~Samantha~

“That’s not fair,” Devon muttered.

“Take it as your punishment for disobeying my orders.”

He looked at me, terrified but trying to stay tough. “Mum, if this thing breaks, does the whole magic circle die?”

“That’s the plan.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we are all going to die.”

Her eyes widened in shock then she pushed her powers a little further.

Dominic shouted, “Sam, finish this now!”

“I’m working on it!”

Black Moon elbowed Dominic in the throat and pushed him back. “You really think this is over?”

“Seems like you’re close to your end,” Dominic snapped, charging back in.

The core started pulsing under us. The cracks got wider. The marks on the ground started flashing faster and darker. Lila felt it first. “Sam, look.”

The whole area had changed. The ground was glowing like it had been fed fresh blood. Shadows were rising like smoke and heading straight for Black Moon.

“He’s sucking power from the whole area,” I pointed out.

“No kidding.”

Devon’s eyes went wide. “Mum...”

Black Moon smiled like a maniac. Power was swirling around him in thick coils. “You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.”

“This loser is breaking everything!” Lila snapped.

“I can’t read magic charts, Lila!” I yelled back, blood dripping down my side.

“It means if we don’t finish this now, this whole place is going to blow up with us in it.”

“Oh for fuck sake! This was not how I imagined my life would be.”

Black Moon looked at me, and his smug face was gone. He looked meaner and way more dangerous.

“You ruin everything,” he growled.

“No; I don’t.”

“I was talking to the kids.”

My blood went cold. “Look at me when you talk about my children.”

He did. Then he lunged.

I got my shield up, but the hit was so heavy it slammed me back into the twins. We almost wiped out.

“Mum,” Devon choked out.

“Don’t worry,” I hissed. “Mummy is still alive.”

Diana’s hands were shaking against the crystal. “I can’t hold it!”

“Yes you can,” Devon said fast. “Stay with me.”

Black Moon laughed. “He pushes too hard, she’s too weak. What a useless pair.”

Something in Devon snapped. His jaw locked and silver light poured out of his hands.

“Don’t insult my sister!”

“No!” I barked. “He’s going to suck all of your powers!”

“I won’t let him.”

Lila knelt by the core and cut her hand again. Blood hit the crystal and hissed. “Sam, your turn. Royal blood. Now!”

I pressed my hand to the crystal and shoved my power into it. A burst of black energy hit my arm and crawled up to my shoulder, making me gasp.

“Ugh, he’s so gross.”

“Stop talking about him and pay all your attention here!” Lila yelled.

Behind us, Dominic and Black Moon collided again. Dominic landed a hit that should’ve ended him, but Black Moon just got more powerful. He drove a shadow into Dominic’s ribs and sent him sliding.

“Dominic!” I screamed.

He spat blood and stood right back up. “I’ve got this covered.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

Black Moon was beating his ass but I had to keep shut or Dominic would crash out.

Killian finally made it onto the platform, covered in blood and breathing heavily. “I left you for five minutes and you’ve almost left your pack without an Alpha.”

He looked at the twins, the core, and the fight. His face went hard. “The guards are holding the wolves, but not for long. End this.”

“Get in line,” Lila said.

Killian moved to Dominic’s side. “Go left. I’ll keep him from circling.”

Dominic didn’t even look at him. “Stay out of my way.”

“Act like you know what you’re doing and maybe I will.”

Black Moon grinned at Killian. “Perfect. The jealous one and the spare.”

Killian’s face went flat. “You think talking trash is a personality trait?”

Dominic swung first. “Try this one.”

They hit Black Moon from both sides. Steel, shadows, and fists crashed together.

Lila pressed harder on the crystal. “Sam, eyes over here.”

“I know!”

“Push!”

I pushed. Royal blood flooded the cracks, and the crystal let out a deafening scream.

Diana flinched. “Mummy, I feel sick.”

I grabbed her wrist. “I’ll take it from here. Stand close to me.”

Her eyes watered. “But will it work without me?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Devon leaned in. “It’s opening!”

Lila nodded. “One more hit and it’s over.”

Black Moon heard her. He blasted Dominic and Killian back, and every shadow around him sucked inward, sharpening into one giant spike.

My heart stopped. He wasn’t aiming for us. He was aiming for the twins.

“Move!” I screamed.

Everything went into slow motion. I saw the attack forming. Diana froze. Devon threw himself in front of her even though he’s just a kid. I knew I wasn’t going to make it in time.

But Dominic bolted like lightning.

The hit ripped into his chest. It lifted him off the ground and slammed him down so hard the whole platform rattled.

“Daddy!” Diana screamed.

Everything went silent in my head. Dominic wasn’t moving.

Devon made a sound that broke my heart. Diana fell apart. Killian looked ready to murder Black Moon.

Taking a sight of everything suddenly made my powers charge and I couldn’t control whatever happened next.

Black Moon saw it and for the first time, real alarm cracked across his face.

“No.”

“You hurt my mate!” I screamed at him. “You crossed a very huge line.”

The twins’ purification answered mine immediately.

Devon gasped and shoved more power into the core.

Diana cried through hers, trembling, voice broken. “Mummy!”

“Let it out,” I said. “Both of you. Right now. All of it.”

I drove my blood into the shattered cracks.

The twins’ silver followed and the core exploded.

A blinding burst ripped out of the crystal and tore through the whole array. The markings along the ground shattered into lines of dead ash. Shadow snapped apart midair. Every cursed wolf in the clearing dropped where it stood like the strings holding them up had been cut.

Black Moon got blasted backward.