The blizzard hit at midnight, howling through Frostpine like a vengeful spirit. Lilith jolted awake to the sound of wood splintering, her hand flying to the locket around her neck. System alert: Coexistence zone perimeter breached. Hostile forces detected.
Kane was already on his feet, grabbing his sword from beside the bed. "Bartholomew's men. I'd recognize that war cry anywhere."
Through the window, torches flickered in the snow—dozens of them, moving on the zone's eastern wall. Lilith cursed, throwing on her cloak. "Ella's in the medical hut with the sick kids. Secure them."
"Your safety first—"
"Go." Lilith pressed a kiss to his cheek, her voice fierce. "I'll handle the wall. And Kane? Try not to die. I need you for the victory feast."
He laughed, shifting into half-wolf form as he bounded out the door. "Always, princess."
The wall trembled under another impact. Lilith pressed her shoulder against the wooden planks, grunting as splinters dug into her palms. "Hold it! Another inch and they'll break through!"
Wolf warriors and human farmers strained beside her, their breath fogging in the cold. "We can't keep this up!" a farmer shouted, his ax handle cracking. "There's too many!"
Lilith risked a glance over the wall. Bartholomew's men—now led by his son, a sneering brute with a crossbow—were ramming a tree trunk into the gates. Behind them, a cart covered in a tarp loomed. System scan: Explosives detected. 5 minutes until detonation.
"Kane!" she screamed, but her voice was swallowed by the blizzard. Think, think. The fetal soul resonance glowed in her vision: 82%. "Baby, help me. What would you do?"
A memory flashed—her son, older now, drawing a circle in the dirt with a stick. "Safe. Inside."
Lilith's eyes widened. "Fire! Douse the planks with oil!"
The farmers stared, confused, but the wolf elder nodded. "Trust the princess. Move!"
They scrambled to the storage shed, hauling barrels of lamp oil. Lilith doused the gates, her hands shaking, as the tree trunk rammed again. "Now!" she shouted, tossing a torch.
The flames roared and burned, devouring the wood, the attackers screamed, the flames licked their furs and cloaks. The trunks fell back, charred and smoking.
But the tarp-covered cart rolled forward. Bartholomew's son grinned, lighting a fuse. "Burn, abominations!"
Kane arrived with reinforcements just as the fuse reached the cart. "Get back!" he roared, tackling Lilith to the ground. The explosion rocked the zone, sending splinters and snow raining down. When Lilith looked up, the eastern wall was gone—blown to smithereens.
"Fall back to the governance hall!" she shouted, grabbing a fallen sword. "It's stone. They can't breach it!"
The retreat was chaos. A wolf pup yelped, trapped under a beam—Lilith heaved it free, her shoulder screaming in pain. A farmer collapsed, hit by an arrow, and Kane slung him over his back. Through it all, Ella appeared at her side, a bow in hand, firing with surprising accuracy.
"Learned from the guards," she panted, loosing another arrow. "Turns out princesses can aim, too."
Lilith smiled, ducking as a crossbow bolt whizzed past. "Who knew?"
The governance hall's doors slammed shut, bolts sliding into place. Inside, the zone's residents huddled—children crying, wolves pacing, farmers clutching their weapons. Lilith climbed the stairs to the second floor, Kane right behind her, and peered out the window. Bartholomew's men were regrouping, their torches forming a ring around the hall.
"Siege," Kane muttered, his arm around her waist. "They'll starve us out."
"Not if we fight back." Lilith pointed to the stable. "Their horses are tied there. No shelter—they'll freeze if we cut the ropes."
"Suicide mission. The snow's waist-deep."
"Not for wolves." She met his amber gaze. "Your clan can slip through. Take out the horses, then circle around. We'll hit them from the front when they're distracted."
Kane kissed her, hard and fast. "Be careful."
"Always."
The wolf clan moved like shadows through the blizzard. Lilith watched from the window as they cut the horses' ropes, the animals bolting into the night. Bartholomew's men shouted, confused, as their mounts vanished into the snow.
"Now!" she shouted, swinging open the hall doors. "For Frostpine!"
They charged, humans and wolves side by side, swords clashing with axes, howls mixing with battle cries. Lilith ducked under a brute's arm, slashing his hamstring, and he crumpled. Behind him, Bartholomew's son raised a mace, aiming for her head.
"Lilith!" Ella screamed, shoving her aside. The mace hit Ella's shoulder, and she crumpled, screaming.
Rage blinded Lilith. She lunged, driving her sword through the man's chest. He gurgled, falling backward, and she stood over him, chest heaving. "Touch her again, and I'll feed you to the wolves."
The siege broke at dawn. Bartholomew's men, horse-less and freezing, fled into the mountains as the blizzard eased. Lilith collapsed onto the snow, laughing and crying, as the sun peeked over the pines.
"Ella?" she whispered, crawling to where the girl lay. Her shoulder was bent at an unnatural angle, but her eyes were open.
"Told you I could aim," she said, grinning weakly.
System notification: Hostile threat neutralized. Contribution points +5000. Fetal soul resonance: 90%. A warm glow spread through the snow, and her son appeared, running to Ella, pressing his tiny hand to her shoulder. The wound knit itself closed, leaving only a faint scar.
"Thank you, little one," Ella said, tears streaming.
The toddler turned to Lilith, holding out his arms. "Mama. Safe."
She swept him into her arms, holding him tight as Kane joined them, his face streaked with blood and snow. "We did it," he said, kissing her forehead.
"We did it," she corrected, glancing at Ella, at the wolf elder, at the farmers gathering to rebuild.
The son pulled away, pointing to the horizon. A rainbow arched over the mountains, bright and clear. "Home."
Lilith smiled, knowing he was right. This broken, messy, beautiful place—this was home.
System notification: Fetal soul resonance locked at 90%. Next mission: Unite the wolf clans. Reward: Permanent manifestation.
She met Kane's gaze, and for the first time, she believed it. They'd get their son back. Together.