The forest clearing had become a crucible. Fires licked at the edges of the Dominion walls, smoke curling like dark serpents into the fractured moonlight. Wolves fell around her, bodies twisted, fur matted with blood, yet Nyra did not stop.
Kaelen was pinned under Ardyn's attack, claws tearing, teeth snapping. The black Alpha growled, every muscle coiled, yet Ardyn's golden magic pulsed through him, weakening his strikes, bending his strength.
Nyra's wolf surged violently beneath her skin. Instinct screamed. Executioner's training kicked in. But instinct alone would not save Kaelen this time. Not against Ardyn.
She reached for the edge of her power—the forbidden part she had never dared to use. The part of the Executioner's magic meant only for moments of absolute necessity.
Her hands glowed faintly silver as she invoked the Binding Edge.
The air thickened. Trees groaned. Wolves froze mid-leap. Even Ardyn hesitated, golden eyes narrowing at the pulse of raw, untamed energy.
"You dare?" he hissed, claws slicing toward her.
Nyra did not falter. She raised her blade high. The silver glow intensified, the runes etched into the steel burning with power older than any council law.
The ground beneath Ardyn cracked as the energy pulsed outward, forcing him backward. The rogues stumbled, some thrown off their feet. Kaelen's black form surged beside her, strengthened by her release.
"You're stronger than I thought," Ardyn growled, eyes flashing with fury.
"Yes," Nyra said through clenched teeth, "because I fight for him."
Her blade lashed, silver light colliding with golden energy. Sparks exploded. Ardyn roared, stumbling back. Kaelen pounced, teeth sinking into Ardyn's shoulder, claws raking through golden fur.
Ardyn twisted, sending a shockwave of magic that threw Kaelen across the clearing. Nyra's pulse raced, but she pressed forward. Her wolf surged completely, the Executioner's magic coursing through her veins, merging instinct and power into one unstoppable force.
She struck Ardyn again, cutting across his side. Blood and golden energy mixed, sizzling in the air. He hissed, eyes blazing with both pain and exhilaration.
"You… cannot… control it!" Ardyn spat, staggering.
Nyra's eyes narrowed. "I do not control it. I unleash it."
The silver glow expanded outward, forming a protective barrier around Kaelen. Ardyn lunged, but the energy slammed him back violently. He hit the earth with a crash, growling through bloodied teeth.
Kaelen rose, shaking off the dirt. His black fur gleamed in the rising sun, muscles coiled, eyes fixed on his brother.
"This ends now," Kaelen growled.
Ardyn laughed, though it was strained. "You think you can destroy me?"
Kaelen's jaws snapped. "I think we can survive you."
The two brothers collided once more, teeth and claws flashing. Nyra pressed her blade into the ground, channeling more of the Executioner's magic. The silver light spiraled, forcing Ardyn into retreat.
For a heartbeat, time slowed.
The fractured moon above pulsed, responding to the bond between Executioner and Alpha.
Nyra felt it in every nerve, every heartbeat, every fiber of her being: they were stronger together. Stronger than any rogue, any council, any ancient magic.
Ardyn staggered back, golden eyes wild. "Impossible…" he whispered.
Kaelen lunged, teeth sinking deep into Ardyn's side. Ardyn faltered, staggering to one knee. Wolves around him fell silent, sensing the shift in power.
Nyra stepped forward, blade at the ready. She did not need to strike. Her presence alone, infused with Executioner's magic, was enough to force him to the edge.
"You've lost," she said softly. "Leave—or die."
Ardyn looked up at her, golden eyes flickering with something unreadable. Then slowly, deliberately, he rose to his full height and stepped back, retreating with his rogues.
The fractured moon pulsed once more, then dimmed slightly as the air finally settled.
Kaelen shifted back into human form, bloodied but unbowed. He stood beside her, black hair damp, dark eyes filled with something fierce—and something else. Gratitude. Respect. Connection.
Nyra exhaled slowly. Her wolf receded, leaving her body trembling but steady.
Kaelen reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You saved me," he said quietly.
She met his gaze. "We saved each other."
For the first time in the war—and in the chaos of Nightfall Dominion—they were not just Alpha and Executioner.
They were partners. Equals. Bound not by law, not by oath, but by choice.
The battle was over—for now.
But in the shadows beyond the walls, Nyra felt the pulse of something still lurking.
A secret.
A darkness that had watched everything unfold.
And it had not yet revealed itself.