Luna woke to the sound of raised voices outside the cabin.
She pushed herself upright, every muscle aching from last night's transformation. The blanket someone had draped over her still clung to her shoulders, and a folded set of clean clothes sat waiting on the chair. She dressed quickly, ignoring the stiffness in her limbs, then moved to the door.
"I don't care what your traditions say. My people don't bow to werewolf authority." The voice outside was sharp, smooth as honey laced with poison.
"No one's asking you to bow." Kieran's reply was calm but edged with irritation. "We're asking you to stand with us against something that wants to consume us all."
Luna stepped out into the pale morning. The clearing was filled with figures that weren't wolves.
At the center stood a woman with skin so pale it was nearly translucent. Her eyes were solid black, her smile baring fangs sharp as blades. Vampire, Luna realized instantly. And not a minor one.
Beside her was a tall man with heat shimmering off his skin, as if fire burned just beneath the surface. Demon. And near the treeline, a figure with shifting features that never stayed the same long enough to focus on, Fae, without question.
"You must be the Crimson Bloodline." The vampire's black gaze fixed on Luna, hungry and cold. "Celeste praised you, but I prefer my own judgment."
"And you are?" Luna asked evenly.
"Seraphina Blackwood, leader of the Northwest Vampire Council." Her smile widened. "Celeste had no right to pledge support without my approval."
Ice slid into Luna's stomach. "So, the covens aren't helping?"
"I'm saying," Seraphina replied smoothly, "that I want to know exactly what I'm committing my people to before I risk their extinction. Vampires survive by avoiding other people's wars. Convince me this one matters."
The demon stepped forward. "Because Void Walkers don't discriminate. They'll eat your covens the same way they'll eat wolves."
"And you are?" Luna asked.
"Malik Ashborn. Spokesman for the Northwest covens. We've lost three in the past month; at first, we thought wolves. Now I hear it was Void Walker manipulation."
"That's right," Magnus said, stepping out of the cabin, hair still messy from sleep. "My aunt's been working with them for decades, staging attacks to keep us divided."
Seraphina arched a brow. "Your aunt? Convenient timing, don't you think?"
Magnus's jaw tightened, but he didn't take the bait.
The fae figure drifted closer, features settling for a heartbeat into something both male and female. Their voice was like wind in leaves. "The Crimson Bloodline speaks truth. The natural order trembles. Something that does not belong presses against the veil."
"And you are?" Luna asked again, her tone careful.
"I am Whisper, envoy of the Summer and Winter Courts. Normally, we do not involve ourselves in mortal conflicts, but this one threatens the balance of all things."
Malik snorted. "Inflated as ever, fae."
"Better inflated importance than inflated ego, demon," Whisper replied, tone rippling like a breeze on glass.
"Enough," Luna snapped, her voice cutting through the tension. "We don't have time for old rivalries. Sage, show them."
The witch stepped forward, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. She spread a map covered in arcane symbols. "I've been tracking energy surges across the region. They all converge here—downtown Seattle. The veil is thinnest there. That's where the Void Walkers will open their portal."
Her finger pressed against the map. "Based on the buildup, they'll succeed within seventy-two hours. Maybe less."
The clearing went still.
"Seventy-two hours," Malik repeated grimly. "Not nearly enough time to prepare."
"Then we work faster." Luna looked at Solareth, silent at the edge of the clearing. "The other dragons arrived?"
"They rest now," the ancient dragon rumbled. "By midday, they will be ready to purge the corrupted."
"Good." Luna faced the gathered leaders. "Everyone who wants to join this alliance gets screened. I can sense corruption in wolf form. Dragons can burn it out. Refuse screening, and you're excluded from our defenses."
"You're demanding we submit to werewolves," Seraphina said, her voice like silk stretched thin.
"I'm demanding survival," Luna answered coldly. "Because in three days, thousands of Voids Walkers will flood Seattle. And unless we stand together, every one of us dies."
"She is correct," Whisper said, their voice weighted with strange certainty. "I have walked between possible futures. In every path where we remain divided, none survives. United, some endure."
"Some?" Garrett pressed.
Whisper's form flickered. "War always has casualties."
Seraphina studied Luna. "You purged corruption before. Can you do it for vampires?"
"I did it for Victoria," Luna replied. "It worked."
Seraphina's lips thinned. "Then the covens will submit. But I want guarantees that wolves won't use this to weaken us."
"The only enemy here is the Void Walkers," Kieran said firmly. "You have my word as Frost Alpha."
"Shadow Pack stands as well," Magnus added.
The other leaders stepped forward one by one. Victoria. Garrett. Even Dmitri. Malik shrugged, then nodded. "The covens are in. We've already buried too many."
