Chapter 404 Red Sun

Chapter 404: Chapter 404 Red Sun

Talia’s POV

Seraphina looked at him. She looked at me, then he looked at the ground.

"I do not know how to do that," she whispered. "I do not know how to let go."

I pulled her into my arms and I held her tight.

"Neither did I," I said. "But I learned. I learned to trust Kaelen. I learned to trust my pack, and I learned to let people help me. You can learn too."

She did not speak, she just held me tighter.

Then I heard footsteps behind us and I turned.

Grandfather Aldric was walking toward us. He was slow, and he leaned on a cane.

He stopped beside us, and he looked at Seraphina.

"Seraphina," he said. "The children are right."

Seraphina looked at him, and her eyes were red.

"You have done your part," Aldric said. "You survived, you kept Talia alive, and you gave her the tools she needed to become the woman she is today. Now it is her turn. Let her fight, let her win, and let her make you proud."

Seraphina’s chin trembled. "I am already proud of her."

Aldric smiled. "Then let her see it. Stay, wait, and pray. That is your battle now."

Aldric’s voice was gentle, but it was firm. He was not asking, he was telling.

Seraphina was quiet for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "I will stay."

I hugged her again, and I held her tight.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Seraphina pulled back. She looked at me, and she looked at Kaelen.

"Come back to me," she said. "Both of you."

"We will," I said.

I looked at my mother without blinking or showing any signs of fear because I wanted her to believe me.

Kaelen nodded as well. "We will."

She looked at us one last time, then she stepped back.

I watched her. I watched the tears on her cheeks, and I watched the way she held herself together.

Seraphina reached for Aldric and she took his hand. Then they stood together, side by side.

Aldric raised his free hand over us and Seraphina did the same.

"Moon Goddess," Aldric said. "Watch over these children. Protect them, guide them, and bring them home."

Seraphina spoke next. Her voice was soft, but it was clear.

"Moon Goddess, I have prayed to you every day for fifteen years. I prayed for freedom, and I prayed for my daughter. And you answered my prayers. Now I ask for one more. Protect her, protect them, and please let them win."

Her voice broke on the last words. She paused, swallowed, and then kept going.

The words hung in the air, and they wrapped around me like a blanket. They filled me with something I could not name.

I felt tears on my cheeks, but I did not wipe them away.

Kaelen took my hand, and we bowed our heads.

The prayer ended, and Seraphina and Aldric lowered their hands.

Seraphina stepped forward. She kissed my forehead, then she kissed Kaelen’s forehead.

"Go," she said. "Fight, win, and come home."

I nodded, and I could not speak because I did not want to break in front of them.

After Grandfather Aldric and my mother began to head back, Kaelen and I turned and walked away. We walked toward the valley, toward the army, and toward the battle.

I did not look back. I could not because, if I looked back, I would not leave.

So I faced forward, I faced the army, and I faced the battle.

The valley was filled with wolves, thousands of them. And all of them were ready.

The allied packs were assembled: Stoneclaw, Thornwood, Silver Ridge, Moonshadow, and Shadowfang. They stood in formation, and they were waiting.

I walked to the front, and Kaelen was beside me.

Jax, Silas, and Cain were there. They nodded at me.

Alpha Stone and Alpha Thornwood were there. They also nodded at me.

I looked out at the army, and thousands of eyes stared up at me. The silence was so complete that I could hear them breathing, and I felt their hope settle on my shoulders like a heavy cloak.

I took a breath as I let the weight settle, and I let it strengthen me.

I was ready.

The sun began to rise over the mountains, and I watched it. It was not gold, and it was not orange. It was red: Blood red.

A murmur started at the back and rolled forward like a wave. Wolves shuffled their feet, as they glanced at each other.

They tilted their heads toward the sky, and I heard the whispers.

"Blood red," a Stoneclaw warrior muttered.

"That is a bad omen," a Thornwood wolf said.

"I think the Moon Goddess is warning us," an older wolf whispered.

Kaelen looked at me, and his jaw was tight, but he did not speak.

I did not look away from the sun, and I did not believe in omens.

I had spent fifteen years believing in nothing, and in no one, not even myself. But that was before.

Now, I believed in myself, in my pack, and I believed in Kaelen.

I turned to face the army, and I raised my hand.

"The sun is red," I said. My voice carried across the valley. "It is a sign, but not of doom. It is a sign of blood: of the blood we will spill, of the blood we will shed, and of the blood we will win with."

I paused, letting the words sink in.

"We are not afraid," I said. "And we are not divided. We are one."

I lowered my hand. "March," I ordered.

The army roared in unison and they moved. Thousands of wolves moved with one force, and one family.

The ground shook beneath our feet, and the air filled with the sound of thousands of wolves on the move. It was a sound that rolled across the valley and echoed off the mountains. It was a sound that made the ground tremble and the air vibrate.

I led the front line, and Kaelen was at my side.

We marched toward the Ashen Lands even as the sun rose higher. After a while, the red gave way to gold.

But I kept moving, and I did not look back.