My heart is about to burst from my ribcage, each beat a loud echo in the eerie stillness of the Sacred Grove.
Asher and Avery stand there, terrified, under Silas’s looming shadow.
How? How did they get my children?
Panic claws at my throat, thick and suffocating.
I can’t breathe, can’t think, except for the wild, spiraling terror that they have them—my kids, my heart, my fucking family.
The stones spin around me, the faces of my pack blurred and distant, as one thought hammers through the chaos: I need to save them.
But how?
Silas’s voice slithers through the air, cold and triumphant. “Not so cocky now, are you?”
His taunt is a physical blow, and I stagger under its weight, my gaze locked on my children’s pale, scared faces.
I barely register Stone’s hand on my shoulder, his presence a grounding force.
“Ella, we need a plan,” he whispers urgently.
But all I can think is—Alanna.
What the fuck happened to Alanna?
She was supposed to protect them. She swore—she’d burn the world down for us.
How did this happen? Is she okay?
Oh, god. Did they—
My gaze drifts to Clementine’s body and bile pricks at the back of my throat.
Despair gives way to a burning anger, a fierce, protective rage.
I force my mind to pivot—to strategize.
We can’t just attack. The kids are right there, in the line of fire.
Bartering?
What do we have that Silas wants more than to see us crushed?
My mind races through options, discarding them as fast as they come.
What if I pretended this was no big deal? Could I convince Andres and Silas it’s not killing me inside that they have my kids?
Troy is a part of Andres’ pack—or at least he will be when the Supermoon hits.
He’s their dad.
And even if we didn’t see eye to eye, he’d still fight to protect them, right?
I wish I could believe it.
But…
“God, how did this happen?” I curse, letting the thought slip out loud as I rake my fingertips through my hair.
Suddenly, a new figure is dragged forward from the shadows—Alanna.
A knot forms in the middle of my throat.
Her appearance is disheveled, her eyes red and swollen with guilt and grief. She stumbles just like Asher, almost falling before righting herself, her gaze meeting mine.
The betrayal in her eyes is clear, and her lips tremble as she tries to speak.
The betrayer.
The one close to me.
Diana’s words come back to haunt me in full force.
“El... Ella, I’m so sorry,” she chokes out, her voice a whisper of despair.
Her confession is a knife twisting in my gut. How could she?
Behind her, Andres smirks, clearly enjoying the scene unfolding before him.
“Oh, don’t you worry. She put up a good fight, but everyone has a weakness,” he says with a cold laugh. “Isn’t that right, Alanna?”
“Fuck you,” Alanna spits back.
“Such a firecracker, this one.” His gaze shifts back to me, his smirk widening. “See, we found her brother. In a group home, no less, helpless without her protection. It’s fascinating what people will do when you threaten the right leverage.”
His words have a double meaning and they’re not lost on me.
Not at all.
My heart pounds even harder, fury mingling with my fear.
How dare they use her family against her?
How dare she betray mine?
“And now, Ella,” Andres continues, stepping closer, his voice dripping with venom, “let’s return to the discussion at hand. The question is still yours to answer and I have a feeling you’ll choose differently now—but let’s see.” He winks at me as if he already knows my answer.
My nostrils flare and I swear, if I were a dragon, I’d be breathing fire right about now.
Andres claps his hands in front of him. “So, what will it be? Will you concede your territory, or will your children meet an untimely end?”
He snaps his fingers and a sea of his allies flood the space behind him. His pack—some in human form, some as wolves are convened, as well as god knows how many witches.
The weight of his ultimatum hangs heavy in the air. I glance at Asher and Avery as they cling to each other, their eyes wide with fear. Asher shakes his head vehemently.
The sight fuels my resolve.
“No,” I whisper at first, my voice gaining strength. “We will not bow to you. We will not surrender.”
I fight back a sob and I shake my head.
As I turn to Stone, seeing the same determination mirrored in his eyes, I say through the bond, We need a distraction.
