Chapter 190: Lydia’s Last Choice

Lydia POVThe news reached me just after sunrise.The Circle had fallen.At first, I thought the guards were lying.For weeks, rumors had traveled through the dungeon like ghosts. Every day brought a different story. Markus had escaped. Markus had gathered an army. Markus had found new allies. Markus was preparing another attack.I had stopped believing most of what I heard.But this time felt different.The guards weren’t whispering.They weren’t speculating.They were calm.Certain.One of them looked at me through the bars and said the words that finally shattered the last piece of hope I had been holding onto.“The Circle is finished.”Then he walked away.Just like that.No dramatic speech.No mockery.No satisfaction.Just the truth.The Circle was gone.Markus was captured.And suddenly, there was nowhere left to run.I sat on the edge of my narrow bed and stared at the wall.For a long time, I didn’t move.Didn’t think.Didn’t cry.Just sat there.Because for the first time si

Chapter 191: A Daughter Chosen

Celeste POVThe palace was finally peaceful again.No alarms.No attacks.No war meetings that lasted until dawn.No guards running through the halls with urgent reports.For the first time in what felt like forever, life had slowed down.People smiled more.The children laughed more.Even the servants seemed lighter.The threat of the Circle was gone.Markus was gone.Lydia was gone.The danger that had hung over our family for months had finally disappeared.But peace didn’t heal everything immediately.Some wounds needed time.And nowhere was that more obvious than with Amelia.I noticed it almost immediately after Lydia was taken away.She became quieter.Not withdrawn.Not angry.Just sad.The kind of sadness that settled behind her eyes and stayed there.She still played with the others.She still attended lessons.She still smiled occasionally when Alora said something ridiculous.But something had changed.Every now and then, I would catch her staring out a window.Thinking.M

Chapter 192: New Beginnings

Janet POVFor the first time in a very long time, I was happy.Not the fragile kind of happiness that disappeared the moment something went wrong.Real happiness.The kind that settled quietly inside your heart and stayed there.Life had finally become peaceful.The Circle was gone.The war was over.The children were laughing again.Amelia was slowly healing.Celeste looked happier than I had ever seen her.Kharl practically glowed whenever he looked at her.And Ryan…My lips curved into a smile just thinking about him.Ryan was everything I never thought I would have.A mate.A best friend.A home.A family.Sometimes I still woke up expecting it all to disappear.Expecting someone to tell me it was a dream.But it never did.Because it was real.And somehow that still felt like a miracle.I was walking through the gardens one morning when a sudden wave of dizziness hit me.I stopped immediately.Grabbing the nearest stone railing for support.The world spun briefly.Then settled.I

Chapter 193: The Adoption Ceremony

Amelia POVI woke up before the sun.At first, I didn’t know why.Then I remembered.Today.My stomach immediately filled with butterflies.Not the bad kind.The good kind.The kind that made me feel excited and nervous at the same time.I sat up quickly in bed and looked around the room.The palace was still quiet.Most people were still asleep.But I couldn’t sleep anymore.Today was important.Very important.Today was the day I officially became part of the family.Not that they hadn’t already treated me like family.They had.Especially recently.Celeste tucked me into bed every night.Kharl always asked about my day.Rune and Blaze included me in everything.Even when they pretended they didn’t want to.And Alora—Well.Alora had decided I was her sister weeks ago.Apparently nobody got a vote in that decision.A smile appeared on my face.Then I immediately felt nervous again.What if something went wrong?What if people didn’t want me there?What if—The door burst open.“AMEL

Chapter 194: Home

Celeste POVFor a long time, I thought happiness was something fragile.Something temporary.A brief moment between disasters.A dream that disappeared the moment you reached for it.Maybe that was why it took me so long to recognize it when it finally arrived.Not because it came suddenly.Because it came quietly.Slowly.Day by day.Little by little.Until one morning I woke up and realized my heart wasn’t waiting for something terrible to happen anymore.The fear was gone.Not completely.I wasn’t sure it would ever disappear completely after everything we had been through.But it no longer controlled me.It no longer followed me everywhere.Life had finally become peaceful.Real peace.The kind we had fought so hard for.The kind we almost never got.I stood in front of the mirror in our room and smiled softly as I rested both hands against my stomach.I was seven months pregnant now.Very pregnant.Painfully obvious pregnant.The baby had become extremely active over the last few

Epilogue: our forever

CelesteI knew today was the day the moment I woke up.At first, it was only a dull ache.Nothing unusual.Nothing alarming.I had carried four children before this one. By now I knew the difference between discomfort and labor.This was labor.I simply hadn’t told Kharl yet.Mostly because he was sleeping peacefully beside me.And partly because I wanted five more minutes of peace before chaos started.Unfortunately, the baby had other plans.A sharp contraction hit.I grabbed the blanket.Closed my eyes.Breathed through it.When it finally passed, I opened my eyes.Only to discover Kharl staring directly at me.Wide awake.Panic already visible.Wonderful.“You’re in labor.”Not a question.A statement.I sighed.“Good morning.”The panic immediately doubled.“CELESTE!”I laughed despite myself.That was apparently the wrong response.Because Kharl practically launched himself out of bed.Within seconds he was dressed.Half dressed.Actually no.One boot was missing.His shirt was