The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 178

Claim

Chapter One Hundred Seventy Eight

“We are close,” Lucian said.

His wolf lifted his head, pulling in the scents carried by the wind. Magic. The forest ahead smelled wrong. Not like smoke or herbs.

Like something ancient woven into the soil. A sharp, metallic scent coated the air. Every breath made Lucian’s tongue feel numb. Wards. The coven was near.

“The bond is stronger,” his wolf said.

“She is close.”

Lucian could feel everything now. Agatha’s racing heartbeat. The movement of their pup. Her protectiveness. Her fear for her parents. And something else. A terrible pressure closing around her. Gideon. Lucian’s wolf snarled so violently that the warriors nearest him briefly faltered.

“He is with her.”

“I know.”

“Kill him.”

“We will.”

“Slowly.”

Lucian said nothing. He did not care how Gideon died. He only cared that Agatha and the pup survived.

If killing Gideon slowly placed them at risk, Lucian would tear out the witch’s throat immediately. If Agatha needed Gideon alive to remove a spell, Lucian would restrain himself. Barely. His revenge would come

after his mate was safe.

The bond pulsed again. Then- Her voice reached him. Faint. Broken. But unmistakable.

“Lucian…”

His entire body reacted. His silver wolf nearly stopped from the shock of hearing her clearly after so long.

“My love?”

“Please…”

Agatha’s voice trembled through the connection.

“Please find me.”

Lucian’s heart broke. He forced more power into the bond.

“I am almost there, my love.”

Relief washed over him. Not his own. Hers. Agatha had heard him. For the first time since Gideon took her, they could speak.

Chapter Opened Seventy Fight

knew you would come,” she whispered.

tucian pushed harder. The forest blurred again.

“I am coming for you.”

His voice became a vow.

“For you and our pup. I never stopped.”

“I know.”

Her answer was immediate.

“I felt you.”

The pain in her voice nearly made him lose control.

“I felt you searching.”

“Forgive me for taking so long.”

“No.”

Agatha’s voice became firmer despite her fear.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“He hid us.”

“He placed wards everywhere.”

“He threatened my parents.”

Cham

Lucian’s fury exploded. The warriors behind him felt his aura surge through the pack bond. Several wolves released angry growls.

“He threatened our pup?” Lucian asked, though he already knew the answer.

Agatha’s silence told him enough. Lucian’s wolf roared inside him

“He dies.”

“Yes,” Lucian agreed.

“He dies tonight.”

Agatha’s fear suddenly intensified.

“Be careful, my love.”

The concern in her voice was not for herself. It was for him. Even while trapped, even while Gideon threatened her family and child, Agatha worried about Lucian.

“Gideon is much stronger than he used to be,” she warned.

2/6

Chapter OpeHundred Seventy Eight

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

“He has changed. Dark magic surrounds him. He hears voices. He speaks as though something else lives inside him.”

Her breathing became uneven.

“The darkness has consumed him.”

Lucian’s wolf threw back his head and released a howl. The sound tore through the night. Powerful. Defiant.

A challenge to every witch hiding beyond the trees. The army answered. Thousands of wolves howled behind him. The sound shook the forest. Birds fled from the trees. Animals disappeared into their dens. Even the ground seemed to tremble beneath the force of their arrival.

“Dark magic does not frighten us,” Lucian told her. “Gideon does not frighten us.”

Agatha’s worry remained.

“You do not know what he has become.”

“I know what I have become.”

Lucian’s voice hardened.

“I am no longer a lone wolf returning to an empty cottage. I am the Alpha of every pack beneath this moon. I brought an army.”

Agatha became silent. Then he felt her relief. Her hope.

“You united them?”

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“For you.”

Lucian ran harder.

“For our pup.”

His wolf surged beneath him.

“We are ready to fight. To the death if necessary.”

Agatha’s fear sharpened.

“No. Lucian, you must survive.”

“I will.”

“You cannot promise that.”

“I can.”

36

Chapter Optimed Seventy Eight

His voice carried absolute certainty.

“have too much to lose.”

He felt the pup move through-their bond. The sensation was faint but unmistakable. Lucian’s chest tightened.

“A lifetime with you,” he said.

“A lifetime watching our child grow. A lifetime living together. Laughing together. Loving together.”

His voice deepened.

“I will not allow Gideon to take that from us.”

The edge of the coven’s territory appeared ahead. Ancient stone pillars rose between the trees. Symbols carved into them glowed faintly blue beneath the moonlight.

The wards stretched from one pillar to another, forming an invisible wall around the settlement. Lucian slowed. The wolves behind him spread into their prepared formations.

Alphas moved to the front. Warriors formed lines to protect the healers and weaker fighters. Archers carrying enchanted arrows took positions between the trees.

They had purchased, stolen, and traded for every weapon capable of resisting witch magic. Lucian shifted back into human form. A warrior immediately handed him a pair of trousers.

He dressed quickly without taking his eyes off the barrier. Through the ward, he could see distant lights. The coven. Agatha was inside. His Beta stepped beside him.

“Alpha.”

Lucian’s silver eyes remained fixed ahead.

“Give the final order.”

The Beta lowered his head. Lucian opened the mind link connecting him to every wolf in the army. His command traveled through thousands of minds.

“We are at the coven.”

The forest became completely silent.

“No one breaks formation. No one acts without orders.”

His gaze moved across the magical barrier.

“Kill every witch who attempts to attack us.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify