Vex
The ride back was silentas exhaustion and shock rendered even the most talkative brothers speechless.Chrome held one arm close to his chest or as much as he could as he rode his bike.Scout’s wings remained tucked tight against his back, gossamer torn in places that will take days to heal.Fury stayed in human form, his usual fire banked to embers.And Blade rode point with Kyler’s body strapped carefully to what remained of Rooster’s bike, a grim reminder that victory came with a cost.
The clubhouse courtyard fills with the wounded and weary.Hannah appears before the engines even cut, her face pale but composed as she directs brothers to the infirmary.Those brothers left behind are ready with medical supplies and strong coffee and the quiet strength that holds this family together when everything else falls apart.
Tessa slides off my bike on legs that barely hold her.Through the bond so much deeper now, transformed by what we became at the seal site, I feel her exhaustion down to her bones.But underneath it, there’s something else.Something new.
Awareness.
She can feel it too.The seal pulsing beneath the territory like a second heartbeat, connecting us to every frozen river and snow-covered mountain.The land itself has become part of us, or maybe we’ve become part of it.The distinction doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
“Inside,” Blade orders, his voice rough with grief and fatigue.“Everyone.We debrief in one hour after the wounded are tended.”
Brothers file past, some limping, others supporting those who can barely walk.Chrome’s taken the worst of it aside from those who won’t be walking at all.His left side is covered in frost burns that go deeper than skin, ice having invaded in ways that will require days, maybe weeks of healing.
But he’s alive.
They’re all alive, except for Kyler.
The kid is carried inside with ceremony that befits a fallen brother.Hannah’s tears fall when she sees him.He died a prospect, but he’ll be honored as a full member.That’s how it works in the Kings, you fight beside us, you die as one of us.
Prophet appears at my side, looking decades older than he did twelve hours ago.Divine light still flickers in his eyes, but it’s dimmed, exhausted.Using that much heavenly power has cost him.
“You need to rest,” I tell him.
“So do you.”His gaze shifts to Tessa.“Both of you.What you’ve become, it’s going to take time to fully manifest.To understand.”
“Whathavewe become?”Tessa asks, leaning into me for support.
“Guardians.Anchors.Living seals.”Prophet’s expression is reverent.“The first of your kind in recorded history.Heaven is—” He pauses, seeming to search for words.“Impressed.Concerned.Curious.There will be questions, but for now, they’re giving you space.”
“How generous,” I mutter.
“It is, actually.Heaven doesn’t adapt easily to change.The fact they’re accepting this new binding instead of trying to ‘correct’ it speaks volumes.”He places a hand on my shoulder.“You did well, brother.Both of you.”
Then he’s gone, disappearing into the clubhouse to no doubt file extensive reports with whatever angelic bureaucracy he answers to.
Hannah approaches, medical kit in hand.“Let me see you both.”
“We’re fine,” Tessa starts, but Hannah cuts her off with a look that would make lesser beings cower.
“You just rewrote an ancient prophecy, became living anchors to a primordial seal, and rode seventy miles through a blizzard.You are not ‘fine.’Infirmary.Now.”
There’s no arguing with Hannah when she uses that tone.
The infirmary is chaos, brothers sprawled on every available surface, wounds being cleaned and stitched, the sharp smell of antiseptic mixing with blood and sweat.But Hannah finds us a corner, a small space behind a curtain where she can work without the entire club watching.
She checks Tessa first, professional and thorough.Temperature, pulse, pupil response.When she examines the mark on Tessa’s shoulder, she inhales sharply.
“It’s changed.”
“I know.”Tessa touches it gently.The black frost patterns have transformed into something that looks almost like gold filigree, intricate and beautiful instead of corrupt and cold.“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Because it’s not a curse now,” I say.“It’s a connection.To me, to the seal, to the land.”
Hannah’s eyes find mine, and in them I see understanding.She’s been with the club long enough to recognize transformation when she sees it.
“You’re bound to this place now,” she says quietly.“Both of you.”
