ALTHEA. “I’m ready…” As soon as the words left my lips, the light on the candles became brighter, and my heart thudded loudly. I knew there was no turning back. The only question was whether I could trust the dark spirits. Would they give me what I needed without harming anyone?My head began to buzz with murmurs and whispers from the spirits. They were too many, but I could fully understand all of them. I could hear the excitement in their voices, like a family welcoming me home. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself with my hands raised. I was creating a global barrier around Dalton and me. It just came naturally, even if I had asked Patrea to shield Blade and Thalia, probably because I knew something would go wrong or because I didn’t fully trust the spirits in my head.“Spiritus potentes post umbram latent, detrás da sombra escoitan as miñas súplicas...” As soon as the shield was up, I began chanting the words they whispered to me. I could feel the heat burning from my chest

BETA FEMALE THALIA. When they told me the Luna would try to revive him, I didn’t even react. I knew he was gone, and there was nothing we could do about it. But the moment the plants and the animals around us started dying, hope rose in my chest. A life for a life. And as selfish as it may seem, their deaths made me believe my mate was coming back. But there was still nothing. Despite his physical appearance returning to normal, he was still lying lifeless in front of me. My shoulders shook as tears rolled down my cheeks. I laid my head on his chest, waiting for any sound of a heartbeat. But there was nothing. He was still cold. No sparks, no addicting scents. It was as if he were dying all over again. I shouldn’t have raised my hopes high. “Thalia, come… Patrea wants to try one more thing.” Luna Lucy’s voice came, and I just followed her lead while I reminded myself not to expect anymore. I stood up and let her guide me to stand behind Patrea, who was kneeling in front of Da

BLADE. “But your mate is a strong one,” Lucy added as she smiled warmly before pointing at me. “And you... are her best talisman. You’re keeping Althea strong, Blade. So never underestimate your part in this fight.” “We got this. We have each other.” Stone added, and I nodded my head. “I can shield the whole territory, but I need your blood. Put her to bed, and I can take your blood after.” Patrea said. “No. Take now. I don’t want to leave her alone tonight.” “I understand,” Patrea said before she walked up to me. Her claws erupted, and I angled my body toward her so that my arm was in front of her. Without words, she scraped my skin, and a vial appeared out of nowhere, catching the blood oozing from the wound she created. “This should be enough.” “Thank you,” I told her in a low voice before turning my back on her. I was almost by the door when Lucius spoke. “I’m sorry about bringing my war here.” He began, and it made me halt. “I will do my best to end this without any

BLADE. “Tell me what happened in the three days that you were with Alastor?” I asked without even thinking. I should have checked to see if she was okay, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to know the answer to what was bothering me since I found out she was pregnant. Not that it would change anything. I had already told them I would take the child as mine no matter what, but after my short moment with the little witch in her stomach, I was convinced she was my pup. I sounded like I was interrogating Althea, but I just wanted to know if Alastor assaulted her. I knew in my heart that Althea would never cheat on me, and she would not be able to look me in the eye and tell me she loved me if she did. But then Alastor could be something more. “What do you mean? Nothing. I refused to talk to or even look at him. He probably tried to hypnotize me, but with the azurite stone around my neck, it didn’t work.” I nodded my head and forced a smile before tucking her stray hair behind

ALTHEA. “No!” I screamed as my eyes flipped open, and I found myself in the warmth of my mate’s embrace. My body shook as tears rolled down my cheeks, but having Blade’s arms around me gave me the comfort and security that I badly needed. Another nightmare. And it was always the same thing. “Shhh… It’s just a nightmare. It will never happen again… I’m here.” He kissed my head as his hand smoothed against my back before he lifted my body and let me straddle his thighs. Three days had gone by since that fateful day we almost lost Dalton and the same day that I finally let out the dark power within me. As the darkness was unleashed, so was my memory, which was suppressed in my head for thirteen years. I couldn’t believe how a child’s memory could be so vivid. I remember every lash, every slap, every kick, and every burn like I was reliving those dark days. The physical pain was no longer present, but the ache in my heart remained. How could the elders of my very own coven b