Chapter 201 Rogue Wolves Attack
POV: Luna
The rogues hit the wards with overwhelming force.
The barriers held. Barely.
"They're coordinated!" Liam shouted. "Someone's directing them!"
"Find the alpha!" I ordered. "Take out the leader!"
We fought desperately. Defending the wards. Protecting Silverwood.
I partially shifted. Maintained human enough for Eclipse magic. Wolf enough for strength and speed.
Channeled power through my mark. Purifying. Destroying. Protecting.
Liam fought beside me. Full Alpha form. Devastating. Protective. Perfect.
Through the mate bond, we synchronized. Every move coordinated. Every attack calculated.
My pack formed defensive positions. Nova and Aria on the flanks. Sienna and Lyric providing magical support.
Aiden Cross fought with chaotic precision. His mate bond with me giving him insight into my movements. Creating natural coordination despite the distance between us.
And Caleb. Caleb was everywhere.
Predicting rogue movements. Intercepting attacks. Protecting vulnerable students.
"How does he know where they'll strike?" Nova asked.
"I don't know. But he's never wrong."
It was true. Every time a rogue tried to flank. Tried to surprise. Tried to break through. Caleb was already there. Already defending. Already prepared.
Like he could read their intentions. Sense their strategies. Predict their moves.
"There!" Caleb shouted. "The alpha! In the trees!"
I looked. Saw the rogue alpha. Massive. Enhanced. Controlling the pack.
"I'll take it!" I said.
"Not alone!" Liam protested.
"Together then! Everyone else, hold the line!"
Liam and I charged. Toward the alpha. Toward the threat.
The alpha saw us coming. Smiled. A very human expression.
"Luna Eclipse," it said. Male voice. Intelligent. Trained. "We've been expecting you."
"Who sent you?" I demanded.
"That would be telling. Let's just say your old friend sends his regards."
"Cole."
"Among others. The architects are rebuilding. Recruiting. Planning. And you're still the target. Still the key. Still the prize."
"I'll never help them."
"You won't have a choice. When the time comes. When the ritual is ready. You'll comply. Or everyone you love dies."
It attacked. Fast. Brutal. Overwhelming.
Liam and I fought together. Through the mate bond. Through perfect synchronization.
But the alpha was strong. Enhanced by dark magic. Augmented beyond natural limits.
"We need help!" I gasped.
Caleb appeared. Joining the fight. Not asked. Not invited. Just there.
"Together!" he said.
The three of us attacked as one. Luna and Liam through mate bond. Caleb through instinct and recognition.
Our coordination was perfect. Devastating. Unstoppable.
The alpha realized too late it was outmatched.
Liam delivered the killing blow. The alpha dissolved into shadow.
The remaining rogues, without their leader, scattered. Fled. Disappeared.
The battle was over.
"Everyone okay?" I called through pack bonds.
Affirmative responses. Injuries but no deaths. Victory but costly.
"One got away," Caleb said. "Eastern side. Fast. Deliberate."
"Why would they deliberately escape?"
"To report back. To deliver information. To confirm something."
"Confirm what?"
"That you're still here. Still strong. Still worth pursuing."
He was right. The attack wasn't about destruction. It was reconnaissance. Information gathering. Confirmation.
The architects were planning something. Building toward something. Using us as test subjects.
We searched the battlefield. Found magical residue. Dark magic. Cole's signature.
"He's still involved," Sienna said. "Still directing. Even captured. Even suppressed. His influence remains."
"Or someone's copying his work," Aria suggested.
Either way, it was bad.
Then I saw it. Where the escaped rogue had stood. Carved into the ground. Glowing faintly.
A sigil. Complex. Layered. Powerful.
And unmistakably Cole's work.
"What does it do?" Lyric asked.
Sienna examined it carefully. "I'm not sure. But it's connected to the chapel sigil. Same network. Different purpose."
"They're building something," I realized. "Multiple sigils. Multiple locations. All connected. Creating a massive spell structure."
"For what purpose?"
"I don't know. But nothing good."
We documented the sigil. Reported to the Headmaster. Prepared for the next crisis.
Because there was always a next crisis.
Always another threat. Another attack. Another conspiracy.
That was life at Silverwood.