Chapter 175 AURORA

The air in the war room was heavy with tension. Maps and reports littered the table, but my eyes kept drifting to the door as if expecting something, someone.

“Luna,” Trajan’s voice broke through my thoughts. “We need to move the scouts to the northern perimeter. If the Nameless is preparing an assault, that’s where he’ll strike first.”

I nodded, forcing my mind to focus. “Do it. And double the patrols near the river. If he’s as desperate as I think he is, he won’t stick to the obvious routes.”

Trajan hesitated, his dark eyes studying me. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” I said, a little too quickly.

His gaze didn’t waver. “You’ve been distracted ever since…”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, sharper this time.

The room fell quiet, the pack warriors around the table exchanging uneasy glances. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I just… I have a bad feeling about this. Like we’re walking into a trap.”

Morwen, who had been quietly studying the runes etched into the table’s edge, looked up. “Your instincts are rarely wrong, Luna. But even if it is a trap, we have no choice but to face it head-on.”

I nodded, her words both comforting and unsettling.

“We’ll be ready,” Trajan said firmly. “Whatever the Nameless throws at us, we’ll fight.”

The room buzzed with quiet determination as the warriors began discussing strategies. But I couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at me.

Something was coming. Something bigger than we could prepare for. The first warning came with a distant howl, haunting and scary. It echoed through the silence of the pack house, raising every hair on my body.

I bolted upright, the maps and notes I had been checking over scattering onto the floor. Trajan burst into the room moments later, his werewolf’s form towering in the doorway.

“Luna, we’re under attack.”

“What?” My heart pounded as I pushed past him to the balcony. Below, the pack warriors were already scrambling into formation. Shouts rang out as sentries relayed orders. In the distance, the trees trembled with unnatural movement.

“It’s them,” Trajan growled. “The Nameless’s shadow wolves.”

I had thought we’d have more time, days at least. We’d only just started to plan the assault on his lair. Now, it seemed, he was bringing the fight to us. I gritted my teeth. “He’s retaliating.”

Trajan’s golden eyes flickered. “What do you mean?”

“Dane,” I said, my voice tight. “He probably sabotaged something. This is the price.”

Trajan’s growl deepened. “If this is his doing….”

“No,” I snapped, cutting him off. “This isn’t Dane’s fault. This is the Nameless punishing us both. He’s trying to break us.”

A commotion near the treeline drew my attention. The warriors there moved unnaturally, tree tendrils snaking forward as if alive. My stomach twisted.

“Get the warriors to the barriers,” I commanded. “Hold the front line. And send someone to Morwen… I need her to strengthen the wards. Now.”

Trajan hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded. “Yes, Luna.”

As he turned to leave, I called after him, “Trajan!”

He paused, glancing back.

“We don’t give an inch,” I said, my voice steady despite the fear clawing at my chest.

His lips pulled into a grim line. “We won’t.”

The war room was chaotic. I turned to the maps and charts littered the table, and my advisors crowded around me, shouting over one another.

“The southern flank is the weakest!” Evelyn barked, slamming her fist down on the table. “We need reinforcements there before they break through.”

“We don’t have reinforcements!” Camila shot back, her dark hair wild and her eyes blazing. “Everyone is already deployed.”

I raised my hand, silencing them both.

“Evelyn, take a squad and bolster the southern flank. Camila, get the witches to concentrate their magic there. Go.”

They hesitated for only a moment before nodding and rushing out. Evander entered next, his clothes torn and blood staining his hands.

“The dark wolves are multiplying. Every time we kill one, it seems like two more take its place.”

“How?” I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.

He shook his head. “We don’t know. But they’re not natural. It’s like the Nameless is conjuring them directly.”

The relic. It had to be the relic. The same object that might be our salvation was also his weapon. I slammed my hands on the table, the pearl pendant at my throat pulsing faintly.

“We hold the line. Whatever it takes, we don’t let them breach the pack house.”

The first wave hit harder than I expected. Shadow wolves poured through the forest, their claws gleaming like obsidian. Our warriors met them head-on, the clash of teeth and blades ringing in the night. I fought alongside them, my magic flaring with each strike.

The pearl pendant glowed brightly, its power surging through me as I blasted shadows into nothingness. But no matter how many we destroyed, more kept coming.

“They’re endless!” Evelyn shouted, her blades slicing through another wolf.

“Because it seems they are just a distraction,” I said, realization dawning on me.

Evelyn turned to me, her eyes wide. “A distraction from what?”

Before I could answer, a deafening crack split the air. The barrier around the pack house shimmered violently, its light dimming. “They’re trying to break the wards,” I said, my heart sinking.

Moren’s voice rang out from behind me. “They’re succeeding.”

I turned to see her standing at the edge of the battlefield, her hands raised as she poured magic into the faltering barrier. Sweat dripped down her face, and her eyes burned with determination.

“I can’t hold it much longer,” she said through gritted teeth.

I made a split-second decision. “Evander, take a squad and protect Morwen. Don’t let anything near her.”

He nodded sharply and moved to obey.

The battle raged on, but my focus was split. The dreams I’d been having, the silver figure, the warnings, it all felt like it was building to something. And then, in the middle of the chaos, it hit me.

The figure wasn’t just a guide. It was a message. The transformation Morwen spoke of wasn’t just a metaphor. It was real. I touched the pearl pendant, its warmth grounding me.

If the goddess wanted me to change, to become something more, I had to embrace it. But at what cost? Before I could dwell on the question, a piercing howl cut through the battlefield.

It wasn’t like the others; this one was deeper, more primal. Every warrior froze, their eyes snapping to the forest’s edge. And then, he stepped into view.

Dane?

His form was battered, his clothes torn, but his presence was undeniable. The shadow wolves around him fell silent, their glowing eyes fixed on him. My heart leaped and sank all at once.

“Dane,” I whispered.

He met my gaze, his eyes blazing with gold. And then, with a voice that shook the very earth, he shouted, “Run!!”

Before I could react, the darkness surged around him and the forest erupted into chaos once more. And then everyone heard…

BOOM.