Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter 24:

Lia’s POV

The Ironclad stronghold hummed with restless energy, the torchlit cabins casting long shadows that danced like ghosts. My argument with Edgar still burned in my chest, his protective instincts clashing with my need to prove I was more than a tribrid outsider, more than a liability.

The Frostclad, Shadowfang, and Bloodhowl packs were aligning against us, their scents lingering in the forest, and Connor’s challenge at dawn was already looking like a death sentence. I needed answers, not just about my mother’s past, but about how to survive the fight ahead.

Elena had led me to a small cabin at the stronghold’s edge, her gray-streaked braid glinting in the moonlight, her eyes sharp with purpose. “You need to meet someone,” she’d said, her voice low. “She knows the clan better than anyone. And she’ll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want.”

Now, standing in the doorway, my wolf senses caught a scent, cedar and sage.

A woman stood inside, her back to me, her silver hair cropped short, her movements precise as she sharpened a dagger on a whetstone. The bond with Edgar pulsed, and I knew instantly: this was his mother.

“Lia Mason,” she said without turning, her voice rough but steady, like she’d seen too many battles to be moved by my presence. “The tribrid who’s got my son’s heart and the clan’s knives at her throat.”

I stiffened, my claws flexing, the mark on my shoulder burning faintly. “Edgar never told me about you,” I said, stepping inside, my voice sharper than I meant. “Elena says you can help me. I need to know about my mother, about the Ironclad. About how to prove I’m not a traitor like they think she was.”

She turned, her eyes dark like Edgar’s but harder, etched with years of loss and survival. Brie Nolan was no soft matriarch, her presence was a storm, quiet but unyielding, and my wolf perked up, recognizing a fighter. “Sit,” she said, pointing to a chair by the fire, her dagger still in hand. “You want answers, but you won’t like them.”

Elena lingered by the door, her silence a steady support, but my focus was on Brie. “What do you know about my mother?” I asked, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “The journals say she betrayed the clan. Is it true?”

Brie’s eyes narrowed, her dagger glinting as she set it down. “Your mother was moonbound, like you. Mated to Roland, my husband. She was fierce, loyal, until she wasn’t. She ran, took something the clan needed, and left us weaker against the Frostclad. The elders branded her a traitor, but I don’t know the whole story. Neither does Edgar. He was too young when she left.”

My throat tightened, the bond with Edgar flaring, his pain echoing mine. “What did she take?” I asked, my voice low, the wolf in me growling for answers.

Brie leaned forward, her eyes searching mine. “A piece of the moonstone, the heart of the Ironclad’s power. It binds us to the moon, strengthens the alpha. Without it, we’ve been fighting on borrowed time. The elders think you know where it is, that you’re here to finish what she started.”

“I don’t,” I said, my voice fierce, my claws pricking my palms. “I didn’t even know about werewolves until I came here. But I’m not her. I’m Ironclad, and I’ll prove it.”

Brie’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. “You’ve got her fire, I’ll give you that. But fire’s not enough, Lia. Love,” She glanced at the mark on my shoulder, the bond’s visible proof. “Love is never enough to win a fight. Not with Connor, not with the packs circling us, not with the elders watching your every move. Family is everything. The clan is your family now, but they won’t accept you until you bleed for them.”

Her words hit like a punch, the bond with Edgar pulsing with the truth of it. I loved him, I could feel it in every beat of my heart, every pull of the bond, but love wouldn’t stop Connor’s claws or the clan’s distrust. “Then tell me how,” I said, my voice steady, the wolf rising. “How do I prove I’m family when they see me as a traitor’s daughter?”

Brie stood, her presence towering despite her lean frame. “You fight. Not just for Edgar, but for the clan. Tomorrow, when Connor challenges him, you stand with him, not behind him. But you need to control your wolf, Lia. A tribrid’s power is unpredictable, and the elders will use any slip against you.”

I nodded, my heart racing, the wolf in me howling for action. “I can control it,” I said, though the memory of my full shift, painful, chaotic, made my stomach twist. “But what about the moonstone? If it’s why Connor’s after me, I need to find it.”

Brie’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something, fear, maybe, crossing her face. “That’s a fight for another day. Focus on surviving tomorrow. The Frostclad aren’t alone, Shadowfang, Bloodhowl, they’re all with them. Connor’s not just coming for Edgar. He’s coming for you, to break the clan through you.”

A chill ran through me, the bond tightening as I thought of Edgar, of our argument, of his fear of losing me. “I won’t let him,” I said, my voice fierce. “I’ll fight, for Edgar, for the clan. For family.”

Brie studied me, her eyes softening, just a fraction. “You’re more like her than you know,” she said, her voice low. “But don’t make her mistakes. Family is everything, Lia. Don’t forget that.”

The cabin door creaked, and Elena’s voice cut through the silence. “They’re coming,” she said, her eyes glowing faintly, her senses sharp. “Frostclad scouts, close to the stronghold. We need to move.”

I stood, my wolf ready, the bond with Edgar pulling me toward the fight. Brie’s words echoed “love is never enough, family is everything” and I knew she was right. The clan was my family now, whether they trusted me or not, and I’d bleed to prove it.