Chapter Twenty-One
Seraphina
In a whirlwind of action, Tyler and I prepared the pack for battle. Tyler barked urgent orders to the Silver Moon warriors, who scrambled to arrange the less skilled packmates into formation, designating different warriors to lead them. The elders and young rushed toward the infirmary, an island of safety amid the storm brewing outside.
I harnessed my magical supplies, my heart pounding in sync with the chaotic bustle around me. Beneath the flickering torches, I sketched a huge pentagram rune of protection over the sparring ring, casting a shimmering barrier—a safe zone, much like the circle I had conjured on the mountainside to shield Logan and Tyler. But as I carefully etched the final lines of the symbol, Logan hovered nearby. A swell of discomfort zipped through my chest.
Both he and Tyler were organizing the units of wolves they would be leading. But with Logan’s unit organized, he was getting distracted. I felt the pull of the mate bond in my chest as he kept turning to watch me.
“Logan?” I asked. “Do you remember the tagiu stones in the Council Chamber?”
“The ashy blue ones?” he replied.
“Exactly. Can you pry out as many as you can?”
“On it.” In a moment, he’d gone.
I had been about to go and get the precious ores myself to reinforce the protective circle. But Logan needed to refocus his thoughts on the fight ahead. We couldn’t afford to be distracted or have our attention divided.
But then, my gaze found Tyler amidst the ranks of the shifted wolves, the rumble of his voice roiling through the air, steady and reassuring, as solid as the strong lines of his body. He hadn’t shifted into his wolf form yet, but his muscled body amidst the sea of silver fur looked just as magnificent as his mighty silver wolf.
Just then, his eyes found mine, and it felt as if the storm in them was all for me. As if we were back in the supply closet, his lips on mine, his kiss telling me he wanted me, the fierce flicker in his eyes seemed to tell me he felt the heat banking between us still.
As Logan re-entered the sparring ring, arms cradling a bundle of tagiu stones, I shook my head, feeling like the world’s biggest hypocrite as I tried to clear my attention.
“Bury the tagiu at each point of the pentagram,” I instructed Logan. “It’ll reinforce the protective magic.”
The howls in the north grew clearer: The Black Moons were drawing ever closer. Anticipation thrummed through me, aware that the witch who had used blood magic to frame my parents was about to emerge from the shadows.
Too soon, silence settled over our pack like a thick fog. Everyone, except for Tyler and me, had shifted into their wolf forms. I remained at the center of the sparring ring, feeling my magic surge around me, enveloping me like a warm summer breeze.
Shapes began to slip from the night as the first waves of Black Moon wolves emerged from the tree line, their obsidian-furred forms stalking forward. The air thickened, heavy with malice, as their silhouettes danced ominously in the flickering torchlight.
The formidable figure of Alpha Marcus emerged. His muscled chest expanded as he drew in a deep breath. The intricate tattoos coiling over his arms seemed to ripple like serpents. Each sinew tightened as he organized his pack with a commanding presence. In his grip, he wielded the medallion from our last encounter, its dark aura pulsating ominously and sending chills racing up my spine.
But he didn’t keep it for long. He extended it towards another figure emerging from the shadows: Elvira, the dark witch of the Black Moons. Icy tendrils of terror curled around my heart as I felt the power intensify when it was transferred into her hands.
The two figures advanced across the land toward us, their pack of Black Moons stalking close behind them. Alpha Marcus stepped forward, his voice carrying across the night with cruel amusement.
“Tyler,” he called, a mocking smirk on his face. “For too long, I’ve had my sights set on your precious Silver Moon lands. Tonight, I take them.”
Tyler’s jaw tightened, his gaze unwavering as he stared Marcus down. “We’ve chased you from our lands before, Marcus. We’ll do it again!”
Marcus laughed, the sound chilling. “I believe your mighty pack these days is about as sharp as your sense of smell,” he jabbed, glancing sideways at the ranks of wolves behind him. “How long was it before you discovered my own in your midst?” His voice dripped with mockery as he gestured to the two silvery wolves within the Black Moon ranks, Darius and Linda’s eyes glinting with betrayal.
Tyler growled low in his throat, fury flashing in his eyes. “Their deceit will not go unpunished!”
With a scoff, Marcus stepped forward, the medallion’s dark aura pulsing with energy in response. “No, tonight, I’m going to take everything from you—your pack, your lands, and even your precious little witch.” He shot a glance in my direction, a wicked grin playing on his lips.
My heart raced, ferocity bubbling within me as I braced for the fight, already feeling Elvira’s infringing darkness radiating beside the Black Moon Alpha.
A low growl, filled with fury and resolve, sounded from Tyler. “Tonight, I’m going to tear you apart.”
With those words, Tyler’s muscles rippled, and silver sprouted as he shifted seamlessly into his mighty wolf form. The air vibrated with power as his eyes shone, the fierce spirit of the Alpha embodied in his majestic shape. With a roar that pierced the night, he let out the howl of battle, a sound that echoed through the trees.
In that very moment, Marcus followed suit. He, too, shifted, but his form transformed into a massive black wolf, sleek and powerful. He unleashed a howl, deep and resonant, a challenge that reverberated through the very ground beneath us.
The two Alphas stood poised, their forms exuding strength and authority, howling for dominance—making the air electric with the promise of impending conflict.
Suddenly, the howls and growls of battle erupted like an explosion around me. My heart raced, each thump screaming of what was at stake—our lives, our pack, and everyone I loved.
