MasukBRAMMON'S POVThe sight of the three of them was almost laughable.Gadreel, Vaelis, and the High King stood frozen before us, staring at Anwen as though this tiny human had somehow become the most dangerous creature in a room full of monsters.I would have laughed at the absurdity of it if the High King hadn't suddenly whispered a name.A name he himself had forbidden from being spoken.“Azara.”The word was so faint that I almost wondered if I had imagined it.It sounded less like something he intended to say and more like a thought that had slipped free before he realized he'd spoken aloud.Rhydan heard it too. So did Fenric. But we chose not to react.We exchanged a brief glance, a silent conversation passing between us in the space of a heartbeat.Pretend we hadn't heard.Fenric, naturally, decided the silence had lasted long enough.“That’s exactly how we reacted when we first laid eyes on her,” he said, his voice carrying easily through the hall.He stepped closer to Anwen, deli
RHYDAN'S POVThe High King’s palace was already being flooded with Scions by the time we approached.From above, I could see them arriving from every corner of the kingdom. Some stepped from elaborate carriages, while others walked through the palace gates in their human forms. A few arrived in their beast forms, drawing stares from those around them. Magic flashed across the grounds as others simply appeared, transported from distant territories by spells that left brief trails of light in the evening air.It was an impressive gathering.Which was precisely why I felt like making an impression of my own.The High King had pushed back against our refusal, making it clear that tonight was not a request. It was an order.He had reminded us exactly where we stood beneath his crown, and while we had agreed to attend, none of us had promised to make his evening pleasant.In fact, I could not promise that we would show restraint at all.I folded my wings slightly and began my descent.The S
ANWEN'S POVI held the white ceremonial robe against myself in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as though I were looking at someone else.This was what I was supposed to wear tonight for my presentation—the event I'd spent weeks dreading. Somehow, knowing it was finally here made the garment look even more terrible.I took a deep breath and finally slipped it on.The moment the fabric settled around me, I wanted to tear it off.It clung to my body immediately, thin and diaphanous, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. It felt less like clothing and more like a deliberate humiliation, designed to make breeders like me feel smaller, exposed, and ashamed.I looked at myself for only another heartbeat before stepping away from the mirror.I didn't want to see any more.I sat at the edge of the bed and folded my hands in my lap, waiting.The door eventually opened, and Brammon stepped inside.He was already dressed for the evening in a black coat and matching trousers, hi
FENRIC'S POVI watched Anwen leave the tent, and for several seconds, none of us moved.The others watched her too, all of our gazes following her until she disappeared beyond the canvas flap.My chest felt unbearably heavy as I watched her walk away, trying to hold herself together despite the tremor in her lips and the way her voice had shaken when she said she understood.Brave, yes—but devastated, frightened, and breaking. And somehow, she had still managed to hold herself together.I almost wished she hadn't.I wished she had thrown a fit, screamed at us, cried until she had no tears left, blamed us for allowing this to happen. I wished she had demanded that we do something—anything—to stop it.At least then, she wouldn't have had to keep it all inside.Instead, she had simply accepted it.And somehow, that broke us even more.The thought of another Scion touching her made my blood run cold.Anwen was mine. Ours.We had fought for her when Gadreel tried to take her, protected her
ANWEN'S POVThe words seemed to reach me from very far away.My mind went completely blank for several seconds as I stared at the three kings. They were all watching me, and I could see too many things in their expressions at once.Concern lingered in their eyes, but beneath it was something harder to miss: barely contained fury, and something else that unsettled me because it looked almost like reluctant acceptance.They clearly didn't want this.Yet whatever the High King had ordered, they had no choice but to obey.Finally, I found my voice."Present me?" I asked, my words trembling. "What does that mean?"None of them answered.Instead, Corbin stopped pacing and walked toward us until he stood behind the three kings. For once, there was none of his usual amusement on his face. No smirk, no teasing remark, not even the irritating little smile he always wore whenever he called me pest."The High King wants to inspect the surviving breeders," he said.I frowned. "Inspect?"The seriou
ANWEN'S POVRhydan folded his mighty wings as he dove toward the plateau, the sudden drop making my stomach lurch. I tightened my grip around one of the thick spikes along his back, pressing myself closer against his scales as the wind rushed past us.From this height, I could already see the camp spread across the snow-thinned earth, white patches breaking apart to reveal dark soil beneath. Winter was loosening its grip here, too.At the center of it all stood two figures waiting for us. Even from this height, I recognized them immediately.Brammon stood with his arms crossed, his stance as solid as the mountain itself. Beside him, Fenric lifted a hand and waved in my direction.I couldn't help myself. I lifted one hand from Rhydan's spike and waved back.Fenric's grin widened as he continued waving.Brammon waved, too—but his gesture was unmistakably telling me to stop. I could have sworn I heard him click his tongue in disapproval.After surviving Rhydan—a feat that apparently shou
BRAMMON'S POVI heard him before I saw him.The crack of wings split the air above my labyrinth, sharp enough to shiver through the stone beneath my feet. A heartbeat later came the reckless dive, ending in a heavy thud on the balcony overhead.I already knew—he was in a foul mood.Either Galenor h
ANWEN'S POVI woke with a shiver, pain lancing through my side like fire as darkness pressed in on all sides. For a moment, my mind betrayed me, dragging me back into the cramped, suffocating wagon compartment, the stench of fish and rotting wood clinging to my senses as sharply as ever.Then some
ANWEN'S POV“What do we have hiding in here?”His eyes pinned me as if he could peel back my skin and see the truth beneath. Then his hands closed around my shoulders—hard, immovable. Strong. The kind that could crush bone without trying.I kept my head down.I nearly yelped when his grip tightened
ANWEN’S POVArlo was already moving around the room, grabbing things—my thick scarf, the small pouch of medicinal herbs for my fever and cough, an extra pair of socks. He stuffed them into a rough sack with hurried hands.“Where are we going?” I asked, pushing the blankets aside and climbing to my







