Chapter 212
Elowen POV
Four a fucking am.
I cracked one eye open and immediately regretted it. My body screamed, my brain whimpered, and Lyssira snarled in my head like someone had just poked
her with a damn stick.
“Up, Elowen. You’re the alpha now. History doesn’t wait for beauty sleep.”
Let history choke on a moonbeam, I grumbled, dragging myself out from under a pile of hot, muscle bound supernatural chaos.
Davon grunted from beside me. “You growled in your sleep again.”
“No, babe. That was you. I’m too exhausted to be feral.”
“Five more minutes,” Bram mumbled, face down in the pillow like a hibernating cave bear.
I kicked him. Gently. “The realm is literally burning, Bram. No naptime.”
He just groaned louder. Ashrian blinked, pale and perfect, already sitting up like he’d slept in a damn crypt with silk sheets. “Do you mortals always wake up looking like death?”
“Bite me.”
“Later, love. Promise.”
Lachlan rolled out of bed with a groan and a string of old Gaelic curses that I didn’t need a translation for. “Where’s the damn coffee?”
Vaelrix was already at the window, his golden eyes narrowed at the growing commotion in the courtyard below. “They’re mobilizing. The keep’s alive.”
And he was right. Because the second we stepped into the hallway, the entire godsdamn keep was in motion. Boots slammed against stone. Armor clinked.
Weapons flashed in morning torchlight. Magic sparked along walls as witches lit protective runes. The scent of sweat, steel, and burning incense filled the
air.
And coffee. Thank the fates for coffee.
We hit the dining hall, where long tables had been set up with grab and go food, fruit, meats, hard rolls, and vats of the strongest brew in the shifter
territories. I downed two mugs like they were holy water and stuffed my mouth with bacon, chewing while I glared at a fae commander trying to flirt with
one of the witches.
“Focus, pretty boy. You can seduce her after we save the goddamn village.”
He blinked and nodded fast, scurrying away. The courtyard was thunder by the time we made it out there.
Shifters, bears, foxes wolves, lions and lycans, lined up in formation, fur bristling and claws at the ready. Mages crackled with energy, whispering
incantations under their breath. The human Marines, dressed in tactical black and carrying enhanced weapons, saluted as Captain Monroe barked orders
beside Alpha King Draven.
The air vibrated with power.
1/2
Chapter 212
King Halrik and Queen Nira stood tall, flanked by bear warriors in heavy rune etched armor. Luna Aelira shimmered in silver threads beside Alpha Draven, her eyes all calm tage. Queen Seraya stood next to her husband, Garron, their daughter beside them.
Rivena was stone faced, her silver eyes scanning the crowd, but her hand was locked tight with Druen’s. He stood proud in his new lycan form, his gaze sharp and his entire being radiating alpha energy.
Taya and Rylen were already stretching like they were prepping for a damn bar brawl, and face and Amaris looked like they were dying for someone to cross
them the wrong way.
I stepped up to the front, the wind biting at my cheeks, Lyssira growling softly in my skull.
“It’s time, Elowen. Let them hear you. Let them follow you.”
So I did. I stood tall, took one deep breath, and let my voice ring out over the courtyard like thunder.
“Today, we fight for what is ours.”
Every head turned. Every breath held.
“We don’t know what waits on the other side of that portal. We don’t know if the fox shifter village still stands. But what we do know is this: we will not let the monsters win. We will not let fear divide us anymore. Not wolves. Not dragons. Not humans. Not witches. Not fae. Not anyone.”
My voice cracked just a little, and I let it. “From this moment forward, we fight as one. For the lost. For the hunted. For the ones who were told they didn’t matter. We will find them. We will fight for them. And we will drag every last one of our enemies into the dirt if they try to stop us.”
Silence.Then…A howl broke loose.
Daxon. Then Bram. Then Vaelrix’s fire filled roar joined it.
The others followed, one by one. Howls, battle cries, war chants, wings flaring, spells blazing. The earth itself shook with the fury of our unity. Lyssira
whispered in my mind, “This is what we are meant for chosen! Let them hear you roar!”
I stood there, bathed in firelight and morning mist, watching an army come to life around me. The second we stepped through the portal, my heart fucking
dropped.
