of bread, creamy potatoes, cupcakes stacked on towers, sweet fruit juices and sparkling punch for the kids... and yes, a full bar tucked under a side tent for the grown ass wolves who have earned it.

Everywhere I look, there’s laughter. Joy. And I...I can barely breathe from how fucking proud I am. "Look what we did," I whisper in my mind.

"You did this," Lunaryn corrects. "You gave them something to live for again."

I’m about to check on the drink tables when the witches appear behind me, grinning like smug little sorceresses with secrets in their eyes. “Alpha,” one says. “It’s ready.”

My breath catches. “Omg,” I say, actually saying the letters because I’m that floored. “Is it done?”

They just smile and motion for me to follow. By the time we reach the top of the hill that overlooks the valley beyond the keep, I’m already breathless. But when I see it? I fall to my knees. Hands shaking. Heart soaring. Below me lies a town. No...not a town. A fucking masterpiece.

Curved cobblestone streets snake through rows of gorgeous enchanted houses, every style imaginable, from cozy cottages to multi room homes. Glowing lamplight flickers from delicate lanterns. Wooden signs hang over polished storefronts, just waiting to be painted. In the center is a large, circular plaza with a fountain spraying silver glow water under a twilight sky.

A beautiful archway towers at the entrance, carved with symbols of the Moon Goddess and wolves in mid run.

And in gleaming letters, it reads:

“The Seralyn Pack.”

“Thank you, Moon Goddess!” I shout, eyes full of tears, arms flung wide to the sky. “Thank you!”

The witches just laugh behind me, proud and smug and kind all at once. I take one last look, burning the view into my soul, then run back toward the field like I’ve been set on fire, in the best way.

By the time I get back, more and more wolves have arrived. The tables are filling up, pups are climbing under benches, and someone’s turned the grass into a makeshift dancefloor.

Adults are dancing. Kids are shrieking with joy. There are cupcakes smeared across half a dozen faces. And for once, not a single person is scared. Not one is starving. No one’s hiding. This, I think, is what we were meant for. I grab a glass, climb up on a small table, and clink my fork against it.

The chatter dies instantly. All eyes turn to me. I clear my throat. “I have a surprise for all of you.”

People shift, ears perking, tails swaying. “I used some of my gold to hire the witches,” I gesture to where they’re sprawled on pillows with wine glasses and smug expressions, “to build something. Something for all of us.”

The crowd starts murmuring, excitement building like a low rumble. “If you’ll follow me,” I say, voice shaking a little, “I’d like to show you your new homes.”

The scream that follows shakes the sky. Wolves leap up from their seats. Pups are howling and tugging their parents along. I lead the way, walking slowly up the hill so they can all file behind me.

And then, one by one, they reach the top. And silence falls.

Gasps. Whimpers. Cries. Several wolves drop to their knees. Others are just staring with mouths open, clutching their children like they’ve seen a miracle.

“There’s plenty of housing,” I call out, heart in my throat. “Choose your home. Settle in. Open your shops. Establish the school, the clinic, the council offices. If you’d like to work, see Velwyn or Royce.”

I turn and point left. “That land is ready for farming. Freshly tilled. Over the ridge,” I turn and gesture again, is the lake. It’s been cleaned and blessed. The water is safe now. There’s even a beach.”

They’re crying. I’m crying. “The wards are strong,” I say, louder now. “This is your town. Your pack. You now have an Alpha. And we will no longer hide in the fucking shadows.”

The cheer that rises is deafening. They don’t ask questions.

They run. Down the hill. Into the streets. Pups tripping over each other as they run into new homes. Families pressing hands to doors. Elders standing in the plaza, tears on their cheeks.

Some are already claiming market stalls. Others are spinning around, deciding what their shop should sell. Someone yells something about needing a blacksmith and someone else shouts they’ll do it.

"They’re building their lives," Lunaryn whispers. "Right here. Right now. Because of you."

I stand at the top of the hill, watching them descend into the new Seralyn. I don’t feel broken. I feel like a fucking Alpha.

The town is alive.

Laughter echoes through the new streets. Wolves are choosing homes, opening shop doors, testing swingsets, and dragging furniture through open thresholds like it’s fucking Christmas.

And I’m standing on the hill, watching the beginning of everything. Then the boom hits. BOOM.

The sound ripples through the air like thunder cracking against the mountains. Windows rattle. The torches flicker.

And then, silence. People freeze. Heads whip around. Mothers scoop up pups. Fighters instinctively step forward. My heart is already racing as I feel the shift in the wards.

I turn. And there, standing just outside the shimmering magical barrier, are ten wolves. All male. Big. Broad. Trained. Eyes glowing. Fangs bared. But they don’t cross.

They can’t.

"The wards held," Lunaryn whispers. "But they came for blood." I step forward slowly, my heart pounding like war drums in my chest. One sniff of the wind and bile rises in my throat. That scent…I know it. I fucking know it.

“They sent their assassin,” I say out loud, my voice cold. “Roach.” Gasps from behind me. Tarin's hand flies to her mouth. The ten wolves stare at me through the barrier, unmoving. Soulless eyes. Silent. Waiting.

I square my shoulders and laugh. A sharp, confident, fuck you kind of laugh. Then I shout across the field, voice booming through the night: “Leave. You aren’t welcome here. You’ll never be welcome here. You can tell your Alpha and Luna that their reach ends at my wards, and they’re not strong enough to break them.”

The wolves don’t speak. They just stare a moment longer. And then...they turn. And run. Gone into the trees like shadows. But I know what this was.

"A warning," Lunaryn says. "They’re testing the edges."

"That won’t be the last time they try."

I clench my fists. “Good. Let them try again.” A rumble spreads behind me. Boots. Growls. Determined footsteps.

I turn, and see them. A formation of five hundred wolves moving through the plaza toward me. Mostly male, all lean and muscular, scarred and steady. Veterans. Fighters. Survivors. One steps forward, tall with dark hair and bright steel gray eyes. His voice is loud and clear.

“I’m Commander Hartfell. These are our warriors.”

He spreads his arms wide.

“We may not be the strongest in number, but we are strong in heart. And we will protect this land with our lives, Alpha.”

Something inside me snaps. That coil of fear I used to live with? Gone. That fragile part of me that doubted I was enough? Obliterated.

“Then welcome home,” I say, grinning. “See that building beside the town?”

They all turn. It's huge. Stone and steel. Towering.

“That’s your new barracks. Fully warded. Training grounds, gym, pool, living quarters, if any of you need a bed, you’ve got one. This pack doesn’t just survive now. We thrive.”

The warriors raise their fists and slam them to their chests in perfect unison. “Thank you, Alpha!”

I nod once. “We’re building an army. And we just started today.”

A wave of excitement rolls through them. Several clap each other on the backs. One howls. Others start running toward the barracks like kids on a field trip.

Before they go, I raise my hand. “One last thing, this assassin? Roach? He’s good. Silent. Precise. Bloodhowl's favorite shadow. And he’s been sent to kill me.”

The mood turns ice cold. “But with you here, and with the wards, they can’t get in. And they know it.”

I scan the group, locking eyes with Hartfell. “I want twenty wolves on rotating patrol at all times. Protecting our land is priority one. Not just me. All of it. Every child. Every home. Every elder.”

Hartfell nods, his face grim. “We’ll make it happen.”

They turn, disappearing toward the new training compound, shoulders straight, eyes hard. And just like that…We aren’t just a pack.

We’re a force.