Chapter 210: Gather Everyone

Chapter 210: Gather Everyone
Evelyn's POV

After finishing the first vertex, I should've been out cold until the next morning.

Instead, I woke up at three in the afternoon.

My body felt mostly recovered. Brain was clear. I sat up and flexed my fingers—none of that hollowed-out feeling from yesterday.

Juniper pushed the door open and stopped when she saw me sitting up.

"You're awake?" She walked over, fingers finding my wrist to check my pulse. "Faster than I expected."

"Maybe I'm just resilient."

"Maybe your Beta bloodline's tougher than I calculated." She let go of my wrist. "Either way, tomorrow should be easier."

See? Told you you're pretty capable, my wolf said.

Okay, enough.

The second vertex was the next day. Lucian came along this time.

He and Orion had totally different approaches. Orion was the kind of person who just stood there and you knew he had your back without him saying a word. Lucian was more... involved.

"And now our girl's pushing through some serious root backlash," he said quietly, like he was doing play-by-play. "Look at that focus. Really impressive stuff."

I used the last of my breath to say, "Shut up."

"Got it." Two seconds of silence. "Did that actually help though? The distraction?"

I was gasping. "...A little."

"Then totally worth it."

When the purification smoke cleared, I collapsed backward. Lucian caught me but didn't pick me up like Orion had—just let me lean against him while I got my legs under me.

"Can you walk?"

"I can walk."

"Okay. We'll take it slow."

I glanced at him. "You're not gonna offer to carry me?"

"You just said you could walk." His mouth quirked. "I'm respecting that."

Five steps later, my legs turned to jelly.

Lucian's hand shot out to steady me. "How about now?"

"...Now you can carry me."

He laughed and scooped me up.

The third vertex was the worst one. Juniper warned me while setting up—this plant's roots went deeper than the others, energy structure way more complex.

She wasn't kidding.

The backlash hit twice as hard as before. I gritted my teeth and held on for forty straight minutes. By the time Juniper spoke the final word, my vision was going dark at the edges.

Orion caught me. "Hang on," he said, and then everything went black.

When I came to, night had fallen. A small lamp glowed in the corner. Orion sat in a chair by the bed reading. Magnus was at the foot of the bed, back against the wall, eyes closed. His breathing told me he wasn't actually asleep though.

I shifted. Orion's head came up immediately.

"You're awake?" He closed the book and leaned forward. "How do you feel?"

"Okay," I said. My voice came out rough. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long."

"Liar."

"Just sleep," he said. His expression didn't change.

Magnus opened his eyes. Relief washed over his face when he saw me looking at him. "Thank god. I was so bored I counted everything in this room three times."

I stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you company." Like it was obvious. "Why?"

"I was sleeping."

"I know. That's why I was counting things."

I looked at him for a second without saying anything. Something warm shifted in my chest.

You like them, my wolf said.

...Yeah.

The fourth vertex went smooth. The first three had probably trained my aura enough that this one only took thirty minutes.

---

The evening we finished the fifth vertex, everyone gathered outside the pack house. Sky had gone dark. A few lamps scattered around the courtyard cast uneven light across faces.

Juniper stood on the steps. "Once all five vertices are cut, the center collapses on its own. No touching anything. We just wait."

Everyone nodded.

Then silence. No one spoke. No one moved. The quiet felt strange—deliberate. I could hear wind through the trees. Metal clanging from the training grounds.

Mark cracked first. "This really feels like a historic moment."

"Can you not ruin it?" Cyrus said immediately.

"I'm enhancing it."

"Both of you shut up," Sophia said.

Then Cyrus's equipment beeped.

Every head turned.

He looked at the screen, froze, then looked up. His voice stayed level. "External comms are back. Sentinel channels, long-range links—everything."

Then he stood up.

The courtyard erupted. Not organized cheering—just messy, relieved noise. People laughed. People shouted. Magnus straight-up tackled Milo, who stumbled and shoved him back. The two of them started wrestling.

Elliot watched for about two seconds before jumping in. Lucian stood off to the side. "Can you guys have some dignity?"

Then he jumped in too.

Freya stood next to me watching the four of them. "They're always like this."

I smiled. "Yeah. I kind of like it though."

The whole courtyard relaxed. Everyone talking, laughing. Like finally getting air after being underwater too long.

I took a breath, closed my eyes, and reached out through the mind link.

Alpha King Nathan answered almost instantly.

Evelyn. The lockdown's broken?

His voice was steady. Strong.

Yes, I said. All five vertices cut. Center's gone.

Good work. Reinforcements are on the way. They'll be there day after tomorrow. Hold your ground.

Day after tomorrow.

I opened my eyes and ran the math, then looked up at Juniper. She stood on the steps watching everyone, face calm.

I walked over and kept my voice low. "Brandon gets here tomorrow."

Juniper turned to look at me. Nodded. "I know."

"Reinforcements don't arrive until the day after."

"I know that too." She paused. "But he doesn't know you broke the lockdown today. He thinks you're still trapped. That's your advantage. Use it."

I looked at her, then turned back to the courtyard.

Magnus had gotten up, brushing dirt off his shirt with a slightly exasperated look. Lucian was bent over laughing. Elliot and Milo were still going at it, but clearly just messing around now.

Freya, Sophia, Mark, and Cyrus stood in a circle talking.

Orion leaned against the wall watching everyone, faint smile on his face.

I took a deep breath.

"Gather everyone."