Daxon POV
Stormclaw Keep
War Room of Wolves and Warlords
The second Elowen left, the energy snapped like a damn whip. She needed peace. We needed a war plan. The mages map projection filled the center of the table with glowing lines and intel markers, topographical data, ward layouts, and a nasty cluster of red runes blinking at the southern edge of the compound,
Rylen pointed to it. “That’s the fae portal. The one we thought was under light guard.”
“Yeah, well,” Taya’s voice crackled over comms from the mage tower, “you can throw that shit out the window. A scout just confirmed, the entire Hollow Creed is camped out down there. Vampires too.”
Bram growled, low and deep. “They’re setting a trap. For her.”
“They’re expecting Elowen to come charging through, full of divine rage,” Ashrian muttered, his arms crossed and jaw ticking. “They want her unhinged. Vulnerable. Surrounded.”
“Then let them think they’ve got her cornered,” I said. “And while they’re watching the front, we slit their fucking throats from behind.”
Alpha Draven leaned forward, eyeing the map with his usual calm fury. “We turn the ambush on the ambushers.”
“Aye,” Lachlan said, his voice cold as northern steel. “They think they’re the predators. Let’s remind them they’re prey. Our feckin‘ prey.”
Alaric pointed to the forest ridge behind the portal, speaking with that thick Highland snarl. “This terrain here, dense as hell, nae line o sight, but we know it better. Wolves and bears can run that ground silent. We move in under cover o‘ night, circle the camp.”
Ash’s eyes burned. “They won’t even smell us coming.”
Rylen tapped a corner of the map. “We set a diversion spell just north of their camp, make it look like Elowen’s heading straight through the trees, high powered aura bait. Let them take the bait, move to intercept…”
“…And we strike while their backs are turned,” Bram finished with a savage grin. “Wolves from the east. Bears from the west. Ash and I go straight for Lucien and Varek.”
I nodded. “We take out the command first. No leaders? No coordination.”
Lachlan raised a brow. “What about their wards? The Hollow Creed ain’t daft. They’ll be shielded in blood and shadow magic.”
“Already handled,” Taya’s voice cut in again as they walked back in. “Amaris and I are building a disruptive sigil storm, untraceable. It’ll short their wards long enough for you to hit hard.”
“Five minutes?” Draven asked.
“Six if you’re lucky,” Taya replied.
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11:28 Wed, Oct 8
Chapter 147
“Plenty,” I muttered. “We don’t need long. Just blood and timing.”
Ashrian’s hands clenched into fists. “If Vaela and Soria are there…”
:
Alpha Draven cut him off. “They are enemies. Until proven otherwise.” He choked out a sob. They’re his daughters, my sister’s. This was hell. The silence that followed was razor sharp. No one wanted to admit it, but it was the only way this worked.
“If we hesitate,” I said, “we lose someone. Maybe Elowen.”
“No hesitation,” Bram growled. “Not this time.”
“So we draw them in,” Lachlan said, his eyes narrowed, “then we cut them down. Nae survivors. Nae second chances.”
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I looked around the table. Every man standing there was ready to kill. Every one of us had something to lose. And none of us were about to let Elowen walk into that death trap alone.
“We move tonight,” Draven said. “No sleep. No distractions. Everyone who’s going, gear up. Final plans in one hour.”
He stepped back from the table, his eyes like steel. “We’re not just defending Elowen, but all of our species.”
and we’re taking our war to the monsters.”
Elowen POV
Stormclaw Keep
War Room, Again
The war room doors creaked open before I even touched them. Magic. Or maybe respect. I stepped inside with Luna Nira on one side, Luna Aelira on the other. The air shifted the second we crossed the threshold. Everyone turned to look, and everything stopped.
It was like they all felt it before they saw it. I walked taller now. Not lighter, because that shit had long since burned off, but anchored. Grounded. Celestial and unyielding.
A soft glow pulsed just beneath my left eye, a silver, five–pointed star, etched directly into my skin. It didn’t shimmer like a tattoo. It radiated. Like it had been kissed into me by the cosmos.
The mark of the Star Goddess. And damn, did they notice. Ashrian’s mouth parted slightly. “…El.” Daxon’s brow furrowed like he couldn’t decide if he was turned on or terrified. Probably both.
Lachlan stepped closer, his voice reverent with that thick brogue. “Ye’ve been thrice marked.”
I nodded. “She chose me.”
Alaric swore under his breath in Gaelic, his eyes locked on the star. “Divine favor before a war. That’s nae coincidence.”
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