Chapter 144 TORN BETWEEN THEM
SOUL’S POV
I had known witches all my life, but none like Davina. She was not the loud kind and not the kind that waved her hands and shouted spells to feel powerful. Davina was quiet and patient. The most dangerous kind of evil and she had been mine long before this war ever began.
I found her where she always preferred to meet, deep in the old forest ruins outside Valhalla. The air there felt heavy, like the ground itself knew what we had done… and what we were about to do.
She stood by the broken altar, her dark cloak brushing the stone floor. Without turning, she spoke.
“You’re late, Soul.”
I smiled as I stepped out of the shadows.
“I’m never late,” I said calmly. “I arrive when the time is right.”
She turned then, her lips curling slightly. “You always did enjoy hearing yourself speak.”
“And you always enjoyed listening.”
A small laugh left her. Low and familiar. We had known each other long before the packs began fighting. Long before the lies and long before the blood.
Back when ruling Valhalla had only been a dream whispered between two ambitious monsters.
She walked closer to me, her boots scraping softly against the stone.
“It’s almost done, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “The wolves are turning on each other just as we planned.”
“And the Alpha?” she asked, raising a brow. “Still blind?”
“Completely,” I said. “He thinks this is about pride. Territory and mates.”
Davina smirked. “Men are so easy to guide when they think they are in control.”
I looked at her carefully as the moonlight caught the sharp edge of her face.
“We’ve come a long way,” I said quietly.
She tilted her head. “Do you remember the first time we spoke of this?”
“Of course,” I answered. “You were angry. Banished by your coven.”
“And you,” she said, stepping closer, “were tired of hiding in shadows.”
I let out a soft chuckle. “I told you that day that this world was too small for the weak.”
“And I told you,” she replied, her voice dropping, “that if we joined hands, we could own it.”
We had sealed it with blood. Not love and friendship but with power.
She walked past me and ran her fingers along the broken altar.
“Everything we did,” she murmured. “The rumors. The stolen relics and the poisoned alliances. All of it led to this.”
“Yes,” I said. “And now the final piece is in place.”
She stopped moving.
“Tell me.”
“The packs will clash by sunrise,” I said. “They believe betrayal has already happened, there is no turning back.”
Davina’s eyes gleamed. “So the great leaders of Valhalla will tear each other apart.”
“And when they are weak,” I continued, “we step in.”
She looked at me carefully. “We.”
I met her gaze head on because I wasn’t scared to simply because there were a lot of things we had going on for us.
“Did you doubt me?”
She held my stare for a moment before shaking her head slowly.
“No,” she admitted. “But power changes people.”
“It doesn’t change us,” I said firmly. “It reveals us.”
She studied my face like she was searching for cracks.
“And what does it reveal about you, Soul?”
“That I was never meant to kneel.”
Silence stretched between us, then she smiled, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“That’s the man I chose to stand beside.”
I stepped closer until we were only inches apart.
“It’s time, Davina.”
“For what?” she asked softly, though I knew she understood.
“For war.”
“Say it again,” she whispered.
“It’s time for war.”
Her eyes opened slowly.
“I’ve waited years to hear that.”
“And I’ve waited years to say it.”
She began to pace, excitement building in her movements.
“The covens will fall in line once they see what I can offer them,” she said. “Protection, authority and fear.”
“And the wolves,” I added, “will have no choice but to submit.”
“And when the dust settles?” she asked.
I smiled slowly, very sure of myself.
“We rule.”
“Together?” she pressed.
I reached for her hand, gripping it firmly.
“Together,” I said.
Her fingers tightened around mine.
“You’d better not betray me, Soul.”
I leaned closer to her ear.
“You’d better not give me a reason to.”
For a moment, we simply stood there, two old allies surrounded by darkness. Then Davina pulled away and lifted her chin.
“I’ll prepare the spell,” she said. “Once blood spills on that battlefield, I’ll make sure it spreads.”
“Good,” I replied. “Let them believe this is their war.”
“When in truth,” she said, “it belongs to us.”
I turned toward the forest, already feeling the shift in the air.
The world of Valhalla was about to burn and from its ashes, Davina and I would rise.
“By sunrise,” Davina called after me.
“Yes,” I answered without turning back. “By sunrise, everything changes.”
For the first time in years, I felt something close to satisfaction. This one was ours.
Third Person POV
The night the Golden Moon Pack attacked, the sky looked too calm for what was coming.
