[Trent]The rumbling got worse, making it difficult to stay standing. A line of trolls and larger fae stood between the rest of our forces and where the cave had been. They all looked ready to fight. Vampires and dark elves were behind them and the last line was shapeshifters. This included people from Queen Bellamy’s collective and my pack.Most of the pack warriors were in good shape because, by the time we arrived, the cult was taken care of. My men had tended the wounded and helped with any stragglers while I took three of my best warriors and Mike with me when Rhett said they were calling for him. Rhett couldn’t carry many people, but I thought five powerful werewolves would be enough. I learned from that experience.From the corner of my eye, I saw people rushing into the area. They saw us preparing to fight and took up position behind the werewolves. One of them came up to me. As the only werewolf in half-man form, they had deduced that I was a ranked wolf.“Are you the Alpha?” the man who approached me asked.“I am. Who are you?”“I’m Jayce Whiting. A fire witch. We were contacted half an hour ago and came as quickly as we could.”I turned on him with a growl. “We called you several hours ago. Your coven leader has made it abundantly clear that she wants nothing but the benefit of this alliance without any of the contributions.”He stepped back and put his hands up defensively. “The entire coven voted on this and agreed that the alliance was good for us. We would never do anything to jeopardize that. Tell us what’s going on and what you need.”For a moment I thought of sending him away, but we needed all the help we could get and a lack of ranged attacks was the main reason we didn’t fight the demon before. I nodded to him and led him over to where Spencer was stationed. He would have a better idea of the magics that would work best against the demon. Other witches would work on defense.“Spencer, this is Jayce. He’s a fire witch. The rest of the witches just got here. Can you go get them organized and set to offense or defense?”Spencer dipped his head and led the witch away. I went back to where I’d been waiting. We didn’t know when this monster was going to come popping out of the dirt, but we would stay there until it did. I sent out a link to all the werewolves in my pack to pray to the goddess to watch over us. It seemed only fitting if we were fighting the enemy of a deity to make sure ours was helping us.The ground shook beneath our feet as we waited, the tension in the air thick and palpable. I could feel the energy buzzing around us, charged with anticipation and fear. We were facing an unknown enemy. Other than demon-labeled fae, supernaturals had no experience with these creatures.Considering how hard it had been for us to fight the one earlier, I knew this fight would have a fair amount of casualties. Not everyone would make it home alive. There was a hollow feeling in my chest at the idea of potentially never seeing my family again.None of the battles I’d ever fought before made me feel like this. As the shaking became more pronounced, I could feel the fear building up inside me more than it ever had before. It was like I was a little kid again and the monster in the closet was coming for me.I could see others starting to falter. Some whines came from the werewolves in the line. Damn it. I had to do something, or they’d run before this thing broke free.Heading through the lines, I went to the tallest troll I could find. He glanced down at me with an annoyed expression when I tapped on his arm.“What?” he asked gruffly.“I want to pump everyone up for the fight and remind them they have a team behind them. I can’t do it when I’m shorter than many of the people here. Could I please stand on your shoulders?”He looked at the other trolls, then turned to look at the people behind him. I followed his gaze. They looked nervous and their distress was plain. The troll frowned.“They’ll run as soon as this thing pops out. You think you got it in you, wolf?”“I do. This is one of the things I’ve trained for.”With a shrug, he nodded at the other trolls. They picked me up and helped me to stand on his shoulders, keeping me steady. This drew the attention of pretty much everyone in the field.“Attention, please! Hey there, everyone, I’m Alpha Trent Padua of the Hallowed Moon Pack. I know many of you only know of me by name or title. We, the leaders of most of the supernatural communities, are here to join this fight,” I said.The crowd quieted and paid attention to me. I could see pride, doubt, and curiosity on the faces that looked at me. There was no turning back now. I needed to bring them together and reassure them.“We’ve all come from different corners of the supernatural world, and maybe we weren’t exactly on the same page in the past. But guess what? Today, that changes. Today, we’re a team.“We’re facing something bigger than any of us — a demon that’s about to break free and wreak havoc. There is so much more at stake than just our own lives. The situation concerns more than just us or our species. It’s about protecting the regular folks out there who have no clue about the danger creeping up.“Yeah, we’re scared. And that’s natural….” I froze, words failing me.We were scared. This situation was bigger than anything any of us had ever thought we’d experience. A gentle peace came over me. Where my head had been empty, suddenly words came to me and filled my chest with a warm, loving feeling.“But remember, we are not alone in this fight. Our goddess, the one who has guided us through the shadows with her light, watches over us still. She has woven us into her grand tapestry, and in this tapestry, we are threads of strength, woven together to withstand the storm that rages ahead.“The demon, though once an enemy of the human god, has now tasted the power of our magic. It has become a threat to us all. But we possess something even stronger — unity. Our differences are not weaknesses they are the facets of a gem that shines brighter when united. Together, we wield the magic of cooperation, the strength of diversity, and the might of trust.