-Finn-
The moment the air shifted, my scales bristled. It was subtle at first—a vibration underfoot, a whisper of power tugging at the edges of my senses—but then the projection unfolded over the main gates, silver and jagged, and the words hit me like fire across stone.
Immediate containment of Alexia Mae Carter… Resistance ensures binding.
Binding.
My claws dug into the earth beneath me. I should have stayed calm. I should have followed her instructions, held the line, waited. But every instinct in me screamed, a dragon at the edge of a cliff, burning to leap. They dared to threaten her. Her.
I didn't need to see her to know she was standing there, unwavering, flanked by Jasper, Zeus, and Morgan Shade. I knew her. I knew the fire in her veins, the way she breathed chaos and ordered it, the way she didn't cower for anyone. But knowing she could take care of herself didn't change my need to be there.
"Not a chance," I muttered, the words curling into smoke from my nostrils as I tore forward, the courtyard doors nowhere near, but impossibly close in my mind. Every step was pure intent, every breath fueling the blaze coiled in my chest.
The campus blurred around me. Students scrambled out of my way, wide-eyed, some whispering, some shouting my name. I didn't answer. I couldn't. My attention was entirely on her, on the way the words had struck, on the threat dangling over her like a blade.
The wind carried the sound of Kaelith's voice—calm, precise, deadly. I hated that calm. I hated it because it made them sound untouchable, because it made the danger real. But then Morgan's voice sliced through the air, steady and sharp:
"Whisperwind is mine to guard. And the Council has no jurisdiction here."
That's when the fire hit me. Not the heat in my veins, not the dragon's roar trapped behind my ribs, but something older, stronger. Whisperwind itself was rising. The stones beneath my boots throbbed faintly, alive, reacting to her words. The ivy along the courtyard walls shifted, and the lamps flared violet, as if the school were breathing with her.
I grinned, teeth flashing. That defiance—it was Alexia's, and it was ours.
The path ahead narrowed. Kaelith hadn't moved yet, waiting, measuring. I would burn through anyone who got in my way, but I didn't need to. The wards and students melted aside, drawn back by instinct, fear, or respect. Nothing mattered but reaching her, standing by her side before anyone could try to take even a single step forward.
I ran faster, fire roaring in my chest, wings of instinct stretching inside me, ready to erupt. She was the eye of this storm, and I would not let it touch her. Not her. Not Jasper. Not the life she had carved from chaos and silver.
I could see the courtyard now. I could hear the pulse of the nexus beneath the stone, steady, a second heartbeat marking the moment. Morgan stood at the forefront, calm and unyielding, and Kaelith, calculating, still waited. My claws bit into the ground, and I surged forward, letting the wind carry me closer. Every second stretched, every heartbeat a hammering reminder: she needed me, and I wouldn't fail.
-Soren-
The first ripple of disturbance reached me in the shadows. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but the familiar tug of the nexus behind Whisperwind whispered that something had changed. My gut twisted with a quiet, familiar fear—not for myself, but for Alexia. She was the axis, the center of this storm, and every thread of magic, every heartbeat, every flicker of light would spiral if she fell.
Kaelith's words arrived next, carried on a wind that didn't feel natural, silver letters vibrating in the air as the projection etched itself across the courtyard gates. My breath caught.
Immediate containment… Resistance ensures binding.
I swallowed hard. Not for me. Not for what I might face. For her.
I moved before thinking, shadows curling around my legs as I ran, careful but fast. Every step was measured and controlled, pushing me forward, honing the sharp focus that I had spent years cultivating. Yet I could feel my heart hammering against my ribs in a way it never did when training or hunting. This was different. Alexia was in the storm's center, and I couldn't—wouldn't—let her face it alone.
The courtyard's pulse reached me next, subtle at first, then undeniable.
The stones hummed with life, the ivy curling tighter along the walls, the lamps flickering violet in response to Morgan's voice. Whisperwind was awake. Alert. Protective.
My chest tightened. I had never felt so small, so necessary, at the same time. She was strong. She had always been stronger than anyone—including me—but strength did not mean invulnerability. And I had a promise I had not yet broken.
Morgan's voice, commanding and sharp, carried across the grounds:
"Whisperwind is mine to guard. And the Council has no jurisdiction here."
Even from this distance, I felt the authority in her words. The school responded as though her declaration had poured life into its bones. I let the shadows cling to me, wrapping around my arms and legs like armor, and pushed forward, every step a silent vow: I would not let anyone touch her.
The courtyard grew larger with each stride. I caught sight of Finn already there, a streak of fire in motion, and Jasper's golden light glimmering at her side. Zeus's massive form was planted firmly beside Alexia, amber eyes scanning for any threat. My pulse spiked, not with fear, but with certainty.
Kaelith stood like a statue, calculating and dangerous. But I was not afraid. There was no room for it. Only focus. Only purpose. Alexia's safety. That was my mission, my compass, my every thought.
We were close now. Every muscle burned, every shadow I carried thrummed with urgency, and I could feel the rhythm of the nexus in the courtyard syncing with her heartbeat. She was calm, defiant. She did not know the full weight of the Council, the depth of their ambition—but she didn't need to. She had us.
I surged forward, letting the shadows pulse faster, letting instinct and loyalty carry me through the narrowing gate. I could see Alexia fully now, standing tall despite the decree in the sky, standing firm with Jasper and Morgan at her side. The fire in Finn's eyes matched the tension I felt in every tendon, every shadowed muscle.
Kaelith would have to go through us first. And I would make sure they remembered every step of the way that Alexia Mae Carter was never alone.