Chapter 14 — Warfire
721 Words
War didn’t wait.
It came before dawn.
Selene felt it before the first strike.
A violent ripple through the bond—sharp, urgent, wrong.
Her eyes snapped open.
Another pulse followed.
Not steady this time.
Not calm.
Erratic.
Her breath hitched as her hand flew to her stomach.
“Something’s wrong—”
The doors burst open.
Kael was already moving.
“I know,” he said.
Outside—
Chaos.
The air burned with it.
The scent of blood, smoke, and steel flooding through the territory as wolves howled and something darker answered from beyond the forest.
“They came back,” Selene said.
Kael’s expression hardened.
“No,” he said.
A beat.
“They brought more.”
A distant explosion cracked through the trees.
Selene felt it again—
A violent pulse.
Her body doubled slightly, a sharp breath tearing from her as something inside her reacted—not just to her—
But to the war.
“It’s reacting,” she whispered.
Kael was in front of her instantly.
“To what?”
She shook her head slightly.
“I don’t know—”
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Her fingers gripped his arm.
Hard.
“It doesn’t like this,” she said.
Outside, a wolf’s scream cut through the air.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“It doesn’t have a choice.”
Selene’s gaze snapped to his.
“Neither do we.”
The truth settled between them.
War had found them.
And it wasn’t stopping.
Another impact shook the ground.
Closer.
Too close.
“They’re breaching the inner line,” Kael said.
Selene straightened despite the weakness clawing through her.
“Then we fight.”
Kael grabbed her wrist.
“No.”
Her eyes flashed instantly.
“You don’t get to—”
“You’re not going out there like this.”
Another pulse.
Her breath faltered.
“I don’t have a choice.”
Kael stepped closer.
“You do if I stop you.”
Silence.
Dangerous.
Selene held his gaze.
“You can’t fight this war alone.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Yes, you do,” she snapped. “Because this isn’t just your war anymore.”
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Her body leaned forward slightly—
Into him.
Uncontrolled.
Kael felt it.
His expression shifted.
“This is exactly why you’re not going,” he said.
Selene’s breath trembled.
“This is why I have to.”
The air thickened.
Outside—
The battle drew closer.
Too close.
A figure crashed through the outer wall.
Vampire.
Not one of hers.
Something else.
Its eyes locked onto Selene instantly.
“There you are.”
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Kael intercepted it mid-strike.
The impact shook the room.
Selene staggered back—
Another pulse.
Violent.
Her knees nearly buckled.
“No—” she gasped.
Something inside her reacted—
Not just to her pain—
But to the threat.
Power surged outward.
Not her power.
Something deeper.
The air warped.
Everything stilled.
Even Kael.
The vampire froze mid-motion—
Then was thrown backward violently, slamming into the wall with bone-crushing force.
Silence followed.
Selene stared at her hands.
“That wasn’t me…”
Kael turned slowly.
His gaze dropped to her stomach.
Then lifted back to her.
“It protected itself.”
The realization hit hard.
Another pulse.
Steady.
Strong.
Selene’s breath trembled.
“It’s getting stronger,” she whispered.
Kael stepped toward her.
“And more dangerous.”
The way he said it—
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Recognition.
Another pulse.
Her body leaned again—
Closer to him.
This time—
She didn’t fight it.
Kael’s hand came to her waist.
Firm.
Grounding.
“You feel that,” he said quietly.
Selene swallowed.
“Yes.”
His other hand moved slowly—
Resting against her stomach again.
The reaction was immediate.
Stronger than before.
Selene gasped softly.
The bond surged.
The child responded.
Everything tightened.
“You need to stay with me,” Kael said.
Selene looked at him.
“I am.”
The words were quiet.
But they meant more than either of them acknowledged.
Another crash outside.
War raging closer.
But for a moment—
They didn’t move.
Didn’t break.
Because something had shifted again.
Not just war.
Not just survival.
Something deeper.
Something that was no longer just forming—
But becoming.
- Writer
