Chapter 438: The Witches Broke Through The Border

Lilith felt ice slide through her veins.

The witches who had been at the border yesterday. The ones requesting an audience with "the one who returned from the Veil." The ones Sebastian had ordered turned away.

They hadn’t left.

Lilith scrambled out of bed and grabbed clothes, the first things she could find. Pants. Shirt. Not caring about appearances. Just needing to be dressed and ready for whatever was coming.

Through the bonds she could feel Sebastian and Lucian’s alert readiness.

"Stay behind us," Sebastian said. His voice had shifted to that Alpha tone that expected immediate obedience. "We don’t know what they want or how dangerous they are."

"They want me," Lilith said. "They’re here for me. So I’m not hiding."

"Lilith...." Lucian started.

"I said I’m not hiding," Lilith interrupted. "If they forced their way onto the estate grounds, they’re not going to leave until they see me. So let’s not waste time pretending otherwise."

Sebastian looked like he wanted to argue. But he also knew Lilith well enough by now to recognize when she had made up her mind.

"Fine," Sebastian said. "But you stay between us. And if anything happens....anything at all.....you run. Understood?"

"Understood," Lilith lied.

She had no intention of running. But arguing about it would waste time they didn’t have.

They left the room quickly and moved through the estate corridors.

Pack members were already mobilizing. Warriors grabbing weapons. Household staff moving to secure areas. The organized chaos of a pack responding to potential threat.

Mara appeared at the top of the stairs looking flustered.

"Luna," she said to Lilith. "The witches....they’re at the main entrance. They haven’t attacked but they’re refusing to leave. Beta Callum is holding them at the gates but...."

"We’re handling it," Sebastian said. "Make sure the non-combatants are secured in the safe rooms."

"Yes, Alpha," Mara said, already moving to comply.

Sebastian, Lucian, and Lilith continued down the stairs.

Victoria and Elena appeared from the direction of the library, both of them looking tense and worried.

"The witches broke through the border?" Victoria asked.

"Apparently," Lucian confirmed. "They’re at the main entrance demanding to see Lilith."

"We need to be careful," Elena said. "If they forced their way onto pack lands, they’re either desperate or powerful enough not to fear retaliation. Either way, they’re dangerous."

"Noted," Sebastian said.

***

They reached the main entrance hall and could already hear voices from outside. Raised but not quite shouting. Callum’s deep bass trying to maintain order. Female voices responding with increasing insistence.

Sebastian pushed open the heavy front doors and they stepped outside.

Dawn light was just beginning to break over the estate. Pale grey sky. Cold air that smelled of frost and pine.

And at the gates....

Three witches.

They stood just outside the estate’s main entrance, not on pack lands exactly, but close enough to be threatening. Close enough that their presence felt like an invasion.

Callum stood between them and the estate with six warriors flanking him. All of them armed. All of them ready for violence if it came to that.

But the witches didn’t look afraid.

They looked determined.

The leader was a woman in her forties with silver-streaked black hair and eyes that glowed faintly with power. She wore deep purple robes embroidered with symbols Lilith didn’t recognize, probably coven markings.

The other two were younger. One with fire-red hair and amber eyes. The other with pale blonde hair and skin so white it looked translucent.

All three of them radiated power. Not as strong as what Lilith carried now, but strong enough to be dangerous.

And more importantly.....

They were from different covens.

Lilith could tell by the different symbols on their robes. Different magical signatures. Different energy frequencies.

Three witches from three different covens standing together. That was unusual. Covens rarely cooperated. Competition and territorial disputes made alliances rare.

Which meant whatever brought them here was significant enough to overcome those barriers.

The silver-haired leader’s eyes locked onto Lilith the moment she stepped outside.

"There," the leader said. "The one who returned from the Veil. I can feel the power from here. It’s unmistakable."

"You need to leave," Sebastian said. His voice carried the weight of Alpha command. "Now. Before I have my warriors forcibly remove you from the border."

"We didn’t come to fight," the leader said. "We came to talk. To warn...."

"We don’t want your warnings," Lucian interrupted. "Leave. Last chance."

The red-haired witch stepped forward. "You don’t understand. We’re not your enemies. We’re trying to help before...."

"Before what?" Victoria demanded, moving to stand beside Lilith. "Before you try to capture her? Study her? Drain her of the power she carries? We know why you’re here."

The silver-haired leader’s expression hardened. "You know nothing. If you did, you wouldn’t be standing there so arrogantly refusing our help."

"Then enlighten us," Elena said calmly. "Why are three witches from three different covens breaking territorial protocols to demand an audience with someone you’ve never met?"

The leader looked at Elena with something like respect. "You’re Elena Markov. The one who’s been hiding from Vampire Lord Keres for four years. I wondered where you’d gone."

Elena’s expression didn’t change but Lilith felt her tense.

"Answer the question," Elena said.

The silver-haired witch took a breath. "My name is Magistra Veyra of the Nightshade Coven. This is Seer Kaida of the Emberfall Coven, and this is Priestess Solene of the Moonveil Coven. We represent three of the seven major covens in this region. And we’re here because the supernatural community is mobilizing against the girl who carries the Veil’s essence."

"How do you know what I carry?" Lilith asked.

"Everyone knows," Veyra said. "Every witch within two hundred miles felt the power surge when you woke three days ago. We felt the Veil’s signature. Ancient power that shouldn’t exist in the mortal realm. And word has spread fast. By now, every coven council, every supernatural faction, every ambitious entity who wants that power knows you exist."