Theo’s point of view They’ve all stopped searching. Sonia passed out on the couch in the war room an hour ago. Parker’s downstairs with a bottle of something strong, pretending to read. Marcus is pacing, but slower now—half-broken, like the rest of us. But I’m still here. At the fountain. Where she should be. The water keeps flowing like it didn’t watch her disappear. Like it wasn’t the backdrop for one of the worst moments of my life. Her blood is gone now—someone wiped it away. They said it was “too disturbing.” Too disturbing? Fuck them. She was right here. I close my eyes, pressing my palms to the cold stone. I replay it again. And again. Her face when she looked at me. The tremble in her hands. The way she didn’t cry out when he marked her. She just… stared at me. Like she already knew what was about to happen. I should’ve stopped it. I should’ve dragged her away, told her Aries and i loved her . But I didn’t. I stood there like a coward while she bled. And now the f
Theo’s Point of View The moment the mist disappears, the world stands still. I stare at the empty space in front of me. The space where she was. Where we were. Where everything changed. She’s gone. I blink once. Twice. My wolf howls so loud in my head I nearly fall to my knees. My hands clench into fists as I breathe in the thick, lingering scent of saltwater and fire. Her scent. Fading. Slipping. “No,” I whisper. My voice cracks. “No, no, no—” I stumble forward, toward the fountain where she stood seconds ago. Nothing remains. Not even her footprint. Just water rippling unnaturally. Cold. Still. Parker is the first one to run toward me. “Theo!” he yells. “Where is she? What happened?” “I—” My throat tightens. My wolf is frantic. Violent. Devastated. “She was right there,” Sonia breathes, pale and wide-eyed, searching the clearing like she expects Eva to walk back out of the fog. “She—Aries—he marked her. Britney… she—she died, and then the mist—what the hell was t
Eva’s Point of View The sun shines heavy in the sky, swollen with fate. Its bright light spills over the court like spilled milk, touching the marble stones and the still fountain, painting everything in hues of gold and sorrow. They are all gathered. Faces tense. Eyes wide. Breath held. And then I see him—no, feel him—before he even steps into view. Aries. Theo’s body walks toward me, but it’s not Theo behind the eyes. It’s the storm I met in the dark. The voice that whispered cruel truths in the back of my mind. The one who kissed me like punishment and touched me like I was his only salvation. He comes to me like a shadow, determined and slow. The fake one—Britney—stands beside the marking stone, draped in white. Her eyes burn with triumph. But she’s already lost. She just doesn’t know it yet. He stops in front of me. And I lift my chin. “Come closer,” I whisper. “Just one last time.” He growls under his breath. “You have a death wish, impostor .” “No,” I
Sonia’s point of view It happens too fast. One moment, Theo’s standing in front of Britney, the ceremonial blade in his hand, his body trembling under the weight of magic, tradition, and manipulation. And then—he stops. His eyes flutter. He stumbles back a step, his whole frame going rigid like something inside him just snapped… or woke up. I feel it before I understand it. Aries. The shift is unmistakable—the sudden coldness in Theo’s expression, the commanding set of his jaw, the way his posture changes like a predator returning to its true form. Even the air changes. Crackles. Like lightning crawling under our skin. Theo—no, Aries—turns away from Britney. And walks straight toward Eva. She doesn’t flinch. Her eyes hold his. Steady. Fierce. Broken—but still standing. The silence is unbearable and for the first time i am really scared. He stops inches from her. His chest rising with each breath. He sniffs once. Twice. Then he freezes. His fingers twitch
Aries’s point of view “Truth walks behind illusion, the crown is shadowed but not lost. Blood remembers.” I can feel it—every muscle in my body coiled, every instinct sharpened like a blade drawn from fire. The moment is here. The moment I’ve been waiting for. My mate is standing just steps away from me. Beautiful. Obedient. Ready. Eva. She bows her head when she sees me, her lips trembling like she’s overcome by fate. I like that. I like the way she looks at me—with reverence, with fear, with need. Soon, she’ll bear my mark. Soon, everyone will know who she belongs to. The crowd murmurs. Theo’s voice drones on in ceremonial tones. I don’t care. My attention is on the soft curve of Eva’s neck. That perfect place where my mark will live—forever. And then she arrives. Britney.. My lip curls the moment I see her. She’s always interrupting. Always clawing her way into places she doesn’t belong. What does she want now? Another pathetic attempt to stop the inevitable? She steps fo
Eva’s point of view “When the mirror lies and the eyes deceive, seek the mark that the memory leaves.” My boots hit the stone path of the castle just as the sun begins to bleed into the sky. I had to run all night just to get here in time. My lungs burn, my legs ache, and my mind spins with everything I’ve just seen—everything I now know. But I don’t have time to breathe. I don’t have time to rest. They’re going to mark her. They’re going to mark Britney. The courtyard is full. Wolves, witches, elders… all waiting. Theo stands near the fountain in ceremonial clothes, holding Britney’s hand like he’s already made his choice. No—like someone made it for him. I move forward. Eyes dart toward me. Whispers crawl like insects through the crowd. They see me, but they all believe i am already late . The real Eva. Bruised. Bleeding. Glowing faintly under the sun’s rays . Some gasp. Some scoff like i have failed them. Most look away, too confused—or too enchanted by the view that lays i