Chapter nineteen: I faced the god beneath

Freya's pov 

The howls echoed through the valley like thunder. They came from every direction—sharp, furious, close.

Kade had found the Nightfang sanctuary. And he was bringing war with him.

I stood frozen for just a moment, staring at the silver river behind us. The glowing path that once protected us was now open… and broken.

Aelira turned to me, eyes calm but urgent. “He must have marked you. That’s how he found the trail.”

“I didn’t feel anything,” I whispered.

“Bloodbinding magic can hide in your skin,” she said. “But we don’t have time to search for it.”

Behind her, the other Nightfangs were already preparing. Warriors shifted into wolves. Elders lit fire wards across the trees. Children were rushed into the caves.

Riven came to my side. “He’s bringing the bound. Rogues tied to his will. They won’t stop until they taste blood.”

“And you?” I asked.

He looked at me, sadness in his eyes. “I’m not one of them anymore… but I’m not free either. I can fight him—but not alone.”

I touched his wrist. “Then don’t fight alone.”

Aelira walked to the altar where the flame still burned—brighter now, sensing danger.

“Freya,” she said, “if you truly wish to lead, to save your brother, your pack, and your world… you must finish the Rite now.”

“But I don’t know how to,” I said, heart racing.

“Yes, you do,” she said. Her voice calm and gentle. “It’s not in words. It’s in *memory*. In blood. In fire.”

I stepped forward, eyes on the flame.

The moment my hand hovered above it, the fire leapt to my palm—and spread. It didn’t burn.

It belonged.

Flames danced across my arms, up to my throat, over my heart. I gasped, knees shaking—but I didn’t fall.

I saw my mother again. Her laugh. Her fight. Her final breath.

I saw my brother, chasing butterflies in the woods, hiding behind trees, singing to me in the dark.

And then I saw myself and alone. Afraid even Rejected but finally—rising. The flame grew until it surrounded me.

And when it faded…

I wasn’t the same.

************************

My wolf stepped forward—taller, glowing silver and gold, flame flowing from my paws. My eyes were bright white. The mark on my back burned like a star.

I was the Nightfang reborn, the howls were louder now, they were almost here. I turned to Aelira. “Get the children underground. Protect the old ones.”

She nodded and ran. Riven stepped beside me. “You’ve changed.”

“So have you,” I said. Then we saw them.Wolves pouring down the ridge, eyes wild with red light. Rogues. Bound. Ferocious.

And at the front—Kade.

His cloak fluttered in the wind. His eyes met mine, calm, dark, hungry and He raised his hand.

The rogues charged, the valley exploded into battle. Nightfang wolves leapt into the fight, their magic lighting the trees. The ground shook with growls, howls, screams.

I tore through the front line, flame trailing behind me. Every wolf I touched dropped or turned. The fire didn’t just burn—it freed. Some rogues blinked in confusion as the bond broke. Others turned and ran.

But more kept coming.

Riven fought like a storm beside me. No hesitation, no fear. He moved with power and grace, like he was born for this war.

I saw Kade near the center, not fighting.

Waiting.

He was holding something in his hands—black and pulsing. The blood crystal. The same one Riven had shown me but except now it was alive. I shoved past a pair of rogues and ran toward him.

“Kade!” I shouted.

He looked up and smiled. “You finally woke up.”

“Let them go. Call off your wolves.”

He tilted his head. “And waste this beautiful night?”

He raised the crystal.

“Riven’s blood opened the gate,” he said. “But yours, Freya? Yours will wake the god beneath us.” The ground shook.

No—rumbled From deep below. A sound like breathing. Kade closed his eyes, pressing the crystal to the earth.

“No!” I screamed and lunged forward.

Too late. The ground split open beneath him.

Flames burst upward—black and red and ancient. Something was coming and even Kade looked surprised.

His voice trembled as he whispered, “It’s… real.”

The fire shot into the sky, forming a massive shape—half-wolf, half-shadow. Eyes opened in the dark.

It saw me and It knew me. Then the flames vanished—and with it, Kade, Swallowed whole. I ran to the edge of the pit. It was deep. Bottomless and empty.

The earth had taken him or something had taken them both. Behind me, silence fell over the battlefield. The rogues dropped to their knees, confused and dazed.

The flame

inside me flickered low. Then… stopped and I felt cold, Exhausted.

Empty.

And deep beneath us, the earth gave one final shudder. Like something had stirred. And it wasn’t done.