LOGINArthur’s POVEvery inch of me screamed to go with Liz.To follow her down the hall. To make sure she made it to her room. To sit beside her bed and watch her breathe until sleep finally claimed her. But I stayed.The doors to the library shut, and something in my chest went with it. I stood there for a moment, staring at the door.Slowly, I turned and crossed the room. The fight drained out of me with every step, the adrenaline bleeding away until all that was left was bone-deep exhaustion. I sat down in the chair near the table and leaned forward, elbows braced on my knees, hands clasped so tightly my fingers ached.I let out a slow deep breath and droping my eyes to the floor. I had faced wars, rebellions, and monsters that could tear kingdoms apart without flinching. None of them had ever made me feel like this.Powerless.If I failed as Alpha King, lands would burn. People would suffer. History would remember my name for the wrong reasons as the alpha king who failed.But if I fa
Liz’s POVThe warmth in my hand grew stronger. It wasn’t wild or explosive. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t burn. It settled. It had finally found its place after being lost for too long. Slowly, I opened my eyes.My fingers trembled as a faint glow gathered in my palm. I sucked in a breath, afraid that even breathing too hard might scare it away.“Oh…” Alice said from beside me.The light pulsed as if it were one with my heart, and as it did, every inch of me just felt right.For the first time, I didn’t feel empty.I stared at the light, barely blinking, afraid that if I looked away, it would vanish.No one spoke.The room felt suspended in time, every breath held, every movement stilled. Even the candles seemed to burn more softly, their flames leaning toward my hand.“I… I’m doing it,” I whispered, more to myself than to them.My skin.My gaze dropped to my hand, and my breath hitched.The scars, those deep, ugly lines, dark and brittle, were fading. Not disappearing all at once, but s
Liz’s POVArthur still wasn’t back.The worry had been circling my mind for hours, not just for his safety, but also as to why he had left. He’s avoiding you.Angelica’s voice repeated that over and over again.We had been in the library for hours. Long enough for the candles to burn low and be replaced, long enough for my body to ache in places I didn’t even know could ache and for exhaustion to seep into my bones and settle there.Melissa stood near the long oak table, several books open in front of her, pages marked with sticky notes and ink-smudged hands.“We’ve gone through everything written on curse transference,” she said, more to herself than to me. “And everything on inherited bindings. And everything on soul rot,” she let out a long, slow, frustrated breath. “There’s nothing.”Alice straightened from where she’d been crouched beside a stack of books. “Nothing helpful,” she corrected gently. “That doesn’t mean anything at all.”Melissa rubbed the back of her neck. “Angelic
Arthur’s POVI should’ve torn this place apart the second I walked in.Every instinct in me wanted to—walls, doors, throats, anything standing between me and ending Angelica's life. But I forced myself to wait, because losing control wouldn’t end this.The office door creaked.Lumian entered.And her scent hit me. He was covered in it.My hands curled into fists so tight they shook.He froze when he saw my face.“Arthur… is something wrong,” he said.I stepped forward once.“Tell me where she is.”Lumian blinked slowly. “Liz?” he asked. “Is everything okay? Did something happen?”I could hear the mocking tone in his voice that he wasn't trying very hard to hide. I stepped toward him, cold fury tightening every muscle in my body. His hand slid into his pocket.“Lumian,” I warned.He kept moving.I didn’t wait.I slammed him into the wall, ripping his hand free and tearing the knife out of his grip before he even realised what happened. The blade clattered onto the ground.Kill him.
Liz’s POVEveryone in the room looked at me like I was crazy.And maybe I was.Maybe everything I’d been through had finally cracked whatever pieces of me were left. Maybe this was the moment I officially fell apart.But Melissa didn’t flinch.She stepped closer, like she already understood what I didn’t.“You’re not going crazy,” she said. It was like she knew what I was thinking before I spoke. I stood there staring back at Melissa, wanting to argue with her to convince everyone that I wasn't and maybe never was worth saving. But there was something in Melissa's eyes that stopped me.“Angelica has been inside you longer than you realise,” Melissa said softly. “She blocked your witch side before you were even born. She didn’t want you accessing that power, not then, not now.”“But why? Why would she do that?”Melissa took a slow breath. “Because your power and Alice's together. It is stronger than hers. Always has been. She knew if you ever awakened it, she wouldn’t be able to use
Liz’s POVI stood with my hand on the bathroom door handle, turning my head, and I took one last look at my reflection.I took a slow breath in holding it in for a second before letting it out.I wasn’t ready to face Arthur, but hiding in here forever wasn’t an option. I needed to step out. I needed to pretend I was fine, even if every fragile part of me felt like it might crack the second he looked at me.Just… don’t fall apart, I told myself.I opened the door. Slowly looking around the room.My eyes landed on Carlos.He shot up from the chair like he’d been waiting for the door to move, his shoulders stiff, hands dropping awkwardly to his sides.“Liz,” he said. I stepped out fully, pulling the sleeves of my shirt down over my wrists without thinking. “Carlos,”.He moved toward me like he wasn’t sure whether to hug me or keep his distance. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”“I’m fine.” I lied. I glanced around the room. “Where’s Arthur?”Carlos hesitated. Just for a split







