The clearing was no longer a place of trees and earth. It had become a storm.
Lily and the Demon Alpha collided again and again, each strike shaking the ground, each roar splintering the night. Claws of shadow ripped through roots and stone; silver fire burst from Lily's fangs, scorching darkness into smoke. The pack circled the edges, too stunned to intervene. They could only watch, torn between awe and terror, as their Alpha became something more than wolf.
The demon's form shifted constantly, its body a writhing mass of horns, hands, and fire. One moment it was a serpent of black flame, the next a hulking beast with wings that blotted out the moon. Lily struck each shape as it came, her movements guided not by instinct alone but by the pulse of the bond. The forest was with her. The ancestors were with her. She was never fighting alone.
Still the demon was endless. Each wound she dealt knitted itself back together, shadow sealing shadow, hunger feeding hunger. Sweat slicked her fur, her breaths came ragged, and every muscle in her body screamed with strain.
A flash of movement caught her eye — Alec, staggering to his feet by the stones, blood streaking his muzzle. He met her gaze, and in his eyes she saw it: unbroken faith. He lifted his head and howled, a raw, ragged sound that tore across the battlefield. One by one, the pack answered. Their howls rose, weaving into hers, a chorus that rattled the very trees.
Strength surged into Lily's limbs. The bond stretched, widened, and suddenly she wasn't just fighting with her own power — she carried the strength of every wolf howling with her.
The Demon Alpha faltered. Just slightly.
Seizing the moment, Lily lunged. Her claws burned with silver light as they sank into the demon's chest. Its roar split the forest as shadows exploded outward, flinging her across the clearing. She crashed into the earth, vision spinning, lungs heaving.
When she staggered up, she saw the demon standing at the heart of the carnage, chest gaping with a wound that dripped not blood but darkness. It pulsed, writhing, as though alive.
The truth struck her like lightning: this was its core. Its heart. The hunger given shape. She had to destroy it.
But the demon seemed to sense her realization. It spread its wings of shadow wide, and darkness surged outward, blotting out the moon. Wolves screamed as claws of flame lashed at them. Alec dragged two younger wolves to safety, his body bleeding from a dozen wounds. The pack was breaking.
"Lily!" he shouted, voice raw.
She steadied her stance, every bone in her body trembling. Her vision blurred, her body screamed for rest, but she couldn't stop. She reached deeper into the bond, deeper than she ever had, until the line between wolf and forest dissolved completely.
Her body blazed with silver fire. Her howl rose, a sound not just of war, but of promise. Roots erupted from the ground, rivers swelled and hissed, winds howled through the trees. Every element answered her call. She was the Alpha, but more than that, she was Silver Pine itself.
The Demon Alpha roared, lunging at her with claws of pure void.She charged to meet it. Light and darkness collided in an explosion that shattered stone, scorched trees, and split the very sky. The pack was thrown back by the force, their cries lost in the thunder. And then ; silence.
Smoke curled over the battlefield. The Demon Alpha staggered, its chest still burning with silver fire. Its form flickered, unstable. But it was not gone. Not yet.
Lily dropped to her knees, breath ragged, body trembling. She had hurt it but she knew the truth as her vision swam.
This fight wasn't finished. And to end it… she might have to give more than just her strength. She might have to give herself.