SERA POV
"Get behind me!" I shoved both twins behind my back as Marcus Redclaw stepped through the shattered window.
He was massive—bigger than Kade, covered in scars, his eyes glowing with predator hunger. And he was staring at my children like they were prey.
"Those children," Marcus said, his voice a rumble that shook the floor, "are worth more than this entire territory. Hand them over, and I'll let the rest of you live."
"Over my dead body," I snarled.
Marcus smiled. "That can be arranged."
He lunged.
Kade moved faster than I'd ever seen him move, intercepting Marcus mid-leap. The two Alphas collided with a sound like thunder, and suddenly the infirmary was a war zone again.
"Lyra!" I screamed. "Get them out!"
But more of Marcus's wolves were pouring through every entrance. We were surrounded.
Aria grabbed my hand. "Mama, I'm scared."
"I know, baby. But Mama's going to keep you safe. I promise." I pulled both twins close, my mind racing. The safe room was two floors down. We'd never make it through this many attackers.
A rogue wolf broke through Kade's line of warriors, heading straight for us.
I shifted instantly, my wolf form erupting as I put myself between the attacker and my children. The rogue's claws raked across my shoulder, but I got my teeth in his throat. He went down hard.
"Mama!" Asher's scream cut through the battle sounds.
I shifted back, blood streaming from my shoulder. "I'm okay. I'm—"
Three more rogues surrounded us.
This was it. This was how I died—protecting my children just like I'd always known I would.
Then Kade was there, his Alpha power exploding outward in a wave that sent every wolf in the room to their knees. All except Marcus, who snarled but stayed standing.
"You want them?" Kade's voice was death itself. "You go through me first."
"Gladly," Marcus growled.
The two Alphas circled each other, and I used the distraction to grab my twins and run. Lyra appeared at my side, along with a dozen of my Coalition warriors.
"Safe room," Lyra panted. "Now."
We ran through corridors filled with fighting wolves, my injured shoulder screaming with every step. Aria was crying silently, trying to be brave. Asher's small hand clutched mine so hard it hurt.
Behind us, I heard Kade's roar of rage—felt his pain through the mate bond I couldn't block anymore. Marcus was winning.
Let him die, part of me whispered. He destroyed you. Let Marcus finish him.
But I couldn't. God help me, I couldn't.
"Lyra, take them to the safe room. Code is 2847. Don't open it for anyone except me or Elder Thea."
"Sera, no—"
"Do it!" I shoved both children toward her. "Protect them. That's an order."
Aria grabbed my leg. "Don't go! Mama, please!"
"I have to, baby. People need help." I kissed both their heads quickly. "I'll come back. I always come back."
Lyra dragged them away, both children screaming for me. The sound tore my heart in half, but I ran back toward the fight.
Because Kade was right about one thing—the children needed both of us alive to survive this.
I burst into the main hall just as Marcus threw Kade through a wall. Kade hit the ground hard, not getting up fast enough.
Marcus advanced, claws extended for the killing blow.
I slammed into Marcus's side with everything I had, my wolf form driving him away from Kade. Marcus turned on me with a snarl, and I barely dodged his strike.
"The rogue queen," Marcus laughed. "Here to save your mate? How sweet."
"He's not my mate," I snarled back. "But he's the father of my children, and you're not touching him."
I fought with everything I'd learned in five years of survival. But Marcus was stronger, faster, more experienced. His claws caught my side, and I went down hard.
"Sera!" Kade was on his feet again, blood streaming from a dozen wounds.
Marcus stood over me, grinning. "The prophecy said the twins would unite the packs. But dead children can't fulfill prophecies. And without them, there's no one to stop me from taking everything."
He raised his claws for the killing strike—not on me, but aimed at the corridor where my children had fled.
"NO!" I screamed.
Power exploded from my chest—silver light that sent Marcus flying backward. Every wolf in the room stopped fighting, staring at me in shock.
I didn't know what I'd just done. But the silver glow was still radiating from my hands.
