Chapter Twenty Six
1013 Words
Sophie’s POV
The safe house went from being safe into a war room within minutes.
Marcus barked out orders while his wolves moved furniture to create barricades and checked weapons. I stood in the center of it all with Lucas strapped securely to my chest in a reinforced carrier, my golden energy ready to do some damage just beneath my skin.
Damon moved like a predator despite his injuries. He had dressed in black tactical gear, silver burns were the still visible on his neck and wrists. Every time he looked at me and Lucas, his silver eyes softened for a split second before hardening again with lethal focus, one that wasn't directed at me.
“They’ll be here in less than two hours,” Marcus said, pointing at the map. “Victor’s bringing everything he has left. Seraphina will be with him because she wants the child.”
Damon loaded a gun with silver-resistant bullets and handed it to me. “You stay behind me. If things go bad, take Lucas and run north. There’s a rendezvous point marked on the map.”
“I’m not running anymore,” I replied, checking the weapon. “We fight together. As a family.”
He pulled me close and kissed me hard, his hand resting protectively over Lucas between us. “I love you,” he whispered to me. “Both of you.”
Damon’s POV
The first howl came just as the sun began to set.
They were here.
I shifted partially, claws extended, and took my position at the front door with Marcus and three other wolves. Sophie stayed a few steps behind me, golden energy already glowing around her and Lucas.
“Hold the line!” Marcus shouted.
The attack came fast and brutal.
Victor’s forces crashed through the tree line, dozens of wolves in both human and wolf forms. Gunfire mixed with snarls as the battle raged on around the cabin.
I roared and charged forward, meeting the first wave. My claws tore through one wolf’s side before I slammed another into a tree. The ground which was dusted with snow was now stained with blood.
Through the fight, I saw Victor and Seraphina approaching from the back, flanked by their strongest guards. Victor’s eyes locked on me with pure hatred.
“You should have stayed obedient!” he bellowed.
I fought my way toward him, slashing and dodging. A silver bullet grazed my shoulder, burning like fire, but I didn’t stop. Sophie was using her power behind me, she was using bursts of golden energy to knock back attackers and protect Lucas.
Sophie’s POV
My heart was beating hard as I watched Damon fight. Every time he took a hit, I felt it through the bond. But I knew that I had to stay focused. I kept sending golden shields around our allies while keeping Lucas protected.
Seraphina suddenly broke through the line, moving unnaturally fast toward me.
“Give me the child!” she demanded, golden energy crackling around her hands.
I pushed a powerful burst toward her. She blocked it, but the force made her slide backward. Lucas began crying, his own power reacting to the threat. A small pulse of golden-red energy shot out from him, and struck Seraphina in the chest and making her scream.
“You little monster,” she hissed.
Damon appeared beside me in an instant, covered in blood but standing tall. He positioned himself between us and Seraphina.
“This ends now,” he stated.
Victor joined her, breathing heavily. The four of us faced each other as fighting went on around us.
“You’ve lost,” Damon said coldly. “The pack is turning against you. Even if you kill us, they’ll never follow you again.”
Victor laughed. “Then I’ll take what I want by force.”
He came at Damon. At the same moment, Seraphina attacked me.
I fought desperately, golden claws clashing against her power. She was stronger than before, drawing on some dark ritual she must have performed. She managed to grab my arm, so she could drain my energy.
Lucas screamed.
A massive wave of power exploded from him, strong enough to throw Seraphina about twenty feet backward. She crashed into a tree and didn’t get up immediately.
Damon had Victor pinned, claws at his father’s throat.
“Yield,” Damon snarled. “Or die.”
Victor smiled through blood. “Never.”
He triggered something on his wrist. A hidden explosive charge detonated near the cabin, sending wood and debris flying.
The blast knocked me off my feet. I felt pain in my side as shrapnel cut into me. Lucas cried louder.
When the dust settled, Victor was gone, escaped in the chaos. Seraphina was being dragged away by two of her remaining people.
Marcus limped over, bleeding but alive. “They’re retreating for now. But they’ll be back," he said as if he could predict the future perfectly.
Damon rushed to my side, checking me and Lucas as fast as he could. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” I said, wincing. “Lucas is safe.”
We stood together in the destroyed clearing as the surviving resistance wolves gathered around us. Many were injured, but they were looking at Damon with new respect.
Marcus knelt on one knee. “The elders want you as Alpha, Damon. Lead us. End Victor’s reign once and for all.”
Damon looked at me, then at Lucas in my arms.
He helped me to my feet and addressed the wolves.
“I will lead,” he said, his voice audible so that all of them could hear him. “But things will change. No more forced bonds, and we abolish the use of Luna blood. We protect our own, all of us.”
The wolves seemed happy with that.
I leaned against him, exhausted but hopeful.
We had survived another battle. But as I looked into the dark forest where Victor and Seraphina had disappeared, I knew the war was far from over.
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