Raven.

The moment all the council members are dead, the invisible force field around the territory shatters like glass breaking against stone. Power ripples outward, and finally we can enter.

Everything in front of us is ruin. Burnt ground. Collapsed buildings. Bodies like discarded dolls, and in the middle Sadie stands unmoving, her sword still dripping molten light.

Then she turns and begins walking towards Alec. As she walks, the blood

evaporates off her skin, burned away by some invisible grace. Her wings dissolve, then her gown, then the divine shine in her eyes.

In a blink, she is simply Sadie again. No celestial aura. No blazing form. Just... Sadie, though the air still trembles around her.

She kneels beside Alec just as he forces one bruised eye open. It's swollen, purple, and nearly sealed shut. His lips crack a smile, but honestly, it seems painful for him.

"Remind me,” he rasps, voice broken, "never to make you angry."

A stunned silence hangs, then laughter breaks out, incredulous and shaky. We laugh because the alternative is collapsing to our knees and sobbing.

"Yeah," Jason chimes. "She can literally fry your ass."

Another bout of chuckles and laughter. When it dies down, Sadie slowly presses a hand to Alec's chest.

Alec squints. "What are you doing?"

She doesn't answer.

Her palm glows golden. The glow spreads across his ribs, his throat, his jaw... All over his body, almost as if it has enclosed him in its warmth.

I watch, yet again in amazement, as his cuts begin to close. His bruises dissolve. The burns fade and broken skin knits together. The crowd stares like they're witnessing a resurrection, and it might just as well be because Alec looked like he was at death's door.

In less than thirty seconds, Alec looks like he never spent a week being tortured within an inch of his life.

Sadie exhales shakily, then stands and pulls him up.

Seeing all this leaves me with so many questions. I've seen power before but none compare to what Sadie can do. Which leaves me to ask again, what is she?

She can heal, she can sense life, she

can command the heavens, she can control the elements, the weather responds to her, she can teleport she can use telepathy with anyone.... This is more than just being a blessed wolf. It's more than just being an Alpha Female. Her powers almost feel celestial. Her aura is almost divine can't forget the need I felt to kneel in respect and

reverence before her. It felt like I was standing before a goddess.

Shaking my head, I push those thoughts away. There is no way that's possible.

She's powerful and has a powerful wolf, but that's it.

The other leaders; vampires, wolves,

and witches, are all staring at her like she's rewritten the rules of the world. Someone finally steps forward, a warlock with trembling hands.

"What... what are you?"

I can't count the number of times I've heard that and asked that today.

Sadie doesn't even turn to acknowledge him. All her attention is on Alec. Steadying him, checking him, whispering something too soft for the rest of us to hear.

Jason steps forward.

"We're heading home," he says. "We'll discuss answers there."

I saw her train this week. I saw her prepare, but this? It's something none of us has

the answers to. I doubt even Sadie herself knows what she is.

She didn't just level up; it feels like she finally stepped into her full powers. Like she evolved into something none of us can comprehend.

We load into cars. Alec sits in the back with Sadie curled beside him.

He glances at her. "You okay?"

She leans her head on his shoulders. "Just tired. I'll be fine after some rest."

in

The drive back is just as quiet as the drive to the council territory. No one speaks, everyone seeming to be lost in their own thoughts. When we reach the pack, Alec leads us inside, past shocked pack members into the meeting room.