Chapter 45 Across the river banks
Sera’s POV
Our eyes were fixed at the direction, branches shifted as the thing drew closer.
It wasn’t the way people do when they hear something. It was the way a prey does when it was being hunted.
My heart slammed so hard against my ribs. I prayed silently for it to be my Dad.
The trees shifted even more.
A shape moved between the trunks, slow and deliberate, silver fur catching the thin wash of moonlight. He stepped out where the riverbank dipped low, it was just a wolf.
The disappointment hit me like a physical blow.
I didn’t realize I’d taken a step forward until my mother’s hand tightened painfully around my arm. I felt my throat burn, my eyes sting, my chest hollow out in a way that made me feel smaller than I’d ever been. It wasn’t him.
The wolf lowered his head—not in submission at first, but in respect. He shifted then, bones cracking softly, fur dissolving into skin as he straightened into a man I didn’t recognize. Broad-shouldered, scarred, eyes too old for his face.
He dropped to one knee.
“I pledge my allegiance to you, Sera Ashford,” he said, voice rough, like it had been worn down by shouting over battles and storms. “By blood. By bond. By the Alpha who gave me my life twice.”
I stared at him, my vision blurring. “I didn’t ask for—”
“Terry, what are you doing here?” My mother spoke with familiarity.
“Stand, Terry,” Maera said sharply, stepping forward. Her eyes flicked to the man with recognition mixed with grief. “Thank you for coming.”
So that was his name.
Terry rose slowly, eyes never leaving me. “I know you hoped it would be him.”
The words broke something open inside me. My knees buckled.
Before I could hit the ground, my mother was there, arms wrapped around me, holding me the way she must have when I was small. She held me tightly, desperate, like letting go would mean losing me forever. I pressed my face into her shoulder and shook.
“He will come,” I whispered, clinging to the thought like a lifeline. “He promised me. He doesn’t break promises.”
“I know,” she said softly, her voice trembling despite her effort to steady it. “I know, my heart.”
Terry looked at her then, really looked at her, and something shifted in his expression.
“I am sorry I couldn't come sooner” he said quietly, he sounded more regretful about the situation.
My mother nodded once. “You rode with him in the southern campaigns. You have been a great help to my family. We say thank you.”
“I bled for him,” Terry replied. “And I’ll bleed for her now.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him. “You know my father.”
“Yes I do. And with everything I am, to the limit of my capability. And beyond it, if it comes to that. I will do my best to protect you, I owe it to Alpha Ashford.”
Something in the way he said it like a vow carved into bone made my chest tighten again.
“We have to leave now,” Maera broke my thoughts.
My heart sank instantly, “Can't we wait for him a little longer? I know he will come and I don't want him searching for us.” I pleaded. Maera tried to maintain her composure but I saw the shift. I hadn't realized that she was also waiting for her brother, just as much as I was waiting for my father.
“He will join us, but if we don't leave now. His sacrifice will be for nothing.”
I agreed with a nod. The boat rocked gently at the river’s edge.
Crossing felt wrong. Like turning my back on him, but we had no choice.
We climbed in anyway.
The river was wider than it had looked. Terry took the oar, muscles flexing as he guided us across. Maera stood at the bow, tense, scanning the treeline. My mother stayed close, one arm always brushing mine like she was afraid I’d disappear if she didn’t feel me there.
I kept my eyes on the forest.
Every shadow looked like a man stepping forward. Every break in the trees made my heart stutter.
Any second now, I thought. He’ll come running out. He’ll shout my name. He’ll tell me I was stubborn for worrying.
But the forest stayed still.
The further we drifted from the bank, the more it felt like something was tearing loose inside my chest. By the time the boat scraped against the opposite shore, my hope had thinned into something fragile and dangerous, I felt pure anger.
We climbed out in silence.
Maera led us away from the river, down a narrow path that twisted so sharply I would’ve missed it if she hadn’t known exactly where to step. The air changed as we moved closer. The trees pressed close overhead, branches weaving together.
We emerged into a clearing that felt…hidden.
The earth dipped inward, cradling the space like a secret kept too long. Stone markers circled the clearing, etched with symbols that looked really old.
Maera turned to face me.
“This is where it begins,” she said. “This will be your training ground.”
My heart kicked painfully at the word. Training meant survival. One minute, I was a highschool omega, getting bullied by mean girls. And all of a sudden, I am the ‘balance’
“I’m ready,” I said immediately. My voice shook, but I didn’t care. “I need to train fast. Whatever I am, whatever I can do, I need it now.”
Maera’s mouth tightened. “Sera—”
“They have my father,” I cut in, the words sharp and raw. “I won’t sit here and wait while they decide what to do with him.”
Her shoulders sagged, just a fraction, and that defeated look flashed across her face again. It made something hot and angry flare in my chest.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said. “He’s alive. I know he is. And I’m bringing him back.”
Terry stepped closer then, his face pale, eyes shining in a way that made my stomach twist. He hesitated, like he was choosing between two unbearable options.
“Sera,” he said quietly.
I turned to him. “What?”
He swallowed hard. “Your father asked me to give you something.”
The words seemed to hold its breath.
“He made me promise,” Terry continued, voice thick. “Said if you got separated or if things went wrong, this had to reach you.”
My pulse thundered in my ears.
“What is it?” I whispered.
Terry met my eyes, grief warring in his expression.
“He said you’d know what to do with it.”
Slowly, Terry reached into his pockets.