CHAPTER 457: LUCAS: KELLAN’S MESSAGE

LUCAS

Clayton has his arms crossed over his chest as he stares at the fabric ceiling of the debriefing tent, absorbing the thirty-minute explanation of the last several months of our life.

"I didn’t expect the Fae to be so..." He squints. "Prevalent? In this area. I only know of one in Aspen. She helped keep some of our systems running. Some sort of magic hacker. She’s just a kid, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. A little squirrely, though."

"Squirrely?"

"The kid’s terrified of getting caught by someone, but we don’t know who she’s running from. Guessing it’s this New Order."

"Join the club," I mutter. Westwood was always a strong pack, and I thought we could stand against any enemy. Until we couldn’t.

"It isn’t just you," Clayton says with a sigh. "While they don’t seem particularly bothered by our section of the country, there have been others. Some territories have merged completely. Pack wars are prevalent. It’s dangerous even to leave Aspen at this time, leaving it without an alpha."

Which only shows how important Ivy was to him.

I shake my head. "It’s as if society’s gone backw—"

A searing burst of pain slices through my skull, and I grit my teeth against the flash of agony. Kellan’s voice, urgent and strained, floods my mind through our pack link.

Vampires at the south ridge clearing! Send everyone you can—they came out of nowhere—

His voice cuts off with a howl, its mental echoes vibrating through my bones. Aurum surges forward inside me, nearly breaking through my skin to take over.

My jaw clenches as I fight him back.

"Shit."

I throw out a wide call to every fighter in the compound. Assemble by the south gate. Kellan needs reinforcements. Vampire attack.

"What is it?"

I shake my head with a groan, working my jaw against the pain. Kellan’s injured. It must have been an ambush; he would have made contact much sooner if he could. "Vampire attack to the south. My beta’s in trouble."

Clayton’s already on his feet, his eyes glazing as he speaks. "I’m coming with you."

There’s no reason to deny his help. We need every fighter available. Vampires are a tough fight, and I don’t have any other details.

Reaching out to Kellan is impossible, not without putting him in danger. He needs to focus on surviving until I get there.

My mind races through tactical options as I burst through the tent flap—and straight into someone.

A startled yelp. The familiar scent of coffee. It’s Lisa, sprawled backward on the frozen ground.

"Shit," I mutter, reaching down to help her up. My body’s already half-turned toward the battle, mind calculating distances and time. "Sorry."

She grabs my hand, letting me pull her upright. "Lucas, I’ve been looking all over—I need to tell you about Pip. I think she’s being—"

"Later," I cut her off, scanning the compound. Wolves are already emerging from cabins, shifting on the run, racing toward the forest edge. "Kellan’s in trouble. I have to go."

Her eyes widen. "What? What’s happening to Kellan?"

"Vampire ambush." I move to step around her, but her fingers lock around my forearm with surprising strength.

"Is he okay?" Raw fear laces her voice. "Lucas, is he hurt?"

The vulnerability in her expression catches me off-guard. She’s terrified. Of course she is. Kellan’s her mate; I’m sure their bond is screaming. "I don’t know," I answer honestly, my tone softening despite the urgency. "But I’m going to help him. Don’t worry, Lisa."

"Alpha Westwood!" Magister Orion’s deep voice cuts through the commotion as he strides toward us, his robes whipping in the wind. "Why the sudden mobilization? Did something happen? Is Wolf’s Landing in danger?"

"Vampire attack at the south ridge," I explain tersely, pulsing out another call to my fighters, with a five-minute warning. "My beta’s pinned down with a scouting party."

The Magister’s expression shifts immediately from curiosity to grim resolve. "Then I shall assist. We Fae have our own ways of fighting against vampires."

"I’m coming too." Lisa’s voice is steel, her earlier fear transformed into determination.

"No." My response is automatic, protective. "It’s too dangerous."

"Kellan’s there." She says it like it explains everything. And in a way, it does.

