Chapter 91 - They Felt It
The battle didn't stop.
But for a heartbeat... it changed.
Rowan felt it first.
A pull in his chest that had nothing to do with fear or strategy. His head snapped toward the gate, eyes searching through smoke and fur and sparks of mage fire.
Kael felt it at the same time.
They locked eyes across the chaos.
Both knowing.
Both understanding without a word spoken.
Athena's voice still echoed in the air.
GET TO HIM.
And every wolf had moved.
Not because Rowan ordered it.
Not because Kael signaled it.
Because she did.
Kael tore through the last mage in front of him and shifted his focus instantly, racing toward where Silas had fallen. Wolves were already there, ripping apart the attackers, dragging their Alpha back inch by inch as the glowing runes flickered and snapped.
Rowan reached Silas first, dropping to one knee beside him.
"You're clear!" he shouted.
Silas's chest heaved as the binding magic weakened. His eyes, still sharp despite the pain, lifted past Rowan.
They went straight to Athena.
She stood just inside the inner gate.
Frozen.
Breathing hard.
Confused.
Like she didn't understand why the entire battlefield had bent around her voice.
Silas felt it too.
The command.
It had moved through him like a current.
Not dominance.
Not force.
Authority.
Ancient. Unquestioned. Absolute.
He didn't see a frightened woman near the gate.
He saw a queen who didn't know she was wearing a crown.
Kael skidded to a stop beside Rowan.
"Did you feel that?" he demanded.
Rowan didn't look away from Athena.
"Yes."
Kael swallowed hard.
"She just led us."
Behind them, the wolves reformed their line with new ferocity, protecting Silas as he was helped to his feet.
But the energy in the air was different now.
Not just battle.
Alignment.
As if the pack had instinctively reorganized around a new center.
And she didn't even know she was it.