CHAPTER 206: BROCK’S PROTECTION

BROCK POV

I threw myself in front of Lily and baby Hope just as the first shadow creatures started pouring through the dimensional cracks. My fighter instincts screamed that this was it - the fight I’d been training my whole life for.

"Stay behind me!" I roared, my muscles shifting as I prepared to face an army of fears.

Through the spreading tears in reality, thousands of shadow versions spilled into our world. Shadow-Brock after Shadow-Brock, each one bigger and meaner than the last. Shadow-Aiden with eyes like black holes. Shadow-Lily bringing darkness instead of healing. And worst of all, tiny Shadow-Hope crawling through the cracks with power that felt cold and wrong.

But I wasn’t backing down. Not when my family needed me.

"Brock, there are too many!" Aiden shouted from somewhere behind me. "We need a plan!"

"My plan is simple," I growled, grabbing the nearest Shadow-Brock and throwing him back through a dimensional crack. "Nothing gets past me to hurt Hope."

The trouble was, for every shadow creature I fought off, three more took its place. And these weren’t just random monsters - they were evil versions of people I loved, using all the fighting skills I’d taught them but twisted for darkness.

A Shadow-Caleb lunged at me with claws extended. I stopped his attack, but it hurt my heart to fight someone wearing my brother’s face.

"You can’t protect them forever," Shadow-Caleb hissed. "We are endless. You are just one wolf."

"Maybe," I panted, avoiding another attack. "But I’m the one wolf who won’t give up."

That’s when I felt something strange. Through the family bond Luna had made, I could sense baby Hope’s emotions. She wasn’t just scared - she was trying to help me fight. Her tiny mind was reaching out, trying to give me strength.

"No, Hope," I said kindly, even while punching a Shadow-Elder Iris. "You don’t need to help me. My job is protecting you."

But Hope kept trying to share her power with me. And suddenly I understood something that made my blood run cold. Hope wasn’t just trying to help because she was kind. She was trying to help because she could feel something I couldn’t.

"Lily!" I called out desperately. "Check Hope’s bond with Caleb! Something’s wrong!"

Lily’s face went white as she focused on her link with their baby. "Brock, the shadow creatures aren’t just trying to invade our world. They’re trying to replace us totally!"

"What does that mean?" I demanded, grabbing two shadow dogs and smashing their heads together.

"It means for every one of us they touch, a shadow version appears in our place," Caleb explained, his voice shaking with fear. "They’re not just attacking - they’re converting us."

I looked around the battlefield and felt my heart sink. Some of our pack members were fighting, but others stood completely still with slightly different expressions on their faces. Had they already been replaced by shadow versions?

"How do we tell who’s real and who’s not?" I asked.

"We can’t," Elder Iris said sadly. "The replacement is perfect. They have all our memories, all our skills, all our connections. The only difference is their loyalty goes to darkness instead of light."

A horrible thought hit me. What if one of my brothers had already been replaced? What if the Aiden and Caleb I was fighting beside weren’t real anymore?

"Prove you’re really you," I said suddenly, turning to face Aiden.

My brother looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Tell me something only the real Aiden would know," I ordered, ready to fight him if needed.

Aiden’s face relaxed with understanding. "When we were seven, you got stuck in that old oak tree near the river. You were too proud to call for help, so you stayed up there for six hours until I climbed up to get you. You made me promise never to tell anyone."

Relief flooded through me. That was definitely my brother. "Caleb, your turn."

Caleb smiled sadly. "Last month, you showed me your secret art collection. You paint pictures of flowers because they tell you that beautiful things can grow anywhere, even in harsh places. You were embarrassed, but I told you they were great."

"Good, you’re both real," I said. But then another terrifying thought came to me. "What about me? How do you know I’m not a shadow version?"

Before either brother could answer, baby Hope made a soft cooing sound and reached her tiny hand toward me. The moment her fingers touched my arm, golden light ran through me, and I felt her confirming that yes, I was real.

"She can tell," Lily whispered in surprise. "Hope can sense who’s been replaced and who hasn’t."

"Then she’s our secret weapon," I said grimly. "But also our biggest target."

As if hearing my words, every shadow figure in the arena suddenly turned to look directly at Hope. Their eyes all glowed with the same hungry darkness.

"They’re going to rush us all at once," I realized, positioning myself between the baby and the coming horde. "I can’t fight them all."

"You don’t have to," Aiden said, moving to stand beside me.

"We’re stronger together," Caleb added, taking his place on my other side.

For a moment, I felt hope rising in my chest. The three Silver brothers, united against impossible odds, just like when we were kids facing bullies in the playground.

But then Shadow-Hope crawled forward from the crowd of dark creatures. She looked exactly like our sweet baby, except her eyes held ancient malice instead of innocent wonder.

"Hello, Uncle Brock," Shadow-Hope said in a voice that sounded like bells made of ice. "I’ve come to replace the weak version of me."

The real Hope in Lily’s arms began to cry, as if feeling her evil twin’s presence.

"Stay away from her," I snarled, every protective sense I had screaming danger.

Shadow-Hope laughed, a sound that made my skin crawl. "But Brock, don’t you want to see what Hope could become if she stopped caring about saving everyone? Don’t you want to see what she could accomplish if she used her power for herself instead of others?"

"Never," I growled.

"Oh, but you will," Shadow-Hope said sweetly. "Because I’m not here to fight the real Hope. I’m here to show her what she’s missing."

The ghost baby raised one tiny hand, and suddenly the real Hope stopped crying. Her galaxy-filled eyes stared at her dark twin with terrible awe.

"Hope, don’t listen to her," I begged. But through the family bond, I felt the baby’s curiosity getting stronger.

Shadow-Hope began to glow with dark power that looked exactly like Hope’s light, except it felt cold and selfish instead of warm and giving.

"See how easy it could be?" Shadow-Hope whispered, her strength reaching out toward the real baby. "You could have everything you want. You could force people to be good instead of hoping they choose goodness. You could make everyone love each other instead of letting them fight."

The real Hope’s breathing changed. Her innocent light began to flicker with tiny sparks of dark.

"No," I said desperately. "Hope, you don’t want that. You want people to choose to be good because it’s right, not because you force them to."

But Shadow-Hope’s influence was getting stronger. "Uncle Brock doesn’t understand, does he? He thinks protecting people means letting them make bad choices. But what if you could protect them from their own darkness?"

Through the bond, I felt the real Hope considering this thought. And with horror, I understood that Shadow-Hope was offering something that sounded reasonable to an infant who just wanted everyone to be safe and happy.

"Lily, Caleb," I said quickly. "Hope is starting to listen to her shadow self. If she takes that power..."

"She’ll become exactly like them," Caleb finished, his face pale with fear. "She’ll think she’s saving everyone by controlling them."

Shadow-Hope smiled wider, stretching her tiny shadow hand toward the real baby. "Come with me, sister. Let me show you how much easier everything could be."

And to my absolute horror, the real Hope began reaching back toward her dark twin, golden light and darkness beginning to swirl together around both babies.

"If they touch," Elder Iris gasped, "Hope will have both light and dark power. She’ll become the most dangerous being in any realm - someone who thinks evil actions are justified by good intentions."

The two babies’ hands moved closer and closer together. One more inch, and everything we’d fought for would be lost forever.