Dawn painted the palace in gold as Elara descended to the courtyard.
Fifty wolves waited below.
Not an army—not by the standards of what they might face. But as Elara looked at their faces, she saw something more valuable than numbers. She saw conviction. These weren't soldiers following orders. These were believers, ready to die for the hope she represented.
Sera stood at the front of the Autumn Creek contingent—twelve wolves strong, their copper hair marking them as kin. She caught Elara's eye and nodded once. Ready.
Bran of Misty Peaks had insisted on coming despite his age. "I've waited eighty years for this," he'd said when Elara tried to protest. "You're not leaving me behind now." Ten of his packmates flanked him, their grey cloaks snapping in the morning wind.
The rest came from half a dozen smaller packs—families who'd carried the old stories for generations, now given chance to write new ones.
And at the center of it all, Kael.
He stood with Cassian and Lyra, his silver eyes finding her immediately. Through the bond, she felt his steady warmth—his love, his determination, his absolute faith in what they were about to do.
Ready? he asked silently.
Ready. She descended the last steps. Let's go home.
---
Morwenna met them at the gates.
The ancient woman had aged again overnight—the cost of the resurrection ritual, perhaps, or simply the weight of watching them leave. But her eyes were clear, her voice steady.
"The wards will hold while you're gone. No enemy will enter this valley without my knowledge." She pressed something into Elara's hands—a small silver whistle on a chain. "If you need me—if you need help—blow this. The palace will hear. The spirits will answer."
Elara fastened the chain around her neck. "Thank you. For everything."
Morwenna's ancient eyes glistened. "Go, child. Claim your throne. Show them what a true queen looks like."
---
They moved out at sunrise.
Fifty wolves and their queen, winding through the mist-shrouded valley toward the forest beyond. The enchantments parted for them, recognizing royal blood, then closed behind them like a door shutting.
Elara felt the moment they left the palace's protection.
The world outside was colder. Sharper. Full of dangers she could now sense through her awakened senses—predators in the shadows, rogues scattered from the master's defeat but still dangerous, the lingering taint of dark magic that would take years to fade.
Kael moved close, his shoulder brushing hers. "You feel it?"
"Everything." She looked at him. "I feel everything."
"That's the queen's gift. And her burden." He took her hand. "You'll learn to filter it. To focus on what matters and let the rest fade to background." A pause. "I can help. If you want."
Always. She squeezed his hand. I always want you close.
Through the bond, his warmth intensified.
They walked on.
---
The first day of travel passed without incident.
By nightfall, they'd reached the cave where they'd sheltered before—the one Dace had known, hidden and safe. Fifty wolves couldn't all fit inside, but they didn't need to. Scouts reported the area clear. Fires were lit. Watches set.
Elara sat apart from the group, staring at the flames.
Kael found her there.
"Thinking about Marlena?"
"Thinking about Blackthorn. About the wolves who stayed because they were scared, not because they believed in her." She hugged her knees. "What do we do with them, Kael? When we win? If they surrender—"
"Then we judge each one fairly. The ones who followed orders under duress—mercy. The ones who actively supported Marlena's cruelty—justice." He sat beside her. "That's what a good ruler does. Not revenge. Justice."
"And Marlena herself?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "She threatened you. She tried to have you killed. She seized power through betrayal." His silver eyes met hers. "If anyone deserves no mercy, it's her."
Elara nodded slowly.
She didn't relish the thought of executing anyone. But Marlena had made her choices. Had hurt people Elara loved. Had proven, again and again, that she would stop at nothing to destroy them.
Justice, she thought. Not revenge.
But the line felt thin tonight.
---
Sera joined them as the fire burned low.
"Your Highness." She settled on a nearby rock, her copper hair gleaming in the firelight. "I've been thinking about Blackthorn. About the layout. The defenses."
Elara looked at her. "You know the territory?"
