LOGINSERA'S POVThe moment the guard mentioned Alpha Caden, every trace of comfort I had felt after seeing Enzo and Damien disappeared. My heart immediately tightened with worry.nThe guard's expression alone was enough to tell me that whatever had happened was serious. Very serious. I exchanged a glance with Dorian before turning back to my sons. Enzo was already standing while Damien remained seated, his expression unreadable as always. "We'll go and see what happened," I said softly.Enzo frowned immediately. "Mother, should we come with you?" He asked softly. The concern in his voice warmed my heart despite the circumstances. I smiled and reached out to touch his cheek."No. You can't. Go to your rooms and rest. We'll talk again tomorrow", I said silently, patting his shoulders and blinking cutely at Damien. His lips parted as though he wanted to argue. Damien spoke before he could. "She's right." He said and Enzo looked at him. Damien rose from his chair and folded his arms. "If someth
SERA'S POVThe moment the door opened, every muscle in my body became tense. The strange feeling that had followed me from the hospital suddenly intensified, settling heavily inside my chest as my eyes landed on the figure sitting comfortably inside the room. The stranger occupied one of the chairs near the fireplace as though the room belonged to him, as though neither Dorian nor I had any right questioning his presence.For a brief second, I couldn't breathe.nThe shadows dancing across the room distorted his features, making him appear larger than he should have been. My mind immediately returned to the dark space. To the creature. To The One. To the cold voice that still echoed inside my head. Fear crawled up my spine before I could stop it. Beside me, Dorian instinctively stepped forward. His body shifted slightly in front of mine. Protective. Alert. Ready to fight. I knew that posture. I had seen it countless times before.The sight should have comforted me. Instead, my pulse onl
DORIAN'S POVThe palace felt different on the journey back from the hospital. Perhaps it was because too much had happened within a single day. Perhaps it was because I had spent hours watching Sera lie unconscious while healers debated whether they could save her. Or perhaps it was because every instinct inside me kept whispering that something had changed.Something important.Something dangerous.The corridors stretched before us as guards and servants moved aside the moment they saw us approaching. Their eyes lingered on Sera longer than necessary, and I understood why. Word traveled quickly inside the palace. Everyone knew she had nearly died. Everyone knew something had happened. Nobody knew exactly what. Not even me. I glanced toward Sera as we walked beside each other. She looked calm. Too calm.Her face carried no sign of the fear she had shown while describing the dark space and the creature that called itself The One. Yet I knew her well enough to recognize the tension hidd
ALPHA CADEN'S POVThe silence that settled inside my office after Valthera's revelation felt heavier than any battlefield I had ever stood upon. Neither of us spoke immediately. Neither of us moved. The weight of what she had just said lingered between us like an invisible blade hanging over our heads, waiting for the perfect moment to fall.I slowly lowered myself back into my chair while Valthera remained standing near the center of the room. The fire burning inside the fireplace crackled softly, but its warmth no longer reached me. All I could hear was that name. The One. After all these years. After centuries of silence. After generations spent convincing ourselves that we had succeeded. It had finally returned. A bitter laugh almost escaped my throat but I held back. The truth was that it had never truly left. We had simply become arrogant enough to believe we had won. My fingers tightened around the armrest. Across the room, Valthera finally moved. She walked toward one of the
ALPHA CADEN'S POVIt has been long since I have felt this pf pea e in this Voss palace and for a moment, I knew it wouldn't last long. Even after everything that had happened over the years, after wars, betrayals, executions, and secrets that had buried entire bloodlines, there had always been noise somewhere within the walls. There had always been movement. Life. The reassurance that the kingdom was still breathing.Tonight, however, the silence felt different. It felt like the kind of silence that appeared moments before disaster. I sat behind my desk with both arms resting firmly on the polished wooden surface while my gaze remained fixed on nothing in particular. The documents scattered across the table had long stopped making sense to me. Reports from guards. Financial records. Territory disputes. Matters that should have occupied my attention.Instead, my thoughts remained trapped inside the hospital room I had left less than an hour ago. They remained trapped with Sera. I relea
DORIAN'S POV"Eli." The name landed inside the room like a weapon. For a moment, nobody moved.bNobody breathed. The healers surrounding Sera's bed exchanged confused glances while I stood frozen beside her, staring at her face as though I had somehow misheard what had just happened. But I hadn't. I knew I hadn't. I heard it clearly.Eli.Not my name. Not a cry for help. Not a question. She called his name like she had a conversation with him from her sleep and was expecting to meet him for the continuation of it. The sensation that rushed through me was so sudden and violent that it caught me off guard. Jealousy. Pure, ugly jealousy. I hated it immediately. I hated it because it made no sense. I hated it because Sera had only just opened her eyes after being unconscious.I hated it because after everything we had survived together, after every battle, every sacrifice, every impossible obstacle we had overcome, hearing another man's name leave her lips felt like someone had driven a bl







