Chapter 87 Guardian Oaths
~Elowen's POV~
The following week passed in tense preparation.
Every hour was heavy with unspoken fears and the constant hum of the oath brands pulling at our scars.
That afternoon I led both Alphas through the overgrown path into Velmira's ruins, vines and moss reclaiming what once had been grand temples.
My boy walked between us, quiet but alert, his taller frame still adjusting to the rapid growth, eyes darting to every shadow as if expecting another trap.
Alaric kept glancing at the boy, his gaze possessive and heavy.
"He belongs with Dravenmere blood, which is my line and pack. The wolf in him is strongest there... grounded, and unbreakable."
Sylion's jaw tightened, shoulders squaring as he walked.
"Blood alone doesn't make a father. I stood when you turned away, and I protected what was left when you chose silence and power over truth. The boy knows that... He feels it in the way I never left his mother's side."
"Enough," I cut in sharply, stepping between them on the narrow path, my voice ringing with exhausted authority.
"This isn't about claiming him like territory or proving who stood taller in the past. The guardian spirit demands balance of both of you. No more fighting over him like a prize to be won. He is his own person, growing stronger every day, and right now he needs us united or he breaks apart from the inside."
The boy looked up at me, a small nod of gratitude in his dual-colored eyes. "Thank you, Mama. I don't want to be pulled in two directions anymore."
We reached the central altar where broken columns framed the ancient stone, and I placed my hand on the crystal shard first.
The air hummed instantly, a deep vibration rising from the ground.
Alaric and Sylion followed, each pressing a palm beside mine. Their scars flared in unison with the relic, bright silver light leaking between their fingers.
The guardian spirit rose... shimmering light without clear form, ancient and weightless.
It accepted the renewed oaths in silence, wrapping invisible threads around our joined hands.
Then visions poured into us all at once, flooding our minds with vivid, overlapping futures.
Flashes of possible paths: the boy grew tall and powerful, standing at the head of a united pack under starlit skies.
One thread showed him ruling with Alaric's unyielding strength, borders secured by raw dominance.
Another revealed him guided by Sylion's steady, protective wisdom, building alliances instead of walls.
In every thread, my choice stood at the center...stay with one, leave entirely, or bind all three lines together into something new and whole.
The spirit branded the visions deep into our minds, searing them like warnings and promises, then faded slowly, leaving the air charged and heavy.
The boy exhaled shakily, small body trembling. "It didn't hurt this time. But I saw… so many versions of me. Which one is real?"
I pulled him close, wrapping my arms around his broader shoulders.
"The oaths hold for now. We choose the path together, step by step and no one decides alone."
Alaric and Sylion exchanged a long, simmering look across the altar, rivalry still burning in their eyes but contained for the boy's sake, at least...
★★★
~Alaric's POV~
Night had fallen when we set up a shared tent near the ruins for safety, the canvas walls glowing faintly from the low lantern inside.
The boy slept in the smaller side section, exhausted from the ritual, his breathing deep and even under a simple blanket.
Elowen and I sat alone by the lantern in the main space.
I turned the simple silver ring between my fingers, the one I'd carried since the old days... its surface worn smooth from years of regret.
"I've been carrying this too long," I said quietly, voice rough with emotion.
"Regret sits heavy on me every single day, Elowen. I should have believed you back then. I should have stood with you instead of letting fear and lies win. I want to make it right, so take the ring and the Luna title again. Come back to Dravenmere. We can raise him together, the way it was meant to be...strong pack, and real family."
She looked at the ring, then at me, her expression soft but guarded.
"I hear you, Alaric. The regret is real and I can see it in your eyes. But too much has broken between us. The fire, the trial, the way you turned away when I needed you most. I can't step back into that life anymore, maybe not ever. It would hurt too much to try again."
I closed my hand around the ring, knuckles whitening.
"At least think about it, for him, if not for me. He deserves love and both parents under one roof."
Before she could answer, the vision from the ritual surged again between us... stronger this time, vivid and immersive.
Our echo son, older and powerful, standing on Dravenmere's highest balcony, addressing a united pack under moonlight.
Peace shone in his eyes and strength radiated from his stance.
The image showed him calling Elowen "Mother" with open pride, her hand resting on his shoulder as the crowd cheered.
The vision faded slowly, leaving us both breathless.
Elowen's walls cracked visibly for the first time in years. Temptation flickered across her face before she looked away, jaw set.
Outside, midnight arrived with distant thunder rolling across the hills.
A sharp warning echoed suddenly through the oath brands, the guardian spirit's voice resonating in our minds like distant thunder.
"The oaths bind or the Relic breaks. Hold them true, or the boy's soul will fracture under the weight."
Then alarms blared from Velmira's direction, sharp and urgent. Veyra's coup forces had breached the outer gates. Gunfire and howls carried on the wind, growing closer.
Elowen stood fast, reaching for her weapons. "We have to—"
She stopped mid-sentence. The boy stirred in the next section, coughing weakly, small frame jerking.
A simple cup of water lay tipped beside his bedroll, liquid spilled across the fabric. I moved closer and caught the faint bitter scent rising from the damp cloth.
"Aurora," Elowen whispered, eyes widening in horror as she dropped to her knees beside him.
"She's allied with Veyra and poisoned his water with anti-hybrid toxin. The guardians warned us too late."
The boy gasped, body starting to seize, veins standing out dark against his skin as the toxin spread.
His eyes flew open, gold and crimson swirling chaotically. "Mama… it burns… make it stop…"
I grabbed the boy's shoulders, channeling what little healing energy the oath scar could spare, while Elowen frantically searched for an antidote in her pack.
The alarms grew louder outside, Veyra's forces closing in as the boy convulsed between us.
The fragile balance we had just renewed already, threatened to shatter completely...