"The Courts will contribute what we can," Whisper said. "Though many of my kind will retreat rather than fight."
It wasn't perfect, but Luna felt the tightness in her chest ease. Vampires, demons, fae, and wolves. For the first time, they weren't enemies.
Sage continued the briefing, explaining ley lines and dimensional breaches. While the leaders gathered around her map, Kieran's hand brushed the small of Luna's back. His storm-gray eyes held pride.
"You're good at this," he murmured.
"Good at what?"
"Leading." His thumb traced a slow circle against her spine. "Your great-great-grandmother would be proud."
Luna leaned into his touch, warmth easing some of her fatigue. "I'm just making it up as I go."
"Same as the rest of us," Magnus said quietly. He still looked raw, but steadier.
Luna squeezed his hand. "You holding on?"
"No. But I will. After Vera pays."
"We'll make sure she does," Luna promised.
For a moment, the three of them stood linked, Kieran's touch, Magnus's hand, Luna between them, while the others watched with interest or suspicion. Let them watch. Let them see this alliance was more than politics.
"Luna." Sage's voice cut through her thoughts. "There's something else."
She pointed at the marked spot. "This convergence point won't just open a portal. It's where every supernatural current in the region flows. If the portal stabilizes here, the Void Walkers won't just invade. They'll tap into all of us at once. A living power source."
"Like a supernatural power plant," Malik muttered.
Luna's stomach churned. "How do we stop it?"
"Someone has to close the portal from inside before it stabilizes," Sage said softly. "Which means stepping into their dimension."
"That's suicide," Victoria said flatly.
"Probably. But it's the only permanent way."
The clearing fell silent.
"I'll do it," Kieran said immediately.
"No." Magnus's voice was sharp. "With prophecy, I might navigate their realm. It has to be me."
"You're both insane," Luna snapped, panic clawing at her chest. "No one's sacrificing themselves yet. We have seventy-two hours. That's time to find another way."
Her voice hardened as she looked around. "Until then, we screen, we prepare, and we fight. Together. Because divided, we're already dead."
The alliance had been born. The countdown had begun. And Luna had seventy-two hours to save them all, without losing the people she couldn't bear to lose.
The next two days blurred together in a chaos of training, planning, and screening that left Luna running on caffeine and sheer willpower.
She stood in the main training field watching vampires try to work with werewolves without everyone getting territorial. It was going about as well as expected, which meant three fights had already broken out before noon.
"No, you idiot!" Garrett roared at a young vampire who'd just tried to use speed to outmaneuver an Iron Pack warrior. "That's not how pack tactics work. You're supposed to flank from the left, not charge straight in."
"I don't take orders from dogs," the vampire shot back.
Garrett's eyes flashed gold. "What did you just call me?"
Luna was moving before either could escalate further. "Both of you, stand down."
The werewolf and vampire looked at her, then at each other, clearly debating whether to keep fighting.
"Now," Luna added, letting some of her crimson authority bleed into her voice.
Both supernatural beings stepped back, though neither looked happy about it.
"Garrett, vampires don't have pack instincts like werewolves do," Luna said, keeping her tone neutral. "Their combat style is based on individual speed and precision, not coordinated group movements."
She turned to the vampire. "And you, werewolves aren't dogs. They're apex predators who've been perfecting pack hunting strategies for thousands of years. Show some respect."
The vampire had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry. Old prejudices die hard."
"Then kill them faster," Luna said flatly. "Because in forty-eight hours, you're going to be fighting alongside each other or dying separately. Your choice."
She walked away before either could respond, heading toward where Magnus was organizing the magical defense groups. Sage had paired up witches with fae folk to create barrier spells that could slow down Void Walker constructs, but the two groups kept arguing about methodology.
"Earth magic is more stable," one of the witches was insisting.
"Glamour magic is more flexible," a fae countered, their form shifting with obvious annoyance.
Magnus looked like he wanted to strangle someone. "It doesn't matter which is better. We need both working together."
"The wolf speaks wisdom." Whisper materialized beside Luna, making her jump. The fae had a habit of appearing without warning. "Though few listen when pride clouds their judgment."
"Tell me about it," Luna muttered. She watched Magnus trying to mediate between the magical practitioners, his patience clearly wearing thin. "How are the demon covens integrating?"
"Better than expected." Whisper's form stabilized into something vaguely humanoid. "Demons understand hierarchy and respect strength. Your display of power during the corruption purging impressed them."
Luna thought about the dozens of infected supernatural beings they'd found over the past two days. The screening process had been brutal but necessary. Three vampires, five demons, eight werewolves, and two fae folk, all unknowingly carrying Void Walker corruption that would have activated during the battle.
