Chapter-HundredThirty Five, Reborn, Power

Chapter-HundredThirty Five, Reborn, Power
Alpha Jayden’s POV

Gemma was dead.

No matter how many times my wolf tried denying it, the truth remained right there in front of us.

Still.

Cold.

Lifeless.

Her body lay across the bed near the fireplace while candlelight flickered softly against her pale skin. Her silver hair spread across the pillow while shadows danced around the room from the storm raging outside the cabin.

She looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Like she was only sleeping.

But wolves knew death.

We smelled it.

Felt it.

And the scent surrounding Gemma told me exactly what my wolf refused to accept.

She was gone.

The cabin remained silent except for the storm hammering against the roof overhead and the crackling fire struggling to stay alive inside the fireplace. Nobody moved much anymore.

Logan sat beside the bed staring at Gemma like his entire world had just been ripped from his chest. Leo stood by the windows watching the dark woods outside while King Larry remained near the center of the room gripping a whiskey bottle tightly enough to crack the glass.

Maggie and Emily whispered quietly together near the back wall.

Fear rolled off every person inside the cabin.

Fear and exhaustion.

Then suddenly—

Zoe jolted awake violently.

A harsh gasp ripped from her throat while her entire body snapped upright so fast the chair beside her crashed backward onto the floorboards.

Dark smoke exploded from her fingertips.

Every candle flame around the cabin burst higher instantly.

And then the words started pouring from her mouth.

Fast.

Broken.

Chaotic.

“Armies rising beneath the tunnels—the blood moon weakening the gates—the rebirth begins with sacrifice—the First Born waking beneath Hell—power flowing through the vessel—the soul bridge binding life and death—”

“Zoe!” I barked sharply.

Her glowing white eyes snapped toward me instantly.

For a second she didn’t even look human.

Just terrified.

The cabin fell deathly silent.

Rain slammed violently against the windows while thunder cracked across the mountains hard enough to shake the walls around us.

Zoe stumbled to her feet breathing heavily.

“You don’t understand,” she whispered shakily. “Lucien’s already started everything.”

My wolf snarled low beneath my skin.

Logan slowly looked toward her from beside Gemma’s bed.

“What exactly has he started?”

Zoe swallowed hard before looking directly at Gemma’s body.

“The rebirth.”

The word itself made the entire room colder.

“No,” Logan growled instantly.

Zoe’s eyes filled with pain.

“Gemma is the vessel.”

Logan exploded to his feet so fast the chair beneath him splintered apart.

“No fucking chance.”

Magic sparked violently around Zoe’s hands.

“It’s already happening.”

I looked back toward Gemma instantly.

Even now dark black veins spread faintly beneath the skin of her throat disappearing beneath the blanket covering her body.

Like darkness itself crawled through her veins.

My wolf hated it.

“What the hell does rebirth even mean?” Leo demanded.

Zoe dragged a shaky breath into her lungs.

“The First Born was the first creature ever cast into Hell,” she whispered. “Not fully demon. Not fully wolf. Something far worse.”

Thunder cracked loudly overhead.

“The kings trapped it beneath the underworld centuries ago,” Zoe continued. “But Lucien found a way to bring it back.”

King Larry cursed under his breath.

“How?”

Zoe looked toward me.

“Through Sean.”

Pain twisted sharply through my chest instantly.

Still missing.

Still trapped somewhere beneath the tunnels while Hell prepared to use him like some sacrifice.

“Sean’s Alpha blood stabilises the ritual,” Zoe explained softly. “After dying and coming back… his soul became connected to death itself.”

“The bridge,” Leo muttered darkly.

Zoe nodded slowly.

“And Gemma becomes the body strong enough to hold the First Born permanently.”

Silence swallowed the room whole.

Logan’s breathing became ragged beside the bed.

“No,” he whispered. “She’s dead.”

“That’s why Lucien chose her,” Zoe answered quietly.

The fire dimmed lower suddenly.

“The vessel has to exist between life and death.”

A cold chill crawled slowly across my skin.

Lucien wasn’t trying to summon some temporary demon.

He wanted something permanent.

Immortal.

A ruler powerful enough to command Hell itself.

“Armies,” Zoe whispered suddenly.

Everyone looked toward her.

“Huge armies beneath the tunnels.”

Fear filled her glowing eyes.

“I saw them.”

Maggie whimpered softly.

“The dead,” Zoe whispered shakily. “Demons… creatures twisted beyond recognition… souls chained beneath Black Hollow waiting for the gates to open.”

My wolf roared violently inside me.

No fucking chance.

“Lucien plans on using the blood moon to weaken the barrier completely,” Zoe continued. “Once the rebirth finishes the First Born rises… and Hell follows.”

King Larry rubbed a hand across his face.

“This is insane.”

“It’s real,” Emily whispered quietly from the back wall. “We heard them down there.”

“Heard what?” Logan snapped.

“The screaming.”

The room went silent again.

“Thousands of voices trapped beneath the mountain,” Maggie whispered while tears filled her eyes. “Lucien’s feeding them power.”

Zoe nodded slowly.

“He’s turning Black Hollow into a gateway.”

Rain battered harder against the roof while violent wind screamed through the trees surrounding the cabin.

I clenched my fists tightly.

“So tell us how we stop it.”

Zoe moved quickly toward the wooden table covered in black herbs, silver ash, and strange glass jars.

“There’s only one chance.”

Of fucking course there was.

“We destroy the ritual altar before moonrise,” she whispered.

“And if we fail?” Leo asked carefully.

Zoe froze completely.

Fear spread across her face.

“The First Born takes Gemma fully.”

My chest tightened painfully.

“And Sean?”

Zoe looked shattered.

“He dies sealing the gate open.”

Silence crushed the room again.

Sean sacrificed.

Gemma possessed.

Hell unleashed across the earth.

Lucien truly had lost his fucking mind.

Logan punched the wall hard enough to crack the wood instantly.

“I’ll kill him.”

The promise came out deadly quiet.

Zoe nodded slowly.

“You’ll have to.”

The candles around her flickered violently again.

Then suddenly—

Gemma’s body twitched.

Everyone froze instantly.

Logan rushed back toward the bed.

“Gemma?”

Nothing.

But the black veins beneath her skin spread higher across her neck slowly pulsing like something alive beneath her flesh.

Zoe’s breathing hitched sharply.

“It’s getting stronger.”

The fire exploded higher.

Shadows twisted unnaturally across the walls.

Then came the sound.

SCRAAAAAPE.

Something massive dragged slowly across the cabin roof overhead.

Every wolf inside the room tensed instantly.

Another scrape followed.

Long.

Sharp.

Violent.

Maggie’s face drained completely of colour.

“No…”

Leo moved toward the door immediately.

“What the fuck was that?”

Zoe looked terrified now.

“Deadly Tree.”

The name itself sent unease crawling down my spine.

Before anyone could speak again—

BOOM.

Something enormous slammed against the cabin walls hard enough to shake the entire building.

The windows rattled violently.

Gemma’s lifeless body remained completely still on the bed while darkness spread further beneath her skin.

Another loud bang echoed outside.

Then silence.

Complete silence.

My claws slid from my fingertips instantly.

Slowly I moved toward the cabin window.

And what I saw outside nearly stopped my fucking heart.

A gigantic black tree stood at the edge of the clearing.

Its bark looked soaked in blood while twisted human faces stretched beneath the wood screaming silently. Massive branches curled unnaturally through the storm while glowing red eyes opened across the trunk itself.

Watching us.

Waiting.

The Deadly Tree.

And standing beneath it in the pouring rain with a twisted smile stretched across his face…

Lucien.