Some of Delta Team lies broken near the steps up to the castle. These women helped forge me into a weapon, taught me to kill without hesitation. Now they’re just…gone. I should feel something more than this hollow relief. Should mourn the death of my teachers. Instead, all I can think is—never again.
They’ll never hurt another child like they hurt me.
“You’re shaking.” Bast’s voice is gentle, his arm sliding around my waist.
“I grew up here.” The words come out raw as I gesture at the carnage. “Trained here. Every day, right there.” My gaze catches on a fallen practice dummy, knocked over in the fight. How many hours did I spend hitting that target, desperate to prove myself worthy? To keep Brianna safe?
Bast’s fury mingles with fierce protectiveness. His thumb traces circles on my hip, grounding me as memories threaten to overwhelm. “You’re not theirs any longer,” he says. “You’re my mate. You’re pack. You’re free.”
Free.
The word echoes through me like a bell tone. The Court’s perfect walls are scarred with spell damage, the carefully tended lawns trampled by massive wolf paws. Everything they built, everything they controlled—it’s all finished.
Blood coats my bare feet—my blood, their blood, I’m not sure. But as much as I hate this place, I didn’t hate everyone here. But I don’t want to be here.
Ever again.
“Please. I need to go. Please.”
“Of course, my love.” Bast scoops me into his arms.
I close my eyes and suck in a sob. Tears burn down my cheeks.
“I’ve got you.”
A crash echoes from inside the castle, making me flinch. Bast’s arms tighten around me, but all I feel is calm. The fight is over. We won.
The sound of running feet makes us both tense, but it’s just Lawrence emerging from the main castle door. Blood streaks his face and his shirt is torn.
“TheMathairs?” Bast’s voice carries an edge of steel.
Lawrence shakes his head. “Gone. They destroyed the inner gateway behind them.” His eyes meet mine.
They escaped.The words take a moment to sink in.
“The other courts are cut off from Salem. They can’t ever use that portal again.”
They’re gone…for now.
“What about the younger witches?” My heart clenches thinking of the girls still in training, remembering how young Iwas when theMathairsstarted molding me into their weapon. “Did any survive?”
“Yes, they’re being gathered in the practice halls,” Lawrence says. “They’ll need to choose—stay and break ties with theMathairscompletely, or leave through the outer gateway before we change the seal.”
“You’re keeping the Court?”
Lawrence nods. “We don’t have the skills to build one ourselves. Meredith was one of the few witches outside theMathairs’ Courtswith the ability. Salem Court will help my coven tremendously, and give North America a strong base against the EuropeanMathairsshould they come to investigate. And they will eventually.”
He’s right. They will. But it will take time.
I lean into Bast’s warmth, letting our bond steady me.
“I need to get you out of here,” Bast murmurs against my hair.
“Yes, please.”
Bast carries me across the courtyard, then the lawn, toward the small circle of white stones. The transition from artificial lavender sky to real afternoon sunlight makes me blink. The perfectly normal backyard of the Salem colonial house seems surreal after everything that’s happened.
He sets me gently on my feet, steadying me when my legs wobble. While Bast slips into jeans, a T-shirt, and boots I recognize, I scan the yard, half expecting to see more bodies. Instead, there are just scattered piles of clothing everywhere—evidence of where the wolves shifted before storming the Court. My fingers curl against my palms, still ready for a fight that’s already over.
