307- ANNA

307- ANNA
POV Anna:

“You locked up my magic and left me to fend for myself. What kind of gift is that?”

“And now you’ve gone and gotten yourself pregnant with some loser’s baby.”

Funny how Emerson’s voice no longer made me want to vomit. I guess that happens after you help send someone to the grave. I didn’t even bother replying. I would’ve killed myself before letting him knock me up.

The pain stopped, and I felt my body return. I was so weak I couldn’t even open my eyes, but I could tell from the furious whispers around me that the ritual wasn’t going as planned.

I guessed I wouldn’t be purified for the ritual after all. Maybe they’d try again tomorrow.

A scream pierced the air. A familiar voice—and for a second, I prayed it was mine. I really hoped I had done the impossible and found the strength to open my mouth and let it all out.

But the scream wasn’t mine, and I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it belonged to.

Maybe all hope was lost.

It was the Lunessa.

The outer ring of stones on the hill was engraved with symbols and held offerings to the elements: water from the mountain’s largest river, a feather willingly given by a bird, enriched and blessed earth, and fire born from the land’s own wood.

The words of the spell rose in my head as I was marched through the circle. Below me, a vast audience had gathered. Most of the wolves were grotesque, foaming at the mouth. It looked as though every ounce of their energy was needed just to stay still. Those who weren’t mutated seemed so small, yet there was nothing innocent in their gazes as they watched us.

In the silence, I heard someone roar Lunessa’s name, and then mine. Turning my head, I watched in horror as Jax and London were dragged before the audience and forced to kneel. My gaze locked with his, but there was nothing either of us could do.

My chains were fastened to one of the inner stones, and on the other side, Lunessa—also dressed in white—was shackled to the same stone. She looked surprisingly well for someone who had screamed less than two hours ago. The third stone in our circle held an urn, and my heart clenched.

Lucy.

A strange music began to rise from behind us—drums and a deep hum—as Maeve strode into the center. Behind her, his lifeless body dragged across the earth in chains, Finn lay motionless.

Was he dead? Why was he there? He wasn’t necessary for the spell.

Triumphant roars echoed below, and I watched Maeve glide toward us. She too wore white, her hair loose and flowing freely in the wind. Her skin practically glowed under the moonlight.

“Indigo Peak,” she cried. “Our time has finally come! You have been patient through suffering. Patient as I made promises that took years to fulfill. I put you before my mate. Before my children. And now, you will reap your rewards as I soon stand before you as your queen!”

The crowd below thundered with joy, and I felt Jax’s panic twist into pure fear. I tried my best to calm him. None of this was his fault. He had fought with every breath, and now he would watch me die.

“My son should be by my side, ready to be your alpha, but he betrayed me,” Maeve growled. The cheers quickly turned into jeers. “With his final breath, he will see what he lost, and another will take his place.”

A second man stepped into the circle to the applause of the others, and he looked down at Finn with disdain.

The music stopped, and a great drum sounded as witches emerged from the audience and positioned themselves behind the stones. They clasped hands, lifted their eyes to the sky, and began to chant.

“Magic of the mountain,” Maeve cried. “Hear my call. The blood of my daughter, sacrificed to you.”

Taking the urn, she poured out its contents, letting the blood spill into the earth. Horrified, I turned my face away.

Placing the urn back down, she moved toward Lunessa. The man handed her a knife, and she raised it above Lunessa’s body. Below, I could hear London roaring, though it was drowned beneath the witches’ chant.

“The blood of kin, sacrificed to you.”

I screamed as the knife came down, sinking into Lunessa’s neck. She collapsed against the stone, and Maeve turned toward me, her eyes gleaming wildly.

Ignoring her, I stared in horror as Lunessa struggled, pulling the knife free. There was nothing I could do to stop her blood from spilling into the earth, but I wasn’t going to just stand there while she died. There was no pack bond linking us, but we were blood. We were kin. That was a connection as strong as wolf magic itself, and I reached for it, seeking her. Her eyes flew open in shock as she felt my magic, and I did my best to close her wounds.

My final gift before dying.

A mother does what she can for her child.

The ghost of my mother appeared in my mind, and I looked at Maeve as she began to speak.

“The blood of a ternary, a body that houses the three gifts you gave us. Witch magic. Wolf magic. Fae magic. Sacrificed to you.”

All this magic draining you. It was never meant to be yours.

My father’s voice. I didn’t flinch as Maeve’s hand rose in the air above me.

And now you’ve gone and gotten yourself pregnant with some loser’s baby.

My baby. Time froze as I turned my head and looked at Jax. Evalina had been so certain we could have stopped this if only we had stayed together. If only we had stood by one another. We had our ups and downs as we tried to find the solution, but it was never me, and it was never him.

It was us. It was what our love created. A gift.

I closed my eyes and sought my wolf, scarred but no longer afraid. No longer isolated or alone. She was stronger than Maeve could ever imagine, and she bloomed within me, ready for me.

Around her, my magic spun. It had been locked away for so long. It wasn’t something my mother did. It was something she manipulated me into doing. I was in control of my magic.

And in that second, as Maeve’s knife descended, I let go.

A gift, I whispered to the baby growing inside me. A gift for you.

It felt right. It had always felt right. As though my father’s words were only echoing something I already knew. The magic was never meant to be mine. I wasn’t meant to control it. I was only meant to hold it until I could pass it to its rightful owner.

My child.