Just as I send the thought, a crackle of energy slices through the tense air. With a pop and a sharp gust of wind, Kyros appears right behind us. Right beside him, Jinx and Trudie materialize—a manifestation of my wish.
Kyros, on the other hand, doesn’t stick around to help. Instead, he chirps out his alarm and vanishes again.
“Looks like we arrived just in time for a little bit of chaos,” Jinx chirps, her voice slicing through the heavy silence like a knife.
Without waiting for an answer, Jinx grins widely, her eyes alight with chaotic energy. She snaps her fingers and immediately, the bizarre effects of her powers ripple through Andres’ and Silas’ ranks.
Andres’ pack members begin inexplicably tripping over their own feet, shoelaces knotting together magically. One particularly large werewolf suddenly yelps as his belt buckle snaps open, his pants pooling around his ankles.
Another pack member tries to shift, only to end up a small wolf pup.
Confusion turns to chaos as more of Andres’ pack struggle with similar embarrassments. Another finds his eyes glued shut, blinding him, while someone else’s feet stick to the ground, rendering him unable to move forward. Instead, he falls face first, nearly breaking at the ankles.
As this mayhem unfolds, Trudie focuses her efforts on Asher and Avery. She extends her hands, sending waves of calming, harmonious energy toward the children.
Isolde backs her play, melding some sort of magic with Trudie’s.
Avery’s sobs quiet almost instantly, and Asher’s rigid posture relaxes slightly under the soothing influence of their magic.
Just as I’m about to shift to protect my kids, Alanna’s eyes suddenly widen with panic, a raw and fearful energy brewing within her features.
Her voice breaks through the confusion, laced with urgency and fear. “Ella, I can’t—” she cries out, her words cut short as her body begins to tremble violently.
Behind her, three witches have their hands raised and heads down, clearly affecting her somehow.
Before anyone can react, Alanna’s form expands grotesquely, her muscles bulging and bones elongating. With a guttural roar, she transforms into what I can only assume is her Berserker form—an uncontrollable force of rage and destruction.
“Shit. Alanna, no—” My heart lurches as she begins to rampage, indiscriminately targeting anyone in her path—friend or foe.
My pack, caught off guard, scrambles to avoid her wild swings and powerful lunges.
Stone leaps into action.
With swift movements, he guides younger pack members out of Alanna’s destructive path, his commands sharp and clear above the chaos.
He throws himself into the fray, a calm force in the storm, working to steer the confused and frightened toward safety.
Somewhere nearby, I sense Marta doing the same.
But I can’t focus on any of it. The only thing in my sights—the only thing that matters—is my kids.
The chaos created by Jinx suddenly intensifies as Alanna tears through the ranks, her massive form causing even Andres’ well-disciplined troops to falter.
The Sacred Grove erupts into pandemonium, the lines between ally and enemy blurred amidst the confusion.
Fueled by Trudie and Isolde’s magic, Asher grabs Avery by the shoulder.
“Run to Mom—now!” he shouts, pushing her toward me with all his might, as he turns and slams his elbow into the middle of Silas’ stomach.
Avery, propelled by her brother’s urgency, dashes across the clearing and into the Sacred Grove, her form dodging flailing limbs and magical mishaps caused by Jinx’s chaos.
As she reaches me, I envelop her in my arms, her body trembling against mine.
But my relief is short-lived.
As I pull her close, I look up just in time to see Silas seize Asher. His hand clamps down on Asher’s arm, dragging him back before he can follow his sister.
“Asher—” My voice is a sharp, desperate cry as Silas pulls him away.
Asher struggles against Silas’s grip, his eyes wide with fear as his gaze locks with mine.
Then, from the ranks of the enemy, Troy steps forward.
My heart fills with a fleeting hope, praying he’s there to save our son. But the cold reality sets in as Silas turns to him with a silent question.
