Surprise flickers across her face, followed by warmth. Through our bond, I feel how much my faith in her means. There was a time when, stuck in my alpha male instincts, I would have tried to protect her, to keep her away from the danger. But she’s proven herself a warrior in her own right, and it’s time I acknowledged that my mate is more than just the girl I grew up with and rejected. She’s a powerhouse of her own, my Spitfire, fully capable of standing beside me—and even in front of me, if I’m being honest with myself.
“The warriors who stayed loyal to Cade won’t want to fight us for very long,” she points out. “Not after seeing what the fae really have in store for them. If we can get through to them, maybe cure any of the madness they might be suffering from…”
“Agreed.” I turn to our gathered allies. “Spread the word. We’re here to save the pack, not hurt our own people. Anyone who surrenders will be shown mercy and given protection.”
The plan comes together quickly after that. Aurora’s tactical mind meshes perfectly with my strategic thinking, each of usbuilding on the other’s ideas. When she suggests using cold iron weapons to disrupt fae magic, I add the detail of coating them in her venom. When I propose targeting the ritual circle my father is building, she knows exactly how to break its power.
“Remember,” she tells our forces as we prepare to move out, “the fae can’t lie, but they twist the truth. Don’t listen to anything they say. Don’t make any bargains, no matter how tempting.”
I watch her with pride as she organizes the fighters, matching their strengths to different tasks. She’s a natural leader, despite never having a formal place in the pack’s hierarchy. Or perhaps because of it—she knows what it’s like to be overlooked, to have your talents dismissed.
“Ready?” she asks, coming to stand beside me. Her mismatched eyes are bright with determination.
“With you? Always.” I cup her face, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, wishing wistfully that we had more time. “Be careful out there. Not because I don’t think you can handle yourself,” I add as she starts to bristle, “but because I just found you again, and I can’t lose you.”
Her expression softens. “Same goes for you. Your father…”
“I know.” The weight of what’s coming settles on my shoulders. “Whatever happens with him, the pack comes first.”
She squeezes my hand once, then steps back. In a fluid motion that still takes my breath away, she shifts into her magnificent white wolf form. Around us, our allies do the same, those who are staying in human form to go through other entrances readying their weapons.
I shift next to her, my bronze fur a stark contrast to her snow-white coat. We share one more look, the bond humming between us with love and determination.
Then we move out, splitting into our assigned groups. I watch her lead the frontal assault, drawing the fae’s attention with a display of power that makes my chest swell with pride.The sight of her striking white form sends the enemy into chaos, their fear of her venom making them sloppy and uncoordinated, the high fae and low fae turning against each other and breaking their temporary truce.
While she keeps them occupied, Dana and I lead our teams through the side entrances. The few pack members we come across submit quickly as soon as they see me and feel my wolf’s dominance. Word of Aurora’s transformation has spread quickly, and with it, the truth about the fae’s deception.
“The alpha,” one of them tells me after shifting to human form. “He’s in the Great Hall with the fae lord. They’re… they’re doing something to the pack bonds. It feels wrong.”
I can feel it too—a sickening twist in the magic that binds us together as a pack. Following that corruption leads us to the Great Hall’s massive doors, where the scent of fae magic is overwhelming.
Inside, my father stands in the center of a ritual circle drawn in what smells like his own blood. Lord Hule, his arm still blackened from Aurora’s bite, directs other fae in laying down lines of power that make my stomach turn.
“Kieran.” My father’s voice is eerily calm as he sees me. “Come to join us? Your mother will be so pleased to see you, my boy.”
“She’s dead.” The words hurt to say, but they need to be said. “Nothing can bring her back, Dad. The fae are lying to you if they tell you otherwise.”
“You sound just like her, you know.” He smiles, but there’s something wrong with it—something broken. “Always so certain you know best. But I’ve found a way to fix everything. To make our family whole again.”
“By sacrificing the entire pack?” Looking at him now, I barely recognize the man who raised me. His eyes are fever-bright, his skin waxy and pale. “This isn’t what Mom would want.”
“What would you know about what she wanted?” he snarls, his calm facade cracking. “You killed her! Tore your way out of her body and left me alone!”
The old accusation still has power to hurt, but I stand my ground. “I was a baby. It wasn’t my fault, any more than it was hers. Sometimes terrible things just happen.”
“But they don’t have to stay that way.” Lord Hule’s voice is honey-sweet poison. “We can make it right. All it takes is a little sacrifice…”
A howl cuts through his words—Aurora’s howl, full of power and warning. Through our bond, I feel her racing toward us, having broken through the last of the resistance.
“The Onyx wolf,” Hule hisses. “Kill her on sight! Don’t let her near the circle!”
But it’s too late. Aurora bursts through the doors in her massive white wolf form, Dana and their forces right behind her. The sight of her sends the remaining fae into panic, their fear of her venom overriding whatever loyalty they feel to their lord.
“Son.” My father’s voice turns pleading as his allies desert him. “Please. Help me bring her back.”
For a moment, I see the grief that’s consumed him all these years. The loss that turned him hard and cold, that made him push away everyone who tried to love him. Including me. My wolf whines and whimpers, and the scar on my face seems to pulse with an old pain at the sight of him like this.
“I can’t.” My voice breaks on the words. “She’s gone, Dad. But we’re still here. The pack needs you. I need you.”
