The sight of Emin throwing his body in front of her shocked Ravenna more than the gun.
The Mate Bond vibrated in her nerves. She felt his primal possessiveness. The raw, stupid instinct to shield her with his own flesh.
Whine.
The drone's weapon peaked. Charging for the kill.
"Witch! Now!" Emin roared.
He braced for the blast. His hands cracked, bones reshaping as he began a partial, painful shift.
"Shield!" Damaris yelled. His face went tight with effort.
A bright blue barrier flickered into existence. It was thin and fragile. Barely holding the air together.
Asher moved like a blur. Driven by pure killing intent. He hurled two silver daggers, aiming for the machine's hydraulics.
Ravenna took a breath.
She forced the chaos down. Past the fear. Past the confusion.
She focused on the drone's glowing barrel.
This isn't a tantrum. This is survival.
She didn't aim. She pushed.
The surge shot from her hands. A concentrated wave of force and messy magic. It slammed into the charging weapon just as it fired.
BZZZZ-CRACK.
The weapon didn't explode outward. It imploded.
The energy turned inward, ripping the drone's shoulder socket apart. Metal screeched. Sparks showered the concrete like rain.
"Threat Level... Critical," the machine garbled. Its voice dropped an octave. "Retreating."
It stumbled. Speed dropping. It hobbled toward the exit like a wounded beetle.
Asher didn't let it go.
He sprinted. He leaped. He delivered a precise, steel-toed kick to the damaged knee joint.
Crash.
The drone went down. Heavy. Dead weight.
It was over.
The silence was immense. Broken only by their ragged breathing.
They were exhausted. Filthy. Bound by a volatile, vibrating energy.
Emin shifted back. The gold faded from his eyes, leaving only dark, human fury.
He didn't look at the drone. He looked at Ravenna.
He strode toward her. Radiating command.
"You will never use that power again without my authority!" he snarled. He planted himself in front of her, blocking out the world. "It is reckless! A beacon for every enemy in the city!"
Before Ravenna could answer, Damaris appeared.
His suit was singed. His face was rigid with panic.
"You will submit to my containment spells, Hybrid," Damaris commanded. His voice shook slightly. "That power must be stabilized. Your existence jeopardizes the calculation!"
Ravenna felt it. The familiar crush.
The Alpha demanding submission. The Warlock demanding control.
But something had changed.
The shared, raw pain of the bond still lingered. And it gave her a terrifying realization.
I can feel them. Which means I can hurt them.
She looked from Emin's burning eyes to Damaris's chilling gaze.
She planted her feet.
"Stop."
Her voice was steady. It wasn't the voice of a Luna. It wasn't the voice of a student.
It was the voice of Chaos.
Both men paused. Thrown off balance.
"I won't move. I won't run. I won't submit. And I won't raise my hand again until we have new rules."
She lifted her chin.
"I am not a weapon for you to fight over. We were almost killed by a toy because you two were arguing over whose cage I belonged in."
Asher walked back into the circle.
He wiped blood from his temple. He leaned against a rusted pillar, watching with cynical delight. He didn't speak. He just waited.
Ravenna seized the moment.
"You felt it," she whispered. She locked eyes with them. "You felt the connection. If one of us dies, we all feel the pain. My survival depends on my choices, not your commands."
She turned to Emin.
"No more forced submission, Alpha. You want me disciplined? Earn my respect. You want to touch me? Ask."
She turned to Damaris.
"No more binding spells, Warlock. You want my power analyzed? Ask for my participation. I am an ally, not a specimen."
Finally, she glared at Asher.
"And you, Rogue. No more using me as a diversion. We are a team. Whether we like it or not."
Emin roared. He stepped forward, chest heaving. "Impossible! I am the Alpha! I do not take orders from a—"
"You will," Ravenna cut him off. Her voice rang with finality.
"Because the next time I feel suffocated, I will blow up a bigger piece of this city. Nyzor will find us all. You need me stable to survive. And I need freedom to be stable."
The Mate Bond pulsed. It confirmed her threat.
The men felt it. The cold terror of Nyzor's hunters. Magnified by their own vulnerability.
Damaris, ever the strategist, went quiet. He did the math.
He slowly nodded.
"The logic is sound, Alpha. Her chaos is too immediate a threat to our primary objective. Coercion increases volatility."
Emin stood rigid. His entire being screamed against the order.
But he saw the truth. He felt the raw force of Ravenna's will.
He took a slow, painful breath.
"Fine," he grated out. The word sounded like it tore his throat. "We are bound by necessity. But if you betray us, Hybrid..."
"No threats," Ravenna warned. "Just survival."
Asher pushed off the pillar. A slow, triumphant grin spread across his face.
"Looks like we have a deal, Lords. The Hybrid sets the rules."
He looked at Ravenna. His green eyes shone with something new. Respect.
"Where to, Boss?"