"You can't win this," Leighton said. "Surrender. Maybe I'll let your mate live."
"Go to hell."
"So be it." He shifted.
His wolf form was massive. Pure black with those golden eyes that used to look at me with love. Now they held only hate.
He charged.
Kael intercepted him. The two wolves collided with bone-breaking force. They rolled across the ground, tearing at each other.
Marcus was fighting three wolves at once. Losing ground.
And I stood there, helpless. My bloodline power was gone. Used up. I had nothing left to fight with.
One of Leighton's warriors saw my weakness. He advanced on me, teeth bared in a wolf's smile.
This is it, I thought. This is how I die.
Then the mate bond exploded with power.
Not my power. Kael's.
He was channeling his strength to me through the bond. Even while fighting Leighton, he was trying to save me.
Take it, his voice echoed in my mind. Take everything I have.
"No," I whispered. "You'll die."
Better me than you. Erica needs her mother.
"And she needs her... her..." I couldn't say it. Couldn't admit that in just two weeks, Kael had become as much a parent to her as I was.
The wolf lunged at me.
I grabbed Kael's power through the bond. But instead of using it for myself, I pushed it outward.
Not an attack. A summons.
The forest erupted with howls. Dozens of them. Coming closer.
The attacking wolves stopped, confused.
Then they broke through the treeline.
Black River wolves. Led by Garrett himself, in his massive grey wolf form.
And beside him—Helena. Marcus's reinforcements. The emergency flare we'd never used must have been triggered somehow.
No. Not somehow. Marcus had lit it while we weren't looking. Smart man.
The Black River warriors hit Leighton's forces like a tsunami. The tide of battle turned instantly.
Garrett went straight to Leighton. The two alphas collided in a fury of fangs and claws.
Kael broke away, shifting back to human form. He ran to me, pulling me into his arms.
"You're okay. Thank the Goddess, you're okay."
"I'm fine. But Kael, you gave me too much. You're—"
"I'll recover. You're more important."
The battle raged around us. But with Black River's reinforcements, it was no contest. Leighton's warriors fell or fled.
Within minutes, it was over.
Leighton lay on the ground in human form, defeated. Garrett stood over him, one massive paw on his chest.
"It's done," Garrett said. "He's beaten."
I walked over slowly. Looked down at the man
Chapter 18: Blood and Fire
We didn't get much rest.
Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. Then Marcus sat up, wincing.
"We need to keep moving. Leighton's warriors are still out here somewhere."
He was right. Just because the temple collapsed didn't mean our enemies had given up.
I forced myself to stand. Every muscle screamed in protest. My magic was still depleted, a hollow ache in my chest where the power usually lived.
"Can you fight?" Kael asked me quietly.
"I don't know. I've never been this drained before."
"Then we avoid fighting." He helped me to my feet. "We move fast and quiet. Get as far from here as possible before—"
A howl cut through the forest. Close. Too close.
"Too late," Marcus muttered, drawing his sword.
More howls answered the first. Coming from multiple directions. They were surrounding us.
"How many?" I asked.
Kael's nostrils flared. "At least a dozen. Maybe more. Mixed scents—both Cult and Silver Moon."
"They're working together?" That made no sense. They'd been enemies an hour ago.
"Common enemy," Marcus said grimly. "Us."
The first wolf burst from the trees. Silver Moon colors. Derek. The warrior we'd interrogated days ago.
His face was twisted with rage. "You destroyed the temple! Killed dozens of our people!"
"Your people were trying to kill us," I shot back.
"You're a traitor! To your pack, to your mate, to everything!" He shifted mid-leap, his body exploding into wolf form.
Kael met him head-on. Their collision shook the ground. They fought with brutal intensity—all claws and fangs and fury.
More wolves appeared. Cult warriors in their corrupted forms. Silver Moon soldiers who'd once taken orders from me.
All of them wanted us dead.
Marcus moved to intercept three Cult warriors. His sword flashed, keeping them at bay. But he was tired. Injured. Slowing down.
