Chapter Five

Mona's POV

The Shadow Walker moved faster than thought. One moment it stood at the edge of the circle, the next its claws were inches from my throat.

Derek's wolf form slammed into it mid-leap, but passed right through as if the creature was made of smoke. The Shadow Walker solidified just in time to backhand him into a tree with a sickening crack.

"Derek!" I rushed toward him, but Marcus grabbed my arm.

"Don't! Physical attacks won't work. Only phoenix fire can—"

The Shadow Walker's hand wrapped around my throat, lifting me off the ground. Its touch was ice, burning cold that made my flames sputter.

"The Shadow King sends his regards," it hissed, breath like rotting meat. "You will make a fine addition to his collection."

I grabbed its wrist, channeling phoenix fire through my palms. The creature shrieked, dropping me, its arm dissolving where I'd touched.

"Impressive," it snarled as shadows reformed its limb. "But you're untrained, uncontrolled."

It was right. The fire came in spurts, wild and unfocused. Each burst drained me more than it should.

"Together!" Marcus shouted, launching his own phoenix fire at the creature.

Our flames merged, creating a wall of white-hot fire that made the Shadow Walker retreat. But I could see Marcus struggling too – phoenix fire wasn't meant for combat, not like this.

"Mona!" Sophie appeared from nowhere, throwing something that sparkled in the moonlight. "Grandmother said to use this if shadows came!"

I caught the vial – crystallized sunlight, ancient magic from the old days. Without thinking, I shattered it against my burning palm.

The effect was instantaneous. My phoenix fire turned golden, blazing with the power of concentrated daylight. The Shadow Walker screamed, its form beginning to dissolve.

"Impossible! You're just a child—"

"I'm a Phoenix Wolf," I snarled, advancing on the creature. "And you picked the wrong night to hunt me."

But as I raised my hand to deliver the final blow, the Shadow Walker laughed.

"Did you think we sent only one?"

The ground erupted. Five more Shadow Walkers emerged from the earth itself, surrounding us. The pack wolves who tried to help passed right through them, unable to make contact.

"Run!" Professor Aria commanded, weaving complex spells that barely slowed the creatures. "Get to the Academy grounds! They can't enter consecrated territory!"

"No!" Marcus pointed to the forest. "The Bloodmoon sanctuary is closer!"

"We're not following you anywhere," Derek growled, back on his feet despite his injuries.

"Then die here," Marcus snapped. "Your choice."

The Shadow Walkers attacked simultaneously. Phoenix fire, Academy magic, pack wolves – nothing stopped them for long. Leon dragged Elena to safety while Selena, surprisingly, stood her ground and fought beside the others.

"There!" Sophie pointed to a shimmering barrier between two ancient oaks. "A portal!"

"That's the sanctuary entrance," Marcus confirmed. "Hurry!"

But as we ran toward it, one of the Shadow Walkers materialized directly in our path. Its claws raked across my back, tearing through fire and flesh alike. I screamed, falling to my knees.

"Mona!" Derek caught me, his hands coming away bloody. "No, no, no—"

"Shadow poison," the creature laughed. "Even phoenixes can't burn it away."

Black veins spread from the wounds, visible through my translucent skin. The fire under my surface began to dim.

"Get her through the portal!" Marcus roared, holding off three Shadow Walkers with a massive fire wall.

Derek lifted me, running. But the portal was shrinking, reacting to the shadow presence. Others made it through – Sophie, Leon, some Academy wolves. But as Derek reached the threshold carrying me, it solidified.

"No!" He slammed against the barrier. "Let us through!"

"Only Bloodmoon blood can pass now," Marcus said, suddenly beside us. "The sanctuary's defenses have activated."

"Then take her!" Derek thrust me toward Marcus. "Save her!"

"I can't. She has to cross on her own power." Marcus touched the spreading black veins on my back. "And she's fading fast."

The Shadow Walkers circled closer, savoring their victory.

"Unless..." Marcus's eyes widened. "The mate bond. It might be enough."

"What are you talking about?" Derek demanded.

"Bite her. Complete the mate bond now. Your blood in her system might give her enough strength to—"

"Are you insane? She's dying! The bite could kill her faster!"

"She's dying anyway!"

I grabbed Derek's hand weakly. "Do it."

