Evaline:


    The witches began to chant. Their voices sounded like a soft melody at first, barely audible, but then it started growing louder... stronger.


    The air shifted as magic filled the chamber like a rising tide, thick and electric, making my skin tingle.


    The runes carved into the stone floor began to glow one by one, and a deep, pulsing light spread outward from the center of the big rune where Elder Morwen had her staff pressed in the ground.


    All the runes in the secret chamber had been fixed by the witches earlier tonight to make sure there''s no rune from before left that could make the ritual or spells go wrong tonight.


    My heart began to race as I watched the spell taking effect.


    This was it.


    This was really happening.


    The seal... I felt it before I saw it. And barely a secondter, a crack appeared in it. It was the same seal the witches had set up previously to temporarily lock the Great Evil here with.


    And now, they weren''t trying to lift the seal. They were just waking up the Great Evil and distract him with the seal so that they could attack it with its defenses down.


    Several more seconds passed as the witches continued their chant, and then finally, a low, guttural hum echoed through the chamber, vibrating through the walls, through the ground, and through me.


    My breath caught.


    But the witches didn''t falter, if anything, their voices only grew stronger, moremanding, more forceful.


    The air darkened slightly as shadows flickered unnaturally along the edges of the chamber.


    And then, we all saw as the tree transformed into a mass of darkness.


    The Great Evil.


    Even contained, it radiated something foul, something wrong.


    My stomach turned as that familiar feeling of wrongness almost overwhelmed me for a few seconds, but I pushed past it and kept my attention on the ancient soul.


    "Evaline."


    Elder Morwen''s voice cut through the chaos, pulling my entire attention toward her briefly. "Be ready," she said.


    "I am," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.


    The chanting reached its peak, almost making the chamber tremble from the magic of the powerful spell.


    Another small crack appeared in the seal, and just like they wanted, the Great Evil turned its entire focus on breaking through the seal.


    "Now!"


    At Elder Penn''smand, all the witches activated the second spell, overpowering the Great Evil even before it could have realized what was happening.


    It writhed violently as if resisting. It tried to fight back, but it was already toote.


    The spell covered it with a white light, squeezing it while the brightness kept growing until... it almost blinded all of them.


    The next second, a sharp, piercing sound split the air, like something tearing apart and light burst from the Great Evil.


    It was a blinding light, and within it... I saw them - shapes, forms... the wolves. All six of them were still there, and now being released one by one.


    The Great Evil tried to snatch them back, and for a mere second, it snapped so aggressively we thought the witches almost lost control over it.


    But they were quick to pull it back, away from the wolves that were almost out of the seal still keeping the Great Evil trapped.


    And once they were out, I stepped forward and let my power surge. It answered instantly, spreading out of me in warm and bright waves as it wrapped around all six wolf forms and guided them to their respective owners.


    Everything else ceased to exist. My focus was no longer on the witches, or the Great Evil, or even on the chamber shaking beneath my feet. But only on the six fractured souls… fragile, disoriented, and aching to return home.


    I reached for each one carefully, my power splitting and stretching in ways I had never pushed it before. It wasn''t just about guiding them - it was about holding them together, keeping them stable long enough to reunite with their bodies.


    "Easy…" I whispered under my breath, even though they couldn''t hear me. "I have got you…"


    One by one, I pulled them closer, feeling and matching them to the right owners.


    My breath hitched for a moment as I came across the only ck wolf, the only Alpha.


    Draven''s.


    I found him instantly.


    His wolf was strong… even now. Fierce. Restless. Fighting against the invisible chains that had held him captive for so long.


    "You are going home," I breathed, guiding him gently toward Draven''s still body.


    The moment their energies brushed, the reaction was immediate. There was a sharp pulse, a surge of life... but also resistance from some because merging wasn''t natural anymore, not after being torn apart like this.


    My breath hitched as I poured more power in, stabilizing the connection, smoothing the edges where soul met flesh again.


    "Stay with me…" I murmured.


    Naira''s wolf was the weakest, flickering like a dying me, and I had to cradle her more carefully than the rest.


    Another one fought wildly. Another resisted out of fear. And there''s one that simply... drifted, like it didn''t know where it belonged anymore.


    It was chaos, controlled chaos, and I was at the center of it.


    My breathing grew uneven. Sweat trickled down my temples, my hands trembling as I forced more of my power out, stretching it thinner… wider… holding six separate connections at once.


    It was too much.


    And for a second, just a second, a familiar darkness flickered at the edge of my vision. My knees nearly buckled, but I held myself together and didn''t stop.


    I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay upright, to stay conscious, to stay in control.


    Focus.


    Just focus.


    Nothing else mattered. Not the deafening roar of magic behind me. Not the violent thrashing of the Great Evil as the witches began to tear it apart. And not the way the ground trembled like it might split open beneath us.


    Only this.


    Only them.


    And then, I felt something shift. It flickered deep inside me, warm and familiar. I gasped as the mate bonds came to life and I felt my mates'' wolves strength rushing into me like a lifeline, steady and powerful, wrapping around my weakening strength.


    And then, I heard River''s voice in my head.


    "Evaline…"


    He sounded firm, grounding me.


    "Use it."


    My chest tightened, and for a heartbeat, I hesitated as I recalled what happenedst time I identally used Kieran''s strength.


    "Use our strength," he said again, softer this time but no lessmanding.


    And this time, I didn''t fight it.


    I let go.


    I opened myself fully to the bonds, and instantly, power surged through me. Not just mine anymore, but theirs. It mixed with my healing power, making it stronger than ever, even wilder, unyielding.


    It filled every crack, every weakness, every fading thread of my energy.


    My back straightened, my vision cleared, and my grip on the wolves steadied.


    I felt stronger than ever.


    "I have got you," I whispered again. But this time, I truly meant it.