Mag-log inAva's POV"Get the doors open!" Nathan shouted, fumbling with the keys as we broke through the last of the tree line into the small clearing where the car sat waiting.Thorne reached the car first, wrenching the back door open. "Get in, now!"I climbed inside, curling around Kaelen as I slid across the seat, and Thorne dove in right behind me, pulling the door shut just as Mira scrambled into the front passenger seat."Nathan, drive!" I screamed.Nathan threw himself into the driver's seat, jamming the key into the ignition with shaking hands. The engine roared to life just as the first of Darien's guards burst through the tree line behind us, torches and weapons catching the moonlight."Go, go, go!" Mira shouted.The tires spun for one agonizing second against loose dirt before catching, and the car lurched forward hard enough to throw me back against the seat, my arms locking tight around Kaelen to shield him from the jolt.Through the rear window, I watched Darien break out of the
Ava's POV Guards lunged from both sides of the platform, but Nathan was already there, cutting through them, buying me every second he could. "Get to Kaelen!" I heard Thorne suddenly shouting, slamming his shoulder into the nearest guard. Thorne?! I didn't wait for another minute, I hit the platform steps at a dead run, my eyes locked on Velra, on my son held against her chest like a shield. "Give him to me!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "He's mine...he's not yours!" "He will be, the second this binding is finished!" Velra shouted back, backing away toward the priest, clutching Kaelen tighter. "You're too late, Ava! You've always been too late!" "Stop this!" I begged, my hands shaking as I reached the top of the steps. "Please, he's just a baby, he doesn't belong to your pack, he belongs with me!" The priest, still frozen with his fingers hovering near Kaelen's forehead, looked between Velra and me, uncertainty flickering across his face for the first time. "My Lady, if
Ava's POV The car slowed to a stop just beyond the tree line, far enough from the estate that the headlights wouldn't be seen from the gates. "This is as close as we get by car." Nathan said, killing the engine. "From here, we're on foot." My heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. "Okay." I said, though the word came out shakier than I wanted it to. Nathan turned to look at me, his expression unusually gentle for a man about to walk into enemy territory. "Hey. Look at me." I forced myself to meet his eyes. "We just got word from Mira." He said. "Darien pulled most of his guards and headed toward the east gate. He thinks a small army is coming for him there." "An army that doesn't exist." I said slowly, understanding dawning. "Exactly. Mira fed him just enough truth to make it believable, and Ashlen made sure our people at the east made enough noise to sell it." Nathan said, a grim satisfaction flickering across his face. "Which means the west entrance, the one
Velra's POV I watched Darien disappear through the back doors of the hall, as Mira came to stand beside me and something cold settled low in my stomach, not because of Mira but because of Darien. He said he'd be back before the ceremony ended. He said it like it was nothing, like walking away from the single most important day of my life was a minor inconvenience he could handle in the time it took to drink a glass of wine. I turned to look at Kaelen, still cradled against my maid's shoulder, his small face scrunched in sleep, completely unaware of what was about to happen to him. My chest tightened with something I didn't want to name. "My Lady, the priest is asking if we're ready to proceed." My maid said quietly, shifting Kaelen slightly in her arms. "We're ready." I said, though the words came out steadier than I felt. The priest approached the platform, his ceremonial robes trailing behind him, the fabric embroidered with silver runes that caught the firelight from the braz
Darien's POV In my decades of being on earth, I've never been this scared before in my life. Not even when Thorne had tried to kill me. Not even when I was getting burnt was I this scared. But I really needed to understand why—why was I this scared over simply meeting Mira? Was it the fear that she was in there with someone dangerous? I couldn't put a name to what I was feeling, only that it clung to my chest like smoke, refusing to clear. I shouldn't be scared of anybody. I'm the almighty. People fear me, not the other way around. That's how it's always been, how it's supposed to be. But my gut kept twisting, kept whispering that something was going to happen today to ruin everything I'd worked for. The door opened, and my eyes fell on Mira standing with her back turned to me, pacing the small room. I scanned the space quickly, but she seemed to be alone. No shadows in the corners. No sound of anyone else breathing. "Wait here, I'll be right back." I told the guard, and he bowed,
Briane's POV The clock on the wall ticked louder than it had any right to. I sat curled up on the couch where Ava had been just an hour ago, my knees pulled to my chest, watching the front door like it might swing open any second with news—good or bad, I didn't know which I was more afraid of. "You need to stop staring at that door." Rhea said from the kitchen, though when I glanced over, she was doing the exact same thing to the window. "Look who's talking." I said, and she huffed out a small laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes. She came and sat beside me, tucking her legs underneath her. "Do you think they've made it there yet?" I checked my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. No messages. No missed calls. "It's been almost forty minutes. They should be close, if not already there." "I hate this part." Rhea admitted, wrapping her arms around herself. "The waiting. At least when you're in the middle of danger, you can do something. You can fight, run, react. But this—"
Ava's POV My gaze stayed locked on the door like it would open any second and Thorne would walk through. I moved slowly and sat on the bed, but my chest kept rising and falling fast, like I had just been running. I pressed my palm against my stomach, trying to calm the butterflies that refused to
Ava's POV "Don't feel guilty about anything. Everybody here knows that you and Lyra are the closest here. Some even envy your relationship. So, you didn't do anything wrong." Briane said.My back was leaning on the kitchen counter while Rhea and Briane stood on each side of me. It’s been two days
Lyra’s POV **************Lyra, get a proper hold of yourself! You can't keep lying down all day. Your enemies would just think they had won. I scolded myself silently, even though my body felt like it was made of stone. My limbs were so heavy, so weak, like I hadn’t moved in years.I tried sittin
Lyra’s POV "Does it look like a damn joke to you?" I yelled immediately I got to Ava's front. My chest heaved as I glared into her face, anger boiling in my veins like hot oil. "Why are you trying to make a fool of me in front of everybody?" How dare she? I couldn’t believe how Ava of all people, h







