Carlos’s POVI stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my shirt, brushing a speck of lint from the collar.I hadn’t wanted to take the position not like this. Not with Lumian spiralling the way he had. But someone had to lead. Someone had to stop the bleeding. Someone had to look the pack in the eye and make them believe in something again.Lumian hadn’t taken it well. At first, he acted like it was some kind of betrayal. But the truth was, he hadn’t been in any state to lead. He was consumed and obsessed, Lost in his own guilt and grief when it came to Liz. He didn’t even fight me after the first few days. He just stopped showing up. Locked himself in his room, eyes hollow, drinking more than talking.The scent of coffee wafted from the kitchen. I walked in and poured myself a mug, needing the heat to ground me. My father sat at the table."Big day," he said."Yeah," I murmured, taking a sip.Then there was a knock at the door.My father went to stand, but I shook my head."I got it.
Liz’s POVI sat down at the desk, pulled out the parchment and ink that had been left there, and stared at the blank page.How do you tell the people you love you’re alive again, but there's a chance you're dying… again?My hands trembled as I reached for the pen.This wasn’t just about me. This was about the people I left behind. My parents. My brother. Diana.I owed them more than silence.I’d thought about it a thousand times in my head about what I’d say if I ever got the chance. But now that I had it, the words wouldn’t come.Not yet.So instead, I sat there, breathing. Letting the weight of everything settle into the cracks that still ached inside me.I was afraid.Afraid that my words wouldn’t be enough.Afraid that they’d hate me for staying away. For not coming to them in person.But how could I?How could I look into their eyes, after all this, and not fall apart completely?The ink touched the page, and I let it happen. One stroke at a time. Two letters. One for my family.
Arthur’s POVI stood in my office with my father, Frank, and Cecilia. Finn had already gone to get everything ready for our trip. The weight of Melissa’s words curled deep in my chest.“She’s dying,” I said. “Her body’s failing. The curse kept her frozen… now it’s unravelling her. The only way I can save her is by taking her to the rain tribe.”Silence overtook the room. No one knowing what to say., We had already been through so much.My father stepped forward. I was expecting him to protest, to tell me that she wasn't worth it. He just stared at me, then looked down at the floor like the air had been sucked from his lungs.“You’ll take her to the Rain Tribe,” he finally said. “Right away.”I nodded.“I’ll stay here,” he said. “Manage the kingdom. You don’t worry about us—you worry about her.”Frank placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be here too. Anything you need.”Their voices were steady. But I saw it in their eyes. They were scared. They just didn’t want to show it.Then Cecili
Liz’s POVArthur didn’t wait another second.“I’ll get everything ready. We leave tonight.” His voice was with purpose, his jaw locked, his entire body moving like he’d been lit on fire. He turned and walked out, already calling for Finn before the door even closed behind him.I went to follow him, my legs still unsteady, but moving until Melissa's hand caught my arm.I turned.Her grip wasn’t rough. But it was firm enough to stop me.Her eyes were different now. Not cold, not hard, but questioning. “Wait,” she said, voice low. “Before you go chasing after him… I need to ask you something.”I stared at her. She looked at me like she was trying to see beneath my skin.“Why you?” she asked. “Why would someone cast Valtora on you?”The question slammed into me harder than I expected. It wasn’t just curiosity, it was something deeper that layered beneath her voice.Why me?I had been asking myself that same thing since the day everything fell apart.My mouth opened, but I couldn’t spea
Arthur’s POVIt felt like a blade to the chest.Those words. “You’re living, but you’re not fully alive.”I didn’t know what I was expecting Melissa to say, but it wasn’t that. Not when Liz was sitting right there in front of me. Alive.But now that I knew, I couldn’t unsee it.The way her shoulders slumped, as if she were holding up something too heavy. She sat so still, but her body twitched and shook slightly, and her eyes were not full of life; they didn't shine at all, they were dull and lifeless. How had I not noticed this sooner?I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to grab Melissa by the collar and shake a better answer out of her.Melissa’s eyes stayed locked on Liz.“The curse is broken,” she said, her voice even. “Her body is no longer frozen in time.”I frowned. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that what we wanted?”Melissa turned to me slowly. “No. What you wanted was for her to live.”“She is alive.”“No,” she said. “She’s existing. That’s not the same.”I felt
Liz’s POVI stepped out of the bathroom, steam clinging to me.My eyes landed on the bed.Clothes were laid out for me. I slipped into them slowly. I should’ve felt better. I should’ve felt safe and clean.But I didn’t.I caught my reflection in the mirror across the room. Same eyes. Same face. But something behind my gaze looked… off. Like a shadow was sitting just behind them.I sat down on the edge of the bed, fingers pulling at the sleeves of the sweater.Then it hit me.I wasn’t hungry.Not even a little. I’d just come back from the dead. My body should’ve been screaming for food, for water, for anything.But there was nothing.The worry gripped me tighter.Before I could spiral any further, a soft knock echoed through the door.“Liz?” Arthur’s voice was gentle.“Come in,” I said, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.He stepped inside. His eyes were full of love and warmth.“You’re probably hungry and tired,” he said, walking towards me. “I’ll get you some food and let you r