Chapter 14 – The Fire Beneath the Ashes

Elena's POV

I stared at the letter again, fingers trembling though the paper had already crumpled from my grip. Miriam's words bled into my soul like venom—"They're coming for Ember Flame. You've been erased from the lineage unless you return."

The silence in the lodge was unbearable. The walls felt too close. My baby kicked softly inside me, and I placed a protective hand over my belly, my pulse syncing with his. They weren't just trying to erase me—they were trying to erase us. I wouldn't let them.

I rose with a resolve I hadn't felt in weeks. The fear hadn't vanished, but it had morphed—into something sharper, heavier, more determined. It was time.

Jules was the first to see the fire in my eyes when I stepped into the central hall. She raised a brow. "What happened?"

I handed her the letter. She read it, her face twisting with fury.

"That b*tch," she hissed, slamming it on the table.

Maddox stood in the corner, his arms folded, watching. His expression was unreadable as usual, but something flickered in his gaze.

"They're making their move," I said. "Trying to claim Ember Flame as theirs. I won't let them."

Maddox stepped forward. "There's a summit. Alphas and Betas from the strongest packs will gather in two weeks. If Catherine and Vivian plan to take Ember Flame through political force, they'll present it there."

"So we need proof," Jules said. "Evidence of Vivian's lies. And of Orion's paternity."

I nodded. "Then we bring it to them, in front of every Alpha."

Maddox met my gaze. "That means war."

"Then let it come." My voice didn't shake. It was the most honest thing I'd said in months.

Later that afternoon, Maddox brought me to the edge of the cliff where the wind howled and the sky hung low with dark clouds. A man stood there, cloaked in gray, his face aged and sharp.

"This is Garrick," Maddox said. "He was a Gamma in Thorne's pack. He left after he saw what happened to you."

Garrick gave me a long look. "You're strong," he said, his voice hoarse. "But are you worthy?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He stepped aside, revealing a circle of scorched earth.

"The fire-walk," Maddox said. "An old ritual. Only those with Luna blood and the will to lead survive it. Walk it, and I'll testify for you. Fail, and I disappear."

I looked down at my belly, then at the glowing embers.

"Let's begin."

The ritual began at nightfall.

The pack elders watched in silence. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of smoke and something ancient.

I stepped forward, barefoot, each step searing against hot coals. Pain sliced through me, sharper with every movement. My body trembled. But my mind…my mind screamed keep going. I saw Damien's cold indifference. Vivian's smug face. My unborn son's future.

I kept walking.

Each step was a vow. Each blister, a battle cry.

When I reached the end, my legs gave out and I collapsed into the ash. Maddox was there before I even hit the ground, lifting me gently into his arms. My feet were burned, but I smiled through the pain.

"You're ready," he whispered.

I looked up at the stars. For the first time, I believed him.

Back in the city, within the shadowed tower of the Alpha Council, Catherine read a message scroll. Her brows tightened.

"She survived the fire-walk."

Vivian's fingers tightened on the edge of her glass.

"She's coming back," Catherine muttered.

Vivian's voice was cold, controlled, lethal.

"Then we burn her before she arrives."