Two more wolves charged at me. I had no weapons. No magic. Nothing but my bare hands.
The first wolf lunged. I dodged barely. His jaws snapped shut inches from my throat.
The second one hit me from the side. We went down hard. His weight pinned me. Claws raked my shoulder.
Pain exploded. Blood soaked my shirt.
No. Not like this. I won't die like this.
Deep inside, where my magic should be, something stirred.
Not rune magic. Something else. Something older.
My Silvermane bloodline.
I'd been relying on stolen power for so long, I'd forgotten my own.
The bloodline power erupted. Not silver light, but pure white. Blinding. Hot as the sun.
The wolf on top of me screamed. His corrupted form couldn't handle pure bloodline magic. His body began to burn from the inside out.
I shoved him off. He hit the ground, thrashing. Within seconds, he was ash.
The other wolves backed away, frightened by what they'd just seen.
I stood. My eyes were glowing—I could see the white light reflected in their terrified faces.
"Anyone else?" My voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded ancient. Powerful. Like all my ancestors speaking through me.
They hesitated. Then attacked as one.
Big mistake.
I moved without thinking. My body knew what to do, guided by centuries of Silvermane warriors who'd come before.
I caught the first wolf by the throat and channeled pure bloodline power through my grip. He dissolved to ash.
The second one I hit with a blast of white light. Gone.
The third tried to run. I was faster. My hand touched his back, and—
Ash.
Within thirty seconds, five wolves were dead. The rest fled into the forest.
I stood there, breathing hard. The white light faded, leaving me dizzy and shaking.
"Sophia!" Kael was beside me, eyes wide. "What was that?"
"I... I don't know. My bloodline. It just... activated."
"That wasn't normal bloodline power. That was..." He looked awed. "That was the power of the original Silvermanes. Before the split. Before—"
A slow clap interrupted him.
We spun around.
Leighton stepped out of the trees. He was in human form, wearing black combat gear. His face was cold.
"Well done, Sophia. You've finally tapped into your true potential." He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Took you long enough."
"Leighton." My voice shook with rage. "This ends now."
"Does it? You're exhausted. Your magic is gone. That little display probably took the last of your strength." He started walking toward us. "Meanwhile, I'm fresh. Rested. And very furious."
"You're outnumbered," Kael said, moving to stand beside me.
"Am I?" Leighton whistled.
More wolves emerged from the forest. At least twenty. All Silver Moon. All loyal to him.
We were surrounded again. And this time, I had nothing left.
"You can't win this," Leighton said. "Surrender. Maybe I'll let your mate live."
"Go to hell."
"So be it." He shifted.
His wolf form was massive. Pure black with those golden eyes that used to look at me with love. Now they held only hate.
He charged.
Kael intercepted him. The two wolves collided with bone-breaking force. They rolled across the ground, tearing at each other.
Marcus was fighting three wolves at once. Losing ground.
And I stood there, helpless. My bloodline power was gone. Used up. I had nothing left to fight with.
One of Leighton's warriors saw my weakness. He advanced on me, teeth bared in a wolf's smile.
This is it, I thought. This is how I die.
Then the mate bond exploded with power.
Not my power. Kael's.
He was channeling his strength to me through the bond. Even while fighting Leighton, he was trying to save me.
Take it, his voice echoed in my mind. Take everything I have.
"No," I whispered. "You'll die."
Better me than you. Erica needs her mother.
"And she needs her... her..." I couldn't say it. Couldn't admit that in just two weeks, Kael had become as much a parent to her as I was.
The wolf lunged at me.
I grabbed Kael's power through the bond. But instead of using it for myself, I pushed it outward.
Not an attack. A summons.
The forest erupted with howls. Dozens of them. Coming closer.
The attacking wolves stopped, confused.
Then they broke through the treeline.
Black River wolves. Led by Garrett himself, in his massive grey wolf form.
And beside him—Helena. Marcus's reinforcements. The emergency flare we'd never used must have been triggered somehow.
No. Not somehow. Marcus had lit it while we weren't looking. Smart man.
