Chapter 123 - Trinity POV

Chapter 123 - Trinity POV
Even in the middle of everything going on… all the preparations, the endless planning for war… I cannot say I have ever been this happy.
This fulfilled.
For years I thought I understood happiness. I thought I felt it during those years on my own. Hell, I even thought I was happy before my father passed.
But I have never felt anything like this.
It is as if pure joy has seeped into my bones and settled there. Where there should be stress and tension, there are only thoughts of the future… of what comes after this war.
My life with Irune.
Our life beyond this pack.
When I look around at all the people gathered here, all the supernatural beings who have come together to stand beside us, the weight of it settles on my shoulders.
They are all my responsibility now.
And strangely… that truth does not frighten me.
It steadies me.
I steal glances at Irune as I walk across the training field toward the kids. Earlier today, we went over the layout of the pack lands again. Tasha and I mapped out plans for everyone who cannot fight. The pups and the younger teens.
Many of them protested.
Headstrong little wolves determined to help in any way they could.
Irune and I both agreed their safety comes first.
Loss in battle is inevitable. That truth sits heavy in the air, whether anyone speaks it or not.
But we will not sacrifice those who do not need to be sacrificed.
For now, they help where they can.
Water runs. Food distribution. Carrying supplies for the omegas. Running messages across the territory.
Small tasks that keep the warriors focused on the fight instead of worrying about inexperienced youth getting in the way.
Tasha and I created drills for them as well. Safe routes to run if alarms sound. Where to hide. Who to follow.
We ran those drills again and again while Irune and Cole trained the warriors nearby, their voices carrying across the field as they set up combat stations.
My mother arrived earlier with a witch named Ruby.
Ruby carries the same sharp arrogance Kline does, but strangely… I like her.
She is blunt. Fearless. The type who says exactly what she thinks without caring who it offends.
She brought fifteen witches with her.
A small number compared to the army of witches Stephen commands.
Still, they wasted no time.
Protection spells. Barrier wards. Sigils carved into the land itself.
Ruby may look close to my age, but the aura surrounding her tells another story. She is much older than she appears… and whatever life she has lived has carved deep lines into her soul.
Some of the witches stayed behind and transformed one of the empty houses near the pack house into a triage center.
They will work alongside two vampires and several fairies who specialize in healing.
Looking around now, I realize something that makes my chest tighten.
Everyone is moving like a single organism.
Wolves.
Bears.
Witches.
Fairies.
Vampires.
Creatures who normally would never stand on the same ground without tension now work together like pieces of the same machine.
I cannot think of another time in history where so many supernatural beings have united for one cause.
And they came willingly.
With every passing hour, more people arrived. They registered their names without hesitation and immediately began asking where they were needed.
If anything… I am starting to realize the pack lands may be too small.
This territory was perfect for the Copper Mountain Pack.
But what does our pack even look like now?
Irune is not the same Alpha he was a week ago.
His wolf is not the same wolf.
His presence alone fills the air now.
His aura rolls across the territory like something ancient and royal.
A king.
It shows in the way he moves.
In the way people instinctively clear space when he walks through the crowd.
In the way his voice carries when he gives orders.
But most of all, it shows in his eyes.
He watches every single person who steps onto these lands.
Not like strangers.
Like people he has already sworn to protect.
The same way I feel.
Watching him like this steals the air from my lungs.
You’re staring, my love.
Irune’s voice slips into my mind, warm and amused.
I smile to myself.
It’s hard not to.
His chuckle brushes against the bond between us.
It’s been a long day. What do you say we let everyone break for the night?
“The night?” I raise an eyebrow as I look toward the sky. “It’s already three in the morning.”
“Damn,” he mutters. “I didn’t realize it had gotten that late.”
Around us, warriors who arrived earlier in the day have already started making small camps.
Every empty house in the territory has been filled.
At this point, people simply find space where they can.
Many of the wolves and bears have shifted into their animal forms and curled up in the grass for rest.
Those with children wrap their massive bodies around them for warmth and protection.
The witches perch on rooftops and tree branches like silent sentinels.
Several fairies hover near them, their faint glowing wings lighting the darkness as they keep watch.
The only ones still fully awake and moving through the territory are the vampires.
With Raubtier gone, most of them look to Ty for guidance.
They follow Irune’s command without question… but it is Ty they glance toward first before acting.
There is so much about him I never noticed before.
Looking back now, I cannot say I ever truly knew him.
He was a pawn placed in my path.
Of all the supernatural beings gathered here, the vampires are the fewest.
They are a dying species.
They stopped turning humans decades ago.
That was Raubtier’s decision.
He believed a vampire’s existence beyond a hundred years becomes a curse rather than a gift.
Ty intends to keep it that way.
The only other way for a purebred vampire to be born is through finding their fated mate.
But their mates are even harder to find than ours.
Wolves can smell their destiny.
Our wolves recognize our mates almost instantly.
Vampire mates… are usually human.
And the scent of human blood to a vampire is intoxicating beyond reason.
Many fear getting close to the one person fate chose for them.
Because loving them could mean killing them.
Which is why their numbers continue to dwindle.
There has to be a way to save them.
But that… feels like a problem for another day.
Irune and I finally make our way back to the pack house.
Maybe we can steal an hour or two of sleep before we are needed again.
My body is too exhausted to even think about changing clothes.
The moment I step into the bedroom that smells like heaven itself, I collapse face first onto the bed.
I cannot remember the last time I felt this tired.
The mattress dips on either side of me.
“Come on, my love,” Irune murmurs softly. “Let’s get you out of these clothes.”
The most I can manage is a muffled grunt.
Through the fog of exhaustion, I feel him gently removing my clothes.
Careful.
Tender.
Like I might break.
My eyes refuse to open no matter how much I want them to.
Then I feel the warmth of a damp cloth sliding across my skin.
He is cleaning the dust and sweat from the day away.
With every slow pass of the cloth, my body betrays me.
My core tightens.
Heat spreads through my chest.
Irune bends down beside me, his breath warm against my ear.
“You’re lucky you’re so exhausted,” he murmurs, his voice rough with restrained hunger. “Your body reacting to my touch like this is making my mouth water.”
His tongue flicks lightly across the mark on my neck.
Instantly, I am wide awake.
My legs wrap around his waist and I flip us both over so I am straddling him.
A wicked smile spreads across my face as I crash my lips into his.
So much for sleep.
Maybe we can settle for a power nap later.