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Brian’s POVI gathered Mollie tightly into my arms as her knees gave way, lifting her slightly off the cold stone floor and pulling her flush against my chest. Her frame trembled violently, her fists clutching at the leather of my tunic while ragged, heartbroken sobs tore from her throat.For the first time since she had arrived at this fortress, I did not offer platitudes or attempt to lecture her on strategy. I did not offer false assurances that everything would be fine, nor did I try to explain away the terrifying reality of her bloodline. I simply stood there in the drafty corridor, holding her securely against my chest while my heart battered against my ribs in silent agony. I rested my chin gently against the top of her head, breathing in the scent of wild rain and lavender that clung to her soft hair, letting her feel the unwavering strength of my body beneath her.Marcus took a quiet step back, leaning against the far stone pillar and looking down at his boots to give us a br
Mollie’s POV"No, that makes no sense!" I shouted, taking a fast step backward away from both men, my head shaking violently as my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. "You are twisting the facts, Brian! The ritual is about Kaelen! My brother is the one who has been living in exile, hiding in rogue camps, and fighting off Malakai's enforcers for years! He is the one who possesses dark magic, and he is the one Arthur wanted to eliminate from the start!""Mollie, please, just listen to me," Brian pleaded, taking a cautious, slow step toward me with his palms facing upward, his voice dripping with a desperate, heavy sorrow. "I want you to be wrong about Kaelen being the target just as much as you do, but we cannot ignore the physical evidence staring us in the face anymore.""I am not a target for some dark alchemical ritual!" I yelled back, my voice echoing off the stone walls of the quiet corridor as I pointed a trembling finger toward the healer's door behind me. "I am j
Brian’s POVThe heavy word hung in the cold air of the corridor, heavy as iron and sharp as a double-edged blade."Vessel," I repeated, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper as a sudden, sickening chill spread through my chest, freezing the blood in my veins.Marcus looked back at me with a grim nod, his brow creased in deep thought while Mollie stood between us, her pale face illuminated by the flickering yellow glare of the stone wall sconces."An unlikely vessel," Marcus reiterated quietly, shifting his heavy shoulders against the rough granite wall behind him. "Someone born outside the pack hierarchy, someone without a wolf spirit to resist the ancient binding energy, yet possessing the pure blood needed to channel the primordial power."My mind raced backward through every ledger, every intercepted message, and every secret parchment we had pulled from Arthur’s hidden vault over the past several weeks. I remembered the torn ciphered scroll we had decoded in the study three nights
Mollie’s POVThe heavy oak door of the healer's chamber clicked shut behind me, instantly cutting off the warm glow of Mira’s diagnostic lanterns and leaving me standing in the torchlit corridor.I stopped dead in my tracks as Marcus's low, conspiratorial whisper reached my ears from around the stone pillar. He was standing right next to Brian, his face close to his brother's, talking about binding pacts, ancestral blood gifts, and hidden family histories that had been kept from us for generations."What hidden blood gift?" I demanded, stepping out from the shadows of the doorway with a sharp, uncompromising stride that made both men snap their heads around in surprise.Brian took a quick step toward me, his hands rising instinctively as if to shield me or calm my temper, but I raised my palm to stop him in his tracks. "Do not try to soften this for me, Brian. I just watched my own blood turn gold in a glass vial under Mira's torchlight, so I am completely done with half-truths, hushe
Brian’s POVThe solid oak door of Mira’s chamber remained firmly closed, sealing Mollie inside while I paced back and forth across the cold flagstones of the eastern corridor.Every second that dragged by felt like an eternity, weighing heavily on my chest as I pictured the look of utter betrayal in Mollie's eyes before she stormed down the stairwell. I leaned my back against the rough stone wall, digging my fingers into my leather belt while my mind raced with terrifying possibilities. If Mira confirmed the ancient bloodline, it meant Malakai’s threat was not an empty boast, and it meant I had brought a target directly onto the person I cared about most in this world. Worse than that, I had shattered the fragile trust we had spent months building together, leaving a rift between us just as a war approached our gates.Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway, breaking the tense silence of the passageway. I snapped my head up, expecting Captain Vane or Lucan w
Mollie’s POVThe stone steps felt cold through the thin soles of my slippers as I burst into Mira’s private sanctuary in the eastern wing, the door slamming against the stone frame behind me.Mira started from her workbench, dropping a silver mortar pestle onto a pile of dried willow bark as she looked up at me with wide, startled eyes. "Mollie? What in the world has happened? You look like you have just fled a battle.""I need you to examine me right now, Mira," I demanded, marching straight across the room past rows of glass vials and bundles of drying herbs, my breathing coming in short, ragged bursts. "I need you to look at my skin, my eyes, my blood, everything, and tell me the absolute truth without hiding a single detail."Mira blinked in confusion, setting her silver instruments aside on a linen cloth before wiping her hands on her apron. "Sit down on the wooden examination bench, Mollie. Take a deep breath and tell me what is going on.""Brian just admitted he has been secretl







