Tobias's Stand

Blood dripped from Tobias's claw marks as he stood in front of the small cave opening. Behind him, five young pack members crowded together, their eyes wide with fear.

"Stay back!" Tobias growled at the shadow creatures surrounding him. Their bodies moved like smoke, but their teeth were real enough.

Tobias had been leading the kids to safety when the shadow pack cut them off. Now they were trapped, with nothing but this small cave for shelter and Tobias as their only defense.

"I want all of you to press yourselves against the back wall," Tobias said to the children without turning around. "Don't come out no matter what you hear."

A shadow wolf charged, its jaws snapping at Tobias's throat. He ducked and slashed upward, his claws finding substance in the creature's shadowy form. It yelped and dissolved into black mist.

Two more attacked from both sides. Tobias spun, kicking one away while slicing at the other. Pain shot through his leg as teeth sank into his calf. He roared and smashed the shadow wolf against the rock wall.

"There's too many," whispered Emma, the oldest of the young dogs at barely thirteen.

"I've fought worse," Tobias said, though he wasn't sure that was true. The shadow pack reassembled, more joining their ranks from the trees. Their eyes glowed with purple fire.

Tobias felt warm blood running down his leg. The pain was bad, but he pushed it aside. He couldn't fail these kids. Not today. Not ever.

"We need to howl for help," Emma offered.

"No," Tobias said sharply. "A howl would bring more of them. Lucian and the others will find us."

If they're still living, whispered a dark thought in his mind.

The biggest shadow wolf stepped forward. Unlike the others, this one had solid form. A Moonshadow beta, managed by Victor's magic.

"Surrender the pups," the beta said, his voice twisted as if speaking underwater. "And perhaps Lord Victor will let you live as his slave."

Tobias spat blood onto the ground. "Come closer and find out what I think of that offer."

The beta's eyes narrowed. "You Vale brothers always were too proud. It will be your downfall."

With a flick of his hand, the beta sent three shadow wolves charging at Tobias.

Tobias met them head-on, claws extended. He caught the first one by the throat and threw it into another. The third latched onto his shoulder, teeth sinking deep.

Tobias howled in pain, reaching back to tear the thing away. He slammed it into the ground, but the damage was done. His shoulder burned like fire, the cut oozing black along with his blood.

"Shadow venom," the beta said with pleasure. "Painful, isn't it? Soon your limbs will grow heavy. Your vision will blur. And then we'll take the pups while you watch, helpless."

Tobias staggered, trying to stay upright. The beta was right—his arm was already going numb, the venom spreading quickly.

"You'll have to kill me first," Tobias growled.

"That can be arranged," the beta smiled, showing teeth filed to points.

Miles away, Caleb stumbled mid-run.

"What's wrong?" Lucian asked, catching his arm.

Caleb pressed a hand to his shoulder, face twisted in pain. "Tobias... he's hurt."

"How do you know?" Isabel asked.

"I can feel it," Caleb said. The pain in his shoulder wasn't his own, but it felt just as real. "Through our bond."

Lucian's eyes widened. "You can feel him? From this distance?"

Caleb nodded, focusing on the sensation. It wasn't just pain he was feeling. There was fear too—not for himself, but for others. "He's protecting the young ones. The evacuation group we sent south."

"That's three miles from here," Isabel said.

"We need to go to him," Caleb said, already turning in Tobias's direction.

"We can't," Lucian said, gripping Caleb's arm. "We need to get to Aurora at the Heart Stone. That's the only way to stop all of this."

"But Tobias—"

"Would want us to complete the mission," Lucian finished. His face was grim, but his words didn't waver. "We have to trust him to handle himself."

Caleb shook his head. "You don't understand. He's badly hurt. Shadow venom."

Lucian's face darkened. "How do you know it's shadow venom?"

"I just know," Caleb said. He couldn't explain how the information had come to him through the bond. "He won't last much longer without help."

Isabel looked between them. "We could split up. Lucian and I go to the Heart Stone while Caleb helps Tobias."

"No," both men said at once.

Lucian ran a hand through his hair in anger. "We need Caleb's Bondspeaker abilities at the Heart Stone."

"And I won't leave you to face Victor alone," Caleb told Lucian. He closed his eyes, thinking furiously. There had to be a way to help Tobias without abandoning their goal.

The answer came to him suddenly, like a door opening in his mind.

"I can help him from here," Caleb said.

