Chapter 171: Two Years of Peace

Two years passed. True retirement. Actual peace. Real life.

I was forty eight now. Completely gray. Deep wrinkles. Body aching. But happy.

Cole was fifty. Retired as Alpha. Passed leadership to a young wolf named Jackson. Strong. Smart. Good leader.

We lived quietly. Small house. Simple life. Just us. No drama. No fighting. No wars.

Luna's pack thrived in Portland. Three hundred wolves. Biggest pack in history. She was an incredible leader.

Thomas was eleven. Looked thirty. Full Guardian. Protecting the West Coast. Doing amazing work.

Baby Margaret was three. Still growing normally. Sweet. Smart. Powerful but controlled.

Sarah and Maya visited monthly. Both fully retired. Both enjoying life. Both happy.

"Remember when we fought the Dominion? When we almost died?" Sarah laughed. We sat drinking tea. Old ladies. Retired warriors.

"Best and worst day of my life. Saving the world. Nearly dying. Waking up alive." Maya smiled. "But I'm glad it's over. Glad we're done."

"Me too. So tired of fighting. So ready for peace." I meant it. Really meant it.

Life was simple. Beautiful. Perfect.

Then young Thomas called. Urgent. Worried. Scared.

"Grandma. We have a problem. A strange problem. A concerning problem." Thomas sounded stressed.

"What kind of problem?" I felt that old feeling. Dread. Worry. Alertness.

"Supernatural beings are losing their powers. Not all of them. Just some. Random ones. All over the world. They wake up normal. Human. Powerless." Thomas explained. "Ten cases this week. Twenty last week. Fifty the week before. It's spreading."

"Why? What's causing it?" Cole asked. He'd been listening.

"We don't know. No pattern. No common factor. No explanation. Just random power loss. Permanent. Irreversible." Thomas sounded frustrated. "The Council is investigating. But we're stumped."

"Keep me updated. Let me know if you need help." I offered. But hoping he wouldn't need it. Hoping they'd solve it. Hoping I could stay retired.

"I will. Thanks Grandma. Love you." Thomas hung up.

"You think it's serious? You think we should worry?" Cole looked at me. Reading my face.

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. But something feels wrong. Feels familiar. Feels like the start of something." I couldn't shake the feeling.

Through the bond Sarah and Maya felt it too. That sense. That intuition. That warning.

"Should we investigate? Should we help? Should we come out of retirement?" Sarah asked. Half joking. Half serious.

"No. Let the young ones handle it. Let Thomas figure it out. Let the new generation lead." I refused. Staying firm. Staying retired.

But the problem grew. Hundreds losing powers. Then thousands. Then tens of thousands.

Panic spread. Fear grew. Chaos started.

"What if we all lose our powers? What if we all become human? What if supernatural beings go extinct?" People were terrified.

The Council called emergency meetings. Experts investigated. Scientists studied. Witches searched. Guardians explored.

Nothing. No answers. No solutions. No hope.

Then Luna called. Crying. Panicking. Terrified.

"Mama. It's Thomas. My son. He lost his powers. Just woke up this morning. Normal. Human. No magic. No Guardian abilities. Nothing." Luna was breaking. "He's devastated. He's lost. He's broken."

My heart stopped. Young Thomas. The Guardian. The hero. The legacy. Powerless.

"I'm coming. Right now. I'll be there in hours." I packed immediately. Cole beside me. Supporting. Helping.

We flew to Portland. Found Thomas. Sitting. Staring. Empty.

"Grandma. I can't feel it anymore. The Guardian energy. The magic. The connection. It's gone. All gone." Thomas looked at his hands. Normal hands. Human hands. "I'm useless. Worthless. Nothing."

"You're not useless. You're not worthless. You're my grandson. Powers or no powers. That doesn't change." I hugged him. Tight. Protective.

"But being a Guardian was who I was. What I was. Without it I'm nobody." Thomas was lost. Identity shattered.

"You're Thomas Hartman. Son of Luna and Derek. Grandson of Lita and Cole. Great grandson of Margaret and Thomas Crane. Family. Loved. Important. Always." I lifted his chin. Made him look at me. "Powers don't define you. Actions do. Heart does. You do."

But he couldn't hear it. Couldn't accept it. Couldn't believe it.

The power loss continued. Spreading faster. Affecting more. Destroying lives.

Aria called me. Direct. Urgent. Desperate.

"Lita. I need your help. This isn't natural. This isn't random. This is an attack. Someone is stealing powers. Draining abilities. Harvesting energy." Aria explained. "And I think I know who. But I need proof. Need help. Need Luna Triad."

"We're retired. We're done. We're old." I protested. Weakly. Knowing I'd help anyway.

"I know. But this is bigger than retirement. Bigger than age. Bigger than preference. If we don't stop this. If we don't fix this. Every supernatural being on Earth becomes human. Powers extinct. Magic gone. Forever." Aria was serious. Desperate. Scared.

Through the bond Sarah and Maya heard. They were listening. They decided.

"One more mission. One last fight. One final war. Then we're really done. Really retired. Really finished." Sarah agreed.

"Together. Like always. Luna Triad rides again." Maya added.

I looked at Cole. At my husband. My mate. My partner.

"You have to. You know you have to. They need you. The world needs you. One more time." Cole smiled. Sad but supportive.

"One more time. But this is it. This is the last one. I promise." I kissed him. Long. Deep. Maybe last time.

"I'll hold you to that." Cole held me. "Come back. Please come back."

"I will. I always do." I promised.

Luna Triad was coming out of retirement. One last time. One final mission. One more war.

At forty eight. Forty two. And thirteen. Mother. Aunts. Daughter. United.

Against a new enemy. A new threat. A new impossible situation.

Same as always. Same as everything. Same as forever.

We were Luna Triad. And Luna Triad never quit.

Even in retirement. Even in old age. Even when we should.

The fight continued. The story went on. The legacy lived.

One more time. One last time. One final time.

Then peace. Real peace. Forever peace.

Maybe. Hopefully. Finally.