Serena stopped abruptly, holding up her hand. The group halted behind her.

"Everyone stay behind me." Her tone left no room for negotiation.

"Serena," Dex and Fin both said at the same time, in the same way. They both took a step forward, only to have a pink dome snap around the group, which consisted of everyone except for her.

"Serena." Dex slammed his palm against the barrier. "No."

"Serena, take this down," Fin snapped, his wolf surging. "Now."

Two apex alphas stood shoulder to shoulder, palms flat against a glowing pink dome, wearing identical expressions of fury.

Behind them, Hale was already sitting down. Avalon chirped from his chest, unbothered.

By the time Dex hit the dome a third time, the rest of the group had settled in. Elara was leaning against Hale, petting Avalon. Gav was lying flat on his back staring up at the pink ceiling.

Hyran was watching Aeron sketch a rune.

Her eyes were green. This wasn’t a trance. This was Serena, fully aware, fully present, choosing every action with purpose.

She pulled, aimed, and released in a single motion.

The pink arrow streaked through the jungle and struck a distant structure, one none of them had noticed until the impact shattered its camouflage. It had been masked perfectly in the treetops, concealed by both greenery and magic.

The structure burst apart in a shower of pink motes.

Standing inside the now-exposed platform were five warriors, bows raised, arrows trained directly on Serena. Their weapons glimmered with a purple magic.

A second arrow materialized in Serena’s hand with a resonant hum. She drew it back. The warriors did not lower theirs.

One of them fired. Missed.

The pink shield Serena had put up shuddered under the impact, cracked, and shattered with a resounding burst of light.

She mindlinked the group in a single command.

Serena: Don’t use your magic. They’ve already seen mine. Let them think that’s all we have.

Aeron: Their magic shouldn’t have been able to do that. I’ve never felt anything like it. What energy is that?

Maelor: Your gold, Serena, will counter it better. This is closer to mage magic than Fae.

Serena: Understood.

A second dome slammed into place over the group, gold this time, replacing the pink one that had just failed. She was not under this one either.

The bow in her hand vibrated, changing into gold without her moving it. Then she stepped forward, bow still drawn, and her voice cut through the jungle with a cold authority that made every man behind her go still.

"If you fire again, you don’t walk away. Choose."

Nine words. Flat. Final. Delivered in common tongue with the calm of a woman who had already done the math on every outcome and decided which one she preferred.

Fin exhaled slowly through his nose. Dex’s mouth curved.

The nearest warrior barked something back in a harsh, ancient cadence. A language none of the wolves recognized. But the mages and Elara did.

"Morbian Vellum," Elara whispered to Hale. He gave a knowing nod.

Gav turned his entire body away so no one would see his face, because Hale had just nodded at the words "Morbian Vellum" like a man who definitely, absolutely did not know what that meant. The man once asked what a peninsula was.

Except Gav was wrong. Hale knew exactly what it meant. It was one of the languages Elara had learned growing up in Frostborne. When she talked about Frostborne, which was rare, Hale especially made sure to listen.

Serena answered in the same language without missing a syllable. Crisp. Commanding. Fluent in a tongue that had been dead for centuries.

Hyran pinched the bridge of his nose. Exhaled. Part amusement. Part irritation.

Maelor mindlinked Hyran immediately, not caring that the group could hear.

Maelor: She is speaking a unique dialect of Morbian Vellum. Fluently.

Hyran: We’ve been through this, Maelor.

Maelor: Just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Fin shot Aeron a look that said, I thought she knew the two dragon languages, while in a trance. I didn’t know she could speak another.

Aeron’s look said, You thought wrong. Very wrong. This is the tip of the iceberg.

One warrior leapt down from the platform, landing in a crouch fifteen feet in front of Serena, before rising to his full height. Bow still raised. Eyes locked on her.

He said something else. Serena replied without flinching. They went back and forth a few times.

Then, to the absolute horror of the Alphas behind her, she lowered her bow and took a step forward. A calculated show of trust. She was negotiating, and they had no way to follow a single word of it.

The warrior hesitated, then lowered his weapon. He lifted a single hand behind him, signaling his hidden scouts. Four bows dropped in unison.

He addressed her again, direct, authoritative, speaking to her as an equal rather than an enemy.

Serena answered in that same steady, commanding tone.

Hyran: The bow was the right move. Now hold your ground. If you step towards him again, it looks like eagerness. Let him close the distance.

Dex’s nostrils flared, his wolf clawing beneath the surface. His mate was standing alone, exposed. Running a negotiation she hadn’t cleared with him with armed strangers. Every instinct he had was screaming to close the distance.

But intervention meant showing distrust to the armed scouts. It would also undercut her authority in front of an enemy who was deciding, right now, whether she was worth respecting. All he could do was scan for threats and be on alert if things went south. So he held. Teeth clenched. Shoulders locked. Hands at his sides instead of on his sword.

Fin was having the same war with less success at hiding it. His eyes were flickering between hazel and wolf gold.

Hyran mindlinked her two more times through this exchange.

One of the warriors reached toward her. The gesture wasn’t aggressive, but the familiarity in it was something Fin did not appreciate and Dex did not tolerate.

She stiffened.

The warrior stopped immediately.

She spoke again, firmer this time. Whatever warmth had been in her voice was gone, replaced by something colder.

Hyran: She just told him to step back or she will treat his proximity as a declaration of intent and respond accordingly.

Aeron: You mean she threatened to kill him, diplomatically.

Hyran: Yes.