Tobias fell to one knee as the beta neared. His vision swam, the venom making its way through his system. Behind him, he heard one of the younger kids crying.

"I'll make this quick," the beta said, raising claws that now seemed to be made of solid shadow.

Tobias tried to stand but his legs wouldn't follow. The best he could manage was to stay kneeling between the beta and the cave opening.

"Take me," Tobias said, his voice raspy. "Leave the kids."

The test laughed. "That's not how this works. Victor wants them all."

As the beta raised his hand to strike, Tobias closed his eyes. He thought of Caleb and Lucian, wishing he could see them one more time.

I'm sorry, he thought.

Then, like a lightning bolt, warmth shot through his body. Energy filled his limbs, pushing back the numbness of the venom. His vision cleared, and strength returned to his muscles.

Startled, Tobias looked down at his hands. Faint red light pulsed under his skin, following the path of his veins. The wound on his shoulder still oozed, but the black tinge was fading.

Caleb? Tobias thought, somehow knowing his mate was behind this miracle.

The beta paused, confusion crossing his features. "What trickery is this?"

Tobias didn't answer. He rose to his feet in one fluid move, the strength in his body feeling both his own and somehow borrowed. He could feel Caleb's presence as if he were standing right beside him.

With a roar, Tobias threw himself at the beta. His claws, now glowing with the same red light that coursed through his veins, tore through the beta's barriers. The shadow wolves scattered as their boss fell back.

Tobias pressed his edge, driving the beta further from the cave. Each action felt supercharged, as if he were fighting with the strength of two wolves.

The beta snarled and called more shadows to him. "This changes nothing! You're still outnumbered!"

But something had changed in the shadow dogs. They paused, their glowing eyes fixed on Tobias's glowing form.

Tobias felt a whisper in his mind—Caleb's voice, though he couldn't make out the words. Acting on instinct, he stretched his hand toward the shadow wolves and spoke a single word:

"Break."

The shadow dogs writhed, black smoke pouring from their forms. One by one, they collapsed and dissolved, the pack ties controlling them severed by some unseen force.

The beta's eyes widened in fear. "What are you?"

"Someone you shouldn't have messed with," Tobias growled, and lunged.

Caleb gasped, falling to his knees. Blood streamed from his nose, and his skin had gone deathly pale.

"Caleb!" Lucian knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulders. "What's happening?"

"Helping... Tobias," Caleb managed between weak breaths. "Sending him... strength."

Isabel put a cloth to Caleb's nose. "You're killing yourself! Stop it, now!"

"Can't," Caleb whispered. "Not... finished."

In his mind, he could see through Tobias's eyes. Could feel the fight raging around his mate. He poured more of himself down the bond, knowing he was spending energy he didn't have to spare.

"He's won," Caleb finally said, his voice weak. "The kids are safe."

Lucian helped Caleb sit up. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Caleb revealed. "I just... reached for him through our bond. Gave him what he needed."

"At what cost?" Isabel asked, wiping more blood from Caleb's face. "Look at yourself!"

Caleb caught his image in Isabel's water canteen. Blood leaked not just from his nose now, but from his ears as well. His skin was gray, and dark rings ringed his eyes.

"Doesn't matter," Caleb said, getting to his feet with Lucian's help. "Tobias is alive. The children are safe."

"And you're one step closer to death," Lucian said, his voice tight with fear. "We can't afford to lose you, Caleb. Not now."

Before Caleb could answer, a howl split the air—Tobias's victory call, letting them know he and the young ones were safe.

But as relief washed over Caleb, something else caught his attention. A tugging sensation at the edge of his awareness. The twin bond with Aurora flared to life, bringing with it a wave of fear.

"Aurora," Caleb gasped, holding his head. "She's at the Heart Stone. Victor is starting the ritual."

"Then we need to move," Lucian said.

As they resumed their trip, running through the darkened forest, Caleb felt a new presence in his mind—cold, ancient, and hungry. It reached for him with tendrils of shadow, wrapping around his awareness.

Come to us, Bondspeaker, a voice whispered. Your power is needed.

Caleb stumbled, nearly falling. The voice felt familiar somehow—not Victor's, but older. Much older.

Mother? he thought.

Laughter rang in his mind, a sound like breaking glass.

Not quite, the voice answered. But she makes a great vessel.

Cold dread washed over Caleb as he realized what they were facing. The monster wearing his mother's face wasn't just a shadow creation—it was something that had been waiting beyond the veil all along.

And it knew his name.