Chapter 22

Kael’s POV

Something was wrong.

And I didn’t like it.

I stood in the study, my hands resting on the desk as I stared down at the reports scattered across it.

None of them mattered.

Not right now.

Footsteps echoed behind me.

Heavy.

Familiar.

Riven.

“You felt that too, right?”

Straight to the point.

Typical.

I didn’t turn.

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then

“That wasn’t normal.”

I almost scoffed.

“Obviously.”

Another set of footsteps entered the room.

Lighter.

Controlled.

Lucien.

Silence followed his arrival.

But it didn’t last long.

“She caused it.”

His voice was calm.

Certain.

I finally turned.

Riven was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his expression sharper than usual.

Lucien stood near the door, his gaze steady.

Focused.

“You’re sure?” Riven asked.

Lucien didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

I studied both of them for a moment.

Then exhaled slowly.

“Explain.”

Riven pushed himself off the wall.

“I was with her,” he said.

That alone made me pause.

“Why?” I asked.

He shrugged slightly.

“Heard something. Went to check.”

Convenient.

But I didn’t press.

“She was by the window,” he continued. “Said she was fine.”

Of course she did.

“Then what?” Lucien asked.

Riven’s jaw tightened slightly.

“Then everything went… off.”

That matched what we felt.

“The air changed,” he added. “Like pressure building.”

I nodded slightly.

“Continue.”

“The glass cracked.”

Silence.

Lucien’s gaze sharpened.

“Cracked?”

Riven looked at him.

“On its own.”

That was enough.

Magic didn’t behave like that.

Not without control.

Not without intention.

“She didn’t know what was happening,” Riven added, quieter now.

That part

That part mattered.

“You’re sure?” I asked.

Riven’s eyes met mine.

Serious.

“No.”

I believed him.

Lucien stepped forward slightly.

“Then it wasn’t controlled.”

“No,” Riven agreed.

Which meant one thing.

Unstable.

I straightened slightly, my mind already moving ahead.

“Selene felt it.”

It wasn’t a question.

Lucien nodded once.

“Without a doubt.”

Riven exhaled sharply.

“Great. Just what we needed.”

I ignored that.

“If she connects it to Hannah”

“She already has,” Lucien cut in.

Silence.

Heavy.

Of course she had.

Selene wasn’t blind.

Riven ran a hand through his hair.

“So what now?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Because the answer wasn’t simple.

Hannah wasn’t supposed to be anything more than

I stopped that thought.

Because that was no longer true.

“She stays under watch,” I said finally.

Riven frowned.

“She already is.”

“Not like this.”

Lucien understood immediately.

“No contact with Selene,” he added.

“None,” I confirmed.

Riven looked between us.

“And if Selene decides not to listen?”

A pause.

Then

“She won’t have a choice.”

My voice was calm.

But final.

Riven smirked slightly.

“There he is.”

Lucien didn’t react.

But I saw it.

That slight shift in his gaze.

Agreement.

I walked toward the window, looking out over the darkened grounds.

The kingdom was quiet.

Too quiet.

Everything was changing.

Faster than expected.

“She’s not normal,” Lucien said behind me.

“No,” I replied.

Riven scoffed lightly.

“No shit.”

I ignored him.

“What is she?” he asked.

That was the question.

And for the first time

I didn’t have an answer.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” I said.

Silence followed.

Then Lucien spoke again.

“She’s scared.”

I glanced at him briefly.

“She should be,” Riven muttered.

“No,” Lucien said.

A pause.

“Not of us.”

That caught my attention.

“Then what?” I asked.

Lucien’s gaze darkened slightly.

“Herself.”

The words settled heavily in the room.

And something about them didn’t sit right with me.

Because if she was afraid of herself

Then whatever was inside her…

Was dangerous.