United. (Book 5 of the Lupus Antiqua Series)
Outlast

The three of them made their way to Endymion. Melody and Dorian moved so in sync with each other that he thought he should feel jealous, but there was only mild discomfort. The broken bond between he and Melody twinged a bit, but it wasn't the turmoil it used to be.

Melody was as lovely as ever. More so, even. She still had that chaotic edge to her that made him even more grateful for Abby. They were very different women.

Then there was Dorian. His brother, and the male who had taken his throne from him. A loss he'd deserved. He couldn't find it in himself to hate either one of them. Abby had done wonders for him.

Then there was Micah. It was rare to see one of the triplets without the others. They served as the harbingers of fate for the Werewolf world. It was Micah's presence, so soon after that ripple in the world, that interested Endymion the most.

"I have a feeling I know why Micah is here. But what of you two?" He asked. His new pack came up behind him, unconsciously taking formation around their new alpha.

"We are King and Queen, Endymion. We're here to meet with the True Witches to see if an alliance might be formed." Dorian murmured, expression wary but neutral.

"An alliance for what?" This question he addressed to Micah. "Greetings, brother of the Wyrd." He used the formal words. Micah's mouth quirked up a little with his signature mischief.

"Endymion. Greetings. There's some shit going down right now. A great power has been unleashed in the world and everything is going to change.

It's good you're being groomed to lead the men here. You were always a very capable commander, and your mate bond with a War Witch will bode well for our kind." Micah wasn't even trying to pretend he didn't know everything was currently happening. After all, though his gift was knowing all that has happened in the past, his brother Alexander knew all that was happening in the present, and would have told him.

"Wouldn't Richard be a better choice here?" Endymion asked with a smirk. Micah chuckled.

"Normally I'd say yes, but the past has the information we need. The future is too up in the air right now for Richard to be much use.

We are on our way to meet with Kani, and the High Council. But when I scented you I wanted to ask; will you cooperate with the decision made by the True Witches if they align with us? After all, there is bad blood." Micah gestured to Melody and Dorian. Melody rolled her eyes at the ancient wolf.

"I will. They aren't my favorite people. But I don't hate either of them. Both Melody and Dorian looked a bit surprised, then pleased. Though Melody was less willing to believe it than Dorian. In the past this would have bothered him, but no longer.

"There will be war." Melody said, almost grudgingly. "Hope you're ready to kick some ass." She cocked her head and raised a brow at him.

"Where my mate goes, I go." He said noncommittally. "And she will serve the War College." She nodded, satisfied with that. "See you in the killing field then." She said, cocky as ever. Dorian grinned at her as they turned and walked away. Micah nodded his respect and turned to follow them.

Endymion watched them go with a small sense of nostalgia, but no attachment. It was pleasant, not to be torn up over them anymore.

He was pulled out of his musing when a terrible rending of metal and stone split the air and a portion of the main building crumbled.

There was a woman flying through the air, tumbling out of control as if she'd been drop kicked from a great height. She had ice white hair, and dark skin, and she twisted in mid air and landed gracefully on her feet, barely wobbling.

As soon as she touched ground the grass began to freeze over. The Umbra yelled out and ran off a good distance. Endymion simply stared. He had no sense that the ice woman was attacking them. Indeed, her eyes were focused behind him.

He turned to look and saw his mate stalking across the grass from the direction of the destroyed section of the War College. Everything from the thunderous expression on her face to the take no prisoners gait to her walk told him Abby was the one who had thrown the icy woman.

**

She stalked towards Loralee, suppressing the anger boiling in her veins. When Endymion tried to step forward to help her she shook her head and motioned him away. He wouldn't be able to fight this battle. She felt relief when he listened to her without protest.

She didn't bother with words. They didn't work on Loralee. The merciless woman had given her exactly ten seconds before sending deadly spears of sharp ice straight for vital organs. It had been a battle for survival ever since.

She dove into the well of power that surged inside her, and started to spool it and spool it. She'd hurt Loralee with her psychic blast just now, and Loralee was still temporarily down for the count. But she'd recover in a matter of seconds.

The best counter for ice that Abby could think of would be fire. So she'd use fire. She unleashed it in a roaring, roiling torrent of vicious flame that sundered the air and slammed toward Loralee with the force of an out of control train. Except that Abby was in control. She marveled at that for a second, but then Loralee recovered.

The woman unleashed a wall of ice that moved forward at much more quickly than it should be able to. Clouds, iron grey and heavy covered the sky and blocked out the sun, dumping a blizzard's worth of snow, the temperature dropping to below zero with no warning.

But Abby didn't feel it. The fire she was using, controlling, being melted any frost or snow that touched her. She grinned, and channeled her power into the torrent of fire little thread by little thread to keep it steady.

Now she understood what Kani had been trying to say. If she operated this way, she could last and last. In fact, Abby could tell that she had only tapped the surface of the well inside herself. But could she outlast Loralee? That was the question.

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