She'd purged all of them personally, pushing her crimson abilities to the limit each time. The exhaustion was starting to catch up with her.
"You need rest," Whisper observed. "Your power burns bright but not infinite."
"I'll rest when we're not facing extinction," Luna replied.
A commotion near the training field's edge caught her attention. Kieran was arguing with Seraphina about something, both of them looking frustrated.
Luna headed over, already tired of mediating disputes. "What now?"
"The vampire wants to change our defensive positions," Kieran said, his jaw tight. "Without consulting the tactical planning committee."
"Because your positions leave the southern flank vulnerable," Seraphina countered. "Any Void Walker force with basic strategic knowledge will exploit that weakness immediately."
"The southern flank has natural barriers that constructs can't easily cross," Kieran argued.
"Unless they can fly. Or teleport. Or phase through solid matter." Seraphina's black eyes glittered with annoyance. "I've been conducting military operations since before your great-great-grandfather was born, wolf. I know what I'm talking about."
Kieran looked ready to argue further, but Luna held up her hand. "Seraphina, show me the weakness you're seeing."
The vampire pulled out a map and pointed to the southern section of their planned defensive perimeter. "This area relies too heavily on terrain advantages. If the Void Walkers send flying constructs or use corruption to possess local wildlife, they'll bypass your natural barriers entirely."
Luna studied the map, then looked at Kieran. "She's right."
"Luna"
"She's right," Luna repeated firmly. "We've been thinking about Void Walker tactics based on what we've seen so far, but we can't assume they won't adapt. Seraphina, what do you suggest?"
The vampire looked surprised to be asked, but recovered quickly. "Mixed-species units on the southern flank. Vampires have enhanced vertical mobility, demons can counter aerial threats with fire, and werewolves provide ground-level defense. Layer the defenses so there's no single point of failure."
"That'll stretch our forces thin," Kieran pointed out, but his tone was less hostile now.
"Better thin and adaptable than concentrated and vulnerable," Seraphina replied.
Luna looked between them. "Can you two work together to implement this without killing each other?"
Both supernatural leaders nodded, though neither looked thrilled about it.
"Good. I want revised defensive positions by tonight." Luna walked away before they could start arguing again.
She found Magnus near the communications tent, staring at a magical projection that showed energy readings from downtown Seattle. His expression was troubled.
"What's wrong?"
Magnus glanced at her, and Luna saw exhaustion matching her own in his eyes. "The portal energy is building faster than Sage predicted. At this rate, it might open in thirty-six hours instead of forty-eight."
Luna felt her stomach drop. "Can we move our timeline up?"
"Not without sacrificing preparation time." Magnus ran his hand through his dark hair, a gesture Luna was learning meant he was stressed. "We're not ready, Luna. Half our forces barely trust each other, we're still finding infected members, and nobody's figured out how to close the portal without someone dying in the process."
"I know." Luna moved to stand beside him, close enough that their shoulders touched. "But we're going to figure it out."
"You sound certain."
"I have to be." Luna looked up at him, seeing the pain he was still carrying from Vera's betrayal. "How are you holding up? Really?"
Magnus was quiet for a long moment. "I keep replaying memories, trying to figure out when she was corrupted. Was it before my parents died? Was she the one who killed them? How many of my visions were her manipulations instead of real prophecy?"
Luna took his hand, threading her fingers through his. "I'm sorry you're going through this."
"It's not your fault."
"Doesn't mean I can't be sorry." She squeezed his hand gently. "For what it's worth, I think you're handling it better than most people would."
Magnus looked at their joined hands, then up at her face. Something shifted in his expression, and suddenly the space between them felt charged with possibility.
"Luna"
"There you are." Kieran's voice made them both turn. The Alpha looked between their joined hands and Magnus's face, his expression carefully neutral. "We need you at the command tent. Thomas just got word that we have company."
"What kind of company?" Luna asked, already moving toward the command area.
"Government is kind." Kieran's tone was grim. "Project Silver just set up a perimeter around the entire pack territory. We're surrounded."
Luna's blood went cold. This was the last thing they needed with less than two days before the portal opened.
The command tent was crowded when they arrived. All the allied leaders were there, plus Thomas and several other pack members monitoring communications equipment.
"How many?" Luna asked immediately.
"At least fifty agents," Thomas reported. "Maybe more. They've got the territory surrounded, and they're setting up what looks like mobile command posts at every major access point."
"They know we're here," Victoria said, her face pale. "They know about the supernatural alliance."
"Worse than that." Sage was examining a magical sensor that was lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Some of those agents are corrupt. Void Walker infected. This isn't just a government operation. It's a coordinated attack."
"How many infected agents?" Seraphina asked.
"At least a dozen that I can sense from here." Sage's voice was tight. "Probably more."
