Chapter 126 - Trinity POV

Chapter 126 - Trinity POV
As much as being wrapped in Irune's arms calmed me and soothed Zuri, the knot of anxiety twisting inside my chest refused to loosen.
Something was wrong.
JR still hadn't returned.
Instead of hearing from him, it was Nyxen who forced his way into my mind.
His presence slammed against my consciousness without warning.
Trinity.
The single word carried an urgency that stole my breath.
Nyxen? Where are you?
Silence stretched for only a heartbeat before he answered.
We are alive.
Relief flooded me.
Then his next words stole it away.
We'll be going silent until the battle begins. Stay vigilant. Watch for the signal. If you miss it, innocent people will die... and we may be one of them.
"What signal?" I whispered.
No answer.
Instead, another warning echoed through my mind.
Do not tell Irune. He and Malik can not know that I spoke to you.
Before I could ask another question...
He was gone.
Like he'd never been there at all.
The cryptic message replayed in my head over and over until exhaustion finally pulled me under.
Even then...
Sleep offered little comfort.

I managed maybe two hours before my eyes opened again.
Irune still slept peacefully beside me, one arm draped protectively across where I'd been lying.
Carefully, I slipped from beneath it and stepped onto the balcony.
The morning air was cool.
Below me, the pack grounds buzzed with quiet activity.
Warriors sharpened blades.
Vampires moved like shadows through the crowd.
Witches prepared protection spells.
Families embraced as though every hug might be their last.
There were simply too many people.
Copper Mountain wasn't built to hold this many supernatural beings.
Not even close.
No, it isn't.
Zuri's voice drifted through my thoughts.
You and Irune will not remain here once this battle is over.
I sighed.
"Good morning to you too."
These lands are too small.
She wasn't wrong.
You and Irune will need to build something greater.
An empire.
The word caught me off guard.
You could leave Copper Mountain to Cole. He has earned the right to lead his people.
Empire?
Now?
"Can we survive today before planning tomorrow?"
Zuri chuckled softly.
Tomorrow always belongs to those who survive today.
You'll need advisors. Leaders. Land capable of housing every wolf who chooses to follow you.
"I'll worry about all of that after Stephen is dead."
She didn't argue.
Instead...
She grew quiet.
Too quiet.

"FIRE!"
The scream shattered the morning.
"FIRE!"
"FIRE!"
I spun toward the northern tree line.
Flames.
Towering walls of orange and crimson devoured the forest.
The smoke rolled across the sky like a storm cloud.
My heart stopped.
"This wasn't part of the plan."
The fire wasn't spreading naturally.
It moved with purpose.
Deliberately.
Stephen.
Before I could react, Irune was already moving.
He vaulted over the balcony railing without hesitation.
For a terrifying second, he simply fell...
Then landed effortlessly on the ground below.
He looked up at me.
Our eyes locked.
Be safe, my love.
He mouthed the words before shifting his attention toward the inferno.
Malik exploded from him in a blur of black fur.
Seconds later, they were racing toward the flames.
The entire pack erupted into motion.
Warriors formed ranks.
The bears spread into defensive lines.
The vampires disappeared into the shadows.
Everything unfolded exactly as we'd practiced.
Except...
The fire.
Stephen had changed the battlefield.
The forest was supposed to give us cover.
Now it was becoming a prison.
He wanted us exposed.
Visible.
Vulnerable.
A cold chill crept down my spine.
"No..."
Something still wasn't right.

I hurried downstairs to check on the women and children.
Halfway down the staircase...
A memory struck me so violently I nearly stumbled.
Dark stone walls.
Cold iron bars.
The cells.
The room where Irune had imprisoned me.
The image flashed through my mind with startling clarity.
Children.
My heart lurched.
Without another thought, I ran.
It wasn't part of the plan.
It wasn't where I was supposed to be.
But every instinct...
Every fiber of my being...
Screamed that someone needed me there.
Now.
"Zuri..."
She didn't wait for permission.
Together.
Our bones shattered and reformed in one fluid motion.
Pain lasted only a heartbeat before powerful muscles replaced fragile flesh.
The world sharpened.
Every scent.
Every heartbeat.
Every whisper of movement.
Zuri burst forward, racing through the tunnels beneath the packhouse.
Then...
She stopped.
Blood.
The scent crashed into us like a tidal wave.
Fresh.
Hot.
Far too much of it.
My stomach twisted.
How...
How had they gotten inside?
Then we heard it.
Soft crying.
Children.
Alive.
Zuri lowered herself into a stalking crouch and crept silently toward the sound.
The cellar door hung open.
Bodies littered the hallway.
Pack members.
Mothers.
Elders.
Guards.
Dead.
The metallic scent of blood coated every stone.
Ahead...
Two massive hybrids stood outside an iron cell.
Their claws scraped lazily against the bars.
Inside, two terrified children huddled together.
The older boy clutched a ring of keys so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
He'd locked himself inside.
Smart.
Very smart.
One of the hybrids laughed.
"Little wolf..."
He dragged his claws across the bars with a screech.
"Little wolf..."
Another scrape.
"Let us in."
The younger child buried her face against the older boy's shoulder, sobbing.
His brave expression cracked.
His eyes found mine.
Hope.
I gently reached into his mind.
Shh...
Don't look at me.
Keep looking at them.
I'll get you out.
His breathing slowed just enough to steady himself.
Good.
Zuri crept closer.
The hybrids never noticed.
Their blood...
It reeked.
Rot.
Death.
The corruption of Stephen's experiments had soaked so deeply into their veins that even their scent was wrong.
Whatever humanity they'd once possessed...
It was gone.
One more step.
Another.
Close enough.
Without warning...
Zuri exploded forward.
Her jaws clamped around the nearest hybrid's throat.
Bone snapped beneath the crushing force of her bite.
His eyes widened in surprise.
He never even managed to scream.
I felt the exact moment life left his body.
Then Zuri released him.
The corpse hit the stone floor with a sickening thud.
The second hybrid slowly turned.
His yellow eyes widened as they met mine.
For the first time...
Fear crossed his face.
And I smiled.