Marcus POV
I'm standing in the hallway, and I can't believe what I'm seeing.
Little Mira Blackthorn—seven years old, barely four feet tall—is glowing like a star. Silver light pours from her small body, so bright I have to shield my eyes.
"Nobody hurts my mommy," she says again.
Her voice doesn't sound like a child's anymore. It echoes with ancient power, like a thousand voices speaking at once.
Vanessa stumbles backward. For the first time, I see fear on her face.
"That's impossible," the witch breathes. "The child shouldn't have awakened yet. She's too young—"
"You made a mistake," Mira says. Her small hand points at Vanessa. "You hurt my mommy. Now you pay."
Silver energy explodes from her fingertips.
It hits Vanessa like a truck. The witch flies backward, crashing through the wall behind her. The impact shakes the entire building.
I run forward to where Killian is cradling Isla's dying body. Darius is trying to stop the bleeding, but there's too much silver blood.
"Boss, we need to get her to a healer—"
"There's no time!" Killian's face is covered in tears. "She's dying, Marcus. The mate bond—I can feel it breaking—"
Isla's eyes flutter open. She looks at Mira, who's walking toward Vanessa with terrifying purpose.
"Mira, no," Isla whispers. "Baby, stop. Don't use that power. It's too much for you—"
"She hurt you." Mira's voice is cold. "She made you go away for three years. She made me forget I loved you. She has to die."
Vanessa pulls herself from the rubble. She's bleeding, hurt, but still dangerous. "You little brat. You think you can beat me?"
"I don't think. I know." Mira raises both hands.
The entire estate starts shaking. Silver light floods every corner. I feel pressure building—massive, terrible pressure.
"Mira, STOP!" Isla tries to stand but collapses. "You'll kill yourself! That much power will burn you out!"
"I don't care!" Mira's crying now, tears streaming down her glowing face. "You're dying because of her! I won't let her win!"
Vanessa's eyes widen. "Oh goddess. She's going to—"
The power explodes.
I throw myself behind a pillar. Killian covers Isla with his body. Darius creates a shield of golden light.
Silver energy rips through the hallway like a hurricane. It tears apart walls, shatters windows, destroys everything in its path.
Except Vanessa.
The witch is screaming, trapped in the center of Mira's power. The dark magic around her is burning away like paper in fire.
"NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Vanessa shrieks. "I'm stronger than a child! I'm—"
Her words cut off as Mira's power crushes inward.
And Vanessa... dissolves. Just breaks apart into shadows and smoke and nothing.
The most powerful dark witch I've ever seen, destroyed by a seven-year-old.
The silver light fades.
Mira collapses.
"MIRA!" Killian lunges for his daughter, catching her before she hits the ground.
The little girl is unconscious. Her skin is pale. But she's breathing.
"Is she—" I start.
"She's alive," Darius says. He's checking her pulse. "But she burned through too much power too fast. She needs rest. Lots of it."
Isla makes a sound—a gasp, a sob. "My baby. Is my baby okay?"
I look at her. The dark energy wound in her chest is still bleeding, but slower now.
"Boss, Vanessa's dead," I tell her. "Mira destroyed her. The sacrifice spell—does it still work if the caster is dead?"
"No," a new voice says.
Moira Morven appears at the end of the hallway. She's limping, covered in dust, but alive. Behind her are dozens of Morven warriors.
"The spell breaks when the caster dies," Moira continues. "Isla should heal now."
She kneels beside her granddaughter. Touches the wound. Silver light flows from her hands into Isla's chest.
The bleeding stops.
Color returns to Isla's face.
She gasps, sitting up suddenly. "Mira. Where's—"
"Here." Killian's holding their daughter carefully, like she's made of glass. "She's okay. She saved you."
Isla's eyes fill with tears. She reaches for her daughter with shaking hands. "My brave girl. My beautiful, brave girl."
Killian places Mira in Isla's arms. The little girl stirs, her eyes opening just a little.
"Mommy?" Her voice is tiny, weak. "Did I do good?"
"You did perfect, baby." Isla's crying and laughing at the same time. "So perfect. But don't ever scare me like that again."
"Okay." Mira's eyes close again. "Love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, sweetheart. So much."
I look away, my own eyes burning. Killian's face is a mess of emotions—relief, joy, regret, pain.
