Chapter 71

Alyssa's POVI slam into the barrier again, and this time I'm ready for the pain.It still hurts like hell.The impact sends sparks across my vision—bright white and sickly green—and nausea rolls through my stomach hard enough to make me gag. I stagger back, cradling Sophia against my chest with one arm, and press my free hand to my mouth.Don't throw up. Not now. You don't have time.I force myself to breathe through my nose and look at the barrier. Really look.The magic hums against my skin, a frequency I can feel in my teeth. And there's something else—a pull. Like the barrier recognizes me. Knows me.It's keyed to my blood.Healer blood."Of course it is," I mutter, and the bitterness in my voice surprises me. "Because nothing can ever be simple."Sophia whimpers and burrows deeper into my shoulder. Her small body is still too warm, still glowing faintly, and I can feel her heartbeat fluttering against my ribs like a trapped bird."It's okay, baby," I whisper, even though it's no

Last Updated : 2026-01-23

Chapter 72

Adam's POVI'm drowning.That's what it feels like—cold water closing over my head, pulling me down into the dark where I can't breathe, can't fight, can't protect anyone.And then the water turns warm.No—not warm. Hot.The darkness shifts, and suddenly I'm not drowning anymore. I'm standing in moonlight so bright it hurts, and the air smells like honey and herbs and something wild I can't name.Alyssa.The bond-space.I've been here before—felt this place humming between us like a second heartbeat—but never like this. Never this vivid. The ground under my feet is soft, like moss or thick grass, and the sky overhead is nothing but stars and a moon so full and close I could reach up and touch it.And there she is.Alyssa.She's standing maybe twenty feet away, barefoot and glowing faintly, her hair loose and wild around her shoulders. She's wearing something white and simple—a dress, maybe, or just moonlight shaped like fabric—and when she turns to look at me, her eyes are molten gold

Last Updated : 2026-01-23

Chapter 73

Alyssa"s POVMy hands won't stop shaking.I stare at Sophia—at her too-still face and glowing eyes and that voice that wasn't hers—and for a second I forget how to breathe."Sophia?"She blinks. Once. Twice. And then the glow fades and she slumps forward into my lap like a puppet with cut strings."Mama?" Her voice is small again. Young. Hers.I grab her and hold her tight against my chest, one hand cupping the back of her head, and I have to bite down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep from sobbing.Not now. You don't get to fall apart now."I've got you, baby," I whisper. "You're okay. Mama's got you."She whimpers and curls into me, and I feel her heartbeat—too fast, too light—fluttering against my ribs.Behind me, Adam groans.I twist around, still holding Sophia, and my stomach drops.His breathing is wrong. Too shallow, too slow, each exhale rattling in his chest like stones tumbling down a hill. His skin is gray, slick with cold sweat, and the veins around the wound are dar

Last Updated : 2026-01-26

Chapter 74

Marcus's POVThe trail is a mess of mud and blood and broken branches, but I follow it anyway.That's what I do. What I've always done. Adam points, I track. Simple.Except nothing about this is simple.Darius moves beside me, silent and tense, his wolf riding so close to the surface I can smell it on him—musk and fury and barely controlled violence. He wants to shift. Hell, I want to shift. But we can't. Not yet. Not until we know what we're walking into."How far?" Darius growls, low enough that only I hear.I crouch and press my fingers into the mud. The blood here is fresh—minutes old, maybe less—and the scent is wrong. Acrid. Like burned hair and rotted meat.Magic.I hate magic."Close," I say, and stand. "Maybe a quarter mile. But something's off.""Off how?"I tilt my head and listen. The forest is too quiet. No birds. No insects. Just the rain hammering down and the distant rumble of thunder.And howls.Faint, but getting louder. Coming from the west—which is the wrong direct

Last Updated : 2026-02-02

Chapter 75

Alyssa's POVI know that voice.My whole body goes rigid, and for a second I can't move. Can't breathe. Can't think past the ice flooding my veins.Because that voice sounds like home.I tighten my grip on Sophia and press my back against the cave wall, eyes locked on the entrance. The footsteps are closer now—steady, unhurried—and I see a shadow move across the mouth of the ravine."Alyssa," the voice says again. "I know you're in there."It's not Marcus.Relief and terror hit me at the same time, and I don't know which one wins.The shadow steps into view, and I see him.Not Marcus. Not Darius. Not anyone I want to see right now.It's a man I don't recognize—tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair slicked back by rain and a face that's too calm for someone standing in the middle of a war zone. He's wearing Blackstone colors, but he's holding something white in one hand.A cloth. A flag.False peace."Easy," he says, raising both hands like he's approaching a spooked animal. "I'm not