× Dixie ×Salcom’s laugh goes off the entire compound and even the sound is a cruel echo that grates against my ears. Gosh.He steps closer to the edge of his “battl-line”, the smugness practically radiating off of him. “How easy,” he says, clapping slowly, almost mockingly. “You lot never fail to disappoint. I mean, honestly, I didn’t even try this time. A hologram? Really? And yet here you are, standing in my lair, exactly where I wanted you.” Trix takes a step forward. “You’re such a liar, Salcom.” Salcom cocks his head, his grin widening. “Am I? That’s news to me.” “You told me you were a loner,” Trix continues, his eyes burning into Salcom and you can even almost taste the fury. “That you didn’t need anyone. No pack, no allies, no family. Just you against the world.” “Oh, that.” Salcom waves a hand dismissively, his grin never going awat. “A bit of creative storytelling. You can’t honestly blame me for wanting to spice things up, can you?” Trix’s fists clench at his
× Trix דYou talk too much,” I say, my voice low and calm, though every muscle in my body is strung tight. Salcom stops. “Oh? Did I hit a nerve? Don’t like being reminded of how small you really are?” He leans forward, resting his hands on his knees like he’s speaking to a child. “Here’s the thing, Trix. Power isn’t about who has the best speeches, or who commands the most respect. Power is about winning . It’s about crushing your enemies so thoroughly that they’ll never dare to challenge you again.” I take a single step forward, and the gunmen shift, fingers twitching on triggers. Salcom notices but doesn’t react. He’s too caught up in his own ego. “And let me guess,” I say, my tone sharp and cold, “you think you’re the one holding all the cards here? You think you’ve already won?” Salcom straightens his posture, his smirk widening. “I know I’ve won. Look around you, Alpha. My men outnumber you a hundred to one. I lured you here like lambs to the slaughter. Your pack is
× Dixie ×Time freezes. Or maybe it doesn’t, but it feels like it does. My thoughts are still spinning round and round, tangled in the wreckage of everything I just realized, and then, just like that,Salcom’s voice slices through the fog in my head, sharp and commanding like a whip cracking through the air. “Enough.” It’s one word. One word, but it might as well be a spell because before I can blink, everything changes. The impact knocks the breath out of me, and for a second, all I can do is gasp and try to make sense of what’s happening. I lift my head, and I see the others. Trix is on his knees beside me, his jaw tight and his body trembling like he’s fighting against whatever force just put him down. I’ve never seen him look so… powerless . It doesn’t make sense. Trix is always in control, always the strongest, always the one who keeps us safe, and yet here he is, forced to kneel. Ryder isn’t doing any better. He’s on the other side of me, his hands clenched into fists
× Dixie ×This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. But it is. I look up, and Salcom’s eyes are locked on mine. Cold. Calculating. Amused. “Good girl,” he murmurs, and something inside me snaps. “Don’t call me that!” I scream, my voice cracking. But it doesn’t matter. The pull is stronger now, pushing me toward him like a marionette on strings. My breathing turns shallow, my chest heaving with the effort to fight it. And then I’m on my feet. I don’t even remember standing up, but here I am. My body is trembling, tears streaming down my cheeks as I stumble toward Salcom. My legs feel like they belong to someone else, moving without my permission. “Dixie!” Trix’s voice breaks through again, louder this time, full of rage and desperation. “Fight it!” I want to scream that I am. That I’m trying. But I can’t speak. I can’t do anything except move forward, step after step, until I’m standing just a few feet away from Salcom. He’s grinning now, his eyes practically glow
× Trix × “Go to hell, Salcom.” Dixie’s voice echos through the whole place like a knife, almost sharp and dripping with venom. She’s trying to keep it together, to stand tall in the face of him, but I know her, probably better than she’d like to admit. Dixie might wear her sarcasm like armor, but I can see the cracks. Salcom, of course, just smiles. That annoying, smug little smirk that makes me want to tear him apart limb by limb. He tilts his head, watching Dixie with that predatory look of his, like he’s already won. “Extend your arm,” Salcom says, his voice is soft but sounds deadly. Dixie looks up, and her expression is that of shock. “You’ve lost your damn mind.” “Extend. Your. Arm.” The command flows out of him like an incantation, and my heart drops into my stomach as I watch Dixie’s body betray her. Her hand trembles, her shoulders twitch, and she fights it, God, she’s fighting so hard but her arm begins to lift. Inch by inch, her hand moves forward, fingers outs
× Trix ×The whole place begins to shake and the markings on the pedestal flare to life, glowing brighter and brighter until the light is blinding, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. “Dixie!” I shout again, my voice desperate this time. I hear her cry out over the deafening roar of whatever force is awakening, this isn’t just power, it’s something alive . Something raw and angry and ancient. I force my eyes open and see Dixie’s body trembling violently, her face twisted in agony as her hand remains glued to the bottle cap. She’s trying to pull back, trying to let go, but she can’t . Salcom steps back, watching the scene unfold with a satisfied smirk, like this chaos is exactly what he wanted. The glowing light intensifies, searing into my retinas, but I can’t look away. The energy swirling through the entire place grows sharper, heavier, until it feels like it’s pressing down on my lungs, choking the air out of me. And Dixie is suffering.Her head tilts back, a pained scre
