Three days.
That's how long we had before Blood Moon Pack's army arrived.
Three days to prepare a pack that hadn't seen war in two generations. Three days to train warriors who'd spent their lives fighting border skirmishes, not full-scale battles. Three days to turn a peaceful territory into a fortress.
I spent every waking moment working.
*Post sentries along the northern ridge,* I ordered Marcus, who was frantically taking notes. *If they're coming from Blood Moon territory, that's their most likely approach.*
*Yes, my Queen.*
*Stop calling me that,* I said for the hundredth time.
*What should I call you?*
*Elena,* I said. *Or Luna. If you need a title. But not "my Queen." It makes me feel like I'm someone else.*
Marcus nodded, but I could tell he'd keep using it. The pack was obsessed with titles—with hierarchy—with knowing exactly where everyone stood in the pecking order.
*I'm going to check on the children,* I told Kael, who was coordinating with Viktor on defensive positions.
*Do you want me to come with?*
*No.* I shook my head. *You're needed here. I won't be long.*
I walked through the pack grounds, noting the changes from three years ago. Barricades were going up. Training fields were full of warriors practicing. Every available person was working—forging weapons, preparing healers' supplies, fortifying the perimeter.
It felt like a different place.
Or maybe I was seeing it through different eyes.
Not as a servant, invisible and ignored.
But as a leader. As a protector. As someone whose words carried weight.
*Elena!*
I turned to see Reese—the Delta Commander who'd bullied me for years—approaching. He looked... different. Older. Harder.
*Commander.*
*Luna.* He nodded respectfully. *I wanted to... I wanted to apologize.*
*For?*
*For everything.* He wouldn't meet my eyes. *For how I treated you when you were Wolfless. For the humiliation. The bullying. The—*
*I'm not Wolfless anymore,* I cut him off. *Is that why you're apologizing? Because I'm powerful now?*
*No.* Reese looked up, and I saw something genuine in his expression. *I'm apologizing because I was wrong. Because I was cruel. Because I took out my own insecurities on someone who couldn't fight back.*
*I couldn't fight back then,* I corrected. *I can now.*
*I know.* He gave a small smile. *I still have nightmares about that night in the forest. When you froze me with the Royal Voice.*
*You deserved it.*
*I did.* Reese sobered. *I also wanted to say... if you'll have me, I'd like to fight for you. In the coming battle. Not for Kael. For you.*
*Why?*
*Because you're going to be the Luna of this pack.* He said it with conviction. *Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday. And when that day comes, I want to be on the right side of history.*
*I'm not going to be Luna,* I protested. *I'm the Lycan Queen. That's different.*
*Is it?* Reese challenged me. *Because from where I'm standing, you're already leading this pack. Kael listens to you. The pack respects you. Even the children—* he nodded toward the training grounds where Felix was practicing with a wooden sword *—look up to you.*
*I'm just doing what needs to be done.*
*That's what a leader does.* Reese stepped back. *Think about my offer. I may not be Lycan, but I can fight. And I'd fight for you.*
I watched him walk away, thoughtful.
*You're collecting allies,* Astrid's voice in my mind. *Good.*
*I'm not trying to—*
*You don't have to try.* She appeared beside me. *Power draws power. Strength draws strength. You're the Lycan Queen, Elena. People will naturally gravitate toward you.*
*I don't want followers.*
*Too bad.* Astrid's mental voice was amused. *You're a queen. Followers come with the job.*
*I walked with her toward the nursery where the children were staying with a rotating cast of pack members watching over them.
Felix was in the yard, sword-fighting with a practice dummy and actually holding his own. At three years old, he was already showing signs of inheriting his father's warrior instincts.
*He'll be a great fighter someday,* Astrid observed.
*He'll be a great Alpha,* I corrected. *If he wants to be.*
*And Darius?*
I looked through the window.
Darius was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, eyes closed, completely still.
*What's he doing?*
*I don't know.* I moved closer to the window. *He's been like that since breakfast. Just... sitting. Meditating?*
*Or concentrating.*
I pushed open the door and Darius's eyes snapped open.
Violet-gold and filled with something that made my breath catch.
*Mama?* His mental voice sounded... different. Older. *You're back.*
*I am.* I crouched in front of him. *What are you doing, sweetie?*
*Listening.*
*To what?*
*To everything.* Darius's mental voice was distant. *The pack bond. The earth. The... the coming darkness.*
*Coming darkness?* My heart rate spiked. *What do you see, Darius?*
*Fire.* He closed his eyes again. *And blood. And... and choice.*
*What kind of choice?*
*The kind that changes everything.*
Astrid and I exchanged looks.