“In this hour of reckoning, let us remember who we fight for. Our communities shelter innocent children who look up to us as their protectors. The unsuspecting humans carry on with their lives, oblivious to the darkness that prowls in the shadows. Our fallen comrades, those who have given everything to prevent this very night, their sacrifices fuel our determination.“As we raise our weapons and step into the abyss, let us embrace the bond that has brought us together. Let us trust in our allies as we trust in ourselves. Let our unity be a beacon of hope that pierces through the darkness. We fight not just for survival, but for the very essence of existence itself.“Believe in our goddess, believe in each other, and believe in the unwavering resilience of the spirit — both human and supernatural. Let our battle cry echo through the ages as a testament to our courage and our unyielding resolve.“We are blessed this night and we will prevail. Let us face this demon with hearts ablaze and with unbreakable determination. Together, we will show the supernatural world the power of our alliance and send that demon bastard back where he belongs!“For the world, for our kind, for our future, and for our goddess! Let’s kick some ass!” I finished.At the end of my speech, the area was silent except for the increasing tremors in the earth. The people around me stared, their faces illuminated by the full moon that shone high above us. Some of them looked at the people around them and started nodding. A slow murmur of agreement built.It had to have been the Goddess making me say those things because that wasn’t how I talked unless I’d been preparing the speech for a while. The power of it was still resonating through people. I knew it was her magic, her spirit, and her heart sweeping over the gathered supernaturals.A few trolls started thumping their chests. Soon, more joined in. After a couple of minutes, almost everyone in the clearing was doing it. Growls, grunts, and howls filled the night. The trolls holding me up helped me off the other troll’s shoulders and joined in with everyone else.As I went back to my position, I saw my warriors looking at me with pride as they beat their chests and howled. I took my place and joined in as well.The ground beneath us shook more violently as the demon’s power grew stronger. But amidst the chaos, a sense of unity and power spread through us. We were no longer a group of individuals, but a united force, ready to face whatever came our way.Spencer came up beside me and smiled as he pulled his sword out of his back. That would never not be a strange sight. His bare chest was etched in scars from previous battles with demons like this one. No... not like this one. There had never been a demon like this one because this one was inhabiting an ancient fae.“Excellent speech, Alpha. Sounded like it almost got away from you.”“My Goddess guided me to the right words,” I replied.“Then we should pray as we fight. It’s the way of the Templars. It’s how our god gives us the strength and power to send these things back to Hell.”“So you don’t kill them?”“They don’t have bodies. You can’t kill them. You can only kill whatever is housing them. Sometimes they are strong enough to make a body on their own. They will turn to ash if the demon inside is banished like the one in the tunnels did. The ones that possess something will turn to corpses unless they’re exorcised. That requires that the host be willing, though,” Spencer answered.“I’ll tell my warriors to pray through the mind link. Will you go tell the fae? I’ll go talk to the witches and vampires.”“Sounds good. I didn’t know what working with supernaturals would be like, but I think I like it. Maybe we can keep working together in the future,” he said with a smile.“I’d like that. Let’s go.”While moving toward the vampires, I linked the warriors and told them to offer prayers to the goddess as they fought. I found Victor quickly. Dennis Lyons was with him, and they were talking quietly. Most of the vampires were silent while the rest of the warriors were all pumping each other up still. They accepted what they needed to do and went to spread the information among the vampires.As I was telling the same to Jayce, I saw Rock come into the area from the place where people had parked. That didn’t make any sense. Carmen had linked me that Rock was taking her, Austin, and Matt home. I had been relieved, even though it had distracted me from the situation with the fae and Rhett.I went to him as he looked around, seeming a little lost.“Did something happen? Where are Carmen and Austin?” I asked. I really couldn’t care less about Matt at the moment.“In the truck with Carmen’s dad. We can’t leave. Something sent us back to where we started. Tell me where I can help. I want this thing dealt with. I have some earth magic and I can fight, but I’m no warrior,” Rock replied, looking at the other trolls as they started chanting something as they pounded their chests.“What are they saying?” I asked.“An old prayer to the goddess in the language of the earth. It’s something my people do before entering battle.”“I don’t think it will be long. The tremors are getting stronger and closer together,” I told him.“Probably whatever that sparkling magic Dolly used was. Where is she?”“Sparkling magic? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I also have no idea where Dolly and Rhett went. He probably took her to the place where the wounded went. His magic is tapped, so we don’t have him to help.”“Hmm. Okay. Go back. It’s close. I can feel it fighting to break through her magic. I don’t know how long the magic will hold up. Stay alive. You told me a long time ago that you thought of Carmen as a little sister. She thinks of you like a big brother. Don’t make her suffer through having a second brother almost die in one night.”“You stay safe, too. I don’t want her to have a second mate die in a battle I’m helping lead.”He nodded and headed toward Jayce. The witch saw me point him out. I hoped he didn’t do something stupid to piss off Rock. I headed back to my spot and prepared myself.Goddess, watch over us.Always.