Chapter 210 210.The Keeper

Chapter 210 210.The Keeper
Thorne

The scent hits me before I break through the last line of cedar.

Riven. Mala. Blood.

My heart slams against my ribs, my Lycan snarling inside me, claws scraping against bone. Run.

“I am running,” I grind out, vaulting over a fallen trunk, boots barely touching the forest floor. Pine needles scatter behind me as I push harder, lungs burning, the metallic tang of fear thick in the air.

Not Mala’s fear.

Others.

When I burst from the tree line at the forest’s edge, I see them.

A cluster of small bodies—pups and Juveniles—mud-streaked, wide-eyed. Riven stands at the front, jaw set, blood matting the sleeve of his shirt. And there—

“Mala.”

The breath leaves me in a shudder.

She stands near the center, braid half undone, chin lifted like she’s trying to be brave. The moment her eyes lock on mine, they fill.

“Thorne!”

I don’t think. I sprint.

The ground blurs under me. I drop to my knees in front of her and pull her into my chest so hard she squeaks. She smells like fear and smoke and the faint lavender soap Elira insists they use.

“You’re safe,” I murmur into her hair, pressing my nose to the crown of her head. “I’ve got you.”

She’s okay, my Lycan breathes, relief rippling through him.

She nods against me. “They came out of nowhere. ”

“I know.” I pull back, scanning her for injuries. Bruises on her forearm. Dirt on her cheek. No blood. No gashes.

Alive.

Only then do I notice the shape slung over Jace’s shoulder.

My eyes narrow.

Jace staggers under the weight of an unconscious female—older Juvenile, dark hair matted with blood at the temple.

“Who is that?” I demand, rising.

“Ivy,” Riven answers tightly. “Camille torchered her and Sky for information.”

He did that to a Juvenile?

The horror is almost too much for words.

I step closer, lifting Ivy’s limp arm, checking his pulse. It’s there. Faint but steady.

Sky is by her side. His body stiff, defensive.

“She’s alive,” I say. “Barely.”

Jace shifts. “We didn’t have time to assess more.”

“You were right not to,” I reply. My gaze sweeps over them all. “We’ve been attacked. Keith and Elira are in the middle field. It’s a standoff.”

Murmurs ripple through the group.

Mala grips my hand. “Is everyone safe?”

My jaw tightens. “Yes. Some wounded but no casualties that I know of.”

For now, my Lycan adds darkly.

Riven steps closer. “How bad?”

“The Silver Fang surrounded us with their allies. They’re dug in at the tree line across the field. Elira is controlling them with collars so Elliot and the medical team came up with a way to knock them out. Keith wants no fatalities that can be helped. We were making our way through our enemies but Elira got a hold of Hope and set up a magic barrier. She called her allies back. No one’s moved in five minutes.”

Riven’s nostrils flare. He can probably still smell the tension in the air from here.

“This is our chance to gain the upper hand,” I continued. “More could be circling. We have to move now.”

He nods immediately.

“Tunnel route?” he asks.

“Yes.”

The younger ones stiffen at the word, but they don’t argue.

I crouch in front of them. “Listen to me. We’re going underground. You stay quiet. You stay close. You do not wander. If I say run, you run. If I say drop, you drop. Understand?”

A chorus of shaky “Yes, Thorne.”

Protect the small ones, my Lycan growls, already pacing inside me. Tear throats if needed.

We move fast.

Riven and I flank the group while Jace carries Corin. Mala refuses to let go of my hand, so I lift her instead, settling her on my hip without breaking stride.

The entrance to the tunnels is hidden beneath a tangle of brambles and old roots. I drop Mala gently and yank the concealed hatch free.

“Single file,” I order.

One by one, they descend into the narrow earthen passage. The scent of damp soil and old stone replaces the metallic air outside.

I follow last, sealing the hatch behind us.

The tunnels are dimly lit by small lanterns placed at intervals along the walls. Generations of our pack have carved and reinforced these paths. They are our veins beneath the earth.

We move quickly.

Corin groans once. Jace adjusts his grip.

“How much farther?” Brynn whispers.

“Two bends,” I answer. “Keep moving.”

My Lycan presses against my skin, restless. Field. Fight. Blood waiting.

