ReynaMalachi's screams have faded away and are only audible as a distant echo now. The pain that I am currently feeling has surpassed the physical realm and is now affecting me on a spiritual level, causing my entire being to feel enveloped. I know I’ve been hit, but the forest around me refuses to let me fall.The evidence is overwhelming and points to the fact that I am no longer alive. There is no way anyone could survive being hit in the heart with a silver tipped arrow soaked in wolfsbane. So why am I here? I get to my feet and breathe out a sigh before looking around me with wide eyes.I see that I am back in my forest dreamworld, but something’s changed. The smell of burnt wood is overpowering, like the aftermath of a ferocious fire. The tree that stood tall and proud before, now lays in ruins, its size and magnificence a distant memory. I hear whispers, soft as the rustle of leaves, but filled with malice and contempt.“Reyna…” someone calls out to me and I struggle as I pee

ReynaThe world came back to me in fragments, disjointed and hazy. Pain radiated from my chest, a sharp agony that pulsed with every heartbeat. The smell of herbs and the soft rustle of fabric reached my senses, and voices – familiar yet distant – called out to me.Then I remembered the being behind me, and screamed, only to wake up in a warm bed, surrounded by my mates. I don’t know how I got back here, or what happened. But now I’m sitting up in bed, alive, and holding the people who mean the world to me after thinking I had killed them. This shouldn’t be happening, I know people die after being shot in the heart especially with an arrow dipped in wolfsbane and silver. But that can wait for later, right now I am just appreciating getting to hold them, inhaling their scents and feeling their soft skin in my hands.Well, all but Malachi; he’s standing at the window and staring at me with wide eyesCassian’s face is pale, guilt written across his features. He looks away, unable to mee

ReynaWe touched down on Queen Court’s island a few hours ago and now I am sitting in a guest bedroom waiting for Leana. She’s in the shower currently, still in a daze after we saved her, and Rune is going to give her a check up after she’s settled in.Cassian and Malachi are sure that they didn't hear any heartbeats or feel any signs of life out there. So how is Leana still alive? Or rather, WHY is Leana still alive?The bathroom door opens and Leana walks out, her eyes downcast. Her damp red curls cascade over her shoulders, and when she looks up, it’s almost like I can feel my father’s gaze on me. Both her and Abby’s eye colour were always eerily similar to our father.“Feeling better?” I ask her with what I hope is a comforting smile on my face. She wraps her arms around herself and nods. “I am, thank you,” she says with a hoarse voice, returning my smile with an awkward one of her own as she walks toward the bed. I notice now that she’s washed the ash and soot away that there’s

ReynaThree pairs of blue eyes regard me warily, and I have to take a deep breath in order to control my emotions. But of course… it doesn’t work.“In what world did any of you think this would be a good idea?!” I exclaim, placing one hand on my hip. “Contacting one of the Elemental Alphas? The very people who destroyed my old kingdom!”From the looks on their faces, I can tell they expected this reprimand from me and honestly, it just pisses me off more.Malachi steps forward with an outstretched hand. “I know how it seems, Reyna, but you need to understand that this was the only way—”“How was it the only way?!” I exclaim as I slowly feel the anger rising. “To go to them after what they’ve done? To allow yourselves to willingly walk into a trap?!”“That’s just it!” Malachi says, slightly raising his voice and causing me to step back. “We have to go to them instead of waiting for them to come to us again. Last time we lost you, Reyna; last time you died!”My heart drops when Malachi

ReynaThe atmosphere in the living room is a mixed bag of emotions. Rune sits beside me on the plush sofa, a supportive hand resting on my knee, while Leana occupies the armchair across from us. Her eyes are brimming with disbelief as Rune extends the offer.“You’re welcome to stay in my kingdom, Leana, until you're back on your feet,” Rune says, smiling at her and my heart warms.She shakes her head and scoffs incredulously. “Are you sure? But… you don’t even know me that well!”Rune chuckles. “You’re Reyna’s only family left, that means more to us,” he says. “And from what Reyna has told me, you’ve never spoken a bad word to her, nor did you participate in the abuse.”“But I was complacent…” she says and looks down at her hands folded in her lap, sighing. “I can’t thank you enough, Alpha Rune and you, Reyna.”The look in her eyes is one of pure relief, but something niggles at the back of my mind, an unsettled feeling I can’t shake off. Maybe it’s the weight of Cassian and Malachi’