The mountain was treacherous and unforgiving.
Snow lashed sideways, driven by winds that screamed through the ravines like hunting calls. The path down was narrow-little more than a series of switchbacks carved into sheer stone, half-buried beneath ice and old runes. Every step threatened to send them sliding into the abyss below.
Edward and Hazel supported each other, strength returning in uneven waves as Stacy's moon magic worked through them. Hazel moved with grim determination, her spine straight despite the tremor in her legs. Edward fought with his wolf, begging him to stay at bay, knowing if he shifted now it could kill him.
Stacy stayed close, one hand never leaving her mother's arm, the other glowing faintly as she maintained the healing flow. Every few steps, Olivia's shadows reached out, testing the dark for movement, while Nessa traced runes into the air that hovered briefly before sinking into the snow- wards against tracking, dampeners against hostile shadow magic.
They had gone less than half a mile when they all felt the shockwave of shadows and darkness. Edward swore under his breath. "They're here."
Olivia's jaw tightened. "Unseelie?"
"Yes," Edward said. " And they aren't scouts."
Hazel glanced over her shoulder at the mountain peak behind them, already obscured by storm. "Then we won't give them time to organize."
A howl answered her words. Low. Resonant. Wolf.
Colt emerged from the trees ahead, snow clinging to his dark hair, his usual blue eyes burned a shade of amber. Beside him, Niall stepped into view as if the forest itself had parted to allow him through- his presence sharp, electric, fae magic humming beneath his skin.
"We have to hurry" Colt said, voice calm but with edged with fury.
Stacy's breath caught. "Colt."
His gaze softened for a heartbeat as it found her-then hardened again as he took in Edward and Hazel's condition.
"They're coming," Niall said, already turning back toward the tree line. "In force."
"How many?" Olivia asked.
Niall smiled grimly. "Enough."
The first strike came without warning.
A lance of blackened frost magic tore through the air, slamming into the cliff face where they'd been standing seconds earlier. Snow and stone exploded outward as Unseelie warriors phased into existence along the ridgeline-sleek, cruel silhouettes wrapped in corrupted glamour. "Circle!" Colt barked.
They moved as one-Edward and Hazel protected at the center, Stacy anchoring the formation with moonlight that burned against the Unseelie magic like acid. Olivia's shadows flared outward, intercepting incoming spells, while Nessa's runes locked into place beneath their feet, stabilizing the ground.
Then Colt and Niall stepped forward. Together in unison. It wasn't coordination, it was pure instinct. Colt shifted mid-strike, bones cracking as his wolf surged forward. Declan was magnificent, massive, scarred, and lethal. At the same moment Niall blurred, fae speed carrying him up the cliff face as if gravity was just a mere suggestion.
An Unseelie blade came down toward Colt's spine, only to be intercepted by Niall's spear mid-air, runes along the shaft flaring as he twisted, using the enemy's momentum to tear the weapon free and drive it back through the chest of the Unseelie warrior.
Colt/Declan didn't slow.
He plowed through the front line, jaws snapping, claws ripping through enchanted armor as if it were paper. Every strike was deliberate-never wasted, never wild. Niall dropped from above, landing back-to-back with the wolf, spear sweeping in a lethal arc that took three heads cleanly off. They moved like they had trained together for centuries instead of only a few weeks.
"Left!" Colt growled.
Niall pivoted without looking, throwing a blade that embedded itself in an Unseelie throat just as Colt leapt, crushing another beneath his weight. Magic screamed around them.
Stacy raised her hands, moonlight surging outward in a controlled wave that forced the Unseelie back, their glamour flickering under its purity. "They're trying to flank!"
"I've got it," Olivia said, shadows exploding outward as she vanished-then reappeared behind the enemy line. Screams followed as darkness swallowed flesh.
Nessa slammed her staff into the snow, sending binding runes that ignited beneath the Unseelie, locking their feet in place just long enough.
