Chapter 25 Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Chapter 25
Chapter 25
I stared at the scout, my stomach twisting into knots. Morgana wanted to speak with me alone. After everything—the training, the barriers failing at the perfect moment, and now Graham’s revelation that she had contacted Silverfang—the request felt like a trap wrapped in silk.
Alaric’s arm tightened around my waist, his body radiating tension. “Absolutely not. You are not going anywhere near her without me. She took you once already.”
Marcus stood nearby, arms crossed, his face etched with exhaustion and suspicion. “This could be another ploy. Or she might have useful information about Graham’s plans. But sending Nova alone is reckless.”
I placed my hand over Alaric’s, feeling the steady thrum of the mate bond beneath my palm. It grounded me. “I need to hear what she has to say. She trained me for days. She helped me build the wall against Caden’s essence. If she is playing both sides, I might be able to sense it now. I am stronger than I was.”
Alaric’s pale green eyes bored into mine, filled with worry and that fierce protectiveness that made my chest warm despite the chaos around us. “Nova…”
“I will not go alone,” I promised, squeezing his hand. “You and Corin can stay close enough to intervene if anything feels wrong. But if she sees you immediately, she might not speak freely.”
After a long, tense silence, Alaric finally nodded. “At the first sign of trouble, I am coming in. Mate bond or not, I will tear through anyone who tries to take you again.”
We moved quickly. The western ridge was a short but dangerous trek from the main camp. Warriors gave me respectful nods as we passed—more of them than before, thanks to the river fight—but fear still lingered in some eyes. I kept my head high and my mental wall firm. Caden’s essence tried to stir at the rising tension, but I acknowledged the old guilt and ignored it. It worked. My power felt clearer, more mine.
Alaric, Corin, and two other trusted warriors accompanied me to the edge of a small clearing on the ridge. Morgana waited in the center, tall and composed, her dark hair catching the morning light like threads of moonlight. She looked completely at ease despite the war closing in around us.
I stepped into the clearing alone, stopping twenty paces away. Alaric and the others remained hidden in the treeline, close enough for me to feel their presence through the bond.
“Aunt,” I said carefully, keeping my voice neutral. “You wanted to speak with me.”
Morgana’s silver eyes softened with what looked like genuine relief. “Nova. I am glad you made it out safely. The barriers collapsed faster than I anticipated when your mate began his assault. I tried to hold them, but the combined force of so many wolves was too much.”
I studied her face, searching for lies. “Graham said you contacted him. Offered alliance in exchange for helping retrieve me.”
A soft, weary laugh escaped her. “Of course he would twist it. I reached out to Silverfang under the pretense of negotiation—to buy time and gather information on their movements. I fed them just enough half-truths to keep them distracted while I finished your training. You were not ready to face them yet. Now you are.”
Her explanation sounded reasonable. Too reasonable. But the training had worked. I had fought effectively beside Alaric. I had held shields and healed without losing control. Part of me desperately wanted to believe her—wanted the family connection she offered.
“Why ask to speak with me alone?” I asked.
Morgana took a slow step closer, her expression earnest. “Because there are things only our bloodline can discuss. The wall you built around Caden’s essence is strong, but it is temporary. I can teach you how to truly integrate or purge remnants like his without it draining your strength. The war is escalating. Graham will not wait until sunset tomorrow. He plans a major assault at dawn.”
I felt Alaric’s tension spike through the mate bond. He was listening.
“Tell me what you know,” I said.
Morgana spent the next several minutes outlining Silverfang’s likely strategy—weak points in their supply lines, where Graham was concentrating his best warriors, even rumors of cultist allies moving in from the east. Some details matched what our own scouts had reported. Others were new and valuable. She demonstrated a new technique on a nearby sapling, showing me how to draw ambient moonlight into a focused healing pulse that could mend multiple wounds at once without touching the darker consuming side.
“Practice this tonight,” she urged. “It will save lives when the fighting resumes. And Nova… be careful with your mate. The bond is powerful, but it can cloud judgment. Alaric’s protectiveness may keep you from reaching your full potential.”
I bristled at that. “He is my mate. He has risked everything for me.”
“I know,” she said gently. “And that is beautiful. But our bloodline was never meant to be bound too tightly to one pack. The Goddess power inside you is greater than any single mate bond. Remember that when the hard choices come.”
The words unsettled me, but before I could press her further, a distant howl rose from the east. Silverfang scouts, probing the borders again.
Morgana glanced in that direction. “I must go before they track me here. Meet me again after the next battle if you can. I will be near the old moonstone ruins two miles west. Continue practicing the wall and the new healing flow. You are doing well, niece. Your mother would be proud.”
She turned and disappeared into the trees with unnatural grace, leaving a faint trail of silver light that faded quickly.
I stood there for a long moment, processing everything. Part of me felt stronger, armed with new knowledge. Another part felt the growing shadow of doubt.
Alaric emerged from the trees and pulled me into his arms immediately. His heart pounded against mine. “You handled that well. But I do not trust her. Something feels off.”
“I know,” I whispered, leaning into his warmth. “But her information and techniques could help us survive tomorrow’s assault. I have to use what she gave me.”
We returned to camp in heavy silence. Marcus listened to my report with a grim expression and adjusted some of our defenses based on Morgana’s intel. I spent the rest of the day moving between tasks—helping healers, practicing the new moonlight flow on wounded warriors, and stealing quiet moments with Alaric.
As night fell, he found me sitting against a large oak, practicing the mental wall while weaving small shields in my palms. He sat beside me and pulled me onto his lap, strong arms wrapping around my waist.
“You amaze me,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Days ago you were still learning to trust your own power. Now you fight like you were born for this.”
I turned in his arms and kissed him deeply, pouring all my fear, gratitude, and love into it. The mate bond flared bright and golden, pushing back the darkness of the coming battle. For a few precious minutes, the war felt distant.
But reality returned too soon.
A scout raced into camp just before midnight. “Silverfang is mobilizing early! They are not waiting for sunset. Graham’s full force is moving toward our weakest flank—and they have cultists with them. Dozens.”
Alaric stood, helping me up. His expression hardened into the face of a future Alpha ready for war.
“Prepare everyone,” Marcus ordered. “We meet them head-on.”
I gripped Alaric’s hand as chaos erupted around us. The real battle was beginning. And somewhere out there, Morgana was watching—whether as ally or something far more dangerous, I still could not tell.
As we shifted and ran toward the front lines, the mate bond singing between us, I prayed my training would be enough.