The Forgotten Pulse of the Bond
Chapter 116: The Sudden Breach

Chapter 116: The Sudden Breach

The storm had left its mark behind.

Her heart kicked once, hard. She strained to see, pressing her hands against the cold stone edge of the tower. The fog thickened, swallowing shapes. But there, between two crooked pines, a brief flash of movement.

A figure.

And then another.

Magnolia spun on her heel.

"Signal the courtyard!" she barked at the nearest sentry. "Raise the alarm!"

The man froze, startled. "Ma’am, ?"

"I said now!"

The bell sounded seconds later, its sharp clang cutting through the air. Wolves below shifted instantly into battle readiness.

Magnolia raced down the winding stairwell, her boots hammering against stone. Adrenaline flooded her chest. She hit the ground running, storming across the courtyard where Beckett was already barking orders.

"They’re here!" Magnolia shouted. "North ridge. Multiple units."

Beckett’s face darkened. "How many?"

"More than we’re ready for."

Rhett appeared behind them, his voice low, controlled. "Positions."

Without hesitation, the pack moved. Like gears grinding into motion, every trained fighter took their place. Gates sealed. Outer walls bristled with archers.

Magnolia’s pulse refused to steady. She knew this wasn’t like the others. This wasn’t intimidation.

It was invasion.

The first explosion shattered the quiet.

A violent eruption cracked against the northern gate, throwing up thick clouds of dirt and shattered stone. The air slammed into Magnolia’s chest, knocking her back several steps as debris rained down.

Screams echoed as soldiers scrambled to reinforce the gap.

Another blast struck the western perimeter moments later, sending timber flying like sharpened spears.

The enemy moved fast, their silhouettes barely visible through the rolling fog, tall, swift, methodical. Dressed in black armor etched with the Elder’s sigils, faces masked behind silver wolf insignias.

Magnolia drew her dagger, the familiar weight grounding her even as her stomach twisted.

"Beckett!" she shouted.

"We’re being flanked!" he called back. "Multiple entry points, they planned this!"

"Fall them back to the inner walls," Rhett commanded, his voice booming across the chaos. "Hold the courtyard!"

A third explosion struck.

This one was close, too close.

Magnolia barely registered the sound before the wall beside her split. Stone screamed as it cracked, the corner of the north watchtower collapsing in a rain of rubble.

A massive slab of debris plummeted toward her.

She dove instinctively, hitting the ground hard, shoulder scraping against the wet stone as dust and rock exploded around her. The force of it stole the air from her lungs.

For several seconds, she couldn’t move, her ears ringing, the world spinning wildly.

Then strong arms yanked her up, dragging her to her feet.

Rhett.

His face was smeared with dirt and blood, but his grip on her arm was steady. His gray eyes, always sharp, burned with fury.

"You’re bleeding," he rasped.

"It’s nothing," Magnolia gasped, forcing herself upright. "I’m fine."

Another scream tore through the courtyard as one of their men was struck down, blood spraying across the slick stone.

Rhett’s voice barked over the fray. "Fall back inside! Reinforce the main hall!"

Wolves scrambled behind him, some shifting into their forms mid-stride. The courtyard dissolved into a blur of movement, fog and blood swirling together.

Gabriel’s soldiers pushed forward like a rising tide, silent but deadly, their blades gleaming in the faint light.

And overhead, through the thick cloud cover, faint crimson threads flickered, barely noticeable, but present. Like veins spreading through the sky.

The Ash Blood pulsed.

Magnolia felt it vibrating beneath her skin.

The Elder wasn’t here for conquest alone. He was here for Camille. For the bond.

They needed to get inside.

"Move!" Rhett growled, pushing her forward as another blast rocked the outer walls.

Together they raced toward the main doors, narrowly dodging falling debris as soldiers surged behind them.

The breach had begun.

The war was here.

The air thickened as they reached the southern courtyard.

The fog rolled lower now, clinging to the ground like fingers curling through grave soil. The taste of ash floated faintly in the back of Magnolia’s throat as they entered the narrow stone passage that led to the southern gate.