Elvira raised her arms and shouted an incantation that sliced through the night air. “U nnuak atuutluk tuku! ” Each word was aimed toward me as she tried to shred the protective circle I had created.
This time, I was ready for her dark magic, though. The tagiu stones Logan had buried at the pentagram’s points surged with energy, their glow merging with the rune of protection I had drawn. I thrust my arms forward, channeling the pentagram’s protective barrier.
A rush of dread hit me the moment Tyler breached the protective circle. I reached skyward, sending out a pulse from my shimmering barrier to collide with the first wave of Black Moon wolves, sending them crashing to the icy ground. They crumpled beneath the force, and the Silver Moon warriors seized their moment, fangs and claws descending upon their enemies.
Yet, my attention was pulled back to the dark witch as she closed in, her indigo robes swirling in the night. A silver-furred wolf lunged toward the witch in defiance, but with a single flick of her wrist, Elvira summoned a ball of dark energy that exploded, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.
In mere moments, injured wolves started to stream back into my protective circle. The sanctuary I had envisioned held firm. Drawing strength from the ores buried deep in the earth, as well as the tagiu ores and the pentagram rune, I felt my blood sing with raw power. With determination thrumming in my veins, I sent my magic rippling through the pentagram, hurling it toward Elvira like a comet.
But she was quick, too. Summoning the dark power of the medallion, she raised a churning wall of inky smoke, hurling it at my barrier. My magic collided violently with hers, but Elvira merely smirked, darkness spilling into the ground like a tide threatening to drown us all.
Tendrils of ink erupted from the snow, ensnaring an injured wolf within my circle. I felt the air crackle with tension as I concentrated fiercely on the ores arrayed before me, their flickering light a defiance against the encroaching shadows. Determined, I channeled the energies from the ores and runes, pushing back Elvira’s dark tendrils from the circle.
Frustrated, Elvira unleashed her anger on our ranks. A courageous Silver Moon leaped forward, only to be brutally impaled on a jagged spear of ice she conjured.
Adrenaline surged through my veins, urgency pushing me to send my magic out to fight her, protecting the silver wolves arcing around her.
Tyler’s howl cut through the cacophony, rallying the Silver Moon pack as they attacked the lines of Black Moons coming from the shadows. My heart hammered as I knew we were at a disadvantage—becoming overwhelmed by the surge of Black Moon wolves swarming our ranks all too quickly.
Every moment, another silver wolf came back to the confines of my protective barrier, their open wounds increasing my dread. I longed to turn my healing magic on them, but my energy was wholly spent maintaining the barrier and trying to combat Elvira’s strikes.
Nearby, a wide-headed, silvery-furred wolf—Logan—clashed with a particularly large Black Moon attacker. Their confrontation erupted in a fury of snarls and snapping jaws, a fierce battle that interrupted my concentration.
I summoned my power, sending tendrils of magic outward, wrapping them around the paws of the Black Moon wolf engaging Logan.
Elvira was now a mere ten feet from me, her eyes glinting with dark satisfaction.
“You think you can save them?” she shouted, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, coaxing forth dark energy with every flick of her fingers.
Her incantations wormed through my mind, dragging painfully like nails on a chalkboard. The medallion pulsed, its dark magic nearly overwhelming.
Suddenly, howls erupted from the south, sending a jolt of panic through me. Were the Black Moons attacking from that direction, too?
Scanning the southern slope, past the bleach-white houses, a thrill of recognition bristled through me. A mix of yellow, gray, and red wolves surged through the night, pushing toward us with purpose. The yellow coats of the Shadow Moon wolves, the gray-furred Moonlight wolves, and the red-coated Blood Moon wolves had come to our aid.
Shock ricocheted through me. How had they arrived here in our hour of need? A brown wolf was the first to reach the sparring circle, accompanied by a massive yellow wolf. I blinked in disbelief. Only one brown wolf in all the packs I knew bore those markings—Selina. She had once belonged to the Nightwing Pack before finding her mate, Alexis, the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, who was the golden wolf at her side.
In the heat of battle, there was no time to wonder more. But together, with their allies, they fell upon the Black Moons. I watched in awe as they charged valiantly, fierce determination glinting in their eyes.
Elvira’s expression twisted into a scowl—fury feeding her magic. She redirected her icy spears toward them, but my resolve flared brighter. I poured energy into the pentagram, its light pulsing defiantly against the looming shadows. I drew strength from all my allies, feeling their willingness to fight fill my heart as they joined the fight, creating a tidal wave against Elvira’s oppressive darkness.
A howl rose from our pack, a rallying cry that electrified the air. Fueled by the combined strength of our bonds, I channeled my magic forward, releasing a cascade of shimmering power toward Elvira. For a brief moment, her dark magic faltered, and my heart sang with excitement.
But she deflected my next attack, unleashing a wall of darkness against my waves of green light. Elvira’s glare bore into me, a threat filled with promise as she began another incantation. Energy crackled through my fingertips as I prepared another blast for her. The night was thick with the sounds of battle—snarls and howls mingling with the whines of injured warriors.
Once again, I discerned Tyler’s distinctive howl erupting nearby. I focused on the sound, drawing energy from the thought of his strength and fierceness. Grounding down into the depths of my magic, I focused on what we were fighting for: our packs, my parents’ memory, and everyone we loved. I channeled everything I had into the well of my magic, feeling as if this could be the strike that finally ended Elvira’s reign of terror.
But before I could unleash it, a sudden shift startled me from behind. All I saw was a flash of silver before I was sent sprawling forward, and the ground rushed up to meet me.