“You need to tell her,” Peri had growled at him.

“No,” his answer had been final. He refused to leave Lilly with the knowledge that he would not be coming back to her. When he had left that morning, she had hugged him and kissed him and the smile that radiated on her face gave him the courage to do what was necessary. If it had been her tears, he didn’t know if he would have been able to walk away.

So now he stood before an ancient evil that longed to be unleashed into the world and he longed for the life that he knew he didn’t deserve. His blood would slowly weaken the opening to the veil and the words from the Nushtonia would give the demons strength.

He and Peri had gone to Vasile and explained their strategy and it was simple. He would bleed as slowly as he could, giving the wolves time to travel the twenty miles to his location. Desdemona did not know what it took, nor how long it would take to open the veil so he could use that to his advantage.

He felt the warm, wet blood flowing down his arms and fought the urge to try and kill Mona himself. He had argued for that, but Peri had told him that he alone would not be able to defeat Mona, not at this point. She had spent too many centuries amassing power.

So, he stood there, bleeding like the sacrificial lamb waiting for death to take him, and wishing for one more day with the human who had stolen his heart.

Q

Ainsel stood just beyond the trees, watching as the Warlock King bled freely. He had given his blood without force or coercion. He stood of his own free will as his lifeblood created a puddle at his feet and flowed towards the veil.

“Ainsel, please join us,” Mona’s voice crawled over his skin like prickly insects making him want to recoil. But, she knew he was here, he had no choice but to step forward.

“Desdemona.” The King of the Pixies bowed his head slightly to the witch.

“I see you have come to uphold your end of the bargain,” she told him, with a toothy smile.

“I am here,” was his only response.

“Good,” she folded her arms across her chest as she turned back to the bleeding Warlock King, “because things are about to get interesting.”

Q

Vasile stood, flanked by Alina and Decebel, gazing at the warriors arrayed before him. Each of the packs, along with the Fae, Warlocks, and the Elves were assembled on the practice field in tight formations. Vasile wondered how many of them, if any, would return from this battle. He hoped they would all return. For the first time in his memory, he felt as if there was a real chance for his race to be united.

“Today will not be a day of mourning, or a day of loss,” his deep voice filled the empty space reaching into the hearts of his brothers, reminding them of why they were created, and why they stood where they did today. “Today will not be a day of defeat. Today is the day that we finally take a stand against evil. Today, though we are separate species, though we come from different places, and have served different purposes, today we are one pack. Toda y we combine our strengths and use them for the greater good, when others cannot fight forthemselves, today we will. I will not tell you to be fearless, for a lack of fear will make you reckless. I will tell you to be courageous. Stand your ground in the face of adversity, set your feet, and brace your body for impact, because today you will fight for your right to simply exist. You fight for the existence of your friends, your brothers and sisters, and your mates. Today I am proud to fight beside each of you. FOR THE PACK!”

Shoulders that had been slumped were now pulled back. Chins rose and jaws set as those who were not the same, those who did not agree on everything, did not always understand one another, and did not always like each other yelled as one. “FOR THE PACK!”

Vasile turned to Decebel and shook his hand before pulling him into a tight hug.

“You stay alive,” he told his former Beta.

Decebel gave him a small smile. “I would tell you the same, but you’re too bullheaded to die.”

Vasile chuckled. “Too true.” His voice sobered. “We run as one and as soon as we pick up the King’s scent, we break off.”

The other Alphas walked over and joined Decebel and Vasile.

“Victor, Dragomir, Angus, Artur, Gustavo, and Ciro, you will bank left, circle around, and fan out Dillon, Drayden, Tyler, Jeff, Decebel, and myself will bank right so that we form a complete circle. You will stagger your wolves' one facing in, one facing out, every other wolf. This will protect our flanks as we move forward. Desdemona is not a witch of simple mind. She will use anything in her power to achieve her goal. Adam, Alston, Dain, Disir, Gwem, Lorelle, and Nissa of the Fae will spread out amongst us to fight along with us. They will shield our presence for as long as possible. Jacque, Alina, Cynthia, and Crina will be fighting amongst us. They are the only females fighting with us. I do not say that I allowed this, but if you have met them, you have figured out that these are women that you don’t really allow anything.

"So, as much as it is in your power, protect our females. They are precious to us. Rachel and Sally, our two healers, along with Jen, the Serbian pack Alpha female, Elle, Sorin’s mate and Perizada will be a short distance away, hopefully with the stones of the Fae, if they make themselves available. They will help fight any of the forces of nature that Desdemona will attempt use in her favor.

"Our total numbers are thus: ten Fae, seven of which belong to the High Council, twenty Warlock warriors, twenty Elves, led by their Prince, two Gypsy Healers and fifty-one dominant Canis lupus, twelve of which are Alphas. This could be the largest united effort of supernatural races in our long history. It is my sincerest hope that we all come back, that we end this madness together. If we do not, I want to personally thank each of you for your help, for hearing our cry and the cry of the Great Luna and coming to our aide.” Vasile stepped back and to everyone’s surprise, he knelt, bowed his head, and placed his hand over his heart. Every movement stopped. Every noise ceased as they all turned to see the greatest of them on his knees, humbled.