Sera's POV
The fifth month starts with an emergency.
Sera! Asher bursts into my room at dawn, phone in hand, face pale. We have a problem.
I bolt upright, instantly alert. Through the bonds, I feel his genuine panic. What happened?
Victoria. She's taken Axel.
My heart stops. Axelmy five-year-old half brother. The one innocent in my family's mess.
What do you mean taken? I demand, already throwing on clothes.
She fled Silverclaw territory last night with your brother. Left a message for your father if you come after them, she'll kill the boy. She wants safe passage out of Council jurisdiction in exchange for his life.
That's insane. Why would she Understanding dawns. Me. She wants me to come.
It's a trap, Kade states, appearing in the doorway with Ryker. Both look grim. Obviously, a trap.
I don't care, I say, pulling on boots. He's five years old. Innocent. I won't let him die because of me.
We're coming with you, Ryker states. Not a question.
She said
We don't care what she said, Kade interrupts. You're not facing her alone.
Magnus arrives within the hour, having heard the news through Council channels. This is Morgana's doing, he says grimly. Victoria was working with her. I found records they've been corresponding for months. This was always the plan.
What plan? I ask, though dread already tells me the answer.
To force you into a situation where you have to use your power aggressively. Compel Victoria. Hurt someone anyone. Give Morgana grounds to execute you for violating probation.
So I'm damned either way, I realize. Save Axel and break probation, or let him die and lose my soul.
There's a third option, Asher says, his strategic mind working. We document everything. Make it clear Victoria is the aggressor. Show that any power you use is in defense of an innocent child. Turn Morgana's trap against her.
How? I ask.
I'll come with you, Magnus offers. As Council witness. If I'm present, Morgana can't claim this was unauthorized violence.
Kade nods slowly. It could work. But we need leverage beyond just witnesses.
What if we get other Alphas involved? Ryker suggests. Make this public. If multiple packs witness Victoria using a child as bait, it undermines Morgana's position.
It's risky. Bringing more witnesses means more potential for things to go wrong. But it also means protection.
Do it, I decide. Contact every Alpha within reach. Tell them a child's life is at stake. Even those who hate me won't tolerate harming pups.
The calls go out. And surprisingly, Alphas respond. Not all some refuse to involve themselves. But enough come. Enough to make this matter.
We track Victoria to the Dead lands the cursed territory where Celestials were massacred centuries ago. Of course, she'd choose here. Maximum dramatic impact.
When we arrive, dozens of Alphas are already present, drawn by the emergency call. The sight of so many powerful wolves in one place would normally trigger territorial instincts. But today, everyone's focused on one thing:
The small boy crying in Victoria's arms.
Axel sees me and reaches out. Sera! Help!
Victoria's hand glows with witch magic, pressed against Axel's neck. One step closer and I kill him.
Why are you doing this? I call out, stopping where she can see me but keeping distance. He's your stepson. You raised him.
I raised a tool, Victoria spits. Just like I raised you. Everything I did was to position myself for power. Your father was just a means to an end. These children were just pawns.
Gasps from the assembled Alphas. Even those who dislike me are shocked by her casual cruelty.
Let him go, I plead. Take me instead. That's what you want, isn't it? For me to attack you? Give the Council reason to execute me?
Clever girl, Victoria smiles. Morgana said you'd figure it out. But it doesn't matter. If you attack, you violate probation. If you don't, this child dies and you live with that guilt forever. Either way, you lose.
Or option three, Magnus steps forward. I'm Elder Magnus Thorne, Council representative. Victoria Whitefang, you're hereby charged with child endangerment, conspiracy against a probationer, and violation of Council law. Release the child immediately.
The Council supports me, Victoria laughs. Morgana promised
Morgana doesn't speak for the entire Council, Magnus interrupts. And you've just confessed to conspiracy in front of forty Alpha witnesses. You've lost, Victoria.
For a moment, genuine fear crosses Victoria's face. She looks around at the assembled Alphas all of them watching with condemnation clear in their eyes.
Then she does something desperate.
She throws Axel off the cliff.
The child's scream echoes as he falls toward jagged rocks below.
I move without thinking. Shift midleap. My Celestial wolf form is faster than thought, faster than any normal wolf.
I catch Axel in my jaws gentle, so gentle and twist midair. Land hard on a ledge twenty feet down.
The impact jars me. Pain shoots through my shoulder. But Axel is alive. Crying but alive.
I shift back to human, cradling him. You're okay. You're safe now.
Above, chaos erupts.
Victoria tries to flee. Ryker's faster. He catches her in seconds.
NO! she screams, magic flaring. Morgana promised! She promised me power if I delivered the Celestial!
You delivered nothing but your own execution, Magnus says coldly.
