Later, in the chambers, the weight of the day lifted a little when I closed the door behind us.
The children were waiting on the furs, the nursery won having brought them up early. Lila ran to the mont I stepped inside, her small arms wrapping around my legs.
Thorne and Elara crawled across the furs toward , their knees and elbows working in determined little circles. They were more active every day, their babbles turning into strings of sounds that almost sounded like words. Lila pointed at them and said, "They try to stand. Like ."
I knelt and pulled all three of them into my lap. Lila climbed higher, resting her head against my shoulder. Thorne pushed himself up on wobbly legs, hands gripping the edge of a low bench. He looked at , eyes wide with surprise, and took one unsteady step. Then another. Elara saw him and pushed up beside him, her tiny feet finding the floor. She took three steps before dropping back to her knees with a delighted squeal.
Lila clapped her hands and cheered. "They walk! They walk like !"
I opened my arms and let them tumble into . Thorne fell against my chest, laughing. Elara crawled the rest of the way and grabbed my braid with both hands. I held them close, their small hearts beating fast against mine, and felt sothing loosen in my chest that had been tight since the raid.
The kings joined us a few minutes later. Darius knelt beside , one hand on Thorne’s back. Kane sat on the floor and let Elara climb all over him. Rylan stretched out with Lila on his chest, his fingers brushing my knee.
The bond between the four of us felt steady and warm. The strike had been fast and brutal, but we had co ho with the information we needed. The twins babbled louder, their voices overlapping in excited sounds. Lila asked again about the bad wolves, her small face serious.
I held them close and let their warmth chase away the cold of the day.
**********************
The gates groaned open under a pale dawn sky, admitting a single rider leading a second horse with a slumped figure tied across the saddle.
I stood in the bailey with the kings beside , the cold morning air sharp against my face. The rider dismounted and pulled the man down, supporting him until he could stand on his own feet. The captive was one of our own scouts, his shirt torn open to reveal fresh cuts carved deep across his chest. The runes spelled a single, unmistakable demand: the children by the next full moon or every outer village would burn.
The pack quickly gathered in a wide circle, their boots sinking into the mud, eyes fixed on the bloody symbols.
Lila clung to my leg, her small hand tight in my tunic. Thorne and Elara nestled in the sling against my chest, their warm weight steady against the wind.
I knelt beside the scout and read the carved words again, my fingers hovering just above the wounds without touching them. The man’s breathing was shallow, his eyes pleading as he looked up at .
"My queen, Ve-Vespera sends this," he rasped. "She says the twins carry the key to remaking the curse. She wants them alive. Deliver them by the next full moon or she will start burning the farms one by one until nothing is left."
The hall filled quickly after that. I called the pack inside, the torches throwing long shadows across the stone.
The scout stood in the center, wrists bound, the carved demand still visible on his chest. I stood at the head table with the children close, Lila on my hip and the twins in the sling. The kings flanked , their presence solid and unyielding.
I spoke without raising my voice. "Vespera believes my children’s blood can be twisted into a weapon for her empire. She thinks we will hand them over out of fear. She is wrong. Fucking bitch!"
The pack murmured. So gammas shifted in their seats. Calder remained silent in the front row, his face tight but his mouth closed for once.
I looked at the scout. "You ca to us as one of our own. You carried her ssage. Now I end your suffering so you can find peace."
I drew my blade and ended his suffering with one clean cut across his throat. He sagged to the floor, blood pooling on the stone. No cheers rose. No gasps. Just the quiet acceptance that the line had been drawn again.
I wiped the blade and sheathed it. "We do not wait for the next ssage," I said. "We strike first. Gather the best riders. We plan the attack on their main camp tonight."
Kane fell on the left next to "Vespera is becoming a threat to us every day and night."
"I’m aware of that and we would take care of her how she deserves soon." I replied warmly.
The pack dispersed with purpose. I turned back toward the war room with the kings at my side. Darius walked on my right, his hand brushing my elbow once in silent support. Kane stayed on my left, his scarred fingers flexing near his knife. Rylan took the rear, axe resting across his shoulder, his steps asured.
We spread the captured maps across the table. The Nightthorn camp lay three ridges over, hidden in a narrow valley the scouts had marked two days earlier. I traced the route with my finger, noting the narrow passes and the open ground near the center.
"We go at dusk tomorrow," I said. "Small force. Twenty riders. We hit the outer sentries first, then drive straight for Vespera’s tent. We take her alive if we can. Dead if we must. But we end this before they carve another warning into one of our own."
Darius studied the map. "The valley is tight. We send two teams around the ridges to block their escape. The main force drives through the center."
Kane nodded. "I take the left flank. Rylan takes the right. You stay in the center with the main group."
Rylan’s fingers tapped the table. "We burn the supplies they have stored. Starve them of resources while we take their leader. They will scatter after that."
I looked at the three of them and nodded in agreent to the plan. The bond between us felt steady, the argunt from the night before settled into sothing stronger. They stood with now, not over . They had learned.
The rest of the afternoon passed in planning. We marked every route, every contingency, every position for the riders.
The children stayed in the nursery with the won, their laughter drifting down the corridor every so often. I let the sound anchor while we worked.
Thorne and Elara were crawling faster every day. Lila was marching around the nursery declaring herself queen of the furs. They were the reason we planned this strike. They were the reason we would not wait.
By evening the plan was set. I walked the corridors with the kings, checking the guard rotations one last ti. The keep felt alive with purpose. Wolves nodded as we passed, their eyes sharp, their steps purposeful. The pack had chosen to stand with after the last council. They would ride with now.
We returned to the chambers as the sun dropped behind the western ridge. The children were already asleep in the big bed, tangled together in a pile of limbs and blankets. Lila had one arm flung over Thorne. Elara curled against her brother’s back. I stood in the doorway for a long mont, watching their small chests rise and fall.
The kings stayed close behind . Darius rested a hand on my shoulder. Kane brushed his fingers along my arm. Rylan leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of my neck.
We would ride at dusk tomorrow.
We would end this threat before it carved another warning into our walls.
I turned to the three of them and felt the bond settle deeper, stronger than it had been since the night I returned from Shadowpine. The children slept safe close to us. The keep held. The wall I held inside myself was still standing.
************************
First light ca in a blink and we were already up, preparing for the attack on that fucking bitch Vespera. We gathered the maps, supplies, weapons and everything we would need and ride straight to her camp.
The open field stretched wide under the gray sky, the grass still wet from the night’s rain. I rode at the front with the kings beside , twenty riders behind us, the best the keep had.
The wind cut across my face, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. The Nightthorn forces waited on the far side, their banners dark against the horizon. Vespera stood at the center, her two mates flanking her, their figures unmistakable even from this distance.
I pulled my horse to a stop at the agreed line. The kings halted with . The bond between us burned hot and steady, carrying their focus straight into my chest.
Darius’s ice-blue eyes scanned the enemy line without blinking. Kane’s scarred hand rested on the hilt of his knife. Rylan’s fingers flexed on the reins, his axe strapped across his back.
Vespera rode forward alone, her dark cloak billowing behind her. She stopped twenty paces short and looked straight at . Her face was sharp, her eyes the color of old blood. Her mate stayed back, his horse shifting restlessly.
"Did you bring the children’s blood to ," she called, voice carrying clear across the grass. "Or you ca to dig your own graves."
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