Elder Thea's voice echoed through my mind from years ago: Your bloodline carries old magic, child. Magic that only appears in times of desperate need.
Marcus climbed to his feet, his eyes wide. "Impossible. Omegas can't—"
"I'm not an omega anymore," I said quietly. "Exile burned that weakness out of me."
Kade was staring at me like he'd never seen me before. "Sera..."
Before anyone could move, a child's scream pierced the air.
Not from the safe room.
From the infirmary.
One of the sick children I'd been healing.
"No," I breathed. In all the chaos, I'd forgotten—three children were still in critical condition, and I was the only one who could save them.
I ran.
The infirmary was destroyed—beds overturned, medical supplies scattered. And in the corner, a little girl was convulsing, her lips turning blue.
Blood sickness was killing her.
I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands already glowing silver. But I was exhausted from fighting, from using that strange power. I didn't know if I had enough left.
"Come on," I whispered, pouring everything I had into her small body. "Come on, baby, fight."
The girl's mother was sobbing nearby. "Please, please save her. She's all I have."
I knew that desperation. I'd felt it every day in exile, terrified something would happen to my twins.
The silver light flickered. Dimmed.
I was running out of power.
"Sera." Kade's voice was soft behind me. "Let me help."
"You can't heal—"
"But we're mates. The bond—it can share power. Let me in."
I looked back at him, this man who'd destroyed me, standing there covered in blood and offering everything he had.
I dropped my walls.
The mate bond roared to life, and Kade's Alpha power flooded into me. Combined with my healing gift, the silver light exploded—brighter, stronger, pure.
The little girl gasped and opened her eyes.
Her mother sobbed in relief.
I collapsed backward, and Kade caught me. For a moment, we just sat there on the floor, connected through the bond, his arms around me.
"I felt you die," Kade whispered against my hair. "Five years ago. I felt the bond go cold, and I thought I'd killed you."
"You did," I said quietly. "The woman you knew died in the Wastelands. I'm what survived."
"Then let me know this woman. Let me prove I'm different too."
I wanted to say no. Wanted to pull away and rebuild my walls.
But Asher's voice echoed in my memory: "Mama, why does that man smell exactly like us?"
Because he was their father. Because they deserved to know him. Because running wasn't going to save them from enemies who now knew they existed.
"One chance," I said, my voice hard. "You get one chance to prove you're not the man who condemned me. But the second you give me a reason to doubt—"
"You'll never doubt," Kade swore. "I'll make sure of it."
Finn burst into the infirmary, his face grim.
"Marcus retreated, but he left a message." Finn's eyes cut to me. "He said this was just a warning. Next time, he's bringing his entire army. And he's not leaving without the twins."
Kade's arms tightened around me. "Then we prepare for war."
"There's something else," Finn said quietly. "Elena left something behind. A note."
He held out a piece of paper. Kade took it, and I read over his shoulder.
The twins shouldn't exist. Neither should you, Sera. I'll correct both mistakes soon. Sleep well.
My blood ran cold.
"She's inside the territory," I whispered. "Somewhere close. Watching us."
Kade stood, pulling me up with him. "Then we lock down everything. No one in or out. Full security on the safe room."
"That won't be enough," Elder Thea said, appearing in the doorway. Her face was grave. "I need to tell you both something. About the twins. About what they really are."
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
Thea looked between us. "The prophecy isn't just about uniting packs. Your children are twin flames—two souls split into separate bodies. They share power. Emotions. Abilities. And there's a ritual..."
"What ritual?" Kade's voice was dangerous.
"A ritual that can steal their power and give it to someone else. It requires their blood, a full moon, and—" Thea's voice broke. "And it only works if they're killed during the transfer."
The world tilted.
"Elena knows," I breathed. "That's why she wants them. Not to eliminate them. To take their power."
"And the full moon," Finn said slowly, "is in three days."
Kade's hand found mine, and this time, I didn't pull away.
Because our children had just become targets for something so much worse than territory wars or revenge.
They were targets for wolves who wanted to steal their souls.