Chapter 77 Holy War
Ryder pov
We surge forward through the breach Jolie created. The enhanced abilities make us unstoppable. Knox fights like a demon, each punch breaking bones. Luna dances between enemies, her daggers finding throats and arteries.
Mara tears into a group of guards with savage joy. Phoenix moves so fast he's practically invisible, appearing behind enemies to drop them before they know he's there.
But I keep one eye on Jolie.
She's walking through the battlefield like a goddess of war, moonfire blazing around her. Every guard who attacks finds their weapons useless, their strength meaningless against divine power.
This isn't the scared girl who showed up at my compound months ago. This is Luna's vessel in full fury.
"Third line ahead!" Doc's voice crackles through our comms. "They've got heavy weapons!"
I look up and curse. The guards have fallen back to reinforced positions, and they're not carrying blessed bullets anymore.
They've got rocket launchers.
"Jolie, get down!" I tackle her sideways as the first rocket screams past.
It explodes against the wall behind us, showering debris everywhere. The blast wave slams into my back, but the enhancement Jolie gave me absorbs most of the impact.
"They're using mortal weapons." Jolie coughs, pushing herself up. "Trying different tactics."
"Smart." I help her stand. "Blessed silver didn't work, so they're going for raw explosive power."
Another rocket launches. This time Jolie's ready. Her moonfire wraps around the missile in mid-flight, and I watch it slow, stop, then reverse direction.
The rocket slams back into the guard tower it came from. The explosion lights up the night.
"That's new." Knox appears beside us, breathing hard. "Since when can you control rockets?"
"Since they tried to kill my mate." Jolie's eyes glow brighter. "Luna's power adapts to threats. The more they try to hurt me, the stronger I become."
"Then they're screwed." Mara grins, blood on her teeth. "Because they just pissed off a divine vessel."
More rockets launch. Five, six, seven at once. A coordinated volley designed to overwhelm even divine power.
Jolie raises both hands. Moonfire erupts in a massive shield above us, catching every missile. They hang suspended in the air, frozen in light.
"My turn." She makes a pushing motion.
The rockets fly back toward the guard positions like a swarm of angry hornets. Explosions rock the fortress as their own weapons destroy their defenses.
"Third line is down!" Luna reports from her scouting position. "Path to the main building is clear!"
"Everyone move!" I gesture forward. "Jolie, can you maintain that shield while we advance?"
"Yes." But I hear the strain in her voice. "Hurry though. This is taking a lot of power."
We run through the wreckage, enhanced speed eating up the distance. Bodies lie everywhere, guards taken down by their own weapons or by moonfire.
I hate how many there are. Hate that we're fighting wolves who might just be following orders.
But they chose to serve the Council. Chose to enforce their tyranny. And now they're paying the price.
The main building looms ahead, massive and imposing. More guards pour out of the entrance, but these ones move differently.
"Elite guard." Knox identifies them. "Council's personal security. These aren't just pack warriors."
"Former military." Doc adds. "See the way they're positioning? Special forces training."
Great. Just what we need.
The elite guards open fire with precision shots, aiming for joints and weak points rather than center mass. One bullet grazes my shoulder, another hits Knox in the thigh.
"Suppressant rounds!" Knox goes down, clutching his leg. "Silver-laced to slow healing!"
Jolie screams, and moonfire explodes outward. The elite guards scatter, but they're too well-trained to panic.
"Taking fire from divine vessel!" Their commander barks into a radio. "Deploying countermeasures!"
Something launches from the building's roof. Small canisters that burst open mid-air, releasing clouds of silver dust.
The moonfire sputters where the dust touches it, dimming and weakening.
"It's powdered blessed silver!" Doc drags Knox to cover. "They're trying to smother her power!"
Jolie staggers as the silver dust settles around her. The moonfire dims to a flicker.
"No." She drops to one knee. "I can't... the silver is blocking my energy."
My enhanced hearing picks up footsteps. Lots of them and they are coming from all directions.
"We're surrounded." Luna reports grimly. "They were waiting for her power to fail."
I move to Jolie's side, pulling her up. "Can you fight without moonfire?"
