Kamrynn’s POV
The search for Sherelle could wait.
For now, there was something far more important.
I pressed one last kiss to Astor and Arabella’s soft heads before forcing myself to hand them back to Marlana. My arms resisted the motion, screaming at me to keep them close, to never let go again. But I had to.
Marlana took them with a knowing smile, gently adjusting their blankets as she rocked them against her chest. They cooed, little hands clutching at her necklace, blissfully unaware of everything that had happened.
My heart clenched.
Soon, my loves. I’ll hold you again soon.
As I turned away, Lorien stepped forward. His presence was unmistakable-the weight of his gaze pressing down on me like a tangible force. I expected him to say something to me, but instead, his sharp eyes locked onto Marlana’s arms.
Or more specifically-onto the babies.
His brows pulled together slightly, a quizzical expression overtaking his normally unreadable face. He tilted his head, staring at Astor and Arabella with something between confusion and fascination, as if he were studying a species he’d never encountered before.
After a moment, he finally spoke. “I have never seen a human baby before. They look so tiny and squishy.”
Marlana chuckled. “Really?”
Lorien nodded, his gaze flickering between Astor and Arabella. “Draconian hatchlings are different. After they hatch from their eggs, they remain in dragon form for a year. Once they learn to fly, they become little fire-breathing menaces.” His lips curled slightly, almost fondly. “They are raised as dragons-taught to fly, to hunt, to control their fire. They breathe flames at anything that moves, testing their strength against one another. By the time they shift into their human form at the end of that year, they are already teenagers-fully capable of taking care of themselves.”
Marlana’s brows lifted in intrigue. “They age that fast?”
“Dragons live very long. We grow quickly in the beginning and slow down later.” His tone was matter-of-fact, but his eyes were still trained on the babies, watching the way their tiny chests rose and fell with each breath.
Marlana cradled Astor closer and he cooed, probably confused by the big tall man staring at him intently. “I guess it’s very convenient when you think about it. No toddler stage, they’re the real nightmares. What about you? Were you the same?”
Lorien’s lips curled again, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “Stronger,” he admitted, his voice carrying an undertone I couldn’t quite place. “It was… different for me.”
Marlana tilted her head, clearly wanting more, but Lorien’s gaze flickered back to the babies, his expression unreadable.
She didn’t push. Instead, she shifted Arabella slightly and smiled again. “Would you like to hold her?”
Lorien immediately went still. “Hold… her?”
She nodded. “She’s small, but she’s strong. I think she’d like you.”
He hesitated. His gaze flickered to me as if I had the answer to some unspoken question.
“They seem very… fragile,” he admitted at last, a rare uncertainty creeping into his voice. “I am not sure how to hold them.”
I almost laughed.
The great Solarian dragon, the last of his kind, the mighty and terrifying Lorien-afraid of holding a baby.
Marlana’s smile didn’t waver. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t hold too tightly and support her head.”
Lorien’s hands twitched at his sides, his hesitation lingering longer than I expected. He looked at Arabella one last time, then let out a slow breath.
“Perhaps another time,” he said.
I placed a hand on his arm, offering a small squeeze. “They won’t break, I promise.”
His gaze lingered on the babies for another moment before he finally exhaled and stepped back.
With that, I turned away, heading toward the front of the Pack House. The Obsidian wolves were watching, whispering amongst themselves but aside from the fear or was it worry? -that seemed permanently etched on their face, I could sense something else. Hope.
I took a deep breath, letting the cool breeze wash over me as I lifted my gaze to the heavens.
It was time.
I spoke, my voice strong, carrying through the air like a divine decree.
“By the blood that ties me to the heavens, by the will of Selene, the goddess who bore me-
I, Kamrynn Delamorte, Daughter of the Moon, release the Obsidian Pack from the chains that have bound you. I unmake the suffering my wrath once wove into your fate.
Calvin Kane, I forgive you from the bottom of my heart.
Obsidian wolves, I also forgive you.
And with these words, let the darkness be undone. Let the weight be lifted.
The curse is broken.”
The moment the words left my lips, the sky trembled.
A sharp crack of lightning tore through the heavens, followed by a deep, rolling thunder that shook the very earth beneath our feet.
Then, as if nature itself had heard me, the heavens opened.
A single raindrop fell.
Then another.
And another.
Until the skies released a downpour so heavy, so pure, it washed over the land like a long-awaited blessing.
Gasps filled the air.
And then-joy.
Pure, unfiltered joy.
“Rain! It’s raining! It hasn’t rained in almost a year, I can’t believe it!” I heard someone from the crowd scream.
The rest of the Pack erupted in celebration, laughter and cries of relief ringing through the storm. They danced, embraced, raised their hands to the sky, thanking the goddess for this miracle.
I stood among them, my face tilted up, letting the raindrops slide down my skin.
It had been so long since I’d felt the rain. Since I’d allowed myself to bask in something as simple and pure as this moment.
For the first time in a long while, I felt light.
The pain, the grief, the weight I had carried-it felt like the rain was washing it all away.
A warmth filled my chest, and deep within me, Aryna stirred.
“You can do more for them,” she whispered.
I blinked.
More?
The realization struck me instantly.
Yes.
Yes, I could.
I stepped forward, lifting my arms, my power humming beneath my skin.
And then, I spoke again.
“Hear me, Obsidian wolves.
Though the curse is lifted, its shadow still lingers. Wounds carved by time and grief cannot mend in a single breath.
So I grant you this-
Fruitfulness.
Restoration.
Abundance.
For every mother who has wept over an empty cradle, two children will rise in her arms.
For every warrior lost to battle, another will stand in their place-stronger, faster, unyielding.
For every seed sown in hope, the earth will answer with harvests twice as rich.
No longer shall the Obsidian Pack wither in despair.
You will flourish.
You will thrive.
This is my will. This is my blessing.”
In that moment, I felt a wave of powerful energy surge through me, pouring into the earth beneath our feet, weaving into the air, into the pack itself.
The wolves fell silent.
And then-
A new sound.
A heartbeat.
Not just one.
Many.
All around me, the cries of women filled the air-shocked gasps, trembling voices.
“I can feel it-”
“My wolf-she’s responding to me again!”
“My pain is gone! My body feels so much lighter!”
Laughter. Relief. Hope.
Life.
Tears blurred my vision as I took in the scene before me.
The Obsidian Pack would live. They would heal.
The suffering, the despair-it would no longer define them. I feel truly heartbroken they had to go through any of it in the first place but I’m glad I’ve been able to make things right.
A trembling hand brushed against my arm.
I turned, meeting Marlana’s tear-filled eyes. Franklin was holding an umbrella over her, shielding her and my children from the rain.
“You have done what no one else could,” she whispered. “You have given all of us our lives back, this Pack has regained a future.”
My gaze shifted to my children, still nestled in her embrace, their small faces serene, untouched by the hardships of the past.
A new beginning.
For them.
For all of us.
But this was only the beginning, I had so much more to do.