Page 49 of Bearly Bewitched

“Then that’s where we need to be.” Kaine shifted back to human just long enough to organize their approach. “Rook, take your pride east. Clear us a path. Xabir, your wolves west. Box them in. Daisy?—“

“I can help.” Her quiet certainty reminded him of Sabine’s strength. “The curse shows me the way.”

They moved as one unit through darkened halls. Shadow creatures lunged from every corner, but coordinated attacks drove them back. Rook’s pride moved with lethal grace while Xabir’s pack maintained defensive formations. Through it all, Daisy walked with strange calm, her small hand trailing through corrupt energy like it was water.

When they reached the ritual chamber’s entrance, the sight nearly stopped Kaine’s heart. Vail lay crumpled on the ground, blood staining her shirt where corruption had burned through. Ledger stood over her, the crystal’s power gathering for a killing blow.

Kaine’s roar shook dust from the ceiling as he charged. But it was Daisy who stepped forward first, her voice carrying quiet authority: “That’s enough.”

Power exploded outward—not destruction, but the same rebalancing force that ran through her curse. The crystal’s light faltered as she touched corrupted patterns and... adjusted them. Sabine was there instantly, her ancient magic supporting Daisy’s efforts while Ren’s dragon fire purged tainted energy.

Ledger staggered, the crystal’s perfect geometric patterns beginning to crack. “Impossible. The curse cannot be?—“

“Cannot be controlled?” Sabine’s tiger grace flowed into spellcraft learned across centuries. “Or cannot be understood? Children often see truth more clearly than adults.”

The crystal pulsed once, desperately trying to maintain its hold. But Daisy simply reached out andtwistedsomething in its underlying pattern. Corruption turned to cleansing force, racing back through the academy’s wards. The change rippled outward like a stone dropped in still water.

Kaine barely noticed Ledger’s final attempt to flee, or how Rook’s pride and Xabir’s pack ensured he wouldn’t escape justice this time. All his attention focused on Vail as he gathered her carefully into his arms. Her skin felt too cold, but her heart beat steady against his palm.

“That,” she managed, voice hoarse, “was not how I planned to spend my morning.”

Relief made him almost dizzy. “At least it wasn’t boring.”

“If you two are done being disgustingly cute,” Romi called down another lightning strike to clear lingering shadows, “we should probably check on Ames.”

They found him unconscious but alive, the crystal’s corruption purged from his system by Daisy’s intervention. As Clover’s earth magic and the twin elders’ experience worked toheal both him and Vail, Kaine watched his niece examine the academy’s restored wards with fascination.

“You did good, kid.” He rested a hand on her shoulder, bear warmth chasing away lingering cold. “Your dad would be proud.”

“We all did good.” She leaned against him, suddenly just a tired child after showing such extraordinary strength. “That’s what family means, right? Being stronger together?”

Kaine gathered her close, his bear’s protective instincts finally beginning to settle. Through the windows, they watched the eclipse’s shadow retreat, leaving renewed warmth in its wake. Vail caught his eye from where Clover treated her wounds, her smile carrying promises of later privacy.

They’d need time to fully heal the academy’s magical foundations, to understand everything they’d learned about curse magic and hybrid power. But watching their found family work together—Sabine and Ren reinforcing wards, Romi and Xabir coordinating cleanup efforts, Rook and Clover tending the wounded—Kaine knew they’d face whatever came next the same way they’d faced this crisis.

FORTY-SEVEN

Dawn painted the academy grounds in soft gold as the last shadows of the eclipse faded. Vail stood watching cleanup efforts from the library steps, her body aching from magical exhaustion and corruption burns. But it wasn’t physical pain that made her hands tremble slightly.

The image of Kaine charging through those shadow creatures, his massive bear form placing itself between danger and those he protected, kept replaying in her mind. She’d spent so long building walls around her heart, convinced that letting someone in would make her weak. But watching him today—seeing how his strength complemented hers, how their trust in each other had helped save everything they loved...

A delighted squeal drew her attention. Across the courtyard, Romi had launched herself into Xabir’s arms, her feet dangling as she peppered his face with kisses. “My big bad wolf,” she teased, lightning still occasionally crackling in her hair. “Getting all heroic with your strategic genius.”

The alpha wolf’s usual stoic expression softened as he held her close. “Says the witch who literally called down lightning on our enemies.”

“I love it when you talk tactical to me.”

Near the restored ward stone, Clover was fussing over a cut on Rook’s arm while the alpha tiger tried to maintain his dignified image. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Just a scratch.”

“Just a scratch?” She dabbed healing salve on the wound, making him wince. “You literally took on three shadow creatures at once.”

“Four,” he corrected, then immediately regretted it when she glared. “I mean... it was nothing?”

“Nothing?” She poked his chest. “I saw you shift mid-leap to protect those students. It was incredibly brave.” Her voice softened. “And incredibly hot.”

His ears actually turned red as he pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair.

Sabine and Ren moved with their usual fluid grace, checking the restored wards together. But even their practiced efficiency held new tenderness. Every few steps, Ren’s hand would brush Sabine’s lower back or she’d lean briefly into his solid warmth. Ancient dragon and reborn witch, moving in perfect harmony.

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