“Later,” I murmur under my breath.

Riven glances at me. He heard that.

Finally, the tunnel widens into the lower level of the medical den. The door swings open as soon as we approach—someone must have sensed us.

Elise rushes forward. “By the Moon—”

“Injured Juvenile,” I say, gesturing to Corin. “Head trauma.”

They take him immediately, laying him on a cot as two others begin assessing him.

The children are ushered toward blankets and water.

Mala hesitates.

“Go,” I tell her softly.

She studies my face. “You’re going back out there.”

It’s not a question.

“Yes.”

Her chin trembles, but she nods. “Be careful.”

“I always am.”

Lie, my Lycan snorts.

I wait until she’s settled before turning.

Riven stands near the doorway, watching the healers work. His shoulders are rigid, jaw tight.

I cross to him. “Riven. I need a word.”

He studies my face once, then nods and follows me into a side corridor away from listening ears.

“What is it?” he asks. “How bad is the field?”

“It’s not just the field.”

His eyes sharpen.

The weight in my chest feels like iron.

“Tirianna just offered herself up.”

He freezes.

“What?”

“She walked forward before I broke off to come get you. She called out to their alpha.”

Riven’s breath turns ragged. “For what?”

“In exchange for Hope.”

Silence crashes between us.

Hope.

The Keeper of the Heart.

Riven’s eyes blaze gold. His Lycan pushes to the surface, skin rippling along his jaw.

“No,” he growls, already turning. “I’m not letting her—”

I grab his arm.

He whirls on me, fury radiating off him in waves. “Move, Thorne.”

“That isn’t all.”

The words stop him.

His breathing is harsh. “Speak.”

“She said she’s the Keeper now.”

Riven’s expression fractures. “That’s impossible. Hope—”

“Hope can’t channel it alone anymore. Not after the last breach.” I lower my voice. “Tirianna took the burden. Quietly.”

He stares at me like I’ve struck him.

“She’s been carrying it for weeks,” I continue. “She told me if it came to this, she would trade herself to keep the Heart within pack blood.”

Riven drags a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Because you would have stopped her.”

He exhales sharply, pacing once. “I still will.”

“No.” I step in front of him again. “If you charge out there, they’ll tear you apart before you reach her. And if you fall, the pack fractures. That’s what they want.”

His gaze locks onto mine.

“We need a plan,” I say. “And Elliot’s already moving.”

At the mention of his name, Riven’s eyes clear slightly.

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s rallying the outer sentries. We’re not just defending. We’re closing the jaws.”

Riven still looks ready to run, but now there’s calculation in his expression.

“Five minutes,” he says. “You have five to convince me.”

“Then listen.”



The air above ground tastes like storm and blood.

By the time I reach the western ridge, Elliot is already there, crouched over a rough map drawn in dirt.

“You’re late,” he mutters without looking up.

“I was bringing the children to safety.”

He grunts. “Fair.”

I kneel beside him.

Below us, the field stretches wide. Our wolves on one side. The rogues on the other. In the center—

Tirianna stands alone inside the barrier with Elira and three of her warriors.

My Lycan bares his teeth. She should not stand without pack at her back.

“She’s stalling,” Elliot says quietly.”

“Good. We use it.”

He taps the map. “We’ve sealed the southern exit. Northern tree line has three squads hidden. If we drive them east, they’ll think they have an opening.”

“But they don’t,” I finish.

He nods. “We collapse from both flanks. Trap them inside our boundary stones. Then find a way to break that barrier.”

“They may think they have won,” I say, eyes never leaving the field, “but they aren’t leaving our territory.”

Elliot’s mouth curves grimly. “That’s the spirit.”

A distant snarl carries on the wind.

Riven appears at my side, breath steady now, fury honed into something sharper.

“You’re certain we can break that thing,” he asks me quietly.

“Yes. It might take a few seconds but we can,”Elliot says.

His gaze drifts to Tirianna.

For a heartbeat, I think he’ll break ranks.

Instead, he nods once.

I know my friend. I know this look.

I feel it when I look at Bea.

He’s watching his heart, breathing outside his body.

And I'll do anything to help save him from the pain losing it would cause.