Chapter 12 - The Abomination Siege
The night air exploded into chaos. The shrieks of corrupted beasts clashed with the sharp ring of steel as Kaelen's shadow-guards engaged the shadowy horde.
Kaelen didn't hesitate. In a flash of blinding white light, he transformed into his massive silver-white wolf form, leaping directly into the center of the dark pack. His razor-sharp claws tore through the dark magic animating the abominations, but every time a beast fell, the shadowy dark ooze dripping from its wounds coalesced, attempting to reform the monster's shattered body.
"They aren't dying!" a shadow-guard screamed as a fallen beast rose once more, its black claws sinking into the guard's shoulder armor.
Rowena dismounted with fluid grace, her dark velvet cloak sweeping across the ash-covered soil. Closing her eyes, she reached deep within her soul, tapping into the ancient lunar wellspring that connected her to the Moon Goddess.
"By the light that pierces the dark!" Rowena cried out, raising her hands toward the sky.
A brilliant dome of iridescent white-and-gold light erupted from her palms, expanding rapidly across the battlefield. The moment the radiant wave touched the abominations, the dark magic binding their flesh dissolved. The shadow-blood turned into harmless steam, and the beasts crumbled into lifeless piles of black ash.
The surviving guards let out a victorious roar, but Kaelen, shifting back to his human form, immediately landed beside Rowena. He caught her just as her knees buckled from the immense magical exertion.
"Rowena!" Kaelen caught her flush against his chest, his heart hammering in his ribcage. "You used too much power."
"I am fine..." Rowena gasped, leaning against his broad shoulder as warmth flooded back into her body through their shared mate-bond. "The light... it purifies them. Malakor’s magic cannot survive pure lunar energy."
Kaelen picked her up effortlessly in his arms, his silver eyes burning with protective fury. "General Vance! Secure the perimeter and build a perimeter camp. We rest here until dawn."
As the guards set up camp beneath the shelter of an ancient stone ruin, Kaelen wrapped Rowena in his heavy fur cloak beside a crackling fire. He held her close, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.
"You risked yourself," Kaelen murmured, his voice laced with a mixture of awe and residual fear. "If I lost you, Rowena..."
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"You won't lose me," she whispered, cupping his strong jaw with her delicate hand. "We are bound together, Kaelen. In light and in shadow. But we must be careful—Malakor knew we were coming. There is a traitor in the royal court who signaled our departure."
Kaelen’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing into cold slits of ice. "When we return, whoever sold our movements to the Wastes will answer to the Alpha King."
