Fiona's pov “Where are we?”My voice sliced raw, the air like ash scraping down my throat. Logan lay beside me, eyes flickering open as we both staggered upright.“I don’t know,” he said, slowly. “But she’s here.”“Mia,” I breathed.The portal had ripped us through something jagged. Not just shadow magic but ancient magic this time. This place didn’t feel like a battlefield.It felt like a tomb rather in a hollow land, all dark stone and eerie silence. The sky above was ink-black, no stars, just a swirling storm of silver smoke.Logan reached for my arm. “Are you hurt?”“I don’t think so.” I looked down. My skin was marked with faint runes now, glowing dimly under the fabric of my sleeve. “But something’s... off.”“We were pulled through her anchor spell,” he said. “It might’ve marked you.”A sound behind us passed soft Like fabric dragging over bone.We turned.Mia stepped out of the shadows, robes trailing like spider silk, and eyes blazing with power she didn’t have before.“You s
Logan's pov “You don’t sleep much anymore,” I said as I stepped onto the frost-covered balcony.Fiona didn’t turn. Her breath misted in the night air. “Neither do you.”The wind blew her scent toward me and jasmine, steel, winter. Always winter now.“I thought you’d be in the war room.”“I was, but strategy doesn’t help when the enemy wants your soul, not your land.”I walked to her side, careful, like she might shatter or run. “You’re not alone, Fiona.”She turned finally, face pale in the moonlight. “Aren’t I?”“No.” I looked her dead in the eyes. “You never were.”Her gaze flickered, something softening but only for a second. “Then why does it feel like I’m always the one bleeding for us?”“That’s not true.”“Isn’t it?” she whispered. “You can fight Mia. I get it. I want her stopped too. But every time she touches you....”“She doesn’t touch me.”“She did.” Her voice cracked. “In front of me.”I swallowed hard. “That was strategy"“No,” she said firmly. “That was hesitation.”I di
Fiona's pov “Don’t talk to me.”My voice was sharp, slicing through the heavy snowfall like a blade. She stood just outside the stronghold gates, arms crossed, my breath misting in the air between them.Logan froze mid-step. His cloak dragged lightly through the snow, but his body stayed still. He looked at her carefully, his jaw tightening.“Fiona.”“I said don’t.”“You don’t understand.....”“Oh, I understand perfectly,” she snapped, my gaze locked on his. “I walked into the woods and saw you with her, she kissed you and you just stood there.”“I didn’t....” Logan’s voice was low, strained. “She kissed me. True, but I didn’t want it.”“Then why didn’t you move?” my tone cracked, bitter. “Why did you let her get that close even? You always hesitate, Alpha. You always let her linger.”He stepped forward slowly, ignoring the cold wind pressing through his collar. “Because I’m human. Because I let my pride cloud my judgment. Because I thought I could handle her.”My arms dropped to my
Fiona's pov Branches slapped at my face as I ran, but I didn’t stop. Not when the trees are thick now and my lungs burned. Not even when I tripped over a root and slammed into the ground.I pushed up on shaking arms, snow sticking to my palms, breath ripping out of me in gasps.I could still feel it.Her lips on him, that kiss, that audacity.She looked straight at me when she did it. Mia knew I was there. She wanted me to watch. She wanted to break something and she had.“Stupid,” I whispered, standing slowly, fingers curling into fists. “So stupid…”For thinking he wouldn’t let her close again.For feeling something when he said I wasn’t invisible.I staggered forward again, deeper into the forest, directionless and furious. Trees stretched tall and bare around me, silence swallowing the path. Just me. Snow. And the ache in my chest that wouldn’t go away.“Fiona!”His voice cracked through the cold like lightning.I screamed.No, I couldn’t face him now.“Fiona, stop!”I ran.His f
Logan's pov “You should’ve stayed back,” I growled, snow crunching beneath my boots as I led the way through the frozen trail. “This isn’t your fight.”“Too bad,” Lila snapped behind me. “She’s my friend, and you left her in the dark.”“I didn’t leave her,” I shot over my shoulder. “I went ahead to handle the threat.”“She’s the threat, Logan.” Fiona's voice was tight with restrained anger. “Mia didn’t just attack the border, she sent a message. She knew exactly where to strike.”“I know that,” I snapped, shoving a branch out of the way. “Don’t act like I don’t know who I’m dealing with.”“No, I don’t think you do,” Lila muttered.I stopped, turning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”Lila’s eyes were hard, frost clinging to her lashes. “You looked at her like she was broken glass you wanted to piece together. But she was always a blade"“I told her no.”“You let her get close,” Rowan cut in. “She thought she had a chance. You think that doesn’t have consequences?”“I told her no,” I re
Logan's pov“Leaving already?” Lila’s voice was soft, but edged with something else. Knowing and curious.Fiona stopped in the doorway, hand still on the knob. Her eyes flicked up, startled.Lila stood there in a cloak dusted with snow, her dark hair tied back, cheeks flushed from the cold. She looked like she’d been walking a while maybe pacing.“I needed air,” Fiona replied, voice hoarse.“You look like you needed more than that,” Lila said, brushing past her into the room without waiting for permission. “You didn’t sleep.”“Neither did you, apparently.”Lila didn’t answer right away. Instead, she glanced around, noting the cold hearth, the untouched bed, the tension thick in the room. Then her gaze landed on Fiona again—carefully.“What happened?” she asked gently.Fiona didn’t move. “Nothing.”Lila tilted her head. “Was it Mia?”Fiona’s lips tightened.“You saw them, didn’t you?” Lila asked, stepping closer. “Logan and Mia. Last night.”“I don’t want to talk about it.”“I didn’t as