Chapter 123: The Eldest Enemy
ARIA POV
"KAEL!" I screamed through the bond, but only quiet answered me.
The barrier around us flickered as my focus shattered. Through the network, I felt the other Moon Alphas fighting to hold the circle together as my power wavered.
"Aria, focus!" the Moon Goddess ordered. "If the barrier falls now, we all die!"
But I couldn’t think. One of the twins was gone. The bond I’d shared with Kael since the curse broke felt like a gaping hole in my chest. Was he dead? Captured? I couldn’t tell, and that not-knowing was driving me crazy.
"The barrier!" Mira shouted.
I snapped back to reality just as a huge crack appeared in our magical shield. The Devourers were pushing against it, their eyeless faces hungry and patient.
"Hold it together," I told myself, pushing my power back into the circle. "You can’t save anyone if you’re dead."
The barrier solidified again, but I could feel how much the effort had cost everyone. Through the network, Elena’s tiredness hit me like a wave, and Zara’s pain from her injuries made me gasp.
"We’re running out of time," the Moon Goddess said quietly. "Your people can’t maintain this much longer."
She was right. Around the circle, pack members were collapsing from the pressure of feeding their energy into the Moon Alphas. Some of the smaller wolves were already unconscious.