LOGINANWEN'S POVI tried to retrace my steps, turning back the way I thought I’d come, hoping the path would simply open again and reveal Brammon standing exactly where I’d left him.I had only walked a few steps away. Surely, I couldn’t have gotten that far from him.At least, that was what I kept telling myself.I hurried down the nearest path, only to find it splitting into two corridors I was certain hadn’t been there before. I chose one at random and followed it, my pace breaking into a run.Then the wall beside me shifted.I froze.A low grinding rumbled beneath the earth as the stone slowly twisted, the maze rearranging itself yet again. The passage behind me sealed shut while another opened farther ahead.“No!”My voice bounced uselessly through the labyrinth, swallowed by echoing stone.I turned back the way I’d come, but the path no longer looked the same. The walls had shifted again, the angles sharper now, the passage narrower than before.I froze, uncertainty rooting me in pla
ANWEN'S POVFor the past few days, I have kept my head down.After what I pulled at breakfast, I learned very quickly where the limits of my defiance truly lay. So I obeyed. I went where I was told, sat where I was placed, ate when food was set in front of me.Even when sharp replies burned at the back of my throat, I swallowed them before they could escape.Not because I wanted to.Because somewhere inside this land, Arlo’s life still hung in the balance.One wrong word, one wrong move, and I feared Rhydan might finally make good on the cold promise lurking in his eyes whenever Arlo’s name was mentioned.So I endured.But obedience was not the same as surrender.I tried bringing Arlo up again with both Brammon and Rhydan, though neither conversation ever lasted long. Rhydan shut me down immediately each time, his temper flaring the moment I so much as hinted at it. Brammon was calmer, but no easier to sway. The instant he realized where the conversation was heading, his expression wo
ANWEN'S POVI could only stare at Rhydan for a long, suspended moment, my throat suddenly dry. The courage that had pushed me to stop him began to crumble beneath his cold, unyielding gaze.He stood there with his arms folded, fingers tapping once against his elbow in clear impatience.“Speak,” he snapped at last.I flinched at the sharpness in his voice. “My brother,” I blurted, the words tumbling out before I could think of anything else.Rhydan raised a brow slowly. “What brother?”I frowned. He knew exactly who I meant.And there was something in his tone when he said it—something I couldn’t quite place. The anger, I understood well enough. We had tried to escape. Arlo had taken me and run.But there was something else beneath it.His expression would tighten ever so slightly, like he wanted to scoff. Disdain, maybe. Or contempt.Still, none of that matters right now. What mattered was getting Arlo released.I swallowed and forced myself to meet his gaze. “Arlo,” I said. “My broth
ANWEN'S POVI jerked awake at the sound of heavy footsteps drawing closer.For a moment, I didn’t recognize where I was. My mind lagged, still wrapped in the fear and exhaustion of the night before.I shifted—and nearly struck my head against the wood above me. That’s when I remembered. I was under the bed.My heart lurched. Fenric?I clutched the blanket tighter around myself and held my breath, every muscle going rigid. Maybe if I stayed still, whoever it was would leave. Maybe they wouldn’t think to look.My thoughts were still racing when a head suddenly appeared in the gap.I screamed.I yanked the blanket over my head and kicked out blindly. My heel connected with something soft, followed by a startled grunt.“That was rather unnecessary, miss.”The voice made me freeze. “Wells?”I lowered the blanket slowly and peered out. He was rubbing at his eye with a wince, looking more offended than hurt.“I… I’m sorry,” I said. “I thought you were someone else.”Wells straightened, and I
ANWEN'S POVI went completely still.The fight drained out of me all at once. Even if any had remained, it would have been useless. There was no point struggling anymore.This was always going to happen. The only reason I’d ever been brought here.I have survived longer than most. A small, bitter miracle.A sob broke free anyway.I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself, every nerve strung tight as I waited for whatever came next.Fenric’s growl rumbled right against me. I flinched, a muffled whimper escaping me. The sound came again, sharper now, trembling through the shelves around us.Then suddenly... his grip loosened. The hand pinning me down loosened, then slipped away entirely. The weight between my legs vanished just as suddenly, leaving only cold air in its place.For a moment, I lay there, trying to catch up. My mind lagged behind my body, caught somewhere between terror and confusion.I curled onto my side atop the table, drawing my knees to my chest, my eyes still squeezed
ANWEN'S POVI didn’t run.Every instinct screamed at me to run—to flee the room, to put as much distance as possible between myself and whatever Fenric was becoming.But I knew this was a game I could never win. I had seen how fast he moved even without shifting. Running now would only provoke the feral instinct clawing its way to the surface.So I forced myself to stay still, careful not to make any sudden movements.Slowly, I inched toward him on trembling hands. “Please,” I whispered, my voice barely holding. “I don’t want to do this.”I pushed myself up onto my knees and reached for him, my fingers brushing the fur along his arm. I braced for revulsion—but it never came.Instead, my hand curled around him, grounding, searching for the part of him that still knew me.“Fenric,” I said softly, lifting my gaze to meet his glowing eyes. “I’ve had a long day. I’m tired… I just want to rest.”His eyes softened, just barely. His clawed hand lifted to cup my cheek, the touch almost gentle.