*Darius,* I said aloud. *Can you tell me more? What happens in three days?*
*They come,* he said simply. *The bad people. The ones who want to hurt us.*
*Who are they?*
*The red-eyed ones.* He shivered. *And their master. The one who smells like old blood and rotting things.*
*Alpha Blackwood,* Astrid deduced.
*He has something,* Darius continued. *Something bad. Something that makes the red-eyed ones stronger. Faster. Harder to kill.*
*Experiments,* Astrid said. *Like the rogues we fought before.*
*No.* Darius shook his head. *Worse. Much worse.*
*What's worse than mutated rogues?* I asked.
*Darius looked at me with those ancient violet-gold eyes.
*Death,* he said simply. *Death that walks on two legs.*
***
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw fire. Blood. Darkness.
Darius's words echoed in my mind.
*Death that walks on two legs.*
What did that mean? What was Alpha Blackwood planning?
A knock on my door.
*Come in.*
Kael entered, looking as exhausted as I felt.
*Can't sleep either?*
*No.* I gestured for him to sit. *Darius's visions are getting worse.*
*I heard.* Kael sat on the edge of my bed. *Marcus told me what he said. "Death that walks on two legs."*
*Do you know what that means?*
*I have guesses.* Kael's voice was grim. *Alpha Blackwood has been experimenting for years. Trying to create super-soldiers. Trying to find a way to counter Lycan powers.*
*Why would he care about Lycans?* I challenged. *We're extinct. Or we're supposed to be.*
*Because stories persist.* Kael looked at me. *Legends. Prophecies. The idea that someday the Lycan royal bloodline would return and...*
*And what?*
*And destroy everyone who wronged them.*
*I laughed bitterly. *That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?*
*Is it?* Kael raised an eyebrow. *Because from where I'm standing, you're pretty terrifying.*
*I'm not going to destroy anyone.*
*No.* Kael's voice softened. *You're going to protect. There's a difference.*
*Is there?*
*For you, yes.*
We sat in silence for a moment.
*Can I ask you something?* Kael said finally.
*You can ask.*
*If we survive this—when we survive this—what happens next? For us?*
*I don't know.*
*Do you want there to be an "us"?* he asked again. *Eventually? Someday?*
*I—* I started to give my standard answer—that I needed time, that I was still processing, that I couldn't just forget three years of pain.
But then I stopped.
Because I was tired of giving that answer.
Tired of hiding behind my anger.
Tired of pretending I didn't still feel something for the man sitting on my bed, looking at me with those silver-gray eyes that had haunted my dreams for three years.
*I don't know,* I said honestly. *But I think... I think I want to find out.*
*Kael's breath caught.
*You do?*
*I do.* I moved closer. *But not yet. I'm not ready yet. But... I'm not closing the door anymore.*
*That's something.*
*It's everything,* I agreed. *But Kael?*
*Yes?*
*You need to earn it.* I met his eyes. *Not just with words. With actions. With choices. Every single day, you need to choose me. Choose us. Choose the family you could have had if you'd been brave enough three years ago.*
*I will.* His voice was fierce. *I swear to you, Elena—I will spend the rest of my life making the right choices. The brave choices. The choices that put you and our children first.*
*You said that before,* I reminded him. *In the main hall. That day you rejected me.*
*I know.* Kael reached out and took my hand. *But this time I mean it. This time I'm ready. This time—*
*This time you have competition,* I cut him off. *I'm not that girl anymore, Kael. I'm not going to just fall into your arms because you're finally ready. I have options now. I have power. I have—*
*I know.* He squeezed my hand. *And I love that about you. I love that you're strong. That you're independent. That you don't need me.*
*I don't need you,* I agreed. *But I think... I think I might want you. Someday. If you prove yourself.*
*Then I'll prove myself.* Kael brought my hand to his lips and kissed it—such a simple, old-fashioned gesture, but it made my heart flutter anyway. *Every single day. For as long as it takes.*
*Okay.* I pulled my hand back gently. *Okay then.*
*Elena?*
*What?*
*Can I... can I hug you?*
I thought about it.