× Dixie ×Everything feels slow at first, like I’m crawling my way up from the bottom of some endless ocean. Really slow. My limbs are heavy, my head’s pounding, and every sound around me is muffled, like cotton has been stuffed into my ears. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here, or when the increasing chaos in the air started to calm down, but it eventually does as something shifts subtle at first, like a crack splintering in glass. “What…what is this?” I could hear Salcom say.It takes a second to register what I’m seeing. He’s holding the Moon’s Tear now, both hands wrapped around the glowing vial like it’s a lifeline and his face is twisted in something like shock. No. More than shock. Panic. His shoulders are stiff, his jaw is clenched, and there’s this faint tremble in his grip, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. I blink, my vision finally clearing, and I realize the once-bright glow of the Moon’s Tear is…dimming. The liquid inside isn’t golden anymore. It’s
× Dixie דYou think this is a game, little Delreau?” His voice drops to a dangerous low, and hearing my last name come out of his mouth makes my blood freeze. “You think I’ve come this far, done all of this, just to let you mock me?” “Oh, I’m not mocking you,” I snap back, my voice a bit sharper now. “I just can’t stand the sound of your voice.” Salcom doesn’t move for a long moment. Then, slowly, he turns back to his men, his shoulders rising and falling with every furious breath he takes. “Get me answers,” he spits out. “Now.” One of them dares to speak, his voice barely audible. “We…we may need to liquidate it, my lord. It’s the only way to—” Salcom’s eyes snap toward him, wild and unhinged. “Liquidate it? You think I didn’t consider that? That I didn’t plan for this exact outcome? Don’t you dare tell me how to fix this. You’ve already failed me once.” His voice echoes through the compound, and I swear I can feel the vibration of it in my chest. The men shuffle nervousl
× Trix דDixie, what’s with that pouty face?” Gran Gran’s voice comes from the hallway, teasing but warm. She steps into the room with that no-nonsense energy she always has. The kind that says she’s got a hundred things going on, but none of them are more important than getting to the heart of whatever’s happening here.“Grandma, it's lovely to see you.” I say, greeting her. “Trix, good to see you sweetheart. I see you're getting handsome by the day.” She says and she winks. Oh my, sometimes I forget how goofy this lady is. I turn to look at Dixie, my heart pounding a little harder now. Dixie’s pouting? She’s always got a way of hiding her feelings, but I can see it now, the tightness around her mouth, the uncertainty in her eyes. But before I can even process it, Gran Gran just waves it off.“Never mind. That’s not why I came down here.” She pauses, her eyes shifting between the two of us, a knowing glint in them. Dixie glances at me, she's curious. The air between us feels he
× Dixie ×Finally, the smell of home. There's this warmth that wraos itself around me as I step into the familiar wals of my Gran Gran’s house. I practically green up here. It’s small but cozy, with little sunlight streaming through the windows and that earthy scent I’ve missed for months. For the first time in what feels like forever, I can breathe easy. No more battles, no more scheming, no more bloodshed. Just the quiet comfort of being back where I belong.I slip my shoes off at the door and head straight to the kitchen, the warmth of the house seeping into my bones. There’s a kettle of tea waiting on the stove, just the way it usually is.I fill a cup and sit at the small wooden table by the window, staring out at the small garden where Gran Gran used to tend to the flowers. The petals are still in bloom, a bright splash of color in the morning light. I take a sip from the cup, the warm liquid soothing my nerves, but no matter how many deep breaths I take, there’s this tension
× Alvera ×It’s a new day, and for once, it actually feels like one. I lean against the wooden post of the meeting hall, watching Trix speak with one of the elders. The elder nods at something Trix says, his stern face breaking into what looks like approval. Approval from him is a miracle in itself, and I can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. I’ve known Trix for a long time, and seeing this moment of quiet acceptance fills me with a sense of peace I didn’t know I needed. Things are finally falling into place. That doesn’t mean the wounds have healed but the scars are starting to feel like something we can bear. I’m still struggling with my own demons, the battles we fought left marks that don’t just disappear overnight. But today? Today feels lighter. I glance over at Dixie, who’s standing a few feet away, watching Trix with a soft expression. She looks tired, but there’s a warmth in her stare that wasn’t there before. The pack’s whispers about her have quieted, and th
