34. MAVERICK

34

MAVERICK

I see everything.

Through eyes that are not mine, I see the blood-streaked blur of silver and gray wolves clashing violently beneath the cold shimmer of the stars. I see their teeth snapping, claws tearing into fur and flesh, the echoes of snarls and pained yelps carried on the wind like a war song. The moon hangs low in the sky, almost serene, as chaos unfolds below it.

Remi is a streak of quicksilver, darting between wolves with sharp precision, tearing through their ranks like he was born for this. He’s all grace and fury, his gray fur lit up by the moonlight, but there’s no joy in his movements—only grim determination.

River is a wall of silent, unstoppable power, his dark gray wolf holding the line as he slams into the enemy with an unrelenting ferocity that feels like thunder breaking over the earth. Where Remi cuts, River shatters.

Asani’s jet-black wolf prowls like a shadow, circling their flanks and finding openings the others don’t see. He’s vicious, precise—every strike a calculated kill, his growls low and lethal. A strategist even in his second form, his mind sharp despite the haze of battle.

Darius moves just as swiftly as Remi, flashes of silver as he stays low to the ground, using his small size and speed to catch wolves off guard.

And then there’s Mateo.

Mateo is something else entirely. His black and red wolf stands at the front, an Alpha in every sense of the word, leading the charge with teeth bared and eyes blazing. Every wolf on the battlefield instinctively looks to him, follows his lead without hesitation. His power ripples through the bond, pulling the pack together as one unshakable force.

The ground trembles beneath their weight. The night is alive with the sounds of war.

I cling to the images, my heart hammering as I feel their snarls through the mindlink—raw, primal, alive. But there’s something else. Something wrong .

And then I see it.

It’s crawling through a rip in the veil, slithering like oil over water—thick, black tendrils of magic devouring the shimmering threads of light that protect us. It’s not just darkness. It’s alive. Hungry. Corrosive.

I swallow hard, my pulse pounding in my ears as I tighten my grip around Nepheline, who’s curled in my arms like she’s the only thing tethering me to this world. Her face is peaceful, even as magic crackles faintly over her skin, rising and falling like the rhythm of her breath.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” I whisper, brushing my lips against her hair. “Hold on just a little longer.”

She stirs faintly, her brow furrowing as if she can feel it too—the battle, the darkness, the thin thread of magic keeping everything from unraveling.

Because she is the magic. The veil pulses with every soft rise and fall of her chest, a faint hum of life that threads itself through every corner of the packlands. I can feel it now, clearer than ever—her power is the glue that holds it all together.

And if the magic dies… she dies with it.

The realization slams into me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. I don’t know how I know, but I do, and it terrifies me more than anything I’ve ever felt in my life.

Through the mindlink, I hear Mateo’s snarl. Push them back! Do not let them cross!

River’s growl follows, sharp and clipped. The veil is holding, but barely. We need to end this before it tears completely.

Another voice—one of the previous Alphas from the pack of the Forbidden—grunts through the link, his tone heavy with exhaustion. There are too many. How are they this strong?

I close my eyes briefly, steadying myself as I look through their eyes again—through her eyes. Nepheline’s magic pulses brighter now, like the veil itself is trying to stitch the cracks back together. The threads shimmer, fragile but unyielding, as if she’s fighting alongside them even in her sleep.

“She’s fixing it,” I whisper to no one in particular, my chest tight as I brush my thumb across Nepheline’s cheek. “But it’s not enough.”

The magic pulses harder. The tendrils fight back. I see a shadow— him —lurking on the other side of the veil, his molten gold eyes gleaming like twin suns in the darkness. The First Alpha. He’s pushing against the barrier, clawing at it, trying to pull her to him.

My pulse spikes. I can’t let this happen. I won’t let this happen.

Through the mindlink, I push out with everything I have. Keep fighting! The veil is holding, but if they break it, we lose everything.”

Mateo’s voice follows, steady as stone. “You heard him. Hold the line!”

The wolves fight harder. Their movements blur into one another—silver, black, red, and gray streaks of power and rage and desperation. They’re not just fighting for the pack. They’re fighting for her .

And then, finally, I feel it.

A ripple. A shift.

The magic surges, rushing through the veil like a tidal wave, and the darkness recoils, hissing as it’s forced back. The crack begins to close, the shimmering threads stitching themselves together with a burst of brilliant light.

I hold Nepheline tighter as she stirs again, her fingers twitching against my chest. “That’s it,” I whisper against her ear. “You’re doing it. Just a little more.”

The magic flares one last time, and the rip in the veil seals shut with a sound like thunder crashing through the night.

Silence.

I feel it— we all feel it .

The darkness is still there, lurking just beyond the edges of the packlands, but it’s been pushed back—for now. The bond goes quiet, filled only with the sound of exhausted breathing, of wolves limping back to their feet, of victory that doesn’t quite feel like a win.

Through River’s eyes, I see Mateo shift back into his human form, his chest heaving as he surveys the battlefield. “It’s not over,” he says, his voice carrying through the mindlink. “But we bought ourselves time.”

Time. That’s all it is. A reprieve. A single breath before the next storm hits.

I open my eyes slowly, staring down at Nepheline’s face as the magic around her settles again. Her expression softens, her breathing steady, and I let out a shaky breath of my own.

“You saved them,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her temple. “You saved us. ”

Nepheline’s whimper cuts through the moment like it’s pulled straight from her soul. “Maverick,” she whispers, her voice trembling as her eyes crack open. Midnight. They’re that dark, endless midnight again, flecked with faint swirls of light, like tiny stars caught in the abyss. “He’s near. I can feel him.”

My chest tightens. I know exactly who she’s talking about.

Locke.

I brush my fingers through her hair, smoothing it back as I press a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll bring him home,” I murmur, my voice low and steady, though it takes everything in me to keep it that way. “Anything less is not an option.”

Nepheline rolls onto her back suddenly, the tension gone from her shoulders as she sinks into the softness of the nest. She looks ethereal like this, her hair spilling around her like a flame against the pale pillows. Her midnight eyes flick toward me, and then she does it—her hands cradle her growing belly, a small, almost secretive smile tugging at her lips.

“She’ll grow up in a world where all of you are here,” she murmurs. “With all of her fathers.”

I freeze.

My gaze snaps to hers, my chest tightening as her words settle like a slow burn in my ribs. She? A grin pulls at my lips, sharp and unbidden. “Baby girl, huh?”

Nepheline nods, her thumb brushing idly over the small swell of her belly. “I don’t know how I know, but I just… do. ”

Something warm spreads through me, softening the edges of all the darkness clawing at the back of my mind. A daughter. Our daughter. For a moment, the world outside disappears, and it’s just us—just her and me and the little life growing inside her. I lean down, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to her lips. She hums softly, her fingers threading through my hair to pull me closer, her magic rippling faintly against my skin like a whisper of warmth.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” I murmur against her mouth, my voice rough.

Nepheline just hums as her lids fall shut, the exhaustion from using so much magic taking over. I lay down beside her again and pull her into my arms, content to just hold her. We’re having a baby girl. I just hope that when she’s born, we’ve defeated the First Alpha and given our child a world she can be completely free in.