Beyond it, the battle had shifted violently.

The southern wall was under siege. Not with steel this time, but with power.

Ancient power.

Celeste stood in the center of the courtyard, her long silver braid whipping in the wind, arms stretched wide as blue sigils glowed beneath her boots. The ground pulsed beneath her like a living heartbeat.

Her lips moved quickly, chanting in a dialect older than the current pack’s history, pulling energy from symbols carved into the very stone.

The Elder’s soldiers were there too, circling beyond the ward perimeter. Waiting. Watching. Silent as wolves stalking a weakening prey.

Rhett grabbed Magnolia’s arm and held her back. "Stay behind the line."

"She can’t hold that wall alone!" Magnolia argued.

"Celeste knows what she’s doing," Rhett growled. "If we cross that barrier now, we break her control."

They watched, breathless.

The protective ring of glowing symbols flickered with each second, sparks leaping as the force strained under pressure. The Elder’s forces weren’t attacking with brute force, they were feeding dark energy into the barrier, probing, destabilizing.

And Celeste was resisting them alone.

Magnolia saw the tremor in her arms. The sheen of sweat glistening across her brow. Her breathing turned labored, but her voice never faltered.

Beckett sprinted in from the opposite corridor, panting. "The northern wall’s barely holding. We’ve lost part of the east flank entirely."

Rhett’s jaw flexed. "Where is Gabriel?"

"No sign yet. He’s sending others first. Testing the weaknesses."

Magnolia stared ahead. "He’s watching Celeste. Waiting for her to fall."

A sharp crack split the air. The southern ward flared violently as one of the Elder’s masked soldiers hurled a black orb against the invisible dome. The impact rippled through the barrier like a wave.

Celeste staggered, her chant faltering for a heartbeat.

"Celeste!" Magnolia cried.

The older woman didn’t acknowledge her. She pushed her arms wider, her voice rising above the crackling static around her. The sigils surged brighter, burning a brilliant cobalt that lit the courtyard like midday.

But the strain was showing.

Her knees buckled briefly before she locked them, eyes fluttering under the mounting pressure.

"I can hold it," Celeste gasped. "Stay back."

A second orb struck.

This one hit harder, shattering part of the western sigil ring.

The barrier sputtered. Flashes of wild, uncontrolled light burst through cracks forming in the perimeter.

"They’re bleeding through!" Beckett shouted.

Rhett cursed under his breath. "If that ring collapses, "

Magnolia stepped forward. "We can’t leave her like this!"

Rhett grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "If you break her focus now, we lose the entire southern wall!"

But Celeste’s breath was becoming ragged. Her arms trembled violently now. The lines of magic flickered like failing wires.

The Elder’s soldiers pressed closer, emboldened. A new volley of dark energy orbs flung against the fractured ward.

A low moan rumbled beneath their feet as the ground beneath the ward cracked.

One of the Elder’s soldiers breached the opening, slipping through a brief tear in the faltering shield, blade drawn, moving fast toward Celeste’s exposed flank.

"NO!" Magnolia screamed.

Before Rhett could stop her, she broke free and sprinted forward.

Her dagger flew from her belt in a smooth arc, embedding itself deep into the soldier’s throat before he could strike. The body hit the ground with a wet thud, black blood spreading like ink across the stone.

Magnolia skidded beside Celeste, catching her as her legs finally gave way.

"Hold on!" she pleaded, wrapping her arms around her mentor’s trembling frame.

Celeste’s face was pale, lips quivering. "The wards... they won’t hold..."

"You’ve done enough," Magnolia whispered fiercely. "I’ve got you now."

Behind them, more soldiers attempted to press through the broken ward line.

Rhett arrived like a storm, his blade a blur as he cut them down before they crossed fully into the courtyard. Beckett followed with two guards, their movements sharp, precise, desperate.

The protective ring collapsed entirely in a final burst of blue light as Celeste lost consciousness.

