LOGINMy gaze sweeps across the courtyard, taking in the faces, the laughter, and the sense of peace that still feels surreal.And then my eyes find her.Xena.I can’t bring myself to call her Lola, just as she can’t bring herself to call me Sadie. To everyone else, we are Lola and Sadie but to each other
“Sadie?” Alec murmurs gently beside me, voice low and coaxing. “You ready?”I turn, and he’s there, exactly where he’s always been. Tall, steady, eyes soft in a way I once thought I’d never be on the receiving end of. He’s holding our son in his arms, swaddled in a light silver blanket that shimmers
He already knows. He always does.“Ready?” I say quietly, though everyone hears me.“Definitely… Been waiting to make you officially mine for months,” he says, earning a chuckle from everyone.Slowly, he puts Aspen down, who is smiling from ear to ear.We told her the truth, that Alec is her dad, an
The night is quiet. Not the tense quiet that comes before war, not the brittle silence of grief but a living stillness, deep and steady, like the world has finally exhaled.It has been a month since the battle. A month since blood stained this land. A month since Kaden fell. A month since I learned
Kaden sees it too late. He lunges, but we are faster.I raise my hand and time stops and light pours from me in radiant waves. Lola steps forward, shadows trailing her like smoke. Light and shadow coil around us, not fighting, but circling, choosing. The air thickens, charged, every particle vibrat
The guilt is suffocating. It crawls up my throat like it wants to rip me apart from the inside.This isn’t how it was meant to be. This isn’t how it was meant to end. Kaden wasn’t supposed to win.I wipe away the tears. No! I refuse to let her die.I feel something crack open in my chest at my deter
Sadie.We were in the living room of our castle. The light cast a warm glow while the fire from the fireplace gave this tranquil atmosphere. It was calm and relaxed. I loved it. It brought peace and quiet, something that I appreciate a lot.I was on my belly drawing; Mother was curled up on the sofa
“Wait,” Raven said slowly, breaking the stunned silence. Her voice was low, exhausted, but clear. “Did Nyx actually tell you that Kaden and Xena are connected?”I looked at her.“No,” I said. “She didn’t have to.”Raven frowned. “Then how—?”“It was in the way she felt.” My fingers curled around the
“No, my sweetheart, I don’t have a mate,” she answered after a few minutes of silence.I wanted to ask more questions, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. I didn’t want to hurt her more. After all, I hate it when she or Xena keep asking me questions when I am sad and don’t want to talk about wh
When I wake up again, Alec is nowhere to be seen. In his place, though, is Raven. She was scrolling through her phone and had not noticed that I was awake.I take that time to study her features. She seemed tired and worn out, just like Alec, just like I was. My shoulders drop as I realize that I am