"Mona—"

"Trust me." I managed to smile through the pain. "What's the worst that could happen? I die and resurrect again?"

"That's not funny."

"Derek." I squeezed his hand. "Please."

He looked at Marcus, who nodded. "At the junction of neck and shoulder. It has to be deep enough to exchange blood."

Derek shifted partially, his canines extending. "I'm sorry," he whispered, then bit down.

Pain exploded through me, but different from the shadow poison. This was fire meeting lightning, phoenix flame dancing with wolf storm. Our souls crashed together, merging, bonding in ways that transcended physical.

The black veins met the mate bond's power and hissed like water on hot metal.

"Now!" Marcus shoved us toward the portal. "While the energies are fighting each other!"

Derek carried me through. The moment we crossed, the portal slammed shut, cutting off the Shadow Walkers' howls of rage.

We were in a vast cavern lit by floating flames. Ancient symbols covered the walls, pulsing with power older than memory. Other phoenixes – actual phoenixes – perched on crystalline formations, their burning eyes watching us with intelligence.

"The Bloodmoon Sanctuary," Marcus breathed, relief evident. "We're safe. For now."

Derek laid me down gently, but didn't release me. The mate bond hummed between us, new and raw and overwhelming.

"The shadow poison?" I asked weakly.

"Fighting the mate bond," Marcus observed, kneeling beside us. "But winning. We need the Eternal Flame."

"The what?"

Marcus pointed to the cavern's center, where a massive pyre burned with every color imaginable. "The source of all phoenix fire. It can burn anything, even shadow poison. But..."

"But what?" Derek demanded.

"To use it, she has to enter it. Completely. And not everyone survives their first immersion."

"What's the survival rate?" I asked.

Marcus hesitated. "For normal phoenixes? About half. For a Phoenix Wolf who hasn't even shifted yet? Unknown. You'd be the first."

"Wonderful odds," I muttered.

"There is... another way," a new voice said.

We all turned. A woman materialized from the flames themselves – ancient, beautiful, with fire for hair and stars for eyes.

"Grandmother?" Marcus gasped, dropping to one knee.

"Hello, grandson." She looked at me with those impossible eyes. "And hello, great-granddaughter. Lyra's child. The one prophecied."

"Prophecied?" Derek asked.

"The Phoenix Wolf who would either save or destroy our kind," she said simply. "Depending on one choice."

"What choice?" I asked, though the spreading numbness made talking difficult.

"Whether to embrace both natures... or sacrifice one to save your life."

She gestured, and images appeared in the flames. "Enter the Eternal Flame as you are, and you might die. But if you survive, you'll emerge as a true Phoenix Wolf, both natures united."

"And the other option?"

"Let me burn away your wolf side. You'll live, but only as a phoenix. The mate bond would break. Your connection to the wolf world would end. But you'd survive."

Derek's arms tightened around me. "No. There has to be another way."

"The shadow poison spreads," the ancient phoenix observed. "You have minutes to decide."

I looked at Derek, at Marcus, at the Eternal Flame that could save or destroy me.

"What would my mother choose?" I asked.

The ancient phoenix smiled sadly. "Lyra faced the same choice once. She chose to keep both natures."

"And it killed her," Marcus said quietly.

"No," the ancient one corrected. "It made her powerful enough to give birth to you. Her death was... something else. Something we discovered too late."

"What?" I demanded.

"The Shadow King isn't collecting rare wolves," she said, her form beginning to fade. "He's collecting phoenix wolves specifically. Because he is one."

"That's impossible," Marcus protested. "We would know—"

"Would we? When he's mastered shadow to hide his fire?" She looked directly at me. "He's your grandfather, child. Lyra's father. And he's coming for you."

The ancient phoenix vanished, leaving us in stunned silence.

The black veins reached my heart.

"Choose," Marcus said urgently. "Now!"

I looked at the Eternal Flame, then at Derek.

"Together?" I asked him.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. "You want me to enter with you?"

"The mate bond might protect us both. Or kill us both."

"Mona—"

"Choose!" Marcus shouted. "The poison—"

I made my choice.

I grabbed Derek and rolled us both directly into the Eternal Flame.

The last thing I heard before the fire consumed everything was my own scream.

Or maybe it was Derek's.

Or maybe it was the fire itself, welcoming us home.