A guard stood at the western border, sniffing the air. He frowned.
“Do you smell that?” he asked the wolf beside him.
“Smell what?”
“Smoke… and strangers.”
Before the second guard could answer, a shadow rushed out of the trees. A body slammed into him, bones cracked. A growl ripped through the silence.
“Attack!” someone shouted from the darkness.
The Golden Moon warriors poured in like a flood. They moved in tight groups, not scattered, not wild. They knew exactly where to go. After conquering the Aqua Pack, they had grown larger and sharper. Their numbers alone were enough to crush a small territory and now they were using that strength wisely.
At the northern border, another group charged loudly.
“For the Golden Moon!” a warrior roared.
The noise dragged the Blood Moon guards toward them.
“It’s a full assault!” one of the Blood Moon captains yelled. “Hold the line! Do not let them cross!”
Claws clashed. Teeth tore into shoulders. The ground shook with the force of bodies colliding but it was a trap.
While the Blood Moon fighters struggled in the north, the western wall broke completely.
“They’re inside!” a young wolf cried, fear in his voice.
“Fall back to the inner ridge!” his captain ordered, shoving him away from an incoming blow. “Go!”
The Golden Moon alpha stood at a distance, watching everything.
“Phase two,” he said calmly.
A warrior beside him nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
They were not just attacking. They were cutting off escape routes and surrounding, tightening the circle and Soul watched with quiet satisfaction.
“They’re weaker than they think,” he murmured to himself. “Derek can barely stand, Amber is drowning in her own pain.”
He did not know how wrong he was. Inside the Blood Spirit Pack grounds, alarms rang.
“Golden Moon has breached Blood Moon territory!” a scout shouted as he ran through the courtyard.
Derek stepped out, eyes blazing. “How many?”
“Too many,” the scout panted. “They move like they’ve planned this for weeks.”
Derek’s jaw tightened. “Gather every fighter, now.”
A warrior hesitated. “Alpha… you’re not fully…”
“I said now!” Derek snapped.
Amber stood a few steps behind, her hands cold. The noise of battle was getting closer, she could hear screams already.
“Derek,” she said softly, “you shouldn’t push yourself.”
He turned to her. “If I don’t, we lose everything.”
An explosion of sound cut their conversation short as Golden Moon warriors stormed through the outer gates.
“They’re here!” someone yelled.
The first clash inside Blood Spirit territory was brutal.
A Golden Moon fighter lunged at Derek. Derek blocked him, but the impact forced him back.
“You don’t look so strong, Alpha,” the attacker sneered.
Derek slammed his fist into the wolf’s jaw. “Strong enough.”
But when a second warrior hit him from the side, Derek staggered.
“Alpha!” one of his men cried.
“Protect him!” another shouted.
Amber’s chest tightened. She felt something strange in the air, like a whisper calling her name.
A wounded young wolf crawled toward her, bleeding heavily. “Luna… help…”
Her breath caught. Across the battlefield, Golden Moon warriors pushed forward.
“Drive them back!” their commander barked. “Don’t give them space to breathe!”
Blood Spirit wolves began to fall.
“We’re losing the eastern line!” a fighter shouted.
“Southern watchtower is down!” another yelled.
Derek tried to move toward the eastern side, but pain shot through him. He dropped to one knee for a second.
“Get up!” he growled at himself.
A Golden Moon warrior laughed. “Is this the famous Blood Spirit Alpha? I expected more.”
Derek forced himself up and attacked again, rage carrying him where strength could not.
Amber knelt beside the wounded boy. Her hands hovered over his chest.
“Please,” he whispered.
“I don’t know how,” she said, her voice shaking.
But the air around her shifted. The wind stirred though no storm was near.
A nearby warrior glanced at her. “Luna… what’s happening?”
Amber’s eyes flickered, just for a second. Soul watched from the shadows, smiling.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Break.”
He believed Derek and Amber were beyond repair. Too wounded and too distracted.
He did not see the small spark building inside Amber. On the battlefield, the Golden Moon alpha gave another calm order.
“Press harder. End this tonight.”
His warriors obeyed without question. The Blood Spirit Pack was forced backward again.
“Retreat to the inner grounds!” a commander shouted desperately.
“We can’t hold them!” someone cried.
The night filled with the sound of heavy breathin
g, of steel and bone, of wolves refusing to surrender even as they bled and the Golden Moon Pack kept advancing.
EVALUATING THE LOSSES