Semua Bab Moonbound: The Alpha's Claim: Bab 71 - Bab 80

For several long seconds after the corruption shattered, no one moved. It almost felt as if the cellar held its breath around them. The wards were still lit, but no longer held the clean certainty they had carried before. Now they pulsed unevenly along the walls, humming with the strain of having contained something they had never been built to endure. Burned torch fragments littered the floor, and the air smelled of stone, smoke, and a bitter residue that felt older than fire.Damien kept Elena upright against him as her knees threatened to give way. She was trembling, but it wasn’t the wild, unfocused shaking of fear. It was exhaustion—deep, marrow-level exhaustion—the kind that came from using something too vast and too new without knowing where her own edges ended.“I’m fine,” she whispered before anyone could ask. It was a lie, and all of them knew it.Roland stood nearest the cell door, one hand still raised from where he had nearly sealed the chamber shut forever. Gail had push

Elena didn't voice her concerns, but she could tell from the strained silence in the room that everyone else was thinking them too. Gail moved silently and efficiently around the space, reinforcing the wards. They hummed more powerfully in response, the vibrations becoming more consistent.Roland assessed the situation from the center of the cellar room. "Gail, continue reinforcing the wards. We need to do as much damage control as possible, as quickly as possible."Gail nodded and continued working. Elena felt a twinge of guilt. If she hadn't spent so much of her energy on healing Theron, she'd be able to help her aunt repair the wards."Once the wards are at full strength, we will speak in this room. No one leaves until that happens. We do not speak of this outside of this room. Understood?" His words left no room for argument, and everyone quickly agreed.Making one final pass around the room, Gail checked each anchor for the wards. They hummed more evenly now, the vibrations comin

An unnatural stillness fell over the room, while the wards still hummed slightly off rhythm. Elena remained by Theron's side as everyone moved in strained silence around her.Gail moved around the room with the expert skill of a seasoned witch as she reinforced and double-checked all the wards. Elena could see the toll Theron's words had on her aunt, plain as day on her face. Gail was doing her best to put aside her emotions while she ensured everyone's safety, but cracks in her composure made it clear that she was barely holding on.Elena knew that when she finally let down her own guard, those same emotions would come crashing in. Peter's attack had left little time to process Theron's words, and now wasn't the time to open that door.For Theron's safety, it was determined that he would remain behind the specially created wards. Roland ordered that the former prison be transformed immediately into a comfortable bedroom. Access would be limited to a select few at his discretion, and

Elena returned to the training ground the next morning already knowing it wouldn’t be the same. The wards had been reinforced again. She could feel it before she even stepped fully into the space. The air pressed more firmly against her skin, like the room itself had been tightened overnight. Gail was already there, moving slower this time, more deliberate. She wasn’t building the wards anymore—she was adjusting and refining them.Roland stood at the center, hands clasped behind his back. Damien lingered near the edge, close enough to step in, far enough not to interfere. No one wasted time.“You held yesterday,” Roland said as Elena approached. “Today, it resists.”Elena nodded once. “Alright.”Gail stepped forward, something darker cupped between her hands this time. Elena felt it immediately. It wasn't just wrong—it was aware. She could tell it wasn't fully intelligent, but it was familiar with the idea of being resisted.“This one will hold longer,” Gail said quietly. “It will not

No one moved at first. The wards along the perimeter hummed low and steady, their light barely visible in the daylight. Whatever stood beyond them didn’t rush forward or retreat. It simply remained there—just out of reach, just out of sight, waiting.Roland stepped forward, his presence shifting the space immediately. “Lock down the perimeter,” he said, voice carrying without rising. “No one engages without my order.”Guards moved without hesitation, forming a controlled line along the inner edge of the garden. Elena didn’t step back. She couldn’t. The feeling hadn’t faded. If anything, it had sharpened. The thing beyond the wards wasn’t like the fragments. It wasn’t searching or forming. It was already whole.Damien’s hand hovered at her back, not touching her, but close enough that she felt the tension in him. His wolf was near the surface now, restless and ready. “Elena,” he said quietly, “stay behind the line.”She didn’t answer because something moved. A shape broke from the tree