CHAPTER 81: UNLIKELY ALLIANCES

Chapter 81: Unlikely Alliances

The darkness lasted only seconds, but it felt like hours. When Liana’s eyesight cleared, Rowan was on his knees, clutching his head.

The shadows around him had disappeared, leaving only a trembling young man fighting something inside his own mind. "Get them out!" he screamed. "Get them out of my head!" Kael burst through the door, moving faster than someone without Alpha power should be able to.

He dropped beside his brother, pushing his hands against Rowan’s temples. "Fight it," Kael ordered. "You’re stronger than whatever’s trying to control you." Slowly, the silver faded from Rowan’s eyes, returning them to their normal soft blue. He fell against Kael, gasping for air.

"They’re in everything," Rowan whispered. "The shadows, the mirrors, the gaps between thoughts. They’re not coming through during the Convergence. They’re already here, hiding in the cracks." Celeste had gone completely white. "That’s impossible. The defenses should hold them back until---" "The barriers are Swiss cheese," Talia stopped, entering with Elder Mira. "I can see it now.

Every time someone uses bad magic, it weakens them further. Every death, every betrayal, every moment of despair makes another crack." "Which means we’re running out of time faster than we thought," Mira said grimly. Liana helped Rowan to his feet, studying his face.

"Are you okay?" "No." His honesty was welcome after so many lies. "Something’s been speaking to me since we broke the bond. Promising power, promising justice against everyone who ever hurt us. It’s getting harder to ignore." "That’s how it starts," Celeste said quietly. "The Void Wolves don’t just control you.

They lure you.

They make their darkness feel like rescue." "Speaking of salvation," Liana turned to face her old rival. "You mentioned another way to recover the triplets’ power. What did you mean?" Celeste’s chains clinked as she moved uncomfortably. "Lyra isn’t just planning to bring the Void Wolves through. She’s wanting something specific. An item that will let her control them completely." "What kind of artifact?" "The Heart of Shadows. It’s a crystal that holds the essence of the first Alpha who ever turned to darkness.

Legend says it can increase any magic, but it comes with a price." Jace stepped forward, looking stronger than he had in days. "What price?" "It feeds on life force. The more power you draw from it, the more of yourself it takes." Celeste’s voice dropped to a whisper.

"Use it too much, and you become a shadow yourself. Empty. Hungry. Forever."

"Where is this Heart of Shadows?" Liana asked. "The Cursed Peaks. A mountain range three days north of here, where failed Alphas go to die." Celeste met Liana’s eyes. "It’s also where Lyra is heading right now." The room fell silent as everyone processed this information. "If she gets that artifact," Mira said slowly, "she won’t just control the Void Wolves. She’ll become something far worse."

"Then we stop her," Liana said bluntly. "How?" Jace spread his hands hopelessly. "We can barely shift, let alone fight a witch who’s already half-shadow." "We use what we have." Liana looked around the room, taking in each face. "Rowan can sense the Void Wolves’ presence. Kael still has his cunning mind. Jace, you’re still the best tracker in the pack, skills or not." "And what about her?" Kael nodded toward Celeste.

"She knows dark magic better than anyone here," Liana said, ignoring the gasps from the others.

"If we’re going to fight Lyra on her own terms, we need someone who understands how darkness works." "You can’t be serious," Mira argued. "She betrayed us once already." "Because she was manipulated and desperate," Liana responded. "Now she’s just desperate. That makes her useful." Celeste looked surprised by the response.

"You’d actually trust me?" "No. But I’d work with you." Liana’s voice was steel. "Limited freedom, heavy guard, and one chance to show you’ve changed. Betray us again, and I’ll let Rowan feed you to whatever’s talking in his head." Despite everything, Celeste smiled. "Fair terms." "I’ll help too," Talia said suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at her. "With study, I mean. Protective spells, counter-curses, whatever you need." "Talia, dark magic is dangerous," Liana warned. "It changes people." "Everything changes people." Talia’s voice was steady. "The question is whether we change for better or worse.

I’d rather risk becoming something dark than watch you die because I was too scared to help." Liana felt a surge of love for her friend. "Okay. But we do this carefully. No one works alone, no one takes unnecessary risks." "What about the pack?" Kael asked. "Marcus and his supporters won’t just let us leave."

"Then we don’t tell them." Liana’s smile was sharp. "Let them handle the politics while we save the world." Over the next hour, they planned. Celeste would be moved to a secure room where she could study protective spells with Talia.

The triplets would continue their recovery while planning for the journey to the Cursed Peaks. Mira would handle pack relations and keep Marcus busy.

As the meeting broke up, Liana pulled Rowan away. "The whispers," she said softly. "How bad are they really?" Rowan’s smile was tired but sincere.

"Bad enough that I dream of burning everything down and starting over. But not bad enough to make me forget why I’m fighting." "And what are you fighting for?" "You. My boys.

The chance to show that losing our Alpha power doesn’t make us less than what we were." His soft blue eyes met hers.

"The whispers promise easy answers, but easy answers usually come with terrible costs." Before Liana could answer, Talia rushed over, her face flushed with excitement and terror.

"I found something," she gasped. "In the old texts about the Heart of Shadows. There’s a way to destroy it, but..." "But what?" "It requires the willing sacrifice of someone with royal blood." Talia’s voice dropped to a whisper.

"Someone like you." The words hit Liana like a physical blow. She’d finally found a way to save everyone, and it would cost her everything. "There has to be another way," Rowan said strongly. "Maybe there is."

Celeste’s voice came from across the room, where she’d been trying not to listen. "But finding it would require me to access magic I swore I’d never touch again." "What kind of magic?" "The kind that talks back." Celeste’s ice-blue eyes were haunted.

"The kind that promises everything you’ve ever wanted, and only asks for your soul in return." Before anyone could react, a sound echoed through the building. It started as a whisper, then grew to a howl, then became something that hurt to hear.

Outside, the blood moon pulsed brighter, and every shade in the room began to move on its own. "They’re coming," Rowan whispered, his eyes starting to turn silver again. "All of them. And they’re not just hunting anymore." "What are they doing?" Liana asked.

"They’re calling." His voice was faraway, dreamy. "Calling to everyone who’s ever felt helpless, forgotten, betrayed. Offering them a chance to join the pack that never dies."

Through the window, Liana could see pack members walking toward the bush. Not running in fear, but walking calmly, their eyes reflecting the blood moon’s light.

"How many?" she asked. Rowan’s smile was terrible. "All of them. Every wolf who’s ever thought what it would be like to have real power. They’re going to Lyra freely."

The building was emptying around them. Soon, they’d be the only ones left. Which was exactly what the darkness had been planning all along.