CHAPTER 14: THE SANCTUARY
1152 Words
Kael's POV
The words hit the clearing like a thunderclap.
"They found the Sanctuary."
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
The scout knelt in the mud, blood dripping steadily from a deep gash across his forehead. His breaths came in ragged bursts, each one sounding more painful than the last.
Rainwater mixed with the blood staining his armor, creating crimson streams that disappeared into the soaked earth.
I had seen countless wounded warriors in my life.
This man hadn't run because he thought he would survive.
He had run because someone needed to hear his warning.
Rowan was at his side in an instant.
"Who attacked?"
The scout swallowed hard.
"The... Black Talons."
A murmur swept through the Moon Guard.
I frowned.
The Black Talons.
Even I'd heard the stories.
They weren't wolves.
They were assassins.
Mercenaries who sold their loyalty to whoever paid the highest price.
If they had joined Magnus...
This war had become much bigger than a territorial dispute.
"They breached the outer gate," the scout continued, struggling to speak. "The Guardians... they couldn't hold them."
His body trembled violently.
"I-I'm sorry, Commander."
"You've done well," Rowan said quietly, placing a steady hand on the young man's shoulder.
"You brought us the message."
The scout managed the faintest smile.
Then his eyes rolled back.
His body slumped forward.
A healer rushed from the ranks, checking for a pulse.
After a long moment, she slowly lowered her head.
"He has returned to the Moon Goddess."
Silence settled over the clearing.
I looked at the boy's face.
He couldn't have been older than eighteen.
Far too young to die.
Far too young to carry the weight of war.
Beside me, Lyra closed her eyes.
She whispered something so softly I almost didn't hear it.
"May you find peace."
She had never met him.
Yet she mourned him as though she had.
That was who Lyra was.
Even now.
Even after everything.
My chest tightened.
How could I have convinced myself she was too weak to stand beside me?
She possessed a strength I'd spent years failing to understand.
Not strength of claws.
Or rank.
Or fear.
The kind that refused to lose its compassion.
My father would have called it a weakness.
I was beginning to think it was the rarest kind of courage.
"Enough."
Magnus' voice shattered the moment.
His amber eyes swept over the grieving warriors with open disdain.
"Your sentiment changes nothing."
Rowan stood.
Every trace of grief vanished behind the discipline of a commander.
He looked toward me.
"Our people are trapped."
I understood immediately.
"You want an alliance."
"I want innocent people to live."
Fair enough.
Before I could answer, one of my instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Too quiet.
The forest had gone silent again.
No birds.
No insects.
Nothing.
My wolf lifted his head inside me.
Listen.
I did.
Faint.
Almost impossible to hear.
A metallic click.
My eyes widened.
"Down!"
I lunged toward Lyra.
At the exact same moment—
Hundreds of arrows burst from the trees.
The night exploded into chaos.
Warriors shouted.
Horses screamed.
The sharp whistle of arrows sliced through the air from every direction.
I wrapped my arms around Lyra, pulling her to the ground just as three arrows struck the tree behind where she'd been standing.
The impact sent splinters raining over us.
Her body collided against mine.
Warm.
Shaking.
Alive.
For one dangerous second...
Everything else disappeared.
I could feel her rapid heartbeat against my chest.
The scent of lavender filled my senses.
She looked up at me.
Our faces were only inches apart.
Water droplets clung to her eyelashes.
There was fear in her gray eyes.
But something else too.
Confusion.
The mate bond stirred painfully between us.
Not whole.
Not healed.
Just...
Present.
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
She blinked.
"No."
Relief hit me so hard my shoulders sagged.
Before either of us could move—
She gently pushed herself away.
The distance returned.
A reminder.
I had lost the right to hold her.
The realization stung more than I cared to admit.
"Alpha!"
Cedric's voice?
No.
Impossible.
I looked toward the trees.
A black wolf burst into the clearing, shifting mid-stride before landing on one knee.
Cedric.
Mud covered his boots, and several fresh scratches lined his arms.
He was breathing hard.
"You left without half your army," he said between breaths.
"So I brought the other half."
Behind him, Silver Crest warriors poured into the clearing in disciplined formation, their silver-and-black cloaks rippling through the rain.
Relief swept through me.
"You disobeyed my orders."
Cedric grinned.
"You forgot to give any."
Despite everything...
Despite the battle.
Despite Magnus standing only yards away.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Magnus, however, looked genuinely annoyed for the first time that night.
"This is becoming inconvenient."
He slowly raised his hand.
The Black Talon archers emerged from the trees.
There were far more of them than I'd expected.
Dozens.
Maybe over a hundred.
This wasn't a hunting party.
It was an invasion.
Rowan stepped beside me.
"Our combined forces still aren't enough."
He was right.
Not against Magnus.
Not while protecting Lyra.
I looked at Cedric.
He already knew what I was thinking.
His expression hardened.
"You've got a plan."
"I do."
"You're going to hate it."
"I usually do."
I took a slow breath.
Then turned toward Rowan.
"How far is the Sanctuary?"
"Less than an hour if we cut through the eastern pass."
"Can it be defended?"
"For a time."
Good.
I looked at Cedric.
"You'll take half of Silver Crest."
Then at Rowan.
"You'll lead the Moon Guard."
Finally...
I turned to Lyra.
She was watching me carefully.
Waiting.
"You three are getting to the Sanctuary."
Her eyebrows knitted together.
"And you?"
I looked toward Magnus.
He was smiling again.
He already knew the answer.
"I'll stay."
Lyra's face paled.
"No."
"I have to buy you time."
"You can't fight all of them."
"No."
I smiled faintly.
"But I can make them fight me."
The silence that followed felt unbearably heavy.
Then Lyra stepped toward me.
"So this is your way of making up for rejecting me?"
Her voice wasn't angry.
It was quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
I held her gaze.
"No."
"This is me keeping the promise I made."
"What promise?"
I didn't look away.
"I won't let them take you."
For the first time since the Moon Bond Ceremony...
The sadness in her eyes softened.
Only slightly.
But it was enough to remind me why I had to survive this night.
Because protecting her wasn't enough anymore.
I wanted the chance...
To earn her forgiveness.
Before another word could be spoken, Magnus slowly drew a black sword from the sheath at his side.
Its blade gleamed with an eerie crimson glow.
He pointed it directly at me.
"At last," he said, his smile widening.
"No more interruptions."
Then, without another warning...
He charged.
- Writer
