Chapter 165: Pack Integration
BROCK POV
I threw myself between the void blade and Lily without thinking.
The energy hit me straight in the chest, and for a horrible second I felt my connection to everything I loved start to unravel. My bond with my brothers, my loyalty to the pack, even my own sense of who I was - all of it began sliding away like water through broken fingers.
"Brock!" Lily screamed.
But instead of losing myself totally, something unexpected happened. The void energy hit the wall of feeling I’d built around my family and bounced back. Not destroyed, but... rerouted.
"Impossible," the Elena-thing snarled. "No single emotional anchor should be strong enough to resist the void."
I stumbled but stayed on my feet, breathing. "You’re right. A single pin wouldn’t be enough."
I looked back at Lily, Aiden, Caleb’s unconscious form, and the others. "But I don’t have just one base. I’ve got dozens."
The thing tilted its head, confused.
"You said emotions make beings unpredictable," I continued, feeling strength return to my voice. "You’re right. They do. Because when you truly care about someone, you don’t just think about yourself anymore. You think about them. And them. And them."
I motioned to each person in the room. "Every pack member I’ve ever protected. Every child I’ve helped train. Every adult I’ve listened to. Every wolf who’s ever trusted me to keep them safe. They’re all part of who I am."
"Sentiment," the void creature spat. "Weakness."
