I woke before dawn.
Kael was already awake, watching me. Those gold eyes—soft now, but I knew what they'd become when the fighting started.
"Hey," I whispered.
"Hey yourself."
"Ready?"
"No." He kissed me. "But I'll fight anyway."
We dressed in silence. Leather armor. Knives strapped to thighs. Swords at hips. I'd trained for this. Prepared for this. But nothing could truly prepare anyone for battle.
Kael took my face in his hands.
"Stay close to me. Follow my lead. Don't be a hero."
"I'm always a hero."
"Elena."
"I know. I'll stay close." I kissed him. "I promise."
"Good." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I love you."
"I love you too. Let's go kill some bastards."
He laughed. The tension broke, just slightly.
"Let's go."
---
The pack gathered at the border.
Hundreds of wolves—shifted and human, armed and ready. Torin's wolves stood with us. Sera's too. An alliance born of necessity, now forged in blood.
The enemy appeared at sunrise.
A dark tide moving through the forest. Wolves in chains, forced to fight. Humans with silver weapons. And at their center, a figure I couldn't quite see—their leader.
Kael's hand found mine. Squeezed once.
"Together."
"Together."
He shifted. The great black wolf stood beside me, gold eyes blazing.
I drew my sword.
The enemy charged.
---
Chaos.
That's the only word for it. Chaos and blood and screams.
Wolves clashed. Silver flashed. The air filled with snarls and cries. I fought beside Kael, back to back, moving as one.
Through the bond, I felt everything.
His focus. His rage. His desperate need to protect me.
A wolf lunged at me—chained, forced, eyes blank. I dodged, didn't strike. Looked for its collar.
Kael saw. Understood.
He grabbed the chain in his jaws, pulled. It snapped. The wolf stumbled, shook its head, looked at us with dawning awareness.
Go, I thought at it. Run. Be free.
It ran.
We fought on.
---
The battle raged for hours.
I lost count of the wolves I freed. Lost count of the enemies I killed. My sword was slick with blood. My body screamed with exhaustion.
But Kael was beside me. Always beside me.
Until he wasn't.
One moment he was there. The next, gone. Swallowed by the chaos.
I spun, searching. Through the bond, I felt him—alive, but in trouble. Close.
I ran.
---
I found him pinned.
A massive wolf—their leader, I realized—had him on the ground. Teeth at his throat. Kael struggled, but the other was bigger. Stronger.
I didn't think.
I moved.
My sword found the enemy's side. He howled, released Kael, turned on me.
Those eyes. Dead. Empty. Whatever humanity he'd once had was gone.
He lunged.
---
I fought.
Not like training. Not like practice. Real. Desperate. Every move survival.
He was stronger. Faster. But I had something he didn't.
Kael.
My mate recovered, joined the fight. Together, we drove the enemy back. Together, we struck the killing blow.
He fell.
The battle paused. Heads turned. The enemy saw their leader dead.
And they broke.
---
We chased them to the border.
Those who could flee, fled. Those who couldn't, we freed from their chains. By nightfall, the forest was quiet.
Kael found me among the wounded.
He was hurt—bleeding from a dozen wounds, favouring one leg. But alive. Here. Mine.
"Elena." His voice broke. "Elena."
I ran to him. Crushed myself against him.
"Don't you ever—" I couldn't finish.
"I'm sorry." He held me tight. "I'm sorry."
"I thought I lost you."
"Never." He kissed my hair, my face, my lips. "Never. I'm here. We're here."
"We're here."
---
We walked home together.
Slowly. Leaning on each other. Wounded but alive.
The cabin was still standing. Still ours. We collapsed into bed, too exhausted for anything but holding each other.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too."
"We won."
"We won."
"Tomorrow, we rebuild."
"Tomorrow." I kissed his chest. "Tonight, we rest."
He held me close.
"Together."
"Together."