Chapter 41

LUCIA ~I woke up with a gasp, my body jerking off the bed so violently I almost fell off the bed.The sheets were tangled around my legs, damp with sweat. My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to escape. The room was dark, like completely dark, and for a terrifying moment I couldn't remember where I was.Killian.The name burned through my mind. He'd been here. In this room. Standing by the window with that cruel smile, offering me truths I desperately wanted.I scrambled for the bedside lamp, my hands shaking so badly it took three tries to find the switch.Light flooded the room.Empty. Completely empty.The window was closed and the curtains were drawn. No shadows moved in the corners. No trace of smoke or that suffocating presence."It was a dream," I whispered, pressing my hands to my face. "Just a dream."But my palm burned where the mark lay, hot and insistent.I looked down at it. The golden lines glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with my racing heart. That was

Chapter 42

LUCIA ~"Because," Seraphine said softly, "the vision wasn't just yours. It rippled through the supernatural network like a stone dropped in still water."My stomach twisted. "That's impossible.""Is it?" She tilted her head. "You shattered every mirror in the east wing without touching them. You projected a shared vision to your mate. What exactly do you think is impossible anymore?"Julius's hand tightened on my shoulder. "Get to the point.""The point is that your Luna is broadcasting." Seraphine set down her tablet. "Whatever power is awakening in her isn't contained anymore. It's reaching out, touching everything sensitive enough to feel it."Elder Mira cleared her throat. "Then she is dangerous.""I didn't say dangerous," Seraphine corrected her quickly. "I said she was broadcasting. There's a difference.""Not to this pack," Mira snapped. "If she can't control her power, she puts every one of us at risk.""I'm sitting right here," I said coldly.Mira's gaze slid to me. "Then pe

Chapter 43

JULIUS ~The council chamber erupted into chaos the moment Killian vanished."Impossible!" Elder Mira shrieked. "He walked through our wards like they were paper!""Calm down," I ordered, but my own heart hammered against my ribs. My wolf clawed at my insides, torn between protecting Lucia and hunting Killian down."Calm?" Mira whirled on me. "The enemy Alpha just materialized in our packhouse, touched your mate, and then vanished! How exactly should I be calm?""Seraphine," I said, ignoring Mira's hysteria. "Explain what just happened."The healer's face had gone pale. "I've never seen anything like it. He wasn't fully physical, more like a projection given temporary substance. But the power required..." She looked at Lucia. "He used your broadcast as an anchor point.""So every time I lose control," Lucia said quietly, "I'm giving him a doorway.""Not just him." Seraphine's expression darkened. "Anyone with enough psychic ability could potentially use your signature to find you. You

Chapter 44

LUCIA ~I couldn't sleep after leaving Julius in the council chamber. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Killian's cruel smile, felt his cold fingers on my cheek.As real as you want me to be.The words echoed in my mind like a curse.I paced my room until dawn crept through the windows, painting everything in shades of gray. My mark pulsed steadily, a constant reminder that something inside me had fundamentally changed.A soft knock interrupted my thoughts."Come in," I called, expecting Jenny.Instead, Seraphine entered, carrying a leather satchel."I hope I'm not intruding," she said. "But I thought we should begin immediately.""Begin what?""Your shielding training." She set the satchel on my desk. "Unless you'd prefer to keep broadcasting your every emotion to the supernatural world?"I wanted to refuse. To tell her I didn't need help from a Shadowfang healer. But the memory of those frozen guards stopped me."How long will it take?" I asked."That depends on you." Seraphine pul

Chapter 45

JULIUS ~The packhouse felt like a war zone.Wolves sprawled across the courtyard where they'd fallen, some groaning, others still unconscious. The pack doctors moved between them, checking vitals, administering water."What is the status report?" I barked at Axel."Fifty-three wolves were affected," he said, consulting his tablet. "No physical injuries, but they're all disoriented. Some of them can't remember the last hour at all.""And the ones who stayed conscious?""They are panicking." He glanced at the growing crowd of worried pack members. "They watched their families freeze like statues. Watched them speak with Killian's voice. Alpha, morale is in freefall."I surveyed the damage, my wolf snarling inside me. This was exactly what Killian wanted. Fear. Chaos. Proof that nowhere was safe."Get them inside," I ordered. "Take anyone who is still weak to the medical bay. Everyone else should move to the great hall. I need to address the pack.""What are you going to tell them?""Th

Chapter 46

LUCIA ~The temple ruins rose out of the mist like broken teeth.Julius walked beside me, tense as a drawn bow, his hand never far from mine. Axel and two elite guards trailed a careful distance behind, hidden among the trees per Julius's orders."Remember the plan," Julius murmured. "You go in. I stay at the tree line unless you signal.""I remember.""If anything feels wrong…""I run." I touched the amulet at my throat, Seraphine's gift humming faintly against my skin. "I know, Julius. We've been over this four times.""Humor me a fifth."Despite everything, I almost smiled. "Fine. I run, you come in guns blazing, we regroup at the ridge.""Good girl."I shot him a look. He had the grace to look sheepish.The temple entrance loomed ahead, crumbling stone pillars wrapped in dead vines. No lights. No sound except wind through broken archways."This is it," I said.Julius caught my wrist before I could step forward. "Lucia.""What?""Whatever happens in there," he said, voice rough, "w