Smoke curled around the battlefield as Valen staggered back, his once smug expression now twisted into a scowl.
Beside him, Lilith sneered, her golden eyes flashing with disdain. "You're weakening, Valen. How disappointing."
Valen's jaw clenched. "Stay out of this," he snapped, but even his voice cracked under the strain.
Across the clearing, Elaina stood firm beside Lucien, their powers thrumming in sync. She could feel Lucien's pain—the wound he'd taken for her was deep—but he remained unmovable, like a mountain at her back.
"You're bleeding," she whispered urgently.
Lucien gave a crooked grin. "Just a scratch, love. Remind me later to make you kiss it better."
Elaina almost laughed despite the chaos, but tears stung her eyes. He's hurting... and still protecting me.
Daisy stumbled toward them, dragging a limping Kade behind her. Kade, ever the clown, groaned dramatically, "Leave me. Save yourselves. Tell the world I was a hero—no, a legend!"
"You're not dying, you idiot," Daisy huffed, shoving a healing salve into his hand. "You just twisted your ankle."
"Still counts," Kade whimpered, clutching the salve like it was a medal of honor.
Despite the tension, a ripple of laughter broke through their group. Even Elaina smiled through her worry.
But the lightness didn't last long.
A sudden tremor shook the ground. Cracks split the earth, and from the broken soil, dark tendrils rose—shadowy serpents slithering toward them.
Elaina's stomach twisted. "It's the Binding Curse," she realized aloud. "He's activating it."
Lucien's face hardened. "If he binds the pack to him… he'll control every werewolf under his curse."
"And if we don't stop it now," Daisy said grimly, "it's over."
Elaina made a split-second decision. "We need to break the ritual. Cut it off at the source."
Her gaze locked on Valen.
Lucien saw the look in her eyes and grabbed her wrist. "You can't face him alone."
She smiled, heart hammering, and squeezed his hand. "I'm not alone. You're with me."
Without waiting for approval, Elaina sprinted forward, magic swirling around her in a brilliant, golden tempest.
Valen's shadows lunged—but so did she.
Their powers collided midair, throwing sparks that lit up the gray sky. Elaina's body strained under the pressure, every muscle burning, but she pushed forward, step by step, until she was right in front of him.
Valen hissed, "You can't stop destiny!"
"I'm not stopping it," Elaina gasped. "I'm rewriting it."
Summoning every ounce of her strength, she plunged her magic into the ground, severing the dark tendrils at their root. The ground shuddered—and then, a burst of pure light exploded outward, obliterating the creeping shadows.
The Binding Curse shattered.
Valen screamed in rage and disbelief, falling to his knees.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Elaina stood there, breathing hard, feeling the ache in every bone. Behind her, Lucien approached slowly, pride and worry battling in his eyes.
"You're insane," he said, voice rough with emotion. "Beautiful, reckless, incredible... and absolutely insane."
Elaina smiled weakly. "Takes one to know one."
And then, because she couldn't hold back anymore, she threw herself into his arms.
The battlefield blurred around them—the blood, the broken earth, the cries of the wounded. But for one breathless moment, none of it mattered.
They had won.
But deep in the shadows, someone else watched—eyes gleaming with a hatred that promised this war was far from over.
The victory was sweet—but short-lived.
Elaina barely had time to lean into Lucien's arms before the ground trembled again, this time not from Valen's curse, but from something much older… much darker.
A low rumble rolled through the sky, making the hairs on the back of Elaina's neck stand on end.
"What... what now?" Kade groaned dramatically from where he lay, one hand over his heart. "Haven't we suffered enough? My poor ankle can't take any more trauma."
Daisy slapped the back of his head. "Shut up, drama queen."
Lucien stiffened beside Elaina. His golden eyes narrowed at the horizon. "This isn't Valen's doing. This... this is something else."
Before Elaina could ask, a chilling howl tore through the air—a sound that wasn't just wolf, but something twisted and ancient, filled with hunger and rage.
From the blackened forest beyond the battlefield, creatures emerged.
They weren't wolves. Not exactly. Their bodies were misshapen, twisted by dark magic. Their eyes burned with an unnatural red glow, and black smoke oozed from their jaws.
Daisy cursed under her breath. "What the hell are those?"
Lucien's voice was grim. "The Forgotten."
Elaina's stomach turned. She'd heard of them only in whispers—werewolves who had been lost to madness centuries ago, cursed to roam between worlds, puppets of pure evil.
Valen, still on his knees, lifted his head and laughed—a hollow, broken sound. "You may have defeated me, but you can't stop them. They serve no master. Not even me."
He collapsed, unconscious.
Lucien growled under his breath, stepping protectively in front of Elaina. "We need a plan. Fast."
"I have an idea," Kade said, scrambling upright, wincing. "Hear me out: we run. Like, right now. Very fast. Very far."
"That's not a plan, that's cowardice," Daisy said.
"Potato, potahto."
Despite the terror creeping into her chest, Elaina felt a bubble of laughter rise at Kade's ridiculousness—but it died quickly as the first of the Forgotten lunged toward them.
Lucien caught the creature midair, slamming it into the dirt with brutal force. "We can't fight them all head-on," he barked. "There's too many."
Elaina's mind raced. Think, think!
Then it clicked.
"The Temple of Moons!" she gasped. "It's supposed to have ancient wards! If we can lure them there, maybe we can trap them!"
Lucien nodded immediately, trusting her without hesitation. "Everyone, move! Protect Elaina!"
As they ran, chaos erupted behind them—snarls, howls, and the clash of magic against dark flesh.
Kade, half-dragging himself, muttered, "This is how I die. Heroic. Tragic. Handsome till the end."
Daisy snorted. "Keep talking and I'll push you into the monsters myself."
They burst through the trees, branches whipping against their skin, until at last the ancient stones of the Temple loomed ahead—tall, cracked, but still humming with hidden power.
Elaina reached out, feeling the thrum of the magic in her bones.
It responded to her.
With Lucien's help, she wove the magic into a net, pulling it across the clearing like a shimmering web.
The creatures were almost upon them.
"Now!" Lucien shouted.
The moment the first Forgotten touched the invisible barrier, a shockwave blasted outward. The ground split open, swallowing the beasts in a whirl of light and darkness.
Their screeches echoed long after the earth closed again.
Silence fell.
Elaina stood there, panting, her hands trembling from the power she'd channeled.
Slowly, Lucien approached, cupping her face in his hands. His touch was gentle, almost reverent. "You saved us," he murmured.
"I saved us," she corrected softly. "You saved me first."
Kade limped up, grinning through the blood and grime. "Well, well. Look at us. Still alive. Mostly intact. Except my ankle, which I shall mourn forever."
Daisy threw an arm around his neck, ruffling his hair roughly. "You big baby."
For the first time in what felt like days, Elaina laughed—a true, bubbling laugh that made her ribs ache.
Lucien leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. "I love that sound."
Her heart stumbled in her chest. Did he even realize what he just said?
Before she could answer, a distant rumble rolled across the sky again—but this time, it was thunder, real and pure.
The storm had passed.
But somewhere in the deepest parts of the earth, a new threat stirred—one that had been waiting for Elaina all along.
The real war had just begun.