He's right. Attempting to murder a child a pack heiring front of forty Alphas is a death sentence under any law.
Kade helps me climb back up with Axel. The boy clings to me, sobbing into my shoulder.
I've got you, I murmur. You're safe.
Marcus arrives then Father, drawn by the emergency. He sees Axel safe in my arms, sees Victoria restrained by Ryker, sees the assembled Alphas as witnesses.
What happened? he demands.
Your mate just tried to murder your son, Kade states bluntly. Sera saved him.
Father looks at me really looks at me for the first time in years. You... you saved him?
Of course I did. He's my brother. He's innocent.
Something cracks in Father's expression. Grief. Shame. Realization.
I'm sorry, he says hoarsely. For everything. For not protecting you. For not seeing what Victoria was. For being blind to everything except my own pain.
This isn't about us right now, I say, though his words hit harder than I expected. It's about Axel. He needs medical attention. And therapy. And a parent who actually cares about him.
I do care, Marcus insists. I will be better. For him. And he swallows hard, I have no right to ask, but... for you too. If you'll let me try.
I look at this man who failed me for twenty-three years. Who let his mate torture me. Who chose everyone else over me.
But who also just had his own awakening. Who sees his failures finally.
We'll see, I say. Not forgiveness. Not yet. But not rejection either. Focus on Axel first. He needs stability.
Magnus takes custody of Victoria. She'll face Council justice real justice this time, with witnesses who can't be bribed or intimidated.
As we prepare to leave, one of the assembled Alphas approaches. Alpha Drake the one who tried to challenge Ryker months ago.
I was wrong, he says bluntly. About you. About what you represent. What you did today saving that child when you could have let him fall, could have used it as excuse for revenge... That showed real strength. Real honor.
Other Alphas nod agreement.
The Omega Protection Act you're proposing, another Alpha says. I've been fighting it. I was wrong. If someone like Victoria can use pack law to torture children, the law needs changing. You have my support.
One by one, Alphas who were hostile or neutral pledge support. Not all some remain opposed. But enough to matter.
That night, back at Kade's territory, I finally crash.
The adrenaline wears off. The fear I suppressed while Axel was in danger surfaces. My hands shake. My breath comes too fast.
Through the bonds, all three mates feel it.
They come to me not asking permission, just present. Kade wraps me in a blanket. Ryker sits close, his warmth a physical comfort. Asher holds my hand.
You were incredible today, Asher says softly.
I was terrified, I admit.
Bravery isn't not being scared, Kade reminds me. It's being terrified and acting anyway.
You saved a child, Ryker adds. While forty Alphas watched. You showed them what a Celestial really is not a monster, but a protector.
Morgana must be furious, I realize.
Oh, she's apoplectic, Magnus confirms, appearing in the doorway with his phone. I just spoke with the Council. Victoria confessed everything Morgana's plan, the conspiracy, all of it. Morgana is under investigation now. The Council is fractured. Some support her, some want her removed.
What does this mean for my probation? I ask.
It means you passed the real test, Magnus says, smiling. Not the one Morgana designed. The one that actually matters. When faced with a choice between revenge and protecting an innocent, you chose protection. That's what the Council needed to see.
So I'm free?
Not quite. One more month. But Morgana no longer has the power to threaten you. You have Alpha support. Council allies. You've won, Sera.
I should feel relieved. Victorious.
Instead, I feel exhausted. This fight has taken everything from me.
Rest, Kade says gently. We'll stand watch.
For once, I don't argue.
I sleep, finally, deeply, with three mate bonds humming protectively around me like a shield.
When I wake, Ryker is asleep in a chair by my bed. Kade sits by the window, keeping watch. Asher is curled up at the foot of my bed like a protective wolf.
They've been here all night.
Watching over me.
Something in my chest cracks. The last wall I've been holding against them.
I've been so afraid of being hurt again. So terrified of trusting. Of believing that anyone could actually care about me without ulterior motives.
But these three... they've proven themselves over and over. Protected me. Respected my boundaries. Stood by me through everything.
Kade, I whisper.
He turns, instantly alert. What's wrong?
Nothing's wrong. I take a breath. I'm ready.
Ready for what?
To accept the bond. Fully. With all three of you.
His eyes widen. Through the bonds, the other two wake instantly, feeling my decision.
Are you sure? Kade asks seriously. Don't do this because you feel obligated or grateful.
I'm doing this because I want to. Because you've earned my trust. Because I'm tired of being afraid. I look at all three of them. Because I love you. All of you. And I'm ready to stop fighting it.
The bonds explode with joy, warmth, love that makes my eyes sting.
We love you too, they say together.
And for the first time in my life, I truly believe it.
One month left. Then freedom.
Together, we'll face whatever comes next.