“They’re attacking Lorenzo!” shecried.
“Hang on tight,” I growledtoGabe.
I shot out of the hole towards the raiders. Lost in their rage, they changed their target - their eyes were on Lorenzo now. Spitting fury, I shot out a blast of fire to the ones closest to him. I knew Lorenzo wouldn’t be affected by the fire, thank gods. I hovered above him, safely out of range of the humans’weapons.
“Are you hurt?” I asked. His wing membrane was torn and bleeding, and he looked exhausted from spending so much energy - both physical andmagical.
“Deal with the humans so I can finish this!” Lorenzosnarled.
“Done and done,” Igrowledback.
It was time to pay back the raiders for making my mate live in fear - and for putting their filthy hands on him. And because Gabriel cared so much about his pack - something I still didn’t entirely understand, but now respected - this was revenge forthem,too.
I took off, high above thehumans.
“Don’t look if this is gonna upset you,” I mutteredtoGabe.
“No,” he growled back. “I don’t care anymore. There’s no reasoning with them. And they threatenedmybaby.”
I roared in rage. My love for my child made my flames burn even hotter. I shot a blast of white-blue fire directly into the front line of raiders that were running towards Lorenzo. The rest of them staggered back. A few tried to throw spears at me, but I was wiser this time. The same trick wasn’t going to worktwice.
In a flash of shimmering light, I created a barrier shaped like a bubble around Gabriel and I. They would never touch my mate ormybaby.
Confused by the sudden extra barrier, the humans seemed at a loss. In a blind fury, they began hurling weapons at us - which instantly burst into flames and dissolved into ashes the instant they touched thebarrier’sedge.
I smirked in satisfaction. We weredragons.Mere humans could do nothing to us - and it was time that they learned that the wolf shifters werepowerful,too.
I shot towards the ground, where Lorenzo was still straining to put up thebarrier.
Behind us was the huge hole in the wall. Almost every member of Stoneheart pack was gathered, eyes wide and mouths open in shock as they watched the scene unfold. None of them were brave enough to take a step outside the imaginaryboundary.
I put Gabe down, then shifted into my wolf form while still keeping the bubble around us. The Stoneheart shifters watchedinawe.
“Listen, all of you!” I shouted at them, my dragonspeech allowing me to communicate with them. “I am not just a dragon. I am a wolf, the same as you! It’s time you all took your freedom back from these mere humans. Wolvesneedfreedom!”
A few of them exchanged glances, butdidn’tmove.
Then, Gabriel shifted and took his place beside me, snout raised high and proud. “Please,” he called to his people. “We can’t let fear control us any longer. There’s a whole world outside these walls that you haven’t experienced. You shouldn’t have to live like caged animalsanymore!”
For a moment, my heart raced, and my chest was thick with contempt for these cowardly shifters. But then, someone steppedforward.
A young omega. And then, beside him, hisalpha.
“Otis! Dustin!” Gabrielcried.
“I’m with you, Gabriel,” Otis said, his fur fluffing up and making him look bigger than he really was. “I want to see theworld,too.”
“And me as well,” Dustinadded.
Another wolf joined them - an elder omega wolf with shaggy grey fur and wise eyes. “I, too, wishtohelp.”
“Marlowe,” Gabriel murmured inrelief.
A few more wolves cautiously stepped forward to join the growing group. When enough of them had come forward, I announced, “Good. Anyone who wants to fight for their freedom, come to me. We’ll hold the humans back while Gabriel and Lorenzo finish thebarrier.”
“Me?” Gabeasked.
I nodded firmly. “Yes. It won’t be the same if you don’t help. It needs that specialsomethingto make the barrier strong - and you have it. In your heart and soul, youcare about these people - about this pack. That’s what the clear magic needs.” I urged him closer to Lorenzo. “Now, go. We’ll watchyourback.”