Colt shifted back to human form mid-fight, catching a sword barehanded as it came toward his throat. He twisted, breaking the wielder's wrist, then drove his elbow into their sternum hard enough to cave it in. Niall was already there, finishing the kill without a word.
"You see that ridge?" Niall said between strikes. "Yeah," Colt replied, ducking under a blast of magic and snapping an Unseelie's neck. "We funnel them."
They move simultaneously- Colt drawing the attackers attention with brute force and presence, Niall manipulating terrain and sightlines, herding the Unseelie into a narrow choke point where numbers meant nothing.
It was beautiful and terrifying. Edward watched breath shallow, in awe. "They fight like the share a mind."
Hazel nodded. "They trust without a question."
The Unseelie realized their mistake too late.
Colt slammed his fist into the ground, triggering a shockwave that sent enemies stumbling, Niall's runes flared along the cliff wall, collapsing part of it and forcing the remaining attackers into a tight cluster.
Niall turned to Stacy and softly said "Now"
Stacy lifted her hands. Moonlight felt like judgement. The Unseelie screamed as their magic unraveled, bodies dissolving into ash and shadow under the Goddess's light. Those who survived fled, phasing out in panicked flashes. Silence crashed down as suddenly as the attack had begun.
Colt shifted back fully, chest heaving, blood streaming where it touched the snow. He looked to Niall, who met his gaze with a sharp nod.
"More will come," Niall said. "This was a test."
Colt wiped blood from his jaw. "Then they failed."
Stacy stumbled and sagged slightly, Hazel catching her. Edward reached for her, voice rough. "You did well."
She shook her head "We all did."
The group reformed, moving again down the mountain-faster now, urgency sharpening every step. Above them, the storm swallowed all traces of the battle. But far away, in halls of of black crystal and thorned iron, the Unseelie Court reeled. Their prison was empty, their plans were failing, and the twin flames were united....and the wolves and fae had just shown them what unity looked like in war.
The Calm
Thunder Heart slept uneasily.
The pack lands were quiet in the way that came after bloodshed- not peaceful, not calm, but braced. Fires burned along the perimeter. Guards walked slower, more alert. Even the river itself seemed subdued, its steady rush muted by fog and moonlight.
Colt stood at the edge of the water, boots abandoned on the bank, bare feet planted in the cold shallows. The icy current numbed the ache in his legs and hands, but it did nothing for the weight sitting behind his ribs.
He had shifted too many times today. Fought too hard. Pushed farther than his body wanted to go. Still not far enough to quiet his mind.
"You're going to freeze," Niall said from behind him.
Cold didn't turn. "Not yet."
Niall approached without sound, the way he always did when he didn't want to be heard. He stopped a few feet away, arms folded, gaze fixed on the water rather than Colt's back. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. It was the first time since the mountain that they were alone. No wounded, no councils, no plans being demanded from them by people who needed certainty they couldn't yet give. Just the two of them-and everything the hadn't said.
"You pulled left when you should've gone high, "Niall said eventually.
Colt snorted softly. "You filled the gap anyway."
"I always do."
That earned a low, tired laugh from Colt. He turned finally, studying Niall in the silver light. The fae looked as composed as ever- no visible injuries, posture relaxed-but Colt could see the strain beneath it. The faint tremor in his hands. The way his magic hummed too close to the surface. "You didn't have to come back with us." Colt said. "The Unseelie are going to be watching you now."
Niall's mouth curved into something sharp and humorless. "They already were."
Colt nodded. He had suspected as much. Silence settled again, thicker this time. "I felt it," Colt said quietly. "On the mountain."
Niall's gaze flicked to him. "Felt what."
"The Veil shifting. The way the magic...aligned." Colt clenched his fists. "I've fought alongside a lot of people, wolves. Alphas who swear they know what they're doing, and now fae." He met Niall's eyes. "I've never fought like that before."
Niall exhaled slowly. "Neither have I."
That surprised Colt. "You're centuries old."