Luna's mind raced through tactical possibilities. "They're trying to prevent us from reaching the portal. If we're stuck here fighting government forces, we can't stop the invasion."
"Can we negotiate?" Malik asked. "Explain what we're actually doing?"
"With corrupted agents in their command structure?" Magnus shook his head. "Any information we give them goes straight to the Void Walkers."
"Then we break through their perimeter," Garrett said, cracking his knuckles. "Fight our way out if we have to."
"That'll expose us to human authorities," Whisper said, their form flickering with concern. "The supernatural world has remained hidden for millennia. Open warfare with government forces will shatter that secrecy."
"What choice do we have?" Dmitri asked. "Let them trap us here while the portal opens?"
Luna looked around at the assembled leaders, all of them waiting for her to make a decision. God, she was twenty-four years old and had been a werewolf for three days. What made anyone think she should be making choices that could affect the entire supernatural world?
But someone had to decide. And apparently, that someone was her.
"We don't fight the government," Luna said slowly, an idea forming. "We show them what we're actually fighting."
"What do you mean?" Kieran asked.
"The corrupted agents. They're going to activate when the portal opens, turn on their own people. What if we exposed the corruption before that happens?" Luna looked at Sage. "Can you create a spell that would make Void Walker's influence visible to human eyes?"
Sage's eyes widened. "Theoretically, yes. But it would take time to develop, and it wouldn't be subtle. Every human within a mile would see supernatural forces at work."
"Good," Luna said. "Let them see. Let them understand what we're protecting them from."
"You want to reveal the supernatural world to humans?" Seraphina's voice carried disbelief. "That's insane."
"More insane than letting the Void Walkers harvest us while government forces trap us in place?" Luna met the vampire's black eyes. "We don't have time for subtle. We need the humans to understand they're infected by the same enemy we're fighting."
"It could work," Magnus said slowly, his prophetic abilities clearly showing him possibilities. "If we time it right, show them undeniable proof of corruption just as the infected agents activate. They'll realize we're not the enemy."
"Or they'll panic and kill us all," Victoria pointed out.
"That's a risk," Luna admitted. "But I'd rather take that risk than guarantee our failure by staying trapped here."
The command tent fell silent as everyone processed what she was proposing. Revealing the supernatural world to humans. Betting everything on the hope that people would believe the evidence in front of them rather than their own prejudices.
"The Crimson Bloodline has always taken bold risks," Solareth rumbled from outside the tent. The dragon had been listening, as usual. "Sometimes that boldness saved us. Sometimes it destroyed us. But it was never boring."
"I'm not trying to be interesting," Luna said. "I'm trying to keep everyone alive."
"Then we go with your plan," Garrett said firmly. "The Iron Pack stands with you."
"Shadow faction agrees," Victoria added.
One by one, the other leaders voiced their support. Even Seraphina, who clearly thought the whole thing was reckless, nodded her acceptance.
"Sage, how long to develop the spell?" Luna asked.
"Six hours minimum," the witch replied. "Maybe eight."
"You have four." Luna looked around the tent. "Everyone else, prepare for immediate combat. If this goes wrong, we're going to have to fight our way through government forces and Void Walker constructs simultaneously."
As the leaders dispersed to implement the plan, Kieran caught Luna's arm. "This is dangerous."
"Everything's dangerous," Luna replied. "At least this way we're taking the initiative instead of reacting."
"I just," Kieran's grip on her arm tightened slightly. "I don't want to lose you."
Luna looked up into his storm-gray eyes and saw genuine fear there. Not for himself, but for her. It made something warm bloom in her chest.
"You won't," she promised, knowing it might be a lie but needing to say it anyway.
Kieran pulled her into a brief, tight hug. Luna let herself sink into his warmth for just a moment before pulling away.
Magnus was waiting nearby, his expression unreadable. "Brave plan."
"Reckless plan," Luna corrected.
"Sometimes those are the same thing." Magnus stepped closer, his hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "For what it's worth, I think you're right. Bold action is better than cautious failure."
His touch sent electricity racing across Luna's skin. She was suddenly very aware of how close both men were, how much she'd come to depend on their support over the past few days.
"Luna." Sage's voice called from across the clearing. "I need your help with the spell development."
Duty called. It always did.
But as Luna headed toward Sage's work area, she couldn't help glancing back at Kieran and Magnus. Both men watched her with expressions that made her heart race.
Forty-eight hours until the portal opened. Fifty government agents are surrounding them. Void Walker invasion imminent. And somehow, despite everything, all Luna could think about was how she was falling for two men simultaneously and had no idea how to choose between them.
Focus, she told herself firmly. Survive first. Figure out romantic complications later.
If there was a later.