Three years ago, I would have given anything for this moment. For Kael to want to hold me, to comfort me, to—
*I don't know if that's a good idea,* I said finally. *The bond... it might get confused. Might think—*
*Might think what?* Kael challenged. *That we're fixing this? That we're moving toward something? That maybe, just maybe, there's hope for us?*
*I don't want to give you the wrong idea.*
*You're not.* He stood up. *A hug doesn't mean forgiveness, Elena. It just means... comfort. Connection. Two people who care about each other, finding a moment of peace in the middle of chaos.*
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
At the exhaustion etched into his face. At the shadows under his eyes. At the vulnerability he was showing me by even asking.
*Okay,* I said softly. *Okay. Just... just a hug. Nothing else.*
*Just a hug.*
I stood up and he pulled me into his arms.
And for a moment, just a moment, everything was okay.
The bond—the broken, dormant, barely-there bond between us—stirred. Not snapping back into place, not healing, but... acknowledging. Recognizing. Whispering: *Still here. Still waiting. Still hoping.*
I buried my face in Kael's chest and breathed him in.
Pine and rain and MATE MINE MINE—
*I'm sorry,* he whispered into my hair. *I'm so sorry, Elena. For everything. For every tear. For every moment of pain. For—*
*Stop,* I pulled back slightly. *Don't apologize again. I know you're sorry. I know you regret it. But words only mean so much.*
*Then show me.* Kael looked down at me. *Show me what I need to do. Tell me how to earn back the trust I broke.*
*You're already doing it,* I said. *With the children. With the pack. With—*
*With you,* he finished. *I need to earn your trust too.*
*I know.*
*So tell me where to start.*
I thought about it.
*Start by surviving this battle,* I said finally. *Start by protecting our children. Start by being the Alpha I know you can be—the one who chooses love over politics, who chooses family over alliance, who chooses right over easy.*
*I will.* Kael's voice was fierce. *I swear to you, Elena—I will not fail you again.*
*Don't make promises you can't keep.*
*I intend to keep this one.* He leaned closer. *Even if I have to die trying.*
*Don't die,* I said sharply. *That's not an option. The children need their father.*
*Then I won't die.* Kael's eyes flashed silver. *I'll come back to you. To them. To us.*
*Us.*
*Maybe someday.* He gave a small smile. *If you'll let me.*
*I—*
Before I could finish, a scream pierced the night.
We both froze.
That wasn't a normal scream.
That was a Lycan scream.
*Felix,* I gasped.
We ran.
***
We found him in the nursery, thrashing on his bed, eyes wide but unseeing.
*Felix!* I grabbed his shoulders. *Felix, wake up!*
*No,* he gasped. *No, no, no—*
*Felix, look at me.* I forced him to focus. *Mama's here. Mama's got you. What's wrong? What do you see?*
*Fire,* he sobbed. *They're burning everything. The bad people. They have—* he gagged *—they have monsters. Real monsters. Not like you, Mama. Not like the nice Lycans. Bad ones. Scary ones.*
*What do they look like?* Kael asked.
*Big.* Felix's hands made a gesture in the air. *Bigger than you. Bigger than Mama. With—with sharp teeth and long claws and—*
*And red eyes?* I asked.
Felix nodded vigorously.
*Red eyes. And they smell like—* he made a face *—like old blood.*
*Death that walks on two legs,* Darius said from the corner. He was sitting in the same position I'd left him in earlier, eyes closed, face pale.
*Darius?* I moved toward him. *Sweetie, are you okay?*
*They're coming,* he whispered. *Sooner than we thought. Not three days. Tonight.*
*Tonight?* Kael and I exchanged horrified looks.
*Why tonight?* I asked.
*Because they know,* Darius said. *They know we're here. They know we're preparing. They know—*
*How do they know?*
*A spy.* Darius's violet-gold eyes opened and fixed on something I couldn't see. *Someone in the pack. Someone close.*
*Who?*
*Don't know yet.* He shook his head. *But I can feel them. They're... they're happy about it. Glad.*
*A traitor,* Kael growled. *In my pack.*
*We need to sound the alarm,* I said. *Wake everyone. Prepare for—*
*Too late,* Darius said quietly. *They're already here.*
And through the pack bond, I felt it.
Death.
Approaching fast.
*TROOPS,* I sent through the bond, using the Royal Command without thinking. *TO YOUR POSITIONS. THE ENEMY IS HERE. FIGHT FOR YOUR PACK. FIGHT FOR YOUR CHILDREN. FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES.*
And outside, the first scream pierced the night.
The battle had begun.