The Black River warriors hit Leighton's forces like a tsunami. The tide of battle turned instantly.
Garrett went straight for Leighton. The two alphas collided in a fury of fangs and claws.
Kael broke away, shifting back to human form. He ran to me, pulling me into his arms.
"You're okay. Thank the Goddess, you're okay."
"I'm fine. But Kael, you gave me too much. You're—"
"I'll recover. You're more important."
The battle raged around us. But with Black River's reinforcements, it was no contest. Leighton's warriors fell or fled.
Within minutes, it was over.
Leighton lay on the ground in human form, defeated. Garrett stood over him, one massive paw on his chest.
"It's done," Garrett said. "He's beaten."
I walked over slowly. I looked down at the man who'd been my husband for three years.
The man who'd poisoned me. Tried to kill my daughter. Betrayed everything we'd built together.
"Sophia." His voice was hoarse. "Please. I can explain—"
"Explain what?" I crouched beside him. "How did you work with the Cult? How could you try to murder your child? How you threw away everything for power?"
"I did it for us! For the pack! We needed strength—"
"We had strength. You just couldn't see it." I stood up. "Garrett, he's yours. Do with him what you will."
"Wait!" Leighton struggled against Garrett's weight. "You can't just abandon me! I'm your mate!"
"No." I looked him in the eye. "You were never my mate. The bond was broken the moment you betrayed me. You're nothing to me now."
I turned and walked away. Behind me, I heard Leighton's protests fade as Garrett's warriors took him into custody.
Kael was waiting. He pulled me into his arms, and I let myself collapse against him.
"It's over," he murmured. "It's finally over."
"Is it? The cult is still out there. Seraphine escaped—"
"Shh." He tilted my chin up. "Tonight, it's over. Tomorrow we can worry about what comes next. But tonight, we rest."
Marcus approached, limping but alive. "Black River warriors are securing the area. We're safe for now."
"Good work lighting that flare," Kael said.
Marcus grinned weakly. "Figured we'd need backup eventually."
Helena shifted to human form, wrapping a cloak around herself. "Sophia, you look half-dead. Come. We've set up a camp nearby. You need food and rest."
I wanted to argue. But she was right. I was running on fumes.
The Black River camp was a welcome sight. Fires burning. Food cooking. Safe.
After I'd eaten and had my wounds tended, Kael led me to a tent set apart from the others.
"Privacy," he explained. "You've earned it."
Inside were warm furs, blankets, and blissful solitude.
I collapsed onto the furs. "I could sleep for a week."
"You've earned that too." Kael sat beside me. "You were incredible today. You destroyed the Moon's Tear. Awaken your bloodline. Defeated Leighton."
"We defeated him. Together." I took his hand. "I couldn't have done any of it without you."
"Partners," he whispered.
"Partners."
We sat in comfortable silence. Outside, I could hear the camp settling for the night. Guards calling out positions. Someone singing quietly.
Normal sounds. Safe sounds.
"Kael?"
"Mm?"
"Make love to me."
His eyes darkened. "Sophia, you're exhausted—"
"I don't care." I pulled him closer. "I almost lost you today. Multiple times. And I need... I need to feel alive. To feel us."
He searched my face. Whatever he saw there convinced him.
"Then let me take care of you."
He kissed me slowly. Gently. Like I was something precious that might break.
But I didn't want gentle. I wanted fierce. Wanted to feel the mate bond blazing between us.
I deepened the kiss, my hands pulling at his clothes. He got the message.
His touch became urgent. Possessive. His hands on my skin left trails of fire.
We made love with desperate intensity. Two people who'd survived the impossible, claiming each other in the most primal way.
The mate bond exploded with sensation. I could feel everything he felt—his need, his love, his overwhelming relief that we'd survived.
When he entered me, we both gasped. The connection was so intense it was almost painful.
He moved slowly at first, savoring every moment. But I urged him faster, harder, requiring more.
"Sophia," he groaned against my neck. "I love you. Moon Goddess, I love you."
"Show me," I whispered.