Chapter 153
Ava
I held the letter in my hand, the wax seal broken, the northern Alpha's words echoing in my head.
“We cannot face him alone. He bears the mark of void, and his wolves do not bleed.”
Not a metaphor. Not an exaggeration.
An army of soulless shifters was rising in the north.
And they were coming.
Not tomorrow. Not next week.
Now.
Logan stood beside me, his jaw clenched so tightly I could hear his teeth grinding.
“This isn’t just a rogue rebellion,” he murmured. “This is something… darker.”
Lucas leaned over my shoulder, scanning the letter again. “Do you think Silas survived somehow? Twisted his way back through the veil?”
I shook my head. “No. This is something new. But whatever it is—it’s drawn to our power.”
“To you,” Liam said quietly, his gaze intense.
I looked up and met his eyes. “Then it’s me they’ll get.”
We called a council meeting before nightfall.
The war room buzzed with unease—Elders shifting in their seats, warriors standing stiffly at attention, young omegas peeking through the doorways with fear in their eyes.
I didn’t flinch under their stares.
I was no longer the broken girl they once ignored.
I was Ava Blackthorn. Fated mate to four Alphas-to-be. Wielder of the Moonstone’s light. And protector of the Nightshade Pack.
I stood at the center, flanked by Liam and Lucas, Landon and Logan.
“This threat isn’t just coming for the north,” I began. “It’s coming for all of us. We stand, or we fall—together.”
The Elders looked to one another.
Murmurs followed.
“We’ve barely recovered from the last war—”
“Our warriors are spread thin—”
“They’ll wipe us out—”
“No,” I said firmly. “They *won’t*. Because this time, we’re not waiting for death to come to our doorstep. We take the fight to them.”
Logan stepped forward, voice strong. “We’ve already drawn up a strategy.”
Lucas nodded. “We’ll move by dawn. Small units. Hit hard. Disrupt their formation before they reach full strength.”
Landon added, “We’ve faced darkness before. But this time, we have her.”
They all looked at me.
And for the first time in my life, they looked without doubt.
Without disdain.
Just belief.
That night, Liam found me sitting on the edge of the lake.
The moon was full, silver washing over the water in soft waves.
He sat beside me, silent for a while.
Then he said, “You don’t have to go, you know.”
I looked at him, surprised.
“You’re the strongest of us all, Ava. But strength doesn’t mean carrying the burden alone.”
My throat tightened. “If I don’t go, they’ll die.”
“And if you go alone, you might die.”
He turned to face me fully, taking my hands.
“We lost you once. We won’t survive losing you again.”
I blinked fast.
“I forgave you,” I whispered.
“I know.”
“But trust…” I looked away. “That’s still hard.”
He nodded. “Then let us *earn* it. On that battlefield. At your side.”
My breath caught.
“I’m scared, Liam.”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, lingering. “So am I. But we go together.”
One by one, the others joined us—Lucas pressing his forehead to mine, Landon wrapping me in his arms, Logan kneeling at my feet like I was something sacred.
Together, we made a vow.
No matter what the next dawn brought—we would face it as one.
Dawn came like a silent blade.
The air was thick with tension, the wind whispering omens none of us dared speak aloud.
We marched with purpose—fifty elite warriors, trained and blooded, behind me.
As we reached the northern border, I saw the horizon darken—not with clouds.
But with them.
Wolves—hundreds of them—moving like shadows. Their eyes were wrong. Hollow. Empty.
Soulless.
And leading them…
Not Silas.
But a new figure.
Taller. Clad in black armor carved with ancient runes.
His eyes locked on mine across the field.
He smiled.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Ava Blackthorn.”
I stepped forward, heart thundering, the Moonstone’s power already blooming beneath my skin.
“You found me,” I said. “But you’ll regret that.”
He raised a single hand.
His army halted.
Then, he spoke.
“Let’s finish what Silas couldn’t.”