Topple 233

Chapter 233 

Bram Thundermaw POV 

Stormclaw Keep 

The wind over Stormclaw Keep bit colder this morning. 

Like the fucking world knew something sacred had been taken. I stood on the edge of the stone terrace, fists clenched at my sides, trying to breathe through the hollow in my chest where Blowen’s light used to sit. It hadn’t even been that long, and yet every hour stretched 

like a scar I couldn’t cauterize. 

“We should be tearing down kingdoms,” Karkon growled in my head, his voice a low thunder rumbling beneath my skin. “She’s ours. Our fated one. And they took her.” 

I pressed a hand to my sternum where the mate bond tugged, raw and aching. My bear wasn’t wrong. I felt…empty. Rage curdled in my gut like spoiled wine, and the only thing keeping me steady was the promise we’d made, to find her. To bring her home. 

Behind me, the courtyard echoed with preparation: claws sharpening against stone, armor buckled, swords sheathed. Bear shifters, lion kin, and fox warriors from three damn territories had gathered here. And they were all looking to me now. 

I stepped forward onto the raised platform between the ancient storm pillars of my ancestors, the sigil of the Bear King flapping behind me in gold and black. My father, King Halrik, stood just to my right, with his arms crossed, his chest out, and his eyes blazing with pride. 

I raised my voice so it carried across the entire keep. “This is more than a rescue mission.” 

Every warrior fell silent. Even the wind seemed to still. 

“This is about freedom. It’s about unity. It’s about making sure no more of ours are taken by that soulless fucking organization.” 

I paused, locking eyes with my people. With her people. 

“Elowen Skye Thorne is more than my mate. She is the chosen of the Moon Goddess, the blood of fae and fang, and she is our Queen.” 

A deep, feral roar rippled through the crowd. 

“They came for her because they’re afraid. Because they know what happens when the species unite. When wolves, bears, foxes, lions, and dragons stand the fuck together.” 

I slammed my fist against my chest. “We are done hiding. We are done begging. We are done losing.” 

The army howled and roared back, slamming fists into their hearts, a deafening thunder of unity that shook the ground. 

19:41 Fri, Dec 12 

Chapter 233 

“Let’s bring our Queen home!” 

4:4 

The war drums beat once. Twice. And then…..The sky cracked. A portal tore open in a blaze of silver fire and crackling emerald flame. From it emerged wings. Massive, shimmering, and scaled. A dozen at first, then dozens more. The entire sky seemed to darken with their 

arrival. 

Vaelrix Drakenholt, King of the Dragons, stepped through first, his golden horns gleaming, and his cloak of obsidian and starlight trailing behind him like a god of war. Behind him soared the Ironwing Legion, two hundred and fifty elite fae dragon riders, each mounted on a beast of fire, ice, shadow, or storm. 

I had seen dragons before. But never like this. My heart thundered in my chest as the dragons roared in unison overhead, their wings beating like divine drums. Karkon pressed against my mind, breathless with awe. 

“Now this… this is power. This is what we fight with.” 

Alpha Draven and Luna Aelira emerged from the keep, regal and commanding. Draven raised a hand toward the sky, his voice a boom that 

carried…. 

“South Wing! We’ve prepared quarters with heated floors, reinforced perches, enchanted feeding troughs, nesting chambers, anything you dragons need, you’ll find it there.” 

Vaelrix nodded once, proud and fierce. “We are at your command.” 

The dragon riders landed in precise rows, their wings folding with practiced grace, and their scaled companions letting out deep growls approval as they were led toward the prepared halls. I watched them go, my heart swelling with something ancient. Hope. Fury. Faith. 

We weren’t just going to get her back. We were going to scorch the fucking earth until she was safe. 

Karkon snarled in my soul, rising like a mountain in my blood. “They took our Queen. Now we take everything.” 

And I knew, with bone deep certainty….We would not fail. 

We couldn’t lose.