CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 85: A NEW BLACKWOOD PACK

The celebration lasted until dawn, but Elara couldn’t shake the thought that eyes were watching them from the shadows. Every time she turned around, nothing was there. Just trees moving in the morning breeze. "You feel it too," Kael said, stepping beside her. Through their Quad Bond, she could sense his worry mixed with her own. "Something’s coming," she whispered. "Soon." Marcus approached them, his face serious despite the joy around them. "The pack needs structure. Leadership. After what happened with the Shadow Goddess, they’re scared. " He was right. Even though they had won, fear remained in everyone’s eyes. Parents held their children closer. Warriors kept their hands near their guns. "Gather everyone," Kael decided. "It’s time." The pack formed a big circle in the clearing where they had faced the Shadow Goddess just hours before. Burn marks still scarred the ground, memories of how close they had come to losing everything. Marcus stepped into the middle, his voice carrying across the silent crowd. "Last night, we faced our darkest hour. But we survived because of four brave souls who risked everything for us." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some faces showed thanks. Others looked uncertain. "The old ways are gone," Marcus added. "We need new leadership for this new world." Celeste pushed forward from the crowd, her face twisted with anger. "You can’t seriously be thinking of making an omega our Luna!" Several pack members nodded in agreement. Despite everything Elara had done, some still couldn’t accept her. "She saved us all!" Ronan growled, his fire flickering around his hands. "She’s the reason we were in danger in the first place!" Celeste shot back. "If she hadn’t been born, none of this would have happened!" The crowd began taking sides. Arguments broke out. Voices rose. The togetherness they had felt during the battle started cracking. "ENOUGH!" Darian’s voice cut through the confusion like a blade. His truth-sight was glowing, showing everyone exactly what he saw. "Do you want to know the real truth about last night?" The pack fell silent, waiting. "Without Elara, you would all be dead. Without Kael’s guidance, we would have failed. Without Ronan’s bravery, we would have given up. The Quad Bond didn’t just save our lives - it produced something that has never existed before." "What are you talking about?" Celeste demanded. Elara stepped forward, her silver light flowing gently around her. "Show them, Darian." Darian’s eyes flared brighter, and suddenly everyone could see what he saw - glimpses of possible futures. In one vision, the pack split apart, weak and helpless. In another, they stayed together but remained afraid and helpless. But in the third vision, something incredible appeared. The Blackwood Pack, stronger than ever, leading all supernatural beings in a fight against darkness itself. "That’s our future," Elara said quietly. "If we choose it." An senior pack member named Harold stepped forward. "What exactly are you proposing?" Kael moved to stand beside Elara, their link humming with shared purpose. "A new kind of pack arrangement. One that shows who we’ve become." "I will serve as Alpha," Kael stated. "But not alone." Elara lifted her chin, meeting every doubting look. "I will be your Luna. Not because I was born to it, but because I decided to fight for it." "And we," Ronan said, moving to flank them with Darian, "will serve as equal Seconds. Four leaders, one goal." The pack stirred uneasily. This had never been done before. "It’s madness," Celeste spat. "Four leaders will tear the pack apart." "Or make us stronger than we’ve ever been," Marcus said definitely. He dropped to one knee. "I pledge my loyalty to the new Blackwood leadership." One by one, pack members began kneeling. First the fighters who had fought beside them. Then the mothers whose children had been saved. Even some who had doubted began to kneel. But not everyone. About twenty pack members stayed standing, led by Celeste. Their faces showed stubborn refusal. "We don’t accept this omega as our Luna," Celeste stated. "If you won’t follow proper tradition, then we’ll find a pack that will." "You’re free to leave," Kael said quietly. "But you leave with nothing except the clothes on your backs." Celeste’s face flushed red. "You can’t banish us!" "We’re not banishing you," Elara said. "We’re letting you choose. Stay and accept the new way, or leave and find your own road." For a moment, Celeste looked unsure. But then her pride won out. "Fine. We don’t need you anyway." She stalked away, the twenty unhappy pack members following her. They vanished into the forest without looking back. The remaining pack members watched them go with mixed feelings. Some looked relieved. Others seemed worried about losing so many able-bodied wolves. "We’re better off without them," Ronan mumbled. But Elara wasn’t so sure. Through her enhanced abilities, she could feel something dark following Celeste’s group. Something that had been waiting for exactly this moment. "The formal ceremony will be held at sunset," Marcus stated. "Prepare yourselves for a new era." As the crowd dispersed, chattering excitedly about the changes, Tobias Grey appeared from the treeline. His face was grim. "We have a problem," he said without introduction. Darian’s truth-sight immediately triggered. "What kind of problem?" "The kind that makes the Shadow Goddess look friendly," Tobias answered. "While you were fighting her, something else was stirring. Something that’s been asleep for a very long time." Elara felt ice form in her stomach. "What?" "The First Pack," Tobias said quietly. "The original werewolves, created before the Moon Goddess set the rules that govern us now. They were banished to the darkest parts of the spirit realm for good reason." Kael’s jaw clenched. "What do they want?" "What they’ve always wanted," Tobias said. "To return to Earth and reclaim what they think is theirs. Every magical being that exists." Ronan’s fire flared. "Let them come. We beat the Shadow Goddess, we can beat them too." "You don’t understand," Tobias said quickly. "The First Pack doesn’t follow any rules. They can’t be reasoned with, bargained with, or defeated by standard means. They’re pure predator, and they’ve been killing for thousands of years." Through their bond, Elara felt her mates’ increasing alarm. But she also felt something else - drive. "How long do we have?" she asked. "Days, maybe hours," Tobias answered. "The fight with the Shadow Goddess weakened the barriers between worlds. They’re already starting to cross over." Darian’s eyes went wide as his power showed him something frightening. "They’re not coming alone. They’ve been gathering an army in the ghost realm. Every supernatural creature that ever died with hate in their heart." "Including the Shadow Goddess," Tobias added grimly. "She may have been beaten, but she’s not dead. And now she has new friends." The four bonded mates looked at each other, their connection allowing them to converse without words. They had just convinced their pack to follow them into a new age. Now they might be taking them into the deadliest war in supernatural history. "We need to warn the other packs," Kael decided. "There’s no time," Tobias said. "Look." He pointed to the sky, where storm clouds were forming despite the clear morning. But these weren’t normal clouds. They moved too fast and glowed with strange colors. "The First Pack is already here," Tobias whispered. A howl unlike any they had ever heard echoed across the forest. It was old, hungry, and filled with the promise of death. Other yells answered it from different directions. They were trapped. And somewhere in the distance, Celeste’s group was walking straight toward the hunting calls, unaware that they were about to become the first victims of an enemy that made their past battles look like children’s games. Elara grabbed her mates’ hands, feeling their bond flare with power. "Whatever comes next, we face it together." But as another bone-chilling howl split the air, much closer this time, she couldn’t help thinking if their love and new leadership would be enough to save their pack from an enemy that had been perfecting the art of killing since the beginning of time.