Stormi’s POV
The first thing I felt was warmth.
Not the warmth of the moonlight or the ethereal glow of the spirit realm. This was something deeper, stronger–the warmth of touch, of arms wrapped around me, of familiar scents and heartbeats pounding against my skin.
I was alive.
My fingers twitched, brushing against fabric, against hands that held me as though I might disappear again.
Slowly, I blinked, my vision still adjusting. My body felt different–lighter, but also… whole.
Then, my eyes focused.
Elijah. Isaiah, Austin. Alex.
Their faces hovered above me, a mix of shock, disbelief, and raw, unfiltered emotion.
Elijah was the first to break. His breath hitched, and his forehead dropped to my shoulder, his entire body shaking as if he had been holding himself together for far too long.
Austin let out a sharp, broken laugh, running a hand over his face as if to make sure this wasn’t some cruel illusion.
Isaiah just knelt beside me, his usual stoic mask completely shattered. He wasn’t saying anything, but his hand was gripping mine so tightly it felt like he was afraid to let go.
Alex–sweet, strong Alex–pressed his forehead to mine, his breath shaky as he whispered, “Don’t ever do that again.”
I smirked, my voice hoarse. “What took you so long?”
The tension shattered.
Austin let out a full, disbelieving laugh, rubbing his hands down his face. Elijah shook his head, exhaling sharply, while Isaiah exhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.
Then, they pulled me into them, their arms tightening, holding me as if they would never let go.
I buried myself into them, letting their warmth, their presence, seep into my bones. I had been ready to let go–I had accepted my fate. But they hadn’t.
And because of them, I was here. I was back.
Then, the world shifted.
A presence far greater than any of us rippled through the air, making my skin tingle.
I turned my head, and there she stood.
The Moon Goddess.
Her four arms hung at her sides, her crescent moon tattoo glowing on her forehead. She was radiant, powerful, and yet, there was
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something soft in the way she looked at me.
She stepped forward, floating just inches above the ground, and gazed down at all of us.
“You have defied fate itself,” she said, her voice resonating through the very air, as though the sky itself spoke.
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her words.
The Moon Goddess turned her gaze to my mates. “You have given up the very essence of your souls to bring her back. You have done what no others would dare to do. And for that… you shall be blessed.”
The air pulsed with power, and a shimmering glow surrounded us.
“But there is a price,” she continued, her expression unreadable.
My mates stiffened, holding me tighter.
“Half of your souls now belong to her. You are bound together in a way that no others have ever been. But in doing so, you have severed a part of yourselves from your wolves.“.
A heavy silence settled over us.
Then, she spoke the words that changed everything.
“You will never shift again.”
I felt Elijah tense against me. Austin stilled. Isaiah’s grip tightened. Alex’s breathing hitched.
But the Goddess wasn’t finished.
“You will still have your strength. Your agility. Your gifts as protectors of the werewolves. But you will never again take the form of
a wolf.”
I sucked in a breath, my heart clenching at what she was saying. They had given up a part of who they were–for me.
Elijah’s jaw clenched, his arms still firm around me. “We don’t regret it.”
Austin exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Not for a damn second.”
Isaiah’s voice was quiet, but steady. “She’s worth it.”
Alex finally met the Moon Goddess’s gaze, his golden eyes burning with unwavering certainty. “We would do it again.”
The Goddess studied them for a long moment, as if weighing their souls in her divine judgment.
Then–she smiled.
It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was there.
She turned her gaze to me. “Stormi. You have walked a path no other has walked before. You have become more than a warrior, more than a leader you have become the heart of this world’s future.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tightening.
The Goddess slowly lifted her spear. The blade shimmered with an otherworldly light, glowing with pure lunar energy.
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Then, she lifted it toward the sky.
A beam of light shot from the tip, piercing the heavens themselves. The battlefield trembled, as though the very stars were responding to her call.
“The war is over.”
Her voice rang across the realm, final, absolute.
I felt something shift–something powerful, something ancient. The very air seemed to sigh, the tension that had plagued our world for centuries finally releasing.
The Shadow Weaver was gone. The Umbrakins had been destroyed. Balance had been restored.
For the first time in a long, long time…
We could breathe.
The Moon Goddess lowered her spear, her gaze softening.
“I have watched you all suffer. I have watched you all fight, bleed, and give everything for this world.”
Her eyes found mine again. “Live now. Not as warriors, but as those who have earned their peace.”
I felt my chest tighten, my breath shuddering.
Peace.
It was a foreign word to me. I had spent my entire life fighting, sacrificing, surviving.
But now…
I had a choice.
I wasn’t alone. I had my mates, my people. I had a future.
A real future.
The Goddess gave one final glance at the battlefield. Then, she began to rise, her form becoming more and more translucent, until only a shimmer of silver light remained.
Then she was gone.
The sky was clear again. The moon hung above us, glowing brighter than ever before.
I let out a shaky breath, turning back to my mates.
They were looking at me–not with sadness, not with grief, but with something else. Something raw and real.
Love.
I reached for them, and they reached for me.
We didn’t need words.
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We just held each other, beneath the light of the moon, as a new world began.
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