"I don't know." She looks at her hands, where only faint sparks remain. "I've never... the power's always been there."
"Then we do this the old way." I check my weapons. "Pack tactics. No divine power. Just fangs."
The pack forms up around us, enhanced abilities still active even if Jolie's moonfire is suppressed. The silver dust falls like deadly snow, coating everything.
Elite guards close in from three sides. Sixty trained killers against our twenty enhanced wolves.
"For what it's worth," Mara says, checking her own weapons, "this has been a hell of a ride."
"We're not dying here." I bare my teeth. "Not today. Not when we're this close."
"They're moving in!" Phoenix warns.
The elite guards attack with military intensity. No wild charges or aggressive posturing. Just cold, calculated efficiency.
Knox takes down two before his leg gives out. Luna kills three more but takes a knife to her side. Mara fights like a demon, but even she's struggling against trained soldiers.
We're losing.
Then Jolie screams again, but this time it's different, not from pain but rage.
"You don't understand!" She rises, and the silver dust around her starts to glow. "You can't suppress Luna with her own metal!"
The blessed silver dust ignites, burning with moonfire from within. Instead of blocking her power, it becomes fuel for it.
"Silver is sacred!" Jolie's voice echoes with divine authority. "You just surrounded me with blessed kindling!"
The entire battlefield explodes in silver fire. Not the gentle healing moonfire I've seen before. This is pure divine wrath.
Elite guards scream as the flames wash over them. Not burning their flesh, but burning their souls. Making them feel every cruel order they've followed, every innocent they've hurt in the Council's name.
They drop their weapons and fall to their knees, weeping.
"Stop!" Their commander staggers forward. "We surrender! We surrender!"
Jolie's moonfire dims but doesn't disappear. "Stand down. All of you. This doesn't have to end in more death."
The elite guards comply, dropping weapons and backing away. Some are still crying, overwhelmed by the empathy Jolie forced into them.
"Clear path to the building." Luna confirms, supporting her injured side. "But we've got casualties. Knox can't walk. Three others are down with suppressant rounds."
"Doc, stabilize them." I'm already moving toward the entrance. "Everyone else, with me. We will finish this."
"Wait." Jolie grabs my arm. "Look."
The main doors open. Not guards this time. Council members themselves, seven ancient alphas in expensive suits, walking out to meet us.
And between them, barely able to stand, is Dominic Rys. Jolie's father.
"Daughter." The lead Council member speaks, voice dripping with false warmth. "How good of you to come. We've been expecting you."
Jolie's moonfire flares brighter. "Release my father."
"Of course. After we discuss terms." The Council member smiles. "You see, we have a proposition for you."
"I'm not interested in deals with tyrants." She takes a step forward.
"Not even to save your pack?" Another Council member gestures, and screens light up on the building's exterior wall.
My blood runs cold.
It's the Iron Fangs compound. Surrounded by hundreds of wolves. Emma, Doc's assistant, the non-combatants. All trapped inside.
"We split our forces." The first Council member explains pleasantly. "While you were busy here, we sent our main army to your home. Surrender yourself now, and we'll let them live. Refuse, and we burn the compound to the ground with everyone inside."
Jolie goes rigid beside me. "You're lying."
"The footage is live." They zoom in, showing Emma at the window, clearly terrified. "You have five minutes to decide. Your freedom, or their lives."
I look at Jolie, seeing the conflict tearing her apart. This is exactly what the Council wanted. To force her to choose.
"Don't." I grab her hand. "Don't you dare sacrifice yourself."
"They'll kill everyone." Tears stream down her face. "Emma, the others. All because of me."
"We'll find another way."
"There is no other way!" She pulls free, moonfire building around her. "I won't let innocent wolves die for me. Not again."
"Jolie"
"I'm sorry, Ryder." She steps toward the Council members. "I accept your terms. Let my pack go, and I'll surrender."
"No!" I lunge for her, but Knox grabs my arm despite his injury.
"Let her play this out." He whispers. "Trust your mate."
I want to argue. I want to fight. But something in Knox's tone stops me.
Jolie walks toward the Council, moonfire dimming with each step.