POV: Kael
I move without thinking.
Throw myself between Isaac's Moonborn blast and Seraphina. The white energy slams into my chest, throwing me backward.
Kael! Seraphina screams.
I hit the ground hard but roll back to my feet. Through the mate bond, I feel her terror not for herself, for me.
Impressive, Isaac says calmly. Most wolves wouldn't survive that hit.
You, Seraphina breathes. It was you all along?
Not all along. Isaac steps fully into the cell area. Guards rush in, but he waves his hand. White light pins them to the walls. Only for the last thirty years.
You're her uncle, I growl. You're supposed to protect her!
I am protecting her. From herself. Isaac looks at Seraphina with something that might be genuine sadness. Do you know what the prophecy actually says, child?
That I'll unite the packs, Seraphina says.
No. The full prophecy says: 'The last Luna born of moonlight shall either unite all wolves or destroy them utterly.' Isaac's voice is grim. Your mother was supposed to be that Luna. But she fell in love, had you, and died before fulfilling her destiny.
So I took over the plan, he continues. I spent thirty years setting everything in motion. Finding you. Binding your power so it wouldn't manifest too early. Arranging for Marcus to meet you and bring you here.
My stomach drops. You controlled everything.
Not controlled. Guided. Isaac smiles. I needed Seraphina in the right place at the right time. Silvercrest Pack is the heart of North America's wolf territory. Perfect staging ground for unification.
Did you kill Marcus? Seraphina's voice shakes.
I ordered it, yes. Through Damien. Isaac glances at the Elder, who's cowering in the corner. Marcus served his purpose bringing you here, keeping you stable while your binding matured. But the mate bond with Kael needed to activate. Marcus had to die.
Rage floods through me. You murdered my brother for your plan?
I sacrificed one wolf to save thousands. Isaac's eyes flash. The packs are fracturing. Wars coming. Without a prophesied Luna to unite them, we'll destroy ourselves within a generation.
So you manipulated my entire life? Seraphina steps forward. My mother's death, my marriage, everything?
Your mother's death was an accident, Isaac says quietly. She discovered what I was planning and tried to stop me. We fought. She died. I've regretted it every day since.
You killed your own sister, Seraphina whispers.
To save the future! Isaac's power flares. Don't you understand? You gave up your Moonborn abilities to save one wolf. But I need you to use them to save everyone!
I don't have them anymore, Seraphina says. I gave them to Kael.
Isaac smiles. No, you didn't. You think you did. But Moonborn power can't be destroyed. Only transferred.
He looks at me. It's in him now. All of it.
I freeze. What?
When she healed you, she poured her power into you through the mate bond. Isaac's eyes gleam. You're carrying the prophesied Luna's abilities. You just don't know how to access them yet.
Through the bond, I feel Seraphina's shock mirroring my own.
Why tell us this? I demand.
Because now I can use you both. Isaac's voice hardens. Seraphina's bloodline plus Kael's Alpha dominance. Together, you're exactly what the prophecy predicted. And you will unite the packs willingly or not.
He raises both hands. Massive amounts of white light gather around him.
I'll force the bond onto every pack in North America. Use your combined power as the anchor. It'll hurt. You might not survive. But the packs will be united.
You're insane, Seraphina says.
I'm desperate. Isaac's power builds. Thirty years of planning. I won't let it fail now.
The cell door explodes again. Natasha rushes in, power blazing.
Uncle, stop! she shouts.
Isaac barely glances at her. Stay out of this, Natasha. You're not strong enough to
She blasts him with Moonborn energy. He staggers, surprised.
I learned from the best, Natasha says. You taught me everything. Including how to hide my true power.
Her eyes blaze brighter. White light surrounds her more than I've seen from her before.
You're stronger than you showed, Isaac realizes.
Strong enough to stop you. Natasha positions herself between Isaac and us. Run! Both of you!
I'm not leaving you, Seraphina says.
You have to! Natasha doesn't look back. If he gets you both, he wins. The forced bonding happens. Thousands of wolves lose their free will.
Isaac attacks. Natasha blocks. The two Moonborn powers clash white light against white light, creating shockwaves that crack the walls.
I grab Seraphina's hand. We go. Now.
We run. Behind us, the battle intensifies. I hear Natasha scream pain or effort, I can't tell.
We burst out of the building. The allied Alphas are waiting with their packs.
What's happening? the scarred Alpha demands.
Isaac betrayed us, I say quickly. He's trying to force a bond onto all packs. We need
An explosion rocks the compound. The holding building collapses in a cloud of dust and Moonborn light.
Natasha! Seraphina screams, trying to run back.
I hold her back. You can't
A figure walks out of the rubble. Isaac, barely scratched. In his hand, he drags Natasha's unconscious body.
Last chance, he calls across the clearing. Submit to the bonding willingly, and I'll spare her. Refuse, and I kill your cousin right now.
Seraphina's hand trembles in mine. Through our bond, I feel her being torn apart. Save Natasha or save everyone's free will.
Don't do it, I whisper. He's bluffing.
Am I? Isaac lifts his hand. White light crackles around Natasha's throat.
Stop! Seraphina shouts. I'll do it. Just let her go.
No, I say firmly. We're not giving in to
Something inside me shifts. Heat floods my chest. Power vast and ancients urges through my veins.
Seraphina's Moonborn abilities. They're waking up. In me.
I can suddenly feel every pack bond within miles. The threads connecting wolves to their Alphas. The mate bonds. The family connections.
All of it laid out before me like a map.
And I understand what Isaac wants to do. Force all these bonds together into one massive network with Seraphina and me as the center.
It would work. It would unite the packs.
But it would also destroy every wolf's free will forever.
Isaac sees my eyes glowing. He smiles. Good. You're finally awakening. Now come here, both of you. Let's finish what your mother started.