Rhett grabbed Magnolia’s shoulder, pulling both women back behind a secondary defense line forming around the inner estate doors.

"Fall back!" he shouted to the remaining wolves. "Seal the second gate!"

As soldiers retreated, slamming the heavy steel doors behind them, the Elder’s forces paused outside the wreckage, regrouping in eerie silence.

Magnolia lowered Celeste gently onto the stone floor, pressing her palm against her mentor’s clammy cheek.

"She’s burning up."

"She bought us time," Rhett said, breathless. "But not much."

Beckett knelt beside them. "She needs a healer. Now."

Rhett’s gaze flicked toward the shadows where Gabriel’s forces regrouped. "Get her inside. I’ll hold them here."

Magnolia hesitated but nodded.

The battle wasn’t over. Not yet.

Inside the estate, something worse was brewing.

You were born for this, the voice whispered again, not unkind. You were made to break them. They cannot protect you. They never could.

Tears welled in Camille’s eyes.

"They’re my family," she whispered to the air. "They love me."

Love is weakness. Love shackles you to their fear. They would rather see you broken than become what you are meant to be.

Her head shook sharply, as though trying to physically throw the voice out. "No... Magnolia would never, "

She pities you. So does Rhett. They pretend you’re still their fragile child. But inside, you know the truth.

Camille squeezed her eyes shut, pressing trembling fingers to her temples. The pressure behind her forehead pulsed harder. Her skin prickled as warmth radiated outward from her spine.

The Ash Blood was awake. And it was growing.

Beyond the door, faint shouts echoed, muffled commands, steel clashing. The battle drew closer. The walls of the estate trembled under distant explosions.

She felt the shifts in energy long before the others did.

The southern ward had fallen. Celeste was down.

No one can protect you now, the voice hummed. Let me protect you.

Her eyes snapped open, glowing faintly now, swirling amber bleeding into crimson.

Her voice trembled. "I don’t want to hurt them."

You will hurt them if you stay. Let me take you where they can’t follow. Let me save you from their failures.

Another deep tremor rolled beneath the floor.

Camille stood slowly, bare feet pressing against the warded stone. The runes flared weakly under her steps, trying, failing, to restrain the surge growing within her.

The protective barrier wasn’t strong enough anymore.

Her hands flexed at her sides, fingers trembling with contained heat. Sparks danced across her skin.

Her head turned sharply toward the far corner of the chamber where a faint shimmer outlined the hidden exit, a last resort passage Rhett had ordered sealed. A contingency. A door that was never meant to open again.

It pulsed now, reacting to her presence.

Go, the voice urged. Before they turn on you. Before they sacrifice you for their fear.

Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. "Magnolia would never..."

She is already afraid. You feel it in her. You see it in her eyes.

Camille took a step toward the passage.

The runes beneath her flared one final time before collapsing entirely with a soft pop. The energy binding her flickered out like the final breath of a dying flame.

The heat that had been swirling beneath her skin now surged freely, coursing through her in waves that made her head spin. It wasn’t violent, it was... warm. Comforting.

You were never meant to be small, the voice cooed. You were born to ascend.

Her fingers grazed the hidden stone panel. It crumbled beneath her touch, dust falling like ash as the ancient lock broke apart.

A long tunnel stretched beyond, dark and waiting.

She hesitated at the threshold, eyes wide, chest heaving.

Then another blast rocked the manor behind her. Shouts rang out from the corridor, Rhett’s voice. Magnolia’s cries. The battle closing in.

Her lip quivered. "I love them."

And that is why you must leave, the voice whispered softly. You love them enough to spare them from what you are becoming.

Her foot crossed the threshold.

The heat embraced her fully now, flowing into her like liquid fire. Her fear began to melt beneath its weight.

The whispers sang to her as she stepped into the darkness, the tunnel sealing behind her.

Good, my child. Now we begin.

She didn’t look back.

And as the door vanished into stone, Camille disappeared without leaving a trace.

Now the storm would grow without her.