Lahat ng Kabanata ng Omega of Two Packs: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

Xander's POVNo one else spoke. The council went quiet. I saw Sisil's face go tight. Lord Criff stared at the stone floor. Lord Drago wiped his neck again.Alaric turned his staff once and hit it against the ground. The sound was loud in the heat."We need to understand what attacked us and what this new threat means," he said, looking at Zeth, then at me. "But first we have to investigate Mara's death. The villages can wait a day. She cannot."Zeth's jaw tightened. I saw his hand curl at his side. He hadn't said Mara's name since we rode in. He looked at me then. "I'd like you to join in," he said, low. "Since both of us fought that thing in the woods. Both of us fought monsters in Noctaryn."Lord Ahmor scoffed before anyone else could. "The Noctaryn King in Aurion's royal tomb? That's for Aurion wolves only. That's law.""Law didn't stop whatever killed her," Zeth said without looking at him. His voice was even, but I know that even voice. "He comes."Lady Sisil opened her mouth. "Z

Zeth's POVI stood outside Mara's door with Alaric beside me. My hand was on the wood and I didn't push it right away because once I push it, there's no pretending anymore.Alaric let me stand there. He just breathed next to me, old and loud through his nose. His staff made a small mark in the dust on the floor."You have to open it, my King," he said."I know, I know..." I told him.I pushed.The room smelled like her. Dust and that lemon oil Hana used to put in her hair when she was little. Her bed was made neatly with yellow sheets tucked tight. For a second it was like no one ever died here. Like she just went somewhere and would be back.I almost called her name. The thought came so naturally that it hurt when I remembered she would never answer.Then I remembered how we jumped on this same bed when we were kids. Father came in shouting about how a future king and a lady should not act like village rats. She fell off laughing and chipped her front tooth. She had that little chip

Ashton's POVXander didn't waste time. He picked up the wooden box with the orb inside and tucked it under his arm. Then he gently tapped Noah awake and lifted him against his chest. "Come," he said to me.I picked up Akim. He wrapped his little arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. We slipped out the back door of our chambers and took the narrow path behind the kitchens like Zeth said. The air smelled like smoke and fresh bread and oil from the kitchen fires. Servants were moving around carrying pots, but no one stopped us. The Aurion mages lived in the old temple at the edge of the palace grounds, half hidden by overgrown trees. It wasn't as big as the Noctaryn temple. It was small, with stone walls, no windows, and a heavy wooden door that looked like it had been there for a hundred years. The stone around it was covered in moss.Xander knocked three times, hard. For a while nothing happened. Then the door creaked open.Three mages stood inside. Old, all of the

Xander's POVThe light was still there.Gold. Everywhere. It covered the stone walls, the mages' grey robes, and Ashton's face. The orb in the open box pulsed like a heart, and the mark on Ashton's back was burning beneath his shirt.Ashton made a small sound, like he was trying not to let anyone hear how much it hurt.I moved toward him with Akim in one arm and Noah beside me, catching Ashton when his knees buckled. I lowered myself with him, pulling him against my chest before he could hit the floor. Akim clung to my tunic while Noah stared at the glowing orb."Ashton," I said, placing my hand against his lower back. The heat coming through his shirt was frightening. "Look at me."He opened his eyes, his breathing uneven. "It hurts, Xander. It's pulling at me.""Pulling you where?""I don't know." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I can feel something down there."Before I could ask him anything else, Alaric slammed the box shut.The light disappeared instantly, leaving the temple dim exc

Zeth’s POVI left Ashton, Xander, the boys, and Alaric in the mages’ temple. The crystal had stopped shaking, and the pulling in Ashton’s back had finally gone quiet.For a few minutes, I had let myself believe we could breathe again. But as I stepped out into the bright Aurion heat, I remembered the calendar carved into the palace stones and the responsibilities waiting for me. The full council was already gathered in the grand hall.By the time I reached the high double doors, Lord Criff and Lord Drago were standing near the threshold. Ahmor was leaning against a marble pillar, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw working like he had a mouthful of gravel."You missed the morning muster, Zeth," Criff said before my boots even hit the carpet. His thin voice carried off the high ceiling. "The southern guards report three more sheep missing from the lower pasture near Lomi. No blood. No tracks. Just empty pens and villagers locking their doors before the sun even drops.""I was busy