Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter 29:
Lia’s POV
The forest vibrated with tension, the air thick with the scent of frost and impending violence. The moonstone hung heavy around my neck, its smooth surface warm against my skin, its runes pulsing with a silver light that matched the tribrid fire in my veins. My moonbound army, six now, with Tara, Kael, and the four newcomers Elena had found, stood behind me, their eyes glowing silver, their claws ready. The bond with Edgar thrummed, a golden anchor tying me to the Ironclad stronghold, but my focus was here, in this glade, where the Frostclad and their Shadowfang allies were closing in, drawn by the moonstone’s power and Connor’s unrelenting hunger for it.
My wolf senses flared, catching the sharp tang of frost and the heavier musk of Shadowfang wolves. The Ironclad clan’s hate lingered in my mind, Torin’s accusations, the elders’ cold stares, but the moonstone’s power drowned it out, fueling my resolve. I wasn’t just a tribrid outsider anymore; I was a leader, and my moonbound army was proof the clan couldn’t ignore. Brie’s words echoed, ‘family is everything’ and these moonbound, shunned like me, were my family now, bound by the same silver fire.
“Steady,” I said, my voice low but firm, my claws glowing as I gripped the moonstone. Tara stood to my left, her quick fingers twitching, ready to strike; Kael to my right, his grizzled frame a wall of strength. The newcomers, Lara, Finn, Mira, and Jace, shifted behind me, their moonbound power humming in sync with mine, drawn to the stone’s call. Elena stood behind us, her huntress eyes sharp, her claws glinting in the moonlight filtering through the trees.
“They’re here,” Elena whispered, her voice taut, nodding toward the shadows where gold and silver eyes glowed, Frostclad and Shadowfang, their growls low and menacing. My heart pounded, but the tribrid fire burned hotter, urging me to fight, to lead.
A figure stepped forward, and my wolf snarled as Connor’s scent hit me, frost and malice, his silver fur scarred from our last fight, his green eyes blazing with fury. “You’re bold, tribrid,” he said, his voice a guttural growl, his wolf form massive. “Stealing the moonstone, building your little army. But you’re still an outsider, and the Ironclad will never trust you.”
My claws flexed, the moonstone’s light flaring, casting silver shadows across the glade. “I don’t need their trust,” I said, my voice steady, the tribrid fire making my words ring. “I have my family, moonbound, like me. And we’re stronger than you’ll ever be.”
Connor laughed, a harsh sound that made my wolf growl louder. “Strong? You’re a spark, Lia, not a fire. The Ironclad will turn on you, and my allies, Shadowfang, Bloodhowl, will crush what’s left. Hand over the moonstone, and I might let you live.”
The bond with Edgar pulsed, his strength a distant echo, but I didn’t need him here to know we were in this together. “You’ll have to take it,” I said, stepping forward, my claws glowing brighter, the moonstone’s power surging through me. “Let’s see if you can.”
Frostclad and Shadowfang wolves lunging, their claws and teeth flashing. I moved, my tribrid speed a blur, the moonstone amplifying my power as I slashed at a Frostclad wolf, my glowing claws tearing through fur and flesh. Tara was a whirlwind beside me, her silver claws precise, while Kael’s brute strength took down a Shadowfang wolf with a single blow. The newcomers fought fiercely, their moonbound power syncing with mine, a silver wave that pushed back the enemy.
Connor charged, his massive form aiming for me, but I was ready, the moonstone’s light exploding in a burst of silver fire that knocked him back. He snarled, recovering fast, his claws grazing my arm, drawing blood. Pain flared, but the tribrid fire burned it away, my vision sharpening as I countered, my claws sinking into his side. He yelped, staggering, but his eyes burned with defiance.
“You can’t win,” he growled, circling me, his allies pressing closer. “The Ironclad hate you. Your army’s a joke.”
“They’re my family,” I snarled, the moonstone pulsing, its power flooding my veins. I felt it, the connection to my moonbound, their strength flowing through me, amplifying my own. I raised my hand, the stone glowing, and a wave of silver light surged, pushing back the Frostclad and Shadowfang, their howls of pain echoing through the glade.
Tara grabbed my arm, her eyes wide. “Lia, you’re doing it, uniting us. The stone’s power, it’s ours.”
I nodded, my heart racing, the tribrid fire blazing. “Keep fighting,” I said, my voice a command. “We hold the line.”
The battle raged, my moonbound army a force the enemy hadn’t expected, their silver claws and fierce resolve cutting through the Frostclad ranks. Elena fought like a shadow, her huntress skills deadly, but a new howl stopped me cold, Ironclad, sharp with suspicion. Torin and two clan wolves appeared, their eyes narrowing at my glowing claws and the moonstone.
“Tribrid!” Torin barked, his voice thick with envy. “You think you can lead with that relic? The elders will never let you keep it.”
I faced him, the moonstone’s power steadying me, my moonbound at my back. “I’m not keeping it for me,” I said, my voice fierce. “I’m using it for the clan, for all of us. Stand with us, Torin, or stand against us. But choose now.”
He hesitated, his claws flexing, but the sight of my army, their silver eyes united, made him pause. The Frostclad retreated, Connor’s growl fading into the trees, his alliance shaken but not broken. Torin’s eyes met mine, grudging respect flickering, and he nodded, just once. “Fight your war, tribrid,” he said. “But the elders will want that stone.”
“Let them try to take it,” I said, my voice a growl, the moonstone’s light shining.