Chapter 152

Ava

The scent hit me before the knock ended.

Crisp pine. Ash. And that sharp, venomous undercurrent I would never forget.

Silas.

My body moved before my brain did, yanking open the door. But no one stood there.

Only a single black feather on the wooden floor.

My heart stuttered.

Behind me, the wind shifted. And that’s when I heard it—a low growl, deep and primal. Not from a stranger.

From within the pack house.

He was inside.

I shifted instantly, bones cracking and reshaping as fur spilled over my skin. My wolf surged forward, fueled by raw adrenaline and protective instinct. Silas wasn’t just here for me. He was taunting us, playing a twisted game.

And this time, he’d crossed the wrong line.

I tore through the halls, claws scraping wood, following his trail. My mates’ roars echoed down the corridors. They’d scented him too.

He wanted to be caught. Wanted us to chase him.

He was leading us somewhere.

Lucas reached me first, already mid-shift, his eyes wild. “He’s in the western wing.”

“Where the pups sleep,” I growled.

Fury ignited inside me.

Not just because of the danger. Not just because of the violation.

Because he knew. He was testing how far we’d go to stop him.

And he had no idea what I was capable of now.

We burst through the west wing doors in unison—me, Liam, Landon, Logan, and Lucas—all claws, teeth, and fury.

But the room was empty.

No sign of Silas.

No pups.

Only a single word carved into the stone hearth: Mine.

“Where are they?” I choked out.

Logan tilted his head, sniffing. “He didn’t take them.”

“He just wanted us here,” Landon said darkly.

Lucas’s voice was grim. “A distraction.”

Panic clawed up my throat.

Then the realization hit.

“The Moonstone,” I whispered.

Every head turned.

That stone had been hidden in the heart of our territory, buried beneath the old temple ruins. A relic older than any Alpha—one that channeled pack energy and helped maintain our borders.

If Silas got his hands on it…

“We have to go,” I said, already sprinting back the way we came.

This wasn’t just about me anymore.

This was about the soul of the Nightshade Pack.

We reached the ruins at dusk.

The sky burned gold and crimson, casting long shadows across the moss-covered stones. I could feel the pulse of the Moonstone below us, like a heartbeat syncing with my own.

And standing at the center of the clearing—Silas.

He hadn’t changed.

Black robes. White hair whipping in the wind. And those eyes—empty, cold, unfeeling.

“I wondered how long it would take you,” he said smoothly.

Liam stepped forward, growling. “Step away from the stone.”

Silas tilted his head. “You still don’t understand, do you? This isn’t about power. It’s about balance. She tipped it the moment she embraced what she is.”

He pointed at me.

“A bastard omega with the power of an Alpha and the purity of Luna blood. You were never meant to exist, Ava.”

“And yet here I am,” I said coolly. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

The ground vibrated beneath us.

The Moonstone was reacting. To me. To him. To the clash of destinies.

“I will cleanse this pack,” Silas hissed. “And when I’m done, they will thank me for it.”

“No,” I said. “They’ll bury you for it.”

Then I lunged.

The fight was chaos.

Light exploded around us—blue and silver arcs of energy that knocked trees from their roots and scorched the earth.

Silas moved like smoke, weaving through our attacks, his laughter echoing like thunder.

But I wasn’t alone.

My mates flanked me, each guarding a quadrant, forcing Silas into the center. A perfect trap.

Liam struck first—teeth sinking into Silas’s shoulder.

Lucas followed, claws raking his back.

Landon tackled him to the ground.

And Logan—

Logan dragged him to his knees.

That was my moment.

I raised my hand, felt the energy of the Moonstone surge through me.

Light bloomed from my chest, wild and blinding.

“I am not your mistake,” I said.

“I am your reckoning.”

Then I released it all.

The explosion ripped through the clearing.

When the dust settled, Silas was gone.

Not dead.

Not destroyed.

But banished.

Sealed by the Moonstone’s power. Cast beyond the veil that separated this world from the next.

And I was still standing.

Breathing.

Alive.

The days that followed were quiet.

Too quiet.

No more threats. No more darkness lingering at the edge of my thoughts.

Just peace.

Real, earned peace.

I stood at the edge of the training field one morning, watching the younglings spar under Logan’s supervision. Liam and Landon were helping the scouts redesign the border traps. Lucas was inside, rebuilding the spiritual ward around the Moonstone.

And me?

I was here.

Still healing.

Still learning to breathe.

But this time, not alone.

This time, I had something I’d never had before.

A future.

A home.

A family.