“You’re talking about confronting her directly,” Cal said. The bear alpha had been silent until now, his massive arms crossed over his chest. “In the water. Where she has every advantage.”
“Not in the water. Above it.” Aero met Cal’s gaze steadily. “Storm dragons are built for aerial combat. If I can engage her from the air, force her to redirect her focus to defending herself rather than building the wave?—”
“She almost killed you once before,” Beck interjected. “Sorry—almost killed Delos, and he’s younger and faster than you.”
“Delos is a fire dragon. His abilities are effective against sirens, but water remains a significant threat.” Aero kept his voice level despite the stab of guilt at the mention of his assistant. “Storm dragons are different. Our lightning, our windcontrol—we’re designed to fight in conditions that would ground other subspecies.”
“And if she summons another construct?” Cassia’s voice was quiet. “Like the one that hurt Delos?”
“Then I destroy it before it can form.” His hand found hers under the table, squeezing briefly. “Lightning disperses water constructs. As long as I maintain aerial superiority, she can’t build anything large enough to threaten me.”
“You’re talking about fighting a three-hundred-year-old siren alone.” Theo’s wolf was audible in his voice—the protective alpha assessing risk. “That’s not strategy. That’s suicide.”
“Not alone.” Cassia squeezed Aero’s hand back. “Our magic works… it works well in combination. When we fought the rogue wave that attacked the harbor, our powers synchronized. His lightning with my wind manipulation. We were able to accomplish things neither of us could have managed alone.”
“The tsunami will be significantly larger than a rogue wave,” Aero cautioned.
“So we practice.” Her chin lifted. “We have seventy-two hours. Time enough to figure out how to coordinate our abilities at scale. Time to learn how to fight as a unit without causing collateral damage.”
“And if you can’t figure it out in time?”
She met Theo’s gaze without flinching. “Then we figure it out during the fight. One way or another.”
The room fell silent. Aero watched the assembled alphas exchange glances—reading the unspoken communication of leaders who’d learned to trust each other through previous crises.
Finally, Leo spoke. “Okay. Three days. What do you need from us?”
Aero exhaled slowly. “Evacuation of the coastal zone. Quietly, if possible. Reinforce the ward anchors. Position thepack and pride to defend any civilians who can’t be moved.” He paused. “And someone needs to contact the Continental Council. If we fail?—”
“If you fail, they’ll need to know Haven Shores is under attack.” Wyatt’s voice was grim. “I’ll handle it. I have contacts who can relay information without causing a panic.”
“Good.” Aero looked around the table at the assembled leadership. Wolves. Lions. Bears. Witches. Shifters of every stripe who’d come when called, who’d set aside their own concerns to face a threat that wasn’t theirs to fight. “I know this isn’t your battle. Nerissa came here because of me?—”
“She came here because she’s a three-hundred-year-old psycho who can’t handle rejection.” Beck’s voice was flat. “That’s not on you, man. That’s on her.”
“Regardless of why she’s here, she’s threatening our home.” Theo stood, his presence filling the room with calm authority. “Our families. Our future. That makes it our fight.” His gaze swept the table. “Anyone disagree?”
Silence.
“Then we have work to do.” Theo nodded once. “Let’s get started.”
THIRTY-THREE
AERO
The planning continued until well past midnight.
They hammered out evacuation routes and contingency plans. They debated defensive positions and magical strategies. They argued about resources and timing and the hundred small decisions that could mean the difference between survival and catastrophe.
Through it all, Aero found his attention drifting to Cassia.
She threw herself into the planning with the same intensity she brought to everything—passionate, focused, refusing to accept limitations. When Hux suggested evacuating the fishing fleet, she pushed back with detailed arguments about the importance of maintaining their early warning network. When Junie proposed a complicated ward-strengthening ritual, Cassia offered modifications based on her knowledge of coastal magical currents.
She was brilliant. Fierce. Everything his dragon had recognized from the moment they met.
And she was exhausted. He could see it in the shadows under her eyes, the slight tremor in her hands, the way she leaned more heavily against the table as the hours wore on. She’d fought a siren that morning. Nearly drowned on dry land. And now, shewas pushing herself to stay awake and contribute to planning sessions that showed no sign of ending.
At 2:00 a.m., with the others dispersing at last to their own preparations, Aero found Cassia staring blankly at a weather projection, her eyes unfocused.
