Aurelia's POV
The courtyard filled faster than I expected.
Wolves poured in from every path—warriors gripping weapons, elders wrapped in authority and fear, omegas clutching children to their chests. The air buzzed with panic, sharp and electric, and beneath it all I felt the ward's wound like an open nerve.
East.
Always east.
I stepped into the center of the courtyard before anyone could stop me.
The ground responded immediately, a low hum vibrating up through the soles of my boots. Not power exploding—power waiting.
Lucien was at my right, wings tucked but tense. Raffyn took my left, fire coiled and ready. Talon stood just behind me, a quiet presence anchoring my spine.
Silvara remained at the edge, watchful.
"They've breached the ward," a warrior shouted. "Nightfall scouts are inside the perimeter!"
A wave of fear rolled through the crowd.
Elder Bram pushed forward, his face drawn and pale. "This is exactly what we feared."
"No," I said clearly. "This is exactly what hiding caused."
Every eye turned to me.
The moment stretched.
Then someone whispered my name—not with accusation, but with hope.
I lifted my chin. "Nightfall didn't breach our ward because I exist. They breached it because fear opened the door."
Murmurs rippled.
"They promised safety," I continued, voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "And fear listened. That's how Jarek wins."
A growl rumbled from the crowd. Anger replacing panic.
Raffyn smiled slightly.
Talon's voice carried calmly. "We can seal the breach. But only if we act together."
"And how do you propose that?" Bram demanded.
I felt the magic stir again, brushing against my awareness like a question.
"By letting me stand where the fear is," I said.
Lucien stiffened. "Aurelia—"
"I'm not walking into Nightfall territory," I said quickly. "I'm walking into our weakness."
The ground beneath me warmed.
Silver light crept faintly along the cracks from before, not tearing upward this time—threading, weaving.
"I won't be caged," I said. "And I won't be traded. But I will protect this pack if you let me."
Silence fell.
Then a warrior stepped forward—the sister of the girl I'd saved in the market. Her jaw was set, eyes fierce.
"I trust her," she said. "She didn't run when my sister screamed."
Another voice followed. Then another.
Fear didn't vanish—but it shifted.
Bram looked around, realizing control was slipping from his grasp. "And if this fails?"
I met his gaze evenly. "Then I will bear the blame. Not the pack."
The ward trembled again—harder this time.
No more waiting.
Talon moved to my side. "The breach is widening."
Silvara finally spoke. "Then it's time."
She stepped forward, raising her hands. The air changed—cool, sharp, ancient.
I felt the magic inside me respond, not rushing, not resisting.
Listening.
"Focus east," Silvara instructed. "Don't force the seal. Invite it."
I closed my eyes.
The ward wasn't broken—it was afraid. Stretched thin, unraveling under pressure.
I reached—not with strength, but intention.
Hold.
Silver threads spilled from me, weaving into the torn magic like stitches closing a wound. Water surged beneath the soil, reinforcing the seal. Fire licked along the edges, cauterizing weakness. And above it all, something luminous and steady wrapped around the structure—Lucien's light, anchoring the pattern.
The ward snapped closed.
The hum died.
The forest exhaled.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke.
Then a roar rose from the crowd—relief, awe, belief crashing together.
I sagged, breath tearing from my chest.
Lucien caught me instantly. "You did it."
"No," I whispered. "We did."
Silvara smiled faintly. "Exactly."
Bram stared at the sealed perimeter, then at me. "You just changed everything."
I nodded weakly. "Good."
Because somewhere beyond the trees,
I felt it—
Jarek's attention sharpening.
This wasn't a warning anymore.
It was a declaration.
And he would answer it.