~LunaThe firelight in the chamber burned low, throwing long shadows across the black stone walls. The air was heavy with the scent of smoke, suffocating, as though even the room itself understood the weight of the decision pressing against my chest.They circled me like wolves, my trusted circle, my generals, my so called family. Katherine’s eyes were sharp, glittering like blades. Lorenzo leaned against the pillar, silent but calculating. Rosy crossed her arms, her smirk mocking, and the others hovered, waiting for my command.But they weren’t going to like what I had to say.I inhaled slowly, fingers brushing the obsidian pendant at my neck, the last tether of the power that defined me. Half already gone with Elena. And now I was ready to give the rest away to her.“I’ve made my choice,” I said, my voice steady though my throat felt raw. “I’ll give the remaining half of the obsidian’s power to Elena.”The silence that followed was absolute. A silence that cut deeper than any scre
~ThorneHe shows me how to stack the blocks, one, careful, two and laughs when the tower wobbles and collapses. I scoop him up and set him on my knee, fingers finding him, guiding the next block into place. His hand is tiny; his trust is heavy.“Higher,” he insists, his voice all bravado and crumbs at the corner of his mouth. He means the world and I oblige.When he knocks it over on purpose, grinning like he’s discovered the greatest joke, I pretend to be surprised. “Oh no! The tower fell!” He squeals, delighted, and pushes his face into my chest until I feel the soft press of his cheek and the rapid flutter of his breath. I count those breaths like prayers.Later, I bring out a book with rough, scuffed edges. I make the voices deep and strange for the lion, high and silly for the mouse. He remembers the animals and points them out, proud as a king. I tell him about the stars, in small sentences, about ships and far coasts, but I keep it light, no weight yet. He giggles at the ide
~IslaI pushed the door open with the back of my hand, the faint stench of blood clinging to my clothes. Raven’s groans still echoed in my ears, but I ignored them. He wasn’t worth the weight on my mind, not anymore. I told myself that, at least. The corridor outside the clinic was dim, the lamps flickering weakly as if they too were drained from keeping secrets. My heels clicked against the marble floor, each sound sharp, final.I hadn’t taken five steps before I saw them, Katherine and Freya leaning against the wall like they’d been waiting for me. Katherine’s hands were never empty; she always held something to counter me, she held a small carton against her chest, fingers curled tight around it as if it might reveal her own sins if she let go. Her eyes, however, were fixed on me with that sharp gleam that always promised trouble.“You’re late,” Freya said first, her tone casual but her gaze not. She flicked her eyes toward the clinic door behind me. “Checking up on your little
~IslaRaven stirred again, eyes half lidded, breath shallow but steady enough to rasp words between coughs. I thought he had drifted back into unconsciousness, but his voice low, gravelly, and sharper than the knife I’d pressed to countless throats pulled me back.“You want to win, Isla?” His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Then stop being a mother. Forsake the boy.”The words slammed into me harder than any blade. I stiffened. “What did you just say?”“You heard me,” he said, voice breaking with effort, but steady in conviction. “Elena has your child. You’re losing power every second you show that weakness. Every tear, every moment of hesitation, it feeds her. Cut it off. Let Liam go.”My nails dug into my palms until they nearly drew blood. “You expect me to abandon my own flesh and blood?”His eyes flicked open, sharp and unyielding despite the broken body they lived in. “Yes. Because Thorne won’t let Elena kill him. You know that as well as I do. That man m
~IslaRaven stirred again, eyes half lidded, breath shallow but steady enough to rasp words between coughs. I thought he had drifted back into unconsciousness, but his voice low, gravelly, and sharper than the knife I’d pressed to countless throats pulled me back.“You want to win, Isla?” His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Then stop being a mother. Forsake the boy.”The words slammed into me harder than any blade. I stiffened. “What did you just say?”“You heard me,” he said, voice breaking with effort, but steady in conviction. “Elena has your child. You’re losing power every second you show that weakness. Every tear, every moment of hesitation, it feeds her. Cut it off. Let Liam go.”My nails dug into my palms until they nearly drew blood. “You expect me to abandon my own flesh and blood?”His eyes flicked open, sharp and unyielding despite the broken body they lived in. “Yes. Because Thorne won’t let Elena kill him. You know that as well as I do. That man m
~IslaThe wine burned going down, but it wasn’t enough to dull the storm circling in my head. Liam’s face still lingered in the back of my mind, no matter how many times I told myself not to show weakness in front of them. I had called them to my chambers, but from the way Katherine walked in first, head high and jaw locked, you’d think she was the queen, not me.Lucien trailed behind her, always brooding, always with that look like he was two steps from turning his back on all of us. Lorenzo lounged in the corner, arms crossed, a smirk plastered on his face as if he enjoyed the idea of my son being in danger. Rosy slipped in last, silent, observant, eyes darting between us like she was taking notes.“Speak,” I ordered, my voice flat.Katherine didn’t hesitate. “You’ve lost your footing, Isla.”The name scraped raw against my ears. I clenched my jaw. “Say that name again and I’ll cut your tongue out myself.”She didn’t flinch, didn’t blink. She leaned in. “You think hiding behind th