LOGINSelena’s pov The boy slipped out of my hands before any of us understood a single thing.One second he was standing there like a tiny glowing wizard from another lifetime…And the next—his knees just gave out.His body swayed like a paper leaf.His head tilted forward.His whole weight fell toward the ground.I didn’t even think.I dove.My arms reached for him again before he hit the floor. Tighter this time. He was light.Too light.Like holding a bundle of air wrapped in skin.His chest rose once…Barely.Then it stopped.“Oh no—hey, hey, don’t do this,” I whispered fast, shaking him a little. “Come on. Stay here. Not now. Not today. Please breathe.”We could not allow anything to happen to him now. If anything, I needed him more than I needed anyone here right now. He held the answers to whatever the chains around my hands were. Ava slid down beside me. “Put him down, Selena—his pulse is almost gone!”Cullen and Rowan dropped to their knees at the same time, both of them scare
SELENA’S POVThe ground started shaking. And then it stopped. The moment the ground stopped shaking, the whole place fell quiet.Not normal quiet.The type that presses on your chest. The type that makes the air heavy. The type that feels like the world held its breath because something had stepped into space.My wrist was still glowing. Hot. Alive. Like it had a heartbeat of its own. The ruins around us hummed, and the dust hung in the air like it was too scared to fall.I swallowed hard. I didn’t even understand what I had done—or what had answered.Then… something moved.Right from the cracked stones in front of us, something stepped out.And it wasn’t what I expected at all.Not a monster.Not a demon.Not another creepy spirit thing waiting to rip our faces off.No.A boy.A tiny boy. Maybe twelve. Skinny. Barefoot. Wearing this old brown shirt that looked like someone dug it out of an ancient box. His hair was wild like a whole forest lived in it. His skin was pale like moonlig
Selena’s POVThe light on my wrist kept glowing like it owned me.It pulsed and tugged like some impatient little creature trying to drag me forward. A thin line of light stretched across the broken field, pointing far ahead—straight into dust and ruins—as if it was shouting, “Move! Move now!”Honestly, if the mark could tap its foot at me, it would.Please relax. I just survived an evil Alpha, his golden eye madness, almost died, cried a little, probably lost five years of sleep, and now you want me to sprint? Calm down.But of course, the universe didn’t want me to rest.The air shifted before I could blink.A warm gust brushed past us. Not hot. Not cold. Just warm enough to feel weirdly familiar—like herbs and smoke from a healer’s room.A very dramatic smell suddenly appeared out of nowhere.Cullen stiffened. “She’s here.”And then she arrived.Cullen’s mother stepped through a broken archway like she had been waiting backstage for her grand entrance. Calm steps. Sharp eyes. A dar
Selena’s pov My stomach tightened.I watched how— whatever that thing was— charging towards me. And I knew one thing— it was coming right at me. For me. Like it knew just what it was looking for. Ava glanced up—eyes huge.“MOVE!”I tried to move, but it felt like my legs were locked on that spot. Keeping me in place and bracing me for the impact. Ava shouted again. As if slapping me back to reality. “SELENA MOVEEE!!!” And my brain quickly switched to protective mode. Like I was a robot and I was being programmed for safety. I moved but— Too late.WAY too late.The glowing streak shot down with a snap that broke the air in half. I lifted my arm to block it—but the moment it touched my skin—BOOM.White light swallowed everything.But it didn’t slice my arm.It didn’t explode me into tiny dramatic pieces.No.It wrapped around me.The glowing magic curled around my wrist like a chain—except this chain burned like anger, like fire with a personality.Just when I thought it was fina
Selena’s pov The Alpha’s scream did NOT end nicely.Oh no.It dragged through the air like someone dragging a giant metal pot across stone.Long. Sharp. Ugly.His whole body jerked and twisted as the last of the golden eye’s power ripped itself out of him. It tore through his skin like fire that woke up angry.And all I could do was watch.My hands shook. My chest felt hollow, like something inside me had fallen through the floor. Every breath burned like heat. But I stayed on my knees, staring at him as the light around him cracked and broke apart like shattered glass.Then his shadows started dying.Those nasty, crawling, hissing creatures he always used — the ones that acted like they were alive — they began crumbling.One melted quietly, like it was embarrassed to die.Another let out a sharp screech before fading.A third one clawed at the dirt like it didn’t want to go, but even that one fell apart into smoke.And then all the shadows collapsed.Dark dust floated across the fie
Selena’s pov The voice in my head didn’t sound like a demon.Nope.It sounded… sweet.Like warm honey pouring into hot tea, like someone smiling at you while planning something VERY suspicious.And hell yeah… it was damn too suspicious. That alone terrified me more than the giant blast, more than the flying dirt, more than the Alpha shaking like a broken washing machine under Rowan’s arm.“Take me,” the voice whispered smoothly. “You were born for more. You were made for the throne.”Um.Hello?What throne?Whose throne?Why am I being offered furniture at a time like this?!My whole body froze.The battlefield disappeared.The smoke, the shouting, the Alpha’s creepy choking sounds… gone.Even my heartbeat dipped out like, “Girl, figure this out, I’ll be back.”Everything went quiet except that voice.And then—boom.VISIONS.They didn’t float in.They ATTACKED.One blinkand suddenly I was NOT on the battlefield anymore.I was in a massive silver hall that looked like a royal palace