Darius stands up slowly. "I should go. This is a family moment."
"Wait," Isla says. She looks at him. "Thank you. For coming. For trying to help."
"Always." Darius's voice is soft. "I meant what I said, Isla. I'm here whenever you need me."
He walks away, and I see Killian's jaw clench.
"Don't," I warn my Alpha quietly. "Not now."
Moira helps Isla stand, still holding Mira. "We need to get both of you to the healing rooms. Isla, you were hit with dark magic. Even with the spell broken, there could be side effects. And Mira needs to be monitored. She awakened her power way too early."
"Is that bad?" Killian asks. "The early awakening?"
Moira's face is grim. "It means she's even more powerful than we thought. Morven children usually awaken at thirteen. Mira's seven. That level of power in such a young body..." She trails off.
"What?" Isla clutches Mira tighter. "What does it mean?"
"It means your daughter is special. Possibly the most powerful Morven born in five hundred years." Moira looks serious. "Which also means she's in danger. There are people who will want to control her. Use her. Kill her before she becomes too strong."
"Let them try," Killian growls. His wolf is in his voice. "I'll tear apart anyone who touches my daughter."
Moira studies him. "Will you? You let a witch poison her for two years. Let her mother be driven away. Let this child grow up thinking she didn't matter. Words mean nothing, Alpha Blackthorn. Only actions."
Killian flinches like she hit him. "I know. I know I failed them both. But I'm asking for a chance to do better. To be better."
"That's not my decision." Moira looks at Isla. "It's hers."
Everyone turns to Isla.
She's staring at Killian with an unreadable expression. Finally, she speaks.
"You can see Mira. Supervised visits. Here at the Morven estate, where my family can protect her." Her voice is firm. "But you and I? We're done. The mate bond broke three years ago when I rejected it. Tonight doesn't change that."
"Isla, please—"
"No." She cuts him off. "You had seven years to choose me. Seven years to be the husband and father we needed. You chose wrong every single time. I won't make the mistake of trusting you again."
Killian looks like she ripped his heart out. Good. He deserves it.
"But," Isla continues, "Mira deserves a father. A real one. So prove it, Killian. Prove you've changed. Not with words. With actions. Over time. Maybe—MAYBE—after a few years, if you've actually become someone worthy, we can talk about co-parenting properly."
"Years?" Killian's voice breaks. "Nora—"
"Isla," she corrects coldly. "And yes. Years. You don't get to destroy my life and get forgiven in a week. That's not how this works."
She walks away, carrying Mira. Moira and several guards escort her to the healing rooms.
Killian stands there, broken and alone.
I put a hand on his shoulder. "Boss. Let's go home."
"I can't lose them again, Marcus." He's crying now. "I can't. I'll die."
"Then fight for them. Really fight. The way you should have three years ago."
He nods, wiping his face.
We start walking toward the exit. The Morven warriors watch us with cold eyes. We're not welcome here.
My phone buzzes. A message from an unknown number.
I open it.
It's a photo of Vanessa. But not from tonight. This photo is from five years ago. She's standing next to a man I don't recognize—tall, silver-haired, powerful-looking.
Below the photo, one line of text:
Vanessa was just the beginning. The real war starts now. And this time, all three bloodlines will fall.
My blood turns to ice.
"Boss," I say quietly. "We have a problem."
Killian looks at my phone. His face goes pale.
"Who is that man?" he asks.
"I don't know. But whoever he is, he's been planning this for years." I look at the burning estate behind us. "And tonight was just his opening move."
Before Killian can respond, my phone rings. Unknown number.
I answer. "Hello?"
"Beta Marcus." The voice is male, cold, ancient. "Give your Alpha a message."
"Who is this?"
"Tell him that his daughter killed my favorite weapon tonight. Tell him I'm very displeased. And tell him that I will take everything he loves—his pack, his child, and the mate he threw away—and I will burn it all to ash."
"Wait—"
The line goes dead.
I look at Killian. "We need to go back inside. Now."
"Why?"
"Because whoever was controlling Vanessa just threatened Mira. And he sounded like he means to act tonight."
We spin and run back toward the estate.
Behind us, in the shadows of the forest, I don't see the silver-haired man watching.
He smiles.
"Let the games begin," he whispers.