Troy, his expression torn between duty and regret, nods.
Without hesitation, Silas clamps his teeth into Asher’s shoulder. The sound of his pain-stricken scream pierces the night, echoing through the grove.
The energy of the grove changes and I feel the distinct shift of the powerful supernatural force that sweeps my son’s life out from under me.
“No!” My scream is raw—torn from the depths of my being.
The world slows down around me, the noise and chaos fading into a dull roar. I drop to my knees, still holding Avery tightly against me, my eyes are fixed on Asher as he stumbles back, his face contorted in agony as he clamps a hand over the wound.
Andres’ cruel laughter fills the air, his voice mocking and cutting through the cacophony around us. “So, Ella, will you reconsider now? Your pride or will your son become your enemy?”
Tears blur my vision, and a hollow feeling gnaws at my chest. My son, my brave boy is now a pawn in this twisted game.
The thought of him, forced into a life he never chose, under the thumb of Silas and Andres—and his fucking father—fuels a rage deep within me. But right now, my heart is breaking, shattering into pieces with every labored breath he takes.
How did this happen?
We’re supposed to be fucking Moon Wolves? We have the Breath of Selene embedded inside us.
How the fuck did this happen?
Alanna, still in her Berserker frenzy, crashes through the underbrush, her roars becoming distant thunder as she rampages farther away from us. The ground shakes with her every step, a stark reminder of the chaos we are enveloped in.
Andres watches the unfolding disaster with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with malice.
“You see, Ella, everything has a price,” he calls out over the noise, his voice eerily calm amid the chaos. “And everyone has a breaking point.”
His words, meant to taunt, instead solidify my resolve.
I rise, Avery clutched tightly to my side, her small body shivering against mine. I meet Andres’s gaze, my own eyes steeled with determination.
“You think you’ve won,” I spit the words out, my voice steady despite the turmoil swirling inside me. “You think because you’ve cornered me—because you’ve hurt my son, that I’ll bend. But you underestimate the strength of a mother—of an Alpha protecting her pack. Isn’t that right, Silas?”
My Alpha power rolls through the words, scattering the birds from the trees, as I turn my attention to Silas.
To his credit, he has the good sense to flinch.
Stone, who has been fighting his own battles, now steps up beside me.
The pack, though scattered and rattled, regroups around us, their faces set in grim determination. They are my family, my strength, and together we form a barrier of resolve.
Andres laughs, but it’s a sound devoid of true humor. “Very well, Ella. Since you are so determined to play the martyr, I’ll give you time to consider the gravity of your situation.” He waves a dismissive hand, signaling his forces to retreat. “Think about what you stand to lose,” he throws over his shoulder as he begins to withdraw, his pack moving with him like shadows melding into the night.
Silas, holding a still-struggling Asher by the arm, gives me one final, penetrating look. “The clock is ticking, Ella.”
With a tight grip on Asher, he follows Andres and Troy, disappearing into a magical darkness that slowly envelops the grove.
The silence that follows is oppressive, filled with the heavy breaths of my pack and the soft sobs of Avery. I pull her closer, kissing the top of her head, whispering reassurances while my mind races with plans, with the need for vengeance, for rescue. All the while, my heart is breaking into pieces.
“We’ll get him back,” I promise her, promise myself.
The words are a vow that I intend to keep.
The Sacred Grove, once a place of peace and power, now feels like a battlefield, marked by loss but also by a new resolve.
We are bruised but not broken.
As the last echoes of chaos fade into the night, I stand, Avery in my arms, surrounded by my pack.
By my friends.
By my mate.
This battle may be lost, but the war is far from over. Andres and Silas have underestimated the strength of a mother and the bond of my pack.
No matter the cost, I will find a way to save my son.
I’ll protect my territory.
And I will reclaim what has been taken from me.
They’ll regret ever starting this war.
This fight has only just begun.
TO BE CONCLUDED…
* * *
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