Chapter 6

Luna's POV

Blazing light erupts from my outstretched palms, scorching towards Boris' hulking frame. But with shocking speed, he twists away. My attack slams into the ground, bursting dirt and stone. 

Boris' grating laugh cuts through the chaos. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Around us, his followers scramble for cover from my wild strike. But Boris stands firm, eyes alight with dark anticipation. He has long awaited this confrontation between us. So have I.

"Call off your wolves and face me yourself," I challenge, hands glowing with readied power. "This has always been between you and me." 

Boris' grin widens, malicious. "With pleasure." He turns, gesturing sharply to his packmates. "Leave us. The witch is mine!"

With a chorus of reluctant whines, the wolves melt into the surrounding forest shadows. In seconds, only Boris and I remain. The clearing feels cavernous in the wake of their departure. The stage is set.

Boris begins to circle me slowly, muscles coiled and steps lithe. "I knew you would bloom into something special with the right motivation," he rumbles. "We could have been magnificent together."

I follow his movements warily, revolted by his words. "I was never yours to possess. Destiny bonded me to Cole and the others. You twisted something pure into something profane." 

"Lies," Boris spits back harshly. "I saw your potential first. Felt our connection. Before the Westmont mutts stole you away." His eyes burn with fervent obsession. With a sudden burst of speed, he charges.

I'm ready. I sweep my hands up, casting a blazing shield. Boris rebounds off it with a furious snarl. Before he can recover, I slice my palm through the air, sending a volley of light daggers raining down on him.

But Boris moves astonishingly quickly, dodging most as he pushes through the pain. Claws slice towards me in retaliation. I barely avoid them, feeling the breeze of their passing across my cheek. 

We trade more blows, the clearing brightening with each flare of power. Boris' onslaught drives me back step by step. He fights with mindless desperation. I realize with dread that he has the upper hand in sheer viciousness.

A massive fist slams into my gut, knocking the air from my lungs. I hit the ground hard, gasping through the flare of pain. Boris is above me in an instant, his bulk pinning my arms and legs helplessly.

"Yield!" he roars, flecks of spittle striking my face. I twist and struggle to no avail. His claw-tipped fingers grasp my chin brutally, jerking my head to the side to expose the vulnerable expanse of my throat. 

Triumph lights his eyes with twisted glee. "You cannot stop fate, witch!" 

Just as I feel his hot breath descend towards my neck, a blinding light suddenly flashes between us. Boris rears back with a scream of pain and shock, releasing me.

I roll away and surge to my feet, whirling to identify my rescuer. Relief crashes over me in a dizzying wave. Cole! Beside him, Levi and Jason rush into the clearing, fur bristling, eyes burning with protective fury.

"Impossible..." Boris rasps, clutching his charred face as he staggers back. "You died!"

Cole's gaze caresses me briefly, reassuring himself I'm unharmed, before glaring back at my attacker. "Your tricks failed, Boris. As they always will against true mate bonds." 

The realization that Boris' earlier assault must have been an illusion to separate me from my mates fills me with white-hot rage. He planned to strike when I was vulnerable, trick me into surrendering. The coward.

"Luna, are you alright?" Jason asks, nuzzling my shoulder comfortingly. I give his fur a grateful stroke. 

"I'm fine now you're here. How did you find me?"

"Willow," is Levi's simple answer, eyes never leaving Boris' hulking form. Of course - she must have alerted them when I rushed off alone. I silently thank the forces that brought such allies into my life.

Boris has regained his feet, though half his face is now an enraged mass of burns. He points one clawed finger at me and my mates with trembling fury. 

"You cannot stop fate," he repeats hoarsely. "If it is not tonight, we will meet again." Before we can react, smoke explodes around him. When it clears, he is gone.

I sag into Cole's supporting arms, exhaustion finally crashing over me. But adrenaline still thrums through my veins. Boris' last words haunt me - this is not truly over. He felt our confrontation tonight was fated. He will come for me again.

Sensing my unease, Cole strokes my hair soothingly. "Whatever the future holds, we will face it together," he murmurs. My mates press close, bolstering me with their love and strength.

For now, Boris is gone, his pack scattered by Willow's aid. We can return home, rebuild what was lost. But my gut whispers that the coming dawn only heralds the start of a much longer war. A war between fate, obsession, and destinies yet unwritten. 

Tonight was but the first lightning strike heralding the gathering storm ahead. But we will weather it as we always have - side by side, united in unbreakable bonds. 

****

My mates support me as we make our way back to the village, ready to begin rebuilding what Boris tried to destroy. But my thoughts are consumed by his ominous parting threat. This fight is far from finished.

Cole senses my disquiet. "We will be ready when he comes again," he vows softly. "Now that we are united, his tricks will not prevail a second time."

I cling to his words and the comfort of my mates surrounding me, warding off the chill of foreboding. We arrive to find Willow and many of the pack have returned, tended wounds, and begun clearing away the destruction. There is hope here. 

Willow rushes to embrace me, eyes shining with relief. "Thank the moon you're alright!" She turns to Cole and the others. "The healers are tending those still in critical condition. The rest will recover, given time."

"Time Boris will not give us," Levi says darkly. Willow's expression sobers. She knows as well as I that this battle was just the first gust heralding the coming storm. 

"We will be prepared," she promises, echoing Cole's steadfast words from earlier. I wish I shared their conviction.

Over the next week, we work together to rebuild shelters, heal wounds, and boost defenses. Patrols scope the surrounding lands for any sign of Boris's return. But the forests remain eerily silent. 

I try to ignore the ominous pit in my stomach, instead focusing on honing my skills with Willow and learning fighting techniques from my mates. We will not be caught unready again.

Late one evening, Willow and I are practicing a tracking spell when Cole approaches, features stoic. "Riders approaching," is all he says. But it's enough. My heart leaps into my throat. 

Willow and I exchange an apprehensive look before following Cole outside. He gathers the rest of our inner circle, faces grim. This is it. After days of tension, Boris has returned for round two. 

Together we make our way into the darkening forest, my mates flanking protectively close. In the distance, Boris's burly figure comes into view, accompanied by at least two dozen wolves now. My steps falter. 

Cole grasps my hand firmly. "We can do this," he says fiercely. "He made a mistake coming here tonight." I force myself to nod, shoving down my doubts.

Boris strides forward leisurely until only a few paces separate us. His visage is still marred by burns, his smile devoid of any warmth. "Have you reconsidered my offer, little witch?" His words drip false charm.

I lift my chin. "I have. And this is my answer." I thrust my palms forward, light erupting outward. My mates spring into action in sync beside me. This invasion will not succeed.

Boris's eyes blaze with fervent purpose as he summons his own dark powers to counterattack. "Then so be it!" 

His followers close ranks behind him, ready to clash. My pulse pounds wildly, but I stand firm. The fate of everything we cherished hangs in the balance tonight. We will not falter. 

Let the battle commence.