ログイン~Lisa~Ronan went rigid.The voice was no longer coming from the darkness alone. It seemed to fill every corner of the chamber, slipping through the walls and rising from the floor beneath our feet."You have no idea what she sacrificed for you."Ronan bared his teeth."Whatever you are, stop using her face."The woman sighed."I see he hasn't told you everything, Lisa."I looked at Ronan.He looked just as confused as I felt."What hasn't he told me?"The woman's smile widened."Ask him why he never searched for you after you disappeared."My heart stopped.I turned toward Ronan."What?""Lisa, listen to me.""Did you know where I was?""No.""Did you know I was pregnant?"His silence lasted only a second, but it was enough to hurt."I suspected," he said. "My father told me you might be carrying a child, but he never told me where you were."The woman's face twisted with amusement."Half a truth. How convenient."Ronan's grip tightened around my hand."Don't listen to her.""Then te
~Lisa~The moment the figure reached for me, Ronan pulled me behind him."Don't touch her!"The creature stopped.Its hidden face turned toward Ronan, and a low laugh escaped from beneath its crown."You still believe your strength can protect her."Ronan's claws extended. "Come closer and find out.""Ronan, don't!" Elias shouted.But the warning came too late.The shadows rushed forward.Ronan swung at them, but his claws passed through the darkness as though he were fighting smoke. The force of the movement sent him stumbling, and the shadows wrapped around his arms.I screamed his name.Then something inside me burned.I grabbed the silver moon pendant hanging around my neck, and the moment my fingers closed around it, the entire chamber flashed white.The shadows released Ronan.The creature staggered backward.For the first time, I saw something beneath its crown.Not a face.A wound.A deep, black opening where its face should have been, surrounded by lines that looked like crac
~Ronan~I reached toward the cradle, but Elias caught my wrist.“Don't touch it.”I looked at him.“Why?”“Because the markings are not merely names. They are part of a binding spell. If your blood touches them, the chamber may recognize you as the final heir.”I pulled my hand away.Lisa looked from the cradle to Victor.“You said Daniel was taken because the Circle believed he was the child in the prophecy. Then they took Elias because of his bloodline. Why is Ronan's name here?”Victor shook his head.“I don't know.”Daniel looked at his brother.“Because the prophecy was never about one child.”A faint sound came from behind the wall.Three knocks.Then a fourth.Daniel turned toward it.“Someone is inside.”I moved to the wall and pressed my ear against the stone.A small voice whispered from the other side.“Daddy?”My heart lurched.This time, I knew the voice.It was Milo.“I'm here, son!” I shouted. “I'm coming!”I searched the wall for a handle, a lock, anything that could o
~Ronan~“Daddy, why did you leave me here?”The voice came from beneath the cracked floor.It was a child's voice, weak and frightened, and it sounded so much like Milo that my wolf reacted before my mind could catch up.I dropped to my knees and peered into the darkness.“Milo?”“Ronan, don't!” Elias shouted.I barely heard him.Another small hand appeared through the opening, its fingers reaching toward me. I stretched out my arm, but before I could touch it, the hand disappeared.Then the voice spoke again.“Daddy, it's cold.”I nearly jumped into the hole.Daniel grabbed the back of my jacket.“That's not Milo!”I turned on him.“You told us he was safe!”“He is!”“Then who is down there?”Daniel's silver eyes moved toward the opening.For the first time since he had appeared, he looked genuinely afraid.“The child who was never meant to survive.”A loud crash came from the corridor. Desmond shouted that we had to move, and the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.I pulled
~Lisa~Elias stepped forward.“You're lying. The oath can be broken without sacrificing either child.”Daniel's silver eyes flashed.“You know what happens when the royal bloodline is divided.”“Yes,” Elias replied. “I know what happens when someone tries to control it.”Daniel turned away from him.“Then you know why Milo must remain where he is.”I couldn't bear another moment of uncertainty.“Enough! You keep talking about my son as though he's some object that belongs to your family. He's four years old. He has a heart condition. He needs his parents, not ancient promises and royal bloodlines.”Daniel looked at me for a long moment.Then his face softened.“I know.”His voice was quieter now.“I remember what it feels like to be taken away from your mother. I remember calling for her until my voice disappeared. I remember waiting for someone to come back for me.”He looked at Victor.“No one came.”Victor began to cry silently.Daniel turned back to me.“I won't let that happen to
~Lisa~“Elias is not the only child who survived the Blood Hall.”Victor's words echoed through the darkness.I clutched the paper against my chest, trying to understand what he had just said. Another child had survived? How many children had the Circle taken, and how many secrets had my mother carried to her grave?Then I heard Milo's voice again.“Mommy, please come and get me.”I nearly ran toward the stairs.Ronan caught my wrist.“Lisa, wait.”“That's my son!”“I know what you heard, but we don't know who's up there.”“What if it really is Milo?”His grip loosened, but he didn't let go.I could see the struggle on his face. He wanted to run up those stairs as badly as I did, but he was forcing himself to think before acting.That was what made him a good Alpha.And it was what made me want to scream.“What if we're wasting time?” I whispered.Elias stepped closer.“The Circle knows how to imitate voices. They use memories and emotions to make people abandon their judgment. If you