Loria’s POVThis part of the pack house was different.Quieter.The magic here didn’t hum—it listened.Walls of dark grey stone curved gently inward, and the torches that lit the way burned silver instead of gold. The silence wasn’t empty. It was sacred. Every step felt intentional, like we were walking deeper into something ancient and secret.Abby turned a corner and paused beside a heavy oak door.Dark, almost black, the door was carved with intricate patterns I couldn’t place—geometric runes woven into the flow of trees, stars, and wolves. A single spiral in the center pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. The handle was iron, wrapped in leather worn from years of use.Abby turned to us, expression unreadable. “This is Luna Solene’s chamber.”Simon and I exchanged a glance. Anthony stood silently between us, his hand already reaching for mine.Abby raised her fist and knocked twice.The sound echoed—once, twice, then faded into silence.Then the spiral on the door flared gold.The doo
Loria’s POVThe inside of the tent was warm, dim, and comforting—like a cocoon spun from silver thread and old magic. Simon’s wards kept the mountain air at bay, and the enchantments woven into the fabric muffled the rustle of the forest outside. It felt safe, even though we were camped just beyond the boundary of a territory we’d never stepped foot in before.Simon summoned a low flame in the center ring of the tent and conjured three simple plates onto the floor between us.“Sandwiches it is,” he said, slicing the loaves with a flick of his fingers. Cheese, apples, and something that smelled suspiciously like herbed turkey filled the air with warmth and nostalgia. “Don’t judge me. I added rosemary.”I smiled. “You’re showing off.”Anthony didn’t even look up from his book as he reached for a sandwich. “He always does.”We sat cross-legged in a circle, the glow from Simon’s small flame casting flickers of gold against the tent’s silver seams. Anthony chewed quietly for a moment, stil
Simon’s POVWe didn’t pack much.There was no need to.Between Loria and me, we could conjure anything we needed—clothes, bedding, heat, protection. But food was still practical, and so was the magical tent. The same one we’d used before. It had earned its place.While I double-checked the perimeter wards around the castle one more time, Loria was in our office crafting something far more delicate.She held two small oval mirrors—framed in brushed silver, no bigger than the palm of her hand—and whispered old magic into them. Her fingers moved with practiced ease, weaving sigils across the glass as golden light shimmered between the pair.“They’ll work like mirrors between realms,” she explained, without looking up. “Like… magical FaceTime, but prettier.”I chuckled. “That’s horrifying and amazing.”“You love it.”“Not denying that.”When she was done, she handed me one of the mirrors. The surface pulsed once as it attuned to me, then fell still.We packed lightly after that: a few enc
Simon's POVThe next three days passed in a blur.Between restoration work, settling the babies, and managing the steady stream of new arrivals, I barely remembered to sleep.The quads were doing well. Doc had set up a schedule, and somehow—with all five babies under one roof—we’d managed not to lose our minds. Venus had reattached herself to Andy and Amy like a barnacle, which honestly worked out perfectly. The nursery ran on a sort of sacred chaos, but it worked.A quarter of the coven chose to stay permanently, helping to fortify the land and continue restoration efforts. The rest? Loria portaled them back to the southern territory—the newly designated Caleb’s pack lands.Audrey had gone too, but only to make one final move.She passed the mantle of High Priestess of the South to Agatha.That still hadn't fully sunk in.But when she came back… she didn’t come alone.She brought twice as many werewolves with her as we had before. Some stepped out of the enchanted travel crate in tig
Simon’s POVThe hallway was quiet now. Still glowing faintly with magic left behind by our work, but hushed—like the castle was holding its breath.Loria stood beside me, one hand cupped gently around a golden sphere of light. It hovered just above her palm, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.“What is that?” I asked, watching as it floated upward and drifted slowly down the corridor ahead of us.“A locator spell,” she murmured. “Designed to find the Headmaster’s quarters—or, in this case, the quarters meant for whoever’s in charge.”My brows lifted. “You’re assuming it’s not just a bedroom.”She smirked. “Have you seen the rest of this place?”Fair point.The sphere glided steadily, turning corners, drifting past doors until—finally—it stopped. It hovered in front of the very last door at the end of the hall, spinning slightly in place.“This is it,” she said, excitement threading through her voice.I stepped ahead of her and laid my hand on the door. The wood was ancient, reinforced wit
Loria’s POVThe castle shifted around us like it was listening.We walked the halls together—our strange little family—our footsteps echoing softly along the stone corridors of the residential wing. The walls here were older, quieter. Less touched by restoration. Thick velvet curtains hung over arched windows, moth-bitten and dusty. The floor runners were faded but elegant, and everything smelled faintly of wood polish and time.A few of the witches had gone ahead of us earlier. I could hear their voices up ahead—gentle, guiding. Laughter too. They’d found dormitories and were already helping the werewolves settle in. Every now and then, the sound of someone shifting a mattress or enchanting a light fixture echoed down the corridor.It warmed me, knowing people were claiming spaces. Breathing life into stone.Beside me, Simon carried Moon, who had curled up again with her face tucked into his shoulder, thumb in her mouth. Anthony walked between us with Andy and Amy just behind, each o