Page 54 of Wolf of the Storm
Declan shifts and gives chase, but I know—we all know—it's futile. Connor planned this. Planned every step.
I stand in the ruined study, rain blowing through the shattered window, glass crunching under my feet. The journals are soaked. The trap has failed. And somewhere out there, Connor and his loyalists are hunting four more people with old bloodlines before coming for me.
Jax appears at my side, still human. "Are you hurt?"
"No." I watch Declan's wolf form disappear into the darkness. "But we're out of time. Three more people are going to die, and Connor already knows who they are. And then he comes for me."
"We protect you," Jax says fiercely. "That's non-negotiable."
"Protecting me isn't enough." I lean against the desk. "When I became Declan's mate, when I transformed... I didn't just become a shifter. I became storm-touched. The mate bond gave me his bloodline, his power. I'm not just the mate bond he needs—I'm also storm blood now. One death, the final seal. I'm twice as valuable to him as any other target."
"Then we make sure he never gets close."
But we both know Connor's had years to plan this. Young wolves from all three packs supporting him. Four morebloodline holders to hunt before he comes for me. How do we stop something that's been building for this long?
Through the broken window, lightning illuminates the cliff's edge where the power hums strongest. The place where Connor needs me dead to complete his plan.
I touch the mate bond, feel Declan's fury and fear pulsing through it. Feel his determination to keep me safe no matter the cost.
But keeping me safe isn't enough anymore. We need to stop Connor. Stop the killings. Stop all seven seals from breaking.
And we need to do it while fighting enemies we can't identify, traitors hidden within our own ranks.
"It's war now," I whisper.
Jax's expression is grim. "It's been war. We just didn't know it."
In the distance, a wolf howls—not Declan, not any of the pack I know. It's answered by another. And another. Connor's recruits, announcing themselves. Drawing lines.
The storm rages around Clifftop House, and through the mate bond, I feel Declan racing back, desperate to reach me.
I pick up one of my aunt's journals that didn't get completely soaked, flip through water-stained pages. My hands shake as I search for the passage I glimpsed earlier when I was researching bloodline magic and the convergence points.
There—a ritual counter. A way to reinforce the seals if someone with the right bloodline performs the counter-magic at each convergence point before Connor completes his plan.
Storm blood protects what storm blood guards,
my aunt's handwriting reads.
The Storm Alphas have always been the island's first defense. Their bloodline carries the power of wind and lightning, the ability to shield and ward. That same power, properly channeled, can reinforce the seals at each convergence point. But only if the magic runs true in living veins. Only if the storm answers the call.
My heart pounds. The mate bond gave me storm blood. Declan's power flows through me now, part of the transformation that made me a shifter.
But is it enough? The storm blood came through the mate bond, not through eight generations of inheritance. Will it answer when I call? Or will I be standing at a convergence point with nothing but hope when Connor and his followers close in?
When Declan returns, I'm already at the page, my finger tracing my aunt's careful notes about storm blood and protective magic.
"Eliza." His voice is raw as he shifts back to human, rain streaming down his body. "Whatever you're thinking...”
"There's a counter-ritual." I look up at him, meeting his eyes. "Storm blood. Your bloodline. The Storm Alphas have always protected the island. My aunt’s notes indicate it is only the fated mate of the alpha that can reinforce the seals at each convergence point. Prevent Connor from completing his ritual."
Understanding dawns in his expression, followed immediately by fury.
"You're talking about yourself. About using the storm blood from the mate bond."
"Aunt Maureen seemed to think that only storm blood can protect the convergence points. I have your blood now, Declan.Through the bond, through the transformation." I touch the page. "If it's strong enough, if it works the same as inherited power, I might be able to stop Connor from breaking the remaining seals."
"And what if it's not strong enough?" His voice is harsh. "What if the storm blood you carry through the mate bond isn't the same as the bloodline I inherited from eight generations of Storm Alphas? What happens when you try this ritual at a convergence point and the storm doesn't answer? When you're standing there vulnerable with Connor and his followers closing in?"