"My pack traded with them for generations. Before Marlena's influence poisoned everything." Sera pulled a worn map from her pack. "The compound has three main entrances—east, west, and the main gate. But there's a fourth way. A hunting path that leads to the elder's quarters. Marlena's quarters now."
Kael leaned forward. "You know this path?"
"My grandmother showed me. She used to visit the Blackthorn elders when relations were better." Sera's eyes met Elara's. "If we send a small group through that path, we could reach Marlena before she knows we're coming. End this without a full-scale battle."
A surgical strike. Take the head, and the body falls.
Elara looked at Kael. "What do you think?"
"It's risky. If we're wrong—if the path is guarded, if Marlena's expecting us—we lose our best fighters." He studied the map. "But if it works, we save lives. Loyalist and enemy both."
"How many for the strike team?"
"Small. Five, maybe six. The rest create a diversion at the main gate—draw their forces, make them think that's where the real attack is coming." Kael's eyes found hers. "And you stay with the diversion. Safe. Away from direct danger."
"No."
The word came out before she could stop it.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Elara—"
"I'm not staying safe while others fight for me." Her voice was quiet but firm. "I'm their queen. If I'm asking them to risk their lives, I risk mine beside them."
"Your death would destroy everything."
"My survival isn't guaranteed by hiding." She touched his face. "I have power now. Power Marlena doesn't expect, doesn't understand. If I'm with the strike team—if I can reach her before she knows what's happening—I can end this."
Kael stared at her for a long moment.
Through the bond, she felt his fear. His love. His desperate need to protect her.
And beneath that, something else.
Pride.
You're right, he thought finally. You're right and I hate it, but you're right.
I know. She almost smiled. That's why you love me.
One of many reasons.
---
The plan took shape through the night.
Sera would lead the strike team—six wolves total: herself, Elara, Kael, Cassian, Lyra, and Dace (who'd insisted, arguing that someone needed to witness whatever happened in Marlena's quarters). The remaining forty-four would follow Bran's command, creating chaos at the main gate to draw defenders away.
"If we succeed, we signal." Kael outlined the plan. "Three wolf howls, spaced. If you hear that, you stop fighting—it's over."
"And if you fail?" Bran's ancient voice was steady.
"Then you fight on. You win, or you die trying." Kael's eyes swept the group. "But we don't plan to fail."
No one argued.
---
Dawn found them on the move again.
The strike team separated from the main group at midday, following Sera through terrain that grew increasingly familiar. Elara recognized landmarks now—the ridge where she'd first seen the palace mist, the ravine where they'd outrun the hunter's hounds, the ancient oak where Kael had nearly died.
So much has changed, she thought. So much has stayed the same.
Kael's hand found hers as they walked. Through the bond, she felt his focus sharpening—the predator in him waking as they approached enemy territory.
Close now, he thought. Another few hours.
I'm ready.
I know.
But she could feel his fear beneath the confidence. His terror that something would go wrong, that she'd be hurt, that he'd lose her again.
I won't leave you, she thought fiercely. Not ever. Not again.
His grip tightened.
Same.
---
By nightfall, they'd reached the hunting path.
It was exactly as Sera had described—narrow, overgrown, clearly unused for years. The perfect approach for those who knew it existed.
"The compound is just beyond that ridge." Sera pointed through the darkness. "Marlena's quarters are in the elder's building, southwest corner. If we're quiet, if we're quick, we can reach her before anyone raises an alarm."
Elara nodded. "Then let's move."
They crept forward, shadows among shadows.
The path wound through ancient pines, then opened onto the edge of the compound. Elara's heart hammered as familiar buildings came into view—the kitchens where she'd scrubbed pots, the omega quarters where she'd slept, the great hall where Kael had rejected her.
So much pain here, she thought. So much cruelty.
And so much love, Kael's voice answered. Don't forget the love.
She looked at him. At the wolves beside her. At the people who'd chosen her, fought for her, believed in her.
I won't.
They moved into the compound.
---
End of Chapter 22🐺