SERA POV
Pain exploded through my spirit form as Elena's dark magic slammed into us again. I screamed, feeling like my soul was being torn apart.
Beside me, Kade roared in agony. Our spirit bodies flickered, threatening to disappear completely.
On the stone altars, Aria and Asher convulsed harder. Blood dripped from the cuts on their small arms, feeding the ritual circle that glowed brighter with each passing second.
"Mama!" Aria's scream pierced my heart.
I forced myself to stand, even though every movement felt like walking through fire. "I'm coming, baby!"
But Elena moved faster than should be possible. She appeared between me and the twins, her spirit form crackling with stolen power.
"You really think you can stop me?" Elena's laugh was cold and sharp. "I've been preparing for this moment for five years. Every spell, every sacrifice, every plan—all leading to this."
"You're insane," I snarled.
"No. I'm determined." Elena's ice-blue eyes blazed with hatred. "Kade was supposed to be mine. We were perfect together—strong, matched, meant to rule. Then you showed up with your pathetic omega energy and your 'mate bond,' and he chose weakness over strength."
Kade lunged at her, but Elena waved her hand and dark energy chains wrapped around him, slamming him to the ground.
"Stay down, Kade," Elena said sweetly. "Watch me finish what I started five years ago. I should have killed Sera in the Wastelands when I had the chance."
My blood ran cold. "That was you? You sent those rogues to hunt me?"
"Of course. I paid them well to make sure you never came back." Elena circled me like a predator. "But you survived. You always survive. It's annoying, really."
She attacked without warning. Her spirit claws raked across my chest, and I felt pain that shouldn't be possible in this form. I fell to my knees, gasping.
"The ritual is almost complete," Elena continued, moving toward the twins. "When the moon reaches its peak in three minutes, their power transfers to me. I'll become the strongest wolf alive. And then I'll take my rightful place as Kade's mate."
"Over my dead body," I growled.
"That's the idea."
I forced myself to my feet and charged. We collided in a explosion of silver and black energy. Elena was strong—stronger than she should be—but I had something she didn't.
I had everything to lose.
We fought across the ritual circle, our spirit forms clashing violently. Every hit she landed felt like being stabbed. Every attack I threw took more energy than I had.
But I kept fighting.
Behind Elena, Kade broke free of the chains. He grabbed Elena from behind, but she spun and blasted him backward with a wave of dark magic.
"You never appreciated her!" Kade roared at Elena. "You were jealous of what we had!"
"What you had?" Elena laughed bitterly. "You exiled her! You believed every lie I told about her! Face it, Kade—you destroyed your own mate. I just helped speed things along."
Kade's face twisted with rage and pain. "I'll spend the rest of my life regretting that. But I won't let you hurt her or our children!"
He attacked again, and this time I joined him. Together, Kade and I fought Elena with everything we had. Our spirit forms moved in perfect sync—the mate bond making us stronger together.
For a moment, I thought we might actually win.
Then the moon reached its peak.
The ritual circle exploded with light. Aria and Asher both screamed as their blood began to glow, pulled toward the center of the circle where Elena stood.
"No!" I dove toward the twins, but an invisible force threw me back.
Elena raised her hands, her face ecstatic. "Finally! The power is mine!"
Silver and gold energy—the twins' combined power—spiraled up from the altars toward Elena. Her body began to glow as she absorbed it.
"I can feel it," she breathed. "So much strength. So much—"
She stopped. Her eyes went wide with shock.
"What's happening?" Elena looked down at her hands. Instead of glowing brighter, she was starting to flicker. "No. No, this isn't right!"
Elder Thea's voice echoed from outside the barrier. "The ritual requires a willing sacrifice! The twins aren't giving their power freely—they're fighting it!"
On the altars, I saw what Thea meant. Aria and Asher had their eyes squeezed shut, their small hands clenched into fists. Even terrified and in pain, they were resisting with everything they had.
"My brave babies," I whispered.
"Fight it!" Elena screamed, trying to force the power to flow. "I've worked too hard for this!"
But the more she tried to take, the more the twins resisted. The ritual began to destabilize. Energy crackled wildly around the circle.
"It's backfiring," Kade said, his eyes wide. "The ritual is going to explode!"
Elena's face went from triumph to terror in seconds. "No! I won't lose now! I won't—"
The ritual circle erupted.
A massive explosion of silver, gold, and black energy blasted outward. I felt myself being torn apart as the magical backlash hit my spirit form.
I heard Kade scream my name.
I heard the twins crying.
I heard Elena's shriek of rage.
Then everything went white.
When my vision cleared, I was back in my body on the forest floor. Gasping. Shaking. Alive.
Beside me, Kade jolted awake with a roar.
"The twins!" we both shouted at the same time.
We scrambled to our feet and looked at the Stone Circle. The magical barrier was gone—destroyed by the explosion. Smoke filled the air.
As it cleared, I saw the altars.
Empty.
The silver chains lay broken on the stone. But Aria and Asher were gone.
"No," I breathed. "No, no, no—"
A figure stepped out of the smoke.
Elena.
But she looked wrong. Her skin was pale and cracked like broken glass. Dark veins spread across her face. Her ice-blue eyes had turned completely black.
And in her arms, she held Asher.
"Looking for this?" Elena's voice sounded distorted, like two people speaking at once.
Beside her, another figure appeared from the smoke. A massive male wolf I recognized from the battle—one of Marcus Redclaw's warriors. He held Aria, who was struggling and screaming.
"The ritual may have failed," Elena said with a twisted smile. "But I still have your children. And if you want them back alive, you're going to give me exactly what I want."
Kade stepped forward, his Alpha power radiating dangerously. "Name your price."
Elena's black eyes fixed on me. "Her life for theirs. Sera comes with me willingly, and I'll return the twins unharmed."
"Never," Kade snarled.
"Then watch them die." Elena's hand began to glow with that sickly dark magic, moving toward Asher's small chest.
"Wait!" I shouted. "I'll do it. I'll come with you. Just don't hurt them."
"Sera, no—" Kade grabbed my arm.
I looked at him, my heart breaking. "They're our children. I won't let them die."
"There has to be another way—"
"There isn't." I pulled free and stepped toward Elena. "Let them go, and I'm yours."
Elena's smile was victorious. "I knew you'd see reason. A mother's love is so predictable."
She nodded to the warrior holding Aria. He started to lower her to the ground.
Then Aria bit down hard on his hand.
The warrior yelped and loosened his grip. Aria twisted free and ran—but not toward us.
She ran straight at Elena.
"Aria, no!" I screamed.
Everything happened at once.
Aria's small hands glowed silver as she touched Elena's leg. Elena shrieked and dropped Asher. Kade dove and caught our son before he hit the ground.
I charged forward, grabbing Aria and pulling her away from Elena.
But Elena recovered faster than possible. She grabbed my arm with a grip like iron, her broken face inches from mine.
"You want to play hero?" Elena's black eyes bore into mine. "Fine. Let's see how heroic you feel when I rip your soul out and feed it to the void."
Her hand plunged toward my chest.
Then a roar shook the entire forest.
A massive silver wolf—bigger than any I'd ever seen—exploded from the treeline and slammed into Elena with devastating force.
Elena went flying, crashing into one of the standing stones hard enough to crack it.
The silver wolf landed between me and Elena, hackles raised and teeth bared.
I stared in shock.
Because I recognized that wolf's scent.
It was impossible. He died years ago.
But there was no mistaking it.
"Dad?" I whispered.
The silver wolf looked back at me with familiar eyes. Then he spoke—something wolves normally couldn't do.
"Hello, daughter. Sorry I'm late."