Chapter 111: Ancient Enemies Unite
Elder Iris POV
I slammed my walking stick against the cave wall three times, the old wood ringing like a bell. The sound cut through the chaos, causing everyone to freeze as my omega authority filled the space.
"Enough!" I ordered, my voice carrying power that most had forgotten omegas could wield. "While you argue about vampires and transformations, the real war is starting outside this cave."
Through the dimensional rifts that baby Emma had accidentally opened, I could see things the others missed. My seventy years of life had taught me to look beyond the obvious, and what I saw made my old bones ache with fear.
Three versions of Marcus weren’t the worst thing coming through those tears in reality.
Behind them marched troops I recognized from the oldest stories - creatures that had been banished from our world so long ago that most people thought they were myths. The Shadowkin, who fed on fear itself. The Bone Weavers, who turned the dead into weapons. And worst of all, the Silence Bringers, who could steal words, thoughts, and memories with a touch.
"The ancient enemies return," I whispered, watching the nightmare parade through Emma’s unstable portals.
"What are you talking about?" Aiden demanded.
"Before werewolves and vampires ever feuded, we all had a common enemy," I explained quickly. "Creatures from the places between worlds. They were banished by the first supernatural union three thousand years ago."
Dmitri’s pale face went even whiter. "The First War. I thought those were just stories."
"Everything becomes a story if you wait long enough," I answered grimly. "But Marcus has torn the barriers so badly that the old banishments are breaking. The ancient enemies are back, and they remember every slight."