I search her face, recognizing the stubborn set of her jaw—the same expression Ava gets when she’s made up her mind. No wonder these two are friends.

"Fine." Every second we waste arguing is a second Kellan doesn’t have. "Magister, keep an eye on her." The last thing we need is for her to turn to the side of vampires. Then again, she’s human; it isn’t as if she can do much harm.

Though Kellan might kill me when it’s all over if she gets hurt.

Then again, he’ll kill me for bringing her along at all.

Oh, well.

The giant Fae nods, falling into step behind me. "Of course."

"I need my weapons," Lisa says. "I’ll only be a minute."

The urgency pulses through me like a second heartbeat. Aurum pushes against my consciousness, desperate to run, to fight, to protect our pack brother.

"Five minutes," I say firmly. "We’re leaving in five minutes, whether you’re ready or not."

Lisa nods, already backing away. "I’ll be ready." Her expression hardens with resolve as she turns and sprints toward her cabin.

It doesn’t take long for us to gather. Three hundred wolves stand ready. Half are already shifted. The others remain human, holding bags filled with emergency supplies. Out of the corner of my eye, I can already see Lisa running our way; she was true to her promise. It took only a minute for her to return.

"Half of the shifted wolves take the vanguard position. From you," and I point, "to you," pointing again, "Group one. You’ll spread in a quarter-mile radius. Watch for any signs of ambush. Group two, flank positions."

They respond instantly, splitting into organized formations. This is what we’ve trained for.

Magister Orion steps closer, his massive frame blocking the wind momentarily. His voice drops to a soft rumble. "I can cast an enhancement on myself and the human. You needn’t worry about our pace."

Lisa appears by our side, slightly breathless but composed. She’d mentioned weapons, but I don’t see any on hand. Then again, she works closely with the gnome tinkerer, so anything could be dangerous.

"Thank you, Magister," she says quietly. Her eyes flick south, her brows wrinkling together.

I recognize the look. She’s feeling the tug of her mate bond.

"Listen up," I call out, voice carrying across the gathered forces. "We have limited information. Beta Ashbourne and his patrol were ambushed by vampires at the south ridge clearing. We don’t know numbers. We don’t know if they’ve called reinforcements. All we know is our people need us."

My gaze sweeps across their faces—some determined, others anxious, all waiting for my command.

"Standard vampire protocols. Silver rounds for those with firearms." A luxury, provided by the old gnome. "Keep formation. Watch your flanks. They’re likely to be organized."

Movement at the edge of the gathering catches my eye. Clayton strides forward with his people behind him—all in human form, dressed for combat. I’m not sure how much experience they have with vampires, but any help is better than none.

I nod sharply at him before raising my arm.

"Move out!"

My command breaks the tension. The vanguard wolves sprint forward. Luckily, there’s been no fresh snowfall in days. The snow is hard-packed from wind and multiple cycles of refreeze.

Aurum pushes against my consciousness again, demanding release, but I shove him back. It isn’t time for him yet.

Lisa and Magister Orion keep pace easily, as the Fae had promised, leaving one less worry off my shoulders.

"What’s the terrain like at the ridge?" Clayton asks, falling in beside me.

I picture the clearing in my mind, calculating strategic points. "Open ground, maybe a hundred yards across. Treeline starts at the edges—dense to the north, sparser southward. Rock formations line the eastern side. There’s a shallow stream cutting through the northwest corner."

"Bottleneck at the stream?"

"Possible. It widens further south."

Clayton nods, digesting the information. "My wolves can cover the eastern approach if yours take west and center."

"Good." I appreciate his tactical mind. "Watch those rock formations. Perfect place for an ambush."

We’ve covered nearly half the distance when a searing pain lances through my skull again.

Alpha— Kellan’s voice, weak but present. They knew we were coming. Trap. Too many of them.

We’re on our way, I respond, pushing strength through our bond. Numbers?

But he’s gone again.