Jenna watched in disbelief as her mate, her love, was murdered right before her eyes. When Steele pierced his chest, she felt as though the same scorpion paw had pierced her heart, unleashing a flood of suffering that enveloped her entire being. She’d prayed that somehow they would both escape this nightmare; but now as tears streaked down her face, she knew that it was not to be. She neither noticed nor cared that all eyes were on her.

            “Bring her out next,” Steele cried with a laugh. “I want to see her kiss him now.”

            Nemec nodded, and he and two others dragged Jenna out to where Balto lay. They tossed her roughly to the ground and backed away as their lord bent down to address her. No one heard what was said, and no one could tell by the look on Jenna’s face. But a moment later, no one would care.

            “Enough,” sad a calm voice from the woods. “It is ended.”

            All eyes looked toward the voice, and silence fell again as a single white wolf advanced toward them. She stopped where the river separated her from them. Steele saw this and laughed.

            “Who are you to command me?” he said. “You can’t reach me.”

            “But neither can you reach me,” countered the white female calmly.

            Steele paused, and had to admit she was right. The current was fast and water deep. Not even his bravest warriors would cross to reach her.

            “Who are you?” he asked finally.

            “I am that I am,” the white female replied. “I am all that has been, and all that will be. And I ask you once more to cease slaying my children.”

            Steele threw back his head and laughed again.

            “Do you honestly expect any of us to believe you?”

            “Seeing is believing.”

            With that, the white female took a step forward into the river, but instead of sinking into it, she trod on top of it as though it were solid ground, and the warter rippled about her paws.

            The Ice Mountain clan watched in awe. Several of them gasped and whispers grew in number as she neared their side of the river.

            “Do you believe now?” she asked as her last paw touched solid ground again. “You cannot win, demon.”

            “You stupid fem, I’ve already won!” Steele cried in triumph. “Your son lies dead before me; your plan is no more.”

            At this, the white female smiled and shook her head.

            “You believe you’ve bested me, but you’ve only followed my lead.”

            She padded toward the outer ring of the circle, and Nemec cried out to his troops,

            “Don’t just sit there, stop her!”

            The white female spoke to the wolves that slowly broke ranks to approach her, but never took her eyes from Steele’s.

            “Remain where you are.”

            And suddenly, every one of Nemec’s troops stopped, frozen in their tracks.

            “What’s the matter with all of you?” Nemec shouted. “Kill her!”

            “We can’t move!” one of them cried out.

            Nemec cast his eyes around the circle as the grunted replies of his troops confirmed his fear: they were all but defenseless. The Ice Mountain wolves parted to allow the white female passage to the center, where she stopped opposite Steele.

            “You can’t win,” Steele said. “I’ve beaten you.”

            “Look around you,” the white female replied. “And then tell me if you’ve won.”

            Steele cast his eyes around the circle, and his eyes widened in shock.

            Through the trees and underbrush, a group of wolves was moving toward them; at its head was Sadera. And just then, a howl sounded from behind Steele, and he turned and looked fearfully up to the top of the rocky mound that was the Ice Mountain clan’s home den. There, peering down at him with growing anger, were more than forty wolves; at their front, a young gray female looked down at Jenna, lying next to Balto’s body, in disbelief.

            “Papa…” she whispered.

            Down at the bottom of the hill, in the center of the circle, Steele turned back to face the white female, who met his gaze.

            “Enough tears have been shed because of you, enough families have been destroyed, enough lives lost,” she said. “Cease.”

            “Even all of these wolves together couldn’t beat me,” Steele said. “Why should I listen to you?”           

            “Because I am no longer asking,” the white female replied.

            She looked down with concerned eyes at Jenna, who had buried her face in Balto’s fur; she reached down and placed her paw on him.

            “Rise, my son.”

            Just then, Jenna felt Balto growing warm; the cold that had begun to fill him vanished, and suddenly his eyes opened and he rose to stand next to the white female.

            Steele watched all this with growing anger. Just when he thought he’d finally succeeded, victory had been snatched from his grasp. Overcome by rage, he dove down upon Jenna, only to be met by Balto, who stood protectively over her and stared at him with his glowing, golden eyes.

            “Stand aside,” Steele growled, trying to hide his sudden gripping fear.

            “No. It is ended.”

            Without another word, Balto reached up and placed his paw on Steele’s forehead. Instantly, Steele stumbled back, and Balto and the white female began to glow as though a light shone from within them to the outside world.

            Sadera, who had lead her forces to the edge of the circle, fell to the ground as the realization of who the white female was hit her.

            “Shield your eyes,” she cried, bowing her head to the ground.

            One by one, the Ice Mountain wolves, the Eir clan wolves, and the wolves upon the hill quickly dropped to the earth and bowed their heads; Jenna, who lay beneath Balto, was the only one to remain looking. Just as she as during the night before, she feared to turn her eyes away and loose Balto.

            As Balto and the white female glowed brighter and brighter, light began to shine from under Steele’s shadowy cloak, but not as though it were a light; the light from within him pierced him like a lance wherever it came out.

            Balto looked down at Jenna to find her still looking back at him.

            “Shield your eyes, Jenna, please,” he said softly.

            Jenna felt tears coming, and shook her head.

            “I can’t,” she replied. “I don’t want to loose you.”

            And then the flash came.  

            Jenna blinked, and suddenly the world around her was bathed in light, and shapes began to take form around her; particles of light became the bodies of