“You didn’t know. None of you could know.” I reach out and squeeze her hand. “But now you do. We can start healing.”
Caelan bounces over, still looking drunk on freedom. “This is incredible. I can feel everything. It’s like the volume got turned up on the entire world.” She grabs my hands and spinsme in a circle. “Thank you. Thank you for being brave enough to do this.”
“You’re welcome.” I laugh as she spins us again. “Though you might want to calm down before you make yourself sick.”
“I don’t want to calm down. I want to feel all of it.” She releases me and throws her arms around Reeyan instead. “And thank you for being exactly what my sister needed.”
Reeyan catches her and steadies them both before she can knock them over. “Your sister is worth fighting for.”
The celebration continues around us. Women laughing and crying, and experiencing emotions they’ve never had full access to before. Evangeline packs up her ritual components with Raegan’s help, both of them looking satisfied with how the ceremony went.
I lean against Reeyan and just breathe. The curse is broken. My pack is free. The mate bond thrums between us without any magical interference, and I can feel his love for me as clearly as my own heartbeat.
For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid of what I’m feeling. Not ashamed of needing someone or convinced that connection makes me weak.
The curse taught me all those lies. But the curse is gone now, shattered into nothing by a bond strong enough to break three centuries of magical imprisonment.
Movement at the border catches my attention, and my wolf snarls a warning.
“Reeyan—”
He’s already moving, pushing me behind him as his eyes run along the perimeter. Wyn appears beside us within seconds.
“Thornridge. They’re using the emotional chaos as cover.”
All around us, Llewelyn women are still reeling from the curse breaking. Overwhelmed by feelings, they don’t know how to process. Distracted by the sudden liberation from magical suppression.
We’re vulnerable. Exactly what Thornridge has been waiting for.
The first howl splits the air.
The ceremony is over.
And the battle begins.
Chapter 24 - Reeyan
The wolf that tears through the ceremony’s defenses doesn’t belong to anyone I recognize.
I shift before my mind even registers the decision. Bones reshape themselves as my human form collapses into something faster, stronger, more deadly. Around me, other wolves do the same—pack warriors from multiple territories respond to the threat with the kind of synchronization that only comes from shared danger.
Sera’s wolf appears beside mine; her silver-blonde fur catches the moonlight as she snarls at the advancing Thornridge wolves. The ceremony guests scatter to defensive positions while fighters move to intercept the attack.
Stay close,I send through our fresh bond.
I can fight,she responds, and there’s steel in her mental voice that wasn’t there before the curse broke.
More Thornridge wolves pour through the border, at least twenty by my count. Behind them, figures in human form carry devices I recognize all too well. Suppressors designed to cut shifters off from their wolves, to make us vulnerable and weak.
The Llewelyn women who just experienced freedom for the first time in their lives don’t cower or flee. They shift with a fluidity that speaks to connections no longer hampered by magic. Thora Silvermane’s massive gray wolf launches herself at a Thornridge male twice her size, fighting with a ferocity I’ve never seen from her before.
Matriarch Lydia coordinates defensive positions with the calm authority of someone who’s led warriors for decades. Her wolf is smaller than most, but she moves through the chaos likewater finding its path, directing others to where they’re needed most.
Bastian incoming,Dorian warns through pack communication.Human form, carrying suppressors.
My hackles rise as the Thornridge operative appears at the edge of the battle. He moves with the confidence of someone who thinks he’s already won, carrying one of those damned devices like it’s a trophy.
“Sera!” he calls out over the sounds of fighting. “Come with me now, and I’ll spare your friends.”