"Yes," Niall said. "And for centuries, I've never trusted anyone enough to fight without contingency."
Colt absorbed that in silence. "You didn't hesitate," Colt said. "Not once."
"Neither did you," Niall replied. "That's what frightened me."
Colt huffed a breath. "Yeah, same." They both knew what that meant. Trust like that didn't form overnight. It didn't come from training or shared enemies alone. It came from something deeper-recognition, maybe. Or necessity so complete it stripped choice away.
"You knew where I'd be," Colt said. "Every time. When I shifted, when I drew them in-you were already moving."
Niall's eyes darkened. "Because you fight honestly."
Colt frowned. "That's a liability."
"It should be," Niall said. "But it isn't. Not with you."
The words landed heavier that Colt expected.
"I didn't plan to stay," Niall confessed. "After the rescue. I told myself I'd escort them down the mountain and return home with Nessa and the children."
Colt raised a brow. "You don't strike me as the type who lies to himself."
Niall gave a quiet laugh. "I'm very good at it." He stepped closer to the river, crouching to let the water rush over his hands. The water steamed faintly where it touch his skin. "I knew the moment the Unseelie struck," Niall said, voice low, "that there was no walking away anymore."
Colt leaned against a tree, crossing his arms. "Because of Stacy and Olivia."
"Yes," Niall said. Then after a beat, "And because of you."
Colt stiffened.
" You are going to paint a target on your pack," Niall continued. "You already have. The Unseelie does not tolerate wolves who refuse to be afraid."
Colt's jaw tightened. "We don't kneel."
"No," Niall agreed. "You don't." He straightened, water dripping from his fingers. "And now neither do I."
That drew Colt's full attention. "That's a hell of a choice."
"I've made worse," Niall said lightly.
Colt watched the river for a long moment. "You could still leave."
Niall's smile was small and real this time. "You could still ask me to."
Colt didn't. "You noticed it too." Colt said eventually. "Stacy and Olivia."
Niall nodded. "They're not just anchors. They're...corrections."
.
"Which makes them dangerous." Colt said.
"Which makes everyone want them." Niall replied. "Including people who will tell themselves they're doing it for the greater good."
Colt's hands curled into fists. "Not happening"
"That's why I'm staying." Niall said simply. "Because you'll need someone who understands the Courts- and who won't flinch when they come smiling."
Colt studied him carefully. "You're not doing this out of loyalty."
"No." Niall agreed. "But you treated me like I mattered before I proved my worth. I know what wolves are taught about my kind," Niall continued. "That we bargain, that everything has a price, that we play with words to manipulate." He met Colt's gaze steadily. "You never asked me for anything."
Colt shrugged. "Didn't see the point."
Niall huffed a laugh. "Exactly."
They stood in companionable silence as the moon climbed higher until Colt said quietly "Richard's gone."
"Yes," Niall said "And that worries me more than if he were dead." Colt nodded in agreement. "He knows too much," Niall continued. "And he believes- truly believes- that what he did was necessary."
Colt's voice went cold. "Necessary is the word monsters use when the don't want to say 'convenient."
Niall inclined his head. "You'd be surprised how many Courts were built on that philosophy."
Colt looked back toward the sleeping pack lands. "They'll come here, they won't stop. We need to prepare." Colt paused "Why do you trust me?"
Niall didn't answer right away. "Because you are afraid." he said finally. "And you act anyway. Because you love your people more than that you love being right. Because when you could have claimed power today-when the mountain broke and the magic answered-you didn't. You stepped back and let Stacy lead."
Colt nodded "We're going to lose people. We're going to make enemies we can't kill" Colt looked at him "You still in?"
Niall didn't hesitate. "Until the Veil is stable- or until I'm dead."
Colt extended his hand. Niall clasped it without ceremony. Their grip was firm. Equal. Not an oath. Something older. The kind of bond forged in battle and sealed silence. Above them, the moon watched.
And far beyond Thunder Heart, the Unseelie Court began to plan.