Page 48 of The Alpha's Shattered Bonds

A rush of dread hit me the moment Tyler breached the protective circle. I reached skyward, sending out a pulse from my shimmering barrier to collide with the first wave of Black Moon wolves, sending them crashing to the icy ground. They crumpled beneath the force, and the Silver Moon warriors seized their moment, fangs and claws descending upon their enemies.

Yet, my attention was pulled back to the dark witch as she closed in, her indigo robes swirling in the night. A silver-furred wolf lunged toward the witch in defiance, but with a single flick of her wrist, Elvira summoned a ball of dark energy that exploded, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.

In mere moments, injured wolves started to stream back into my protective circle. The sanctuary I had envisioned held firm. Drawing strength from the ores buried deep in the earth, as well as the tagiu ores and the pentagram rune, I felt my blood sing with raw power. With determination thrumming in my veins,I sent my magic rippling through the pentagram, hurling it toward Elvira like a comet.

But she was quick, too. Summoning the dark power of the medallion, she raised a churning wall of inky smoke, hurling it at my barrier. My magic collided violently with hers, but Elvira merely smirked, darkness spilling into the ground like a tide threatening to drown us all.

Tendrils of ink erupted from the snow, ensnaring an injured wolf within my circle. I felt the air crackle with tension as I concentrated fiercely on the ores arrayed before me, their flickering light a defiance against the encroaching shadows. Determined, I channeled the energies from the ores and runes, pushing back Elvira’s dark tendrils from the circle.

Frustrated, Elvira unleashed her anger on our ranks. A courageous Silver Moon leaped forward, only to be brutally impaled on a jagged spear of ice she conjured.

Adrenaline surged through my veins, urgency pushing me to send my magic out to fight her, protecting the silver wolves arcing around her.

Tyler’s howl cut through the cacophony, rallying the Silver Moon pack as they attacked the lines of Black Moons coming from the shadows. My heart hammered as I knew we were at a disadvantage—becoming overwhelmed by the surge of Black Moon wolves swarming our ranks all too quickly.

Every moment, another silver wolf came back to the confines of my protective barrier, their open wounds increasing my dread. I longed to turn my healing magic on them, but my energy was wholly spent maintaining the barrier and trying to combat Elvira’s strikes.

Nearby, a wide-headed, silvery-furred wolf—Logan—clashed with a particularly large Black Moon attacker. Their confrontation erupted in a fury of snarls and snapping jaws, a fierce battle that interrupted my concentration.

I summoned my power, sending tendrils of magic outward, wrapping them around the paws of the Black Moon wolf engaging Logan.

Elvira was now a mere ten feet from me, her eyes glinting with dark satisfaction.

“You think you can save them?” she shouted, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, coaxing forth dark energy with every flick of her fingers.

Her incantations wormed through my mind, dragging painfully like nails on a chalkboard. The medallion pulsed, its dark magic nearly overwhelming.

Suddenly, howls erupted from the south, sending a jolt of panic through me. Were the Black Moons attacking from that direction, too?

Scanning the southern slope, past the bleach-white houses, a thrill of recognition bristled through me. A mix of yellow, gray, and red wolves surged through the night, pushing toward us with purpose. The yellow coats of the Shadow Moon wolves, the gray-furred Moonlight wolves, and the red-coated Blood Moon wolves had come to our aid.

Shock ricocheted through me. How had they arrived here in our hour of need? A brown wolf was the first to reach the sparring circle, accompanied by a massive yellow wolf. I blinked in disbelief. Only one brown wolf in all the packs I knew bore thosemarkings—Selina. She had once belonged to the Nightwing Pack before finding her mate, Alexis, the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, who was the golden wolf at her side.

In the heat of battle, there was no time to wonder more. But together, with their allies, they fell upon the Black Moons. I watched in awe as they charged valiantly, fierce determination glinting in their eyes.

Elvira’s expression twisted into a scowl—fury feeding her magic. She redirected her icy spears toward them, but my resolve flared brighter. I poured energy into the pentagram, its light pulsing defiantly against the looming shadows. I drew strength from all my allies, feeling their willingness to fight fill my heart as they joined the fight, creating a tidal wave against Elvira’s oppressive darkness.

A howl rose from our pack, a rallying cry that electrified the air. Fueled by the combined strength of our bonds, I channeled my magic forward, releasing a cascade of shimmering power toward Elvira. For a brief moment, her dark magic faltered, and my heart sang with excitement.

But she deflected my next attack, unleashing a wall of darkness against my waves of green light. Elvira’s glare bore into me, a threat filled with promise as she began another incantation. Energy crackled through my fingertips as I prepared another blast for her. The night was thick with the sounds of battle—snarls and howls mingling with the whines of injured warriors.

Once again, I discerned Tyler’s distinctive howl erupting nearby. I focused on the sound, drawing energy from the thought of his strength and fierceness. Grounding down into the depths of my magic, I focused on what we were fighting for: ourpacks, my parents’ memory, and everyone we loved. I channeled everything I had into the well of my magic, feeling as if this could be the strike that finally ended Elvira’s reign of terror.

But before I could unleash it, a sudden shift startled me from behind. All I saw was a flash of silver before I was sent sprawling forward, and the ground rushed up to meet me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tyler

As often as I could, I had been glancing back from the battle to check on Seraphina. A flash of silvery fur streaking across the sparring ring behind her caught my eye now. The wolf moved too quickly for any injured member of our pack. Panic unfurled in my chest as I recognized the threat: Linda. While Seraphina’s wards kept out the Black Moons, Linda was technically a Silver Moon.

Adrenaline surged through me as I propelled myself toward the threat. My heart pounded fiercely in my furry chest as I lunged toward the pentagram’s radiant lines, shimmering with Seraphina’s vibrant green magic.

Time flickered into a cruel snapshot, and the world narrowed to a tunnel where only Linda remained, claws gleaming ominously in the flickering torchlight, teeth bared in a lethal snarl. I leaped forward to shield Seraphina, relieved as my body shielded her. Then, raw pain ignited as Linda’s claws raked into my flank. It spread like fire and ice, slicing through my body and shoving the breath from my lungs as I crumpled to the ground, knocking into Seraphina as I fell.

“No!” Seraphina screamed, her voice slicing through the din, her voice laced with terror.

In an instant, a burst of brilliant light erupted around me, and the pressure on my side released. I caught a glimpse ofSeraphina, radiant and fierce, her power enveloping me and catapulting Linda’s wolf back.

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