× Trix ×The entire pack compound is filled with killings, and shootings a d fights. I can smell blood and sweat all around me. But I can also see dead bodies on the floor. It's painful but we're not done yet. I can even feel my own exhaustion scratching at the edges of my resolve, but there’s no room for weakness here. Not now. Not when everything depends on this moment. I look around quickly, taking in the scene. Dixie is taking the pack members to safety. Alvera ks fighting both Salcom and Hermes, she looks mad. And her injuries are supposed to slow her down but she isn't giving up.Just then, Blade Alpha fires at me again, his claws aiming for my throat. I barely sidestep in time, the whoosh of his attack grazing my ear. My wolf howls within me, urging me to finish this, to end him. But how? He’s too strong, his skin is thick to everything we’ve thrown at him so far. Every cut we’ve made heals almost instantly, as if mocking us. “Silver,” a voice whispers in the back of my m
× Dixie ×Alvera steps out of the healer’s hut, and for a moment, time seems to pause. “Alvera, no!” I shout, running to her. She waves me off. “I’m fine. Focus on the fight.” I want to argue, but there’s no time. She looks drained, her steps slower than usual. She’s in her battle suit, the dark leather clinging to her like a second skin, and her weapons gleam under the faint light breaking through the smoke-filled air. She looks like someone who crawled straight out of the flames, and trust me, that’s not just a metaphor. Trix notices her too, his head snapping toward her like he’d been holding his breath this whole time. He frowns, his lips moving slightly as if he’s about to tell her to sit back down, but then he stops himself. It’s not his call, and he knows better than to underestimate Alvera’s resolve. "Let’s finish this," she says, her voice a little hoarse but steady. Trix nods, his gaze hardening as he shifts his focus back to Salcom, who’s standing in the middle
× Dixie ×A gunman spots us, his eyes narrowing as he raises his rifle. Trix moves faster than I can blink, grabbing the guy’s arm and twisting it until I hear a sickening crack.Satisfying.The gun falls to the ground, and Trix kicks it away before slamming the guy into the dirt. I don’t have time to be impressed, because another gunman is already running toward us. “Behind you!” I shout. Trix turns just in time to dodge a swing from the guy’s rifle. He grabs the weapon, yanking it out of the man’s hands before delivering a swift punch to his jaw. The guy goes down, and Trix turns to me, his expression grim. “Are you okay?” he asks. I nod, even though my legs feel like they’re about to give out. The sound of a wolf’s howl pierces the air, and I glance over to see one of the Nardoos locked in a vicious fight with a pack guard. It’s a horrifying sight, but I can’t look away. I see Salcom retreating, and his stupid laughter fades as he steps away from the whole drama.
× Dixie ×Why does these things keep happening? It's been one chaotic event to another. One battle to the next and it's tiring.Trix steps closer to me, his hand instinctively reaching out, but I can’t take my eyes off the Bamboo Alpha. His chest rises. It’s slight, barely noticeable, but it’s enough to send a jolt through me. I grab Trix’s arm, my fingers digging into his sleeve as we watch in stunned silence. The Bamboo Alpha’s eyes snap open. I gasp, scrambling back instinctively, as my heart begins to race. His eyes are glowing, a piercing silver light that seems to cut through the darkness around us. His chest heaves again, this time more pronounced, as if he’s taking his first breath in centuries. “Trix…” I whisper, my voice trembling. “I see it,” he mutters, his tone laced with awe and unease. The Alpha’s gaze shifts slowly, locking onto me. It’s like being pinned under a spotlight, every nerve in my body screaming to look away, but I can’t. His expression is unr
× Trix ×The bamboo forest feels colder than usual, even under the faint glow of the moon. Shadows stretch long and thin across the ground, their dark parts weaving between the trees like whispers of things better left unsaid. I shouldn’t feel this uneasy here, not in the heart of my own territory, not in the presence of Dixie, but tonight, nothing feels right. Dixie walks ahead of me, her grip on the bottle of Moon’s Tears is so tight that her knuckles turn white, her other hand trembling at her side. She hasn’t said much since we left Alvera in the healer’s care, and I haven’t pushed her. This moment, this plan, feels too fragile to poke at. One wrong word might shatter whatever thread of hope she’s holding onto. “Are you sure about this?” I finally ask, my voice low as the bamboo alpha’s tomb comes into view. The ancient structure is now overgrown with moss and vines, with its stones worn smooth by centuries of wind, sun and rain. It doesn’t look like much… it's just like a fo
× Trix × My heart feels like it’s been torn straight out of my chest, and I’m running on pure adrenaline. And I'm fueled by a grief so massive I can barely keep it from swallowing me whole. Ryder’s face keeps flashing before my eyes, the bloody mess of him, the way his voice cracked when he told me to leave, and that final, broken smile he wore like some kind of shield. I can still hear him saying, “I’ll be fine,” but we both knew he was lying. My lungs burn, and every step feels like I'm trying to outrun a storm that’s already caught up with me. The forest blurs around us, dark and unfamiliar, shadows twisting like they want to pull us back. Ican hear Dixie’s ragged breaths beside me, and Alvera’s limping footsteps not far behind. Every instinct I have tells me to stop. To turn back for Ryder, to fight until there’s nothing left, but I can’t. We’re alive. For now. And as much as it kills me to admit it, that’s what Ryder wanted. Leaving him wasn’t part of the plan. None o