Chapter 177- Three Flames Rising
Lexy
The battlefield was eerily quiet after the storm I unleashed. The earth still smoldered, carrying the acrid stench of ash and blood. My chest rose and fell sharply, every breath thick with smoke and exhaustion. I had poured every ounce of myself into that blast—so much so that for a fleeting second, I wondered if there’d be anything left of me afterward.
But as I looked around, saw my warriors battered yet alive, heard the cries of the wounded and the determined shuffle of those tending to them, I knew why I had done it. Adrian and Kael had fled. The tide was ours, for now.
“Your Majesty,” one of the sentries murmured, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. He bowed his head, hesitant to meet my gaze.
I nodded, unable to summon words. My body was trembling—not just from the energy I had expended, but from the truth I was still struggling to accept.
Triplets. Again.
Doctor Bennett’s voice echoed in my mind from earlier that day, steady and sure. “The reason you’ve been feeling so different, Your Majesty, is because you are carrying three lives within you. Triplets.”
I had barely had time to process his words before the battle swept us into chaos. Now, in the aftermath, the reality pressed down on me. My hands drifted unconsciously to my abdomen, where new lives stirred beneath the surface. Three tiny flames, fragile yet fierce, depending on me to protect them.
It wasn’t fear that gripped me—it was something heavier. A mix of awe, dread, and fierce determination. I loved my children already, but I couldn’t help the question echoing in the back of my mind: Can I fight this war and still protect them?
CJ’s hand touched my shoulder, grounding me. His eyes, sharp and unwavering, met mine. “You’re still here,” he murmured softly, only for me. “They’re safe. You’re safe. That’s all that matters right now.”
I leaned into him, drawing strength from the bond we forged long ago. Together we had weathered battles, betrayals, and storms of power—but this new truth shifted the foundation beneath my feet.
“Let’s gather the council,” I said at last, voice rough from smoke and strain. “We need to debrief before Adrian finds his footing again.”
By nightfall, the grand hall was alive with murmurs. Representatives from the allied packs filled the chamber, their faces a canvas of fatigue and worry. Some bore bandages from the day’s battle; others carried the grimness of commanders who had lost too many under their watch.
I took my seat at the head of the long oak table, CJ to my right, Tarria to my left. My most trusted allies. The weight of leadership pressed heavily, but I would not falter.
“Today,” I began, my voice carrying across the hall, “we won a battle. But do not mistake this as the end of the war. Adrian and Kael live. They escaped into the shadows, and I will not allow us to underestimate them again.”
A ripple of agreement and unease stirred the room.
Tarria leaned forward, her sharp gaze sweeping the table. “Their retreat doesn’t mean defeat. It means they’re planning. Adrian won’t sit idle. He’ll strike again, and when he does, it’ll be twice as calculated.”
Her words echoed my own fears. I met her eyes and nodded. “Exactly. Which is why we must be ready—not just for their armies, but for the subtler wars they’ll wage. Adrian thrives on turning strength into weakness. He will look for cracks in our unity, and we must not give him any.”
One of the elders, a broad-shouldered wolf from the northern packs, raised his voice. “With respect, Your Majesty, your power is undeniable—but what if unleashing it like today burns you out before the true fight comes?”
The hall quieted. All eyes turned to me.
CJ bristled beside me, but I raised a hand before he could speak. I would not shy away from the truth.
“I won’t lie,” I said, meeting their gazes one by one. “What I unleashed today took everything from me. But it also saved us. That is the balance I walk—as queen, as protector, as mother.”
The word slipped before I realized it, and a hush fell. Whispers stirred down the table, eyes widening with realization.
“Yes,” I continued, voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I am expecting again.”
Shock rippled through the chamber. Some looked fearful, others were awestruck. Tarria’s hand covered mine briefly under the table, a gesture of solidarity.
“This changes nothing about my resolve,” I pressed on. “If anything, it gives me more reason to end this war swiftly. But I need your strength. All of you. We cannot fracture now.”
For a moment, silence reigned. Then the elder from the north bowed his head. “Then we will stand firmer, for you and for what you carry. If Adrian dares to come for us again, he will find not cracks, but steel.”
Agreement echoed, and tension eased just slightly.
CJ’s hand found mine beneath the table, his silent vow of support more powerful than any words.
We spent hours unraveling the day’s events. Scouts reported on the paths Adrian’s men had taken in retreat, though the trail grew cold as night deepened. Reports of burned villages reached us as well—fires Adrian hadn’t caused, but opportunistic rogues who thrived in chaos. We would have to deal with them swiftly to keep faith among the people.
“Our next step must be to cut off Adrian’s support,” Tarria said firmly, tracing a map spread across the table. “He doesn’t survive without his men. If we can find where they regroup, we can end him before he rises again.”
I studied the map, the forests and valleys that stretched beyond our borders. Adrian knew these lands as well as I did—maybe better. He would hide where we least expected, biding his time.
“Agreed,” I said. “We send out tracking parties at dawn. Small, swift groups—not armies. We cannot risk walking into another ambush.”
CJ added, “And while we hunt him, we strengthen our defenses here. No pack left vulnerable, no ally left wondering if we stand with them. Unity is our greatest weapon.”
The alliance nodded, resolve solidifying in their faces.
Yet even as strategies formed and plans were laid, a part of me remained distant. My hand lingered on my stomach again, protective and anxious. Triplets.
When the council finally adjourned and the hall emptied, I lingered by the map, tracing the routes Adrian might take. CJ joined me, his presence a quiet anchor.
“You were brave to tell them,” he said softly.
“They deserved the truth,” I replied. “And I needed them to know I won’t let this hold me back.”
He tilted my chin to face him, his eyes fierce and tender all at once. “You don’t have to carry this war alone, Lexy. We trained to fight as one. Don’t forget that.”
I swallowed hard, the memory of our joined strength in battle stirring in me. “I know. I won’t.”
But in the silence that followed, I admitted the fear I had buried all night. “CJ… what if my power hurts them? The babies?”
He pulled me close, his voice steady against my hair. “Then we’ll find a way to control it. Together. You’re not alone, Lexy—not in this fight, not in this family. Trust me.”
I closed my eyes, letting his words steady me. Adrian and Kael lurked in the shadows, but so did doubt, fear, and the weight of three new lives growing inside me. Still, I couldn’t afford hesitation.
Because while shadows plot, fire must keep burning.
Adrian may have escaped, but this war is far from over.
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