Chapter 142
Noah
Goodbyes never sit right with me. Even when they’re temporary, even when I know the
road back is short. I can feel it in my ribs, like Hawk pacing, restless. Elliot clung tight to
Xavier first, then Levi, then Haiden, his orbit, his anchors. Macey gave them all fierce
little hugs that belonged to someone twice her size. By the time it was my turn, she’d plastered Fergus between us like he needed the comfort too.
“You okay, little shadow?” I asked, crouching so we were eye to eye.
She bit her lip, nodding a little too fast. “I’ll miss you.”
I brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek. “I’ll miss you too. But you’ve got Elliot,
and Elias, and Mumma and Dad here. And you’ve got us just one call away. You know the
word, right?”
She whispered it with me. “Pause.”
“Good girl.” I kissed her forehead. “And you remember, we will come if you need us. Always.”
She hugged me again, hard enough that my shoulder popped. When she let go, I made myself stand. My chest felt tight, but I smiled for her.
That’s when Elliot’s fingers twitched. Just a little spark at first, then, zip. Glitter streaks shot out, sharp and bright, scattering over the floorboards like tiny fireworks. Elias’s eyes
went huge.
“That…” he breathed, awed. “That’s so cool!”
George and Reina looked like they’d been hit with a storm, eyes wide, caught between fear
and wonder.
But for us? It was familiar. Expected. I crouched in front of Elliot, taking his hands gently in mine. “Hey, it’s alright. Breathe with me. In, Out.”
Haiden knelt beside us, calm as stone. “Glitter bombs mean too much heart, buddy. Not a bad thing. Just heavy feelings.”
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Xavier ruffled his hair. “You’re safe. You’ve got this.”
Levi crouched on his other side, steady voice anchoring. “Never far, Elliot. You need us,
we’re here.”
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Elliot’s chest hitched, then steadied. The sparks fizzled down to nothing. He looked from
me to Reina, eyes still wet but clearer now.
“You’re not leaving me forever, right?” he asked, small but sharp.
I squeezed his hands. “Never. Just for now. Just so you’re safe. And we’ll be back before you’ve even used up Elias’s snack stash.”
That earned me a watery laugh. He nodded, pulling Macey close like she was part of the
promise. And as we turned for the door, I carried the weight of it in my bones: witches, war, shifting. But I also carried that laugh. That glitter. Proof of the fight we’d never stop showing up for.
Haiden
I clapped my hands together, loud enough to make Elias jump and Elliot snort. “Alright, that glitter display? Pretty impressive. But, uh…” I leaned down, dropping my voice into a conspiratorial whisper, “maybe next time aim it at the house walls, yeah? Give this place some reinforcement.” I winked.
Elliot’s eyes went wide like I’d just handed him state secrets. His fingertips twitched again, just the tiniest spark. Macey gasped dramatically and grabbed his arm.
“We could make it impenetrable,” she said, solemn as a general, then ruined it with a grin.
“Like forts!”
I barked a laugh. “Exactly, pup. Glitter fortress. No witch in the realms would dare step
inside.”
Elliot tilted his head, thinking, cogs whirring so loud you could almost hear them. Elias folded his arms, trying to look unimpressed, but his mouth betrayed him with a twitch of
a smile.
“Alright,” I said, straightening up. “You two start drawing up blueprints. I expect turrets, hidden traps, the whole works. And Fergus the bear? He’s head of security.”
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Macey giggled, clutching Fergus tighter like she’d just been handed her first command. Elliot’s shoulders unknotted, laughter breaking through the last of the tears.
Mission accomplished. Sometimes the best way to hold the line wasn’t teeth or claws. Sometimes it was forts, glitter, and the ridiculous promise that the walls could always be made stronger if we made them together.
I caught Envy’s eye over their heads and shrugged, grin tugging. “What? Kids need plans
too.”
She laughed and hooked her arm in mine. “Alright Wobbles. Good job.” She joked, but I puffed my chest out in pride anyway. I was pretty good at this Dad stuff.
Levi
The portal dropped us back into the Underworld, and for the first time in days, the place felt too big. Too quiet. No Macey darting through the halls with Fergus. No Elliot
peppering us with questions or sneaking glitter into corners. Just stone, stillness, and the hum of the kingdom waiting. The silence pressed. My hellhound stirred in my chest,
restless, claws scraping against my ribs like he wanted out. “Run“, he whispered, low and
insistent.
I rolled my shoulders. “We need to let some of this out,” I said, breaking the hush. “A
run.”
Xavier’s mouth ticked, already hearing Maddox pacing inside him. Haiden’s grin was quick, sharp. “Talen’s about to chew a hole through my skin if I don’t.” Noah just nodded,
no argument needed.
བ བ ་
Envy looked at me, brow lifted. Then Layah’s presence shimmered through her, curling close like smoke. She stretched, not out but with, and in the next breath, she was shifting, feathers of shadow, flame of fur, light and dark folding over one another. I slowed, just to watch. The way she and Layah could move apart, two bodies, two presences, or fold into one, seamless, as if the line between woman and hound didn’t matter at all. Either way, both forms hers. Both forms Layah’s. Both beautiful.
“You’re staring,” Haiden muttered, shoulder–checking me.
“Accurate,” I said, not looking away.
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Then we shifted, one by one. Maddox a black wall of Xavier. Talen’s eyes burned red with Haiden. Hawk poured out of Noah like a storm breaking. Flint clawed free of me, all iron and smoke, shaking his head once before rubbing himself against his mate. Envy and Layah, together took the lead. Her wings snapped open, catching the low glow of the realm like they were built to own it. She glanced back once, eyes alight with fire and
promise, and then she ran.
We followed. Stone turned to blur, wind rushed through caverns, the heartbeat of the Underworld drummed underfoot. Every stride stripped away the weight we carried, leaving. nothing but muscle, breath, and the rhythm of running together.
For a little while, it wasn’t about witches or wars or promises waiting to break. It was about the pack, the bond, the chase. It was about being alive. And gods, it felt good.
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