Dolton POVCeline is still trembling, her body giving away just how deeply shaken she is. I can’t blame her—we should have warned her. We should have told her that outside the protection of the kingdoms, the world isn’t just untamed; it’s downright dangerous. But we didn’t expect her to wander off, to venture into a space where these horrors lurk. The guilt gnaws at me, knowing we could have prevented this.The only silver lining is that she shifted. Her merfolk form was nothing short of breathtaking—silver and gold shimmering together in her tail. Not even the royal Merfolk can boast such a rare combination of colors. Typically, the royal families have distinct, unique features that set them apart, but none of them have the brilliance that she does. It’s like her very being is touched by the divine, a beacon of her status as the Queen Goddess.But even that marvel is overshadowed by what just happened. We returned to the car and found them gone. The moment I saw the empty space where
Dolton POVJonathan, who has been uncharacteristically quiet, finally speaks. His voice carries a weight of apology. “I should have told you. I didn’t think it was important to say I was also Merfolk. I haven’t shifted into that form since I was a child, back when I stayed with my mother in the Fae Kingdom. I never intended to shift into it again. I had accepted that I was Fae, and only Fae.”His words hang in the air, heavy with regret and vulnerability. His gaze flicks between us, searching for understanding, though I can tell he’s bracing himself for judgment.I let out a sigh, my voice gentle but firm as I reply. “But you’re not only Fae, Jonathan. You never were.”The truth of it seems to land with him, his shoulders sagging slightly as if he’s finally acknowledging a part of himself he’s long suppressed. The room feels charged, the unspoken complexities of identity, loyalty, and belonging weaving through the space. Yet, in this moment, I can see something shifting in all of us—a
Sebastian POVThe journey back feels excruciatingly longer than the trip to our destination. Perhaps it’s the numerous stops we’ve made along the way, or maybe it’s the tension hanging in the air, pressing down on us like a heavy, invisible weight. Normally, we’d take to the skies—flying is quicker and less draining—but given the uncertainty of Joseph’s situation, we couldn’t risk leaving behind vehicles and supplies. The ground travel is necessary, but it stretches time in a way that gnaws at my patience.It’s been nearly twelve hours since Celine’s encounter at the lake. I glance over at her, fast asleep and curled up against Jonathan as he sleeps. Her breathing is soft and steady, her body relaxed, but even in sleep, there’s a vulnerability about her that stirs a protective instinct deep within me. Jonathan holds her carefully, almost reverently, as though he’s afraid to disturb her. It’s a sight that, surprisingly, doesn’t spark jealousy—just a quiet sense of relief. She’s stopped
Sebastian POV“We have a bigger problem,” I say, breaking the silence. Dolton looks at me, his brow furrowed, waiting for me to elaborate. “Calling all the royals from each kingdom into one location? It’s risky. More than risky—it’s a disaster waiting to happen. If the Werewolf King is working with the exiled, they won’t need to take down the kingdoms individually. They’ll take us out in one stroke.”Dolton exhales sharply, sitting back against the seat. “You’re right. It’s the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Gather all the royals, their key leaders, and their guards in one place, and we’re practically handing them the kingdoms on a silver platter.”I nod, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. “We’d be fools to assume the Werewolf King hasn’t already thought of that. He’s been planning this for years, using his greed and cunning to sow discord. He won’t hesitate to strike if he sees the chance.”Dolton taps his fingers on the armrest, his eyes narrowing in thought. “Then
Sebastian POVAs these thoughts swirl in my mind, I glance at Dolton, who’s been unusually quiet beside me. The weight of everything we’re facing is palpable. Breaking the silence, I suggest, “We should stop for a break. It’ll be the last one before we reach my kingdom. Celine’s shifter needs space and air to recover.”Taking out my phone, I type out a quick message to the guards, instructing them to find a safe location to rest. It’s a delicate task. Outside the kingdoms, there are still scattered towns and cities, remnants of a world left behind. Most of them are teeming with the exiled—dangerous, desperate beings. Some places might be safe enough to stop at, but many are not. Trusting the guards to make the right call, I tuck the phone away and let out a slow breath.Dolton breaks the silence, glancing at me. “Any idea what this Pantheromorph is supposed to look like?”I shake my head. “It’s only ever been mentioned in stories. The assumption is that it’s a combination of all her f
Celine’s POVThe tension is so thick it feels like a living thing pressing down on us. Sebastian’s sharp, focused expression says it all—he’s ready to order us back to the cars after that eerie, childlike laugh echoed through the trees. The sound doesn’t sit right in my chest, and the rustling nearby sends a shiver racing up my spine.I step toward the sound, curiosity overriding my better judgment. Pushing through the trees, I move cautiously, trying to make out the source of the noise. Behind me, I sense Sebastian, Dolton, and Jonathan following, their presence both reassuring and heavy with unspoken concern.As we press forward, weaving between ancient trees whose gnarled branches twist like claws, something comes into view that makes my breath catch.A cage.It’s large, rusted, and covered in creeping moss, like it’s been here for ages yet still serves a dark purpose. Inside is a creature so grotesque and unnatural that my body freezes in place. It has the form of a human, but its
Jonathan’s hand brushes mine, a small gesture of comfort. “He’s right,” he says softly. “Your safety is what matters most.”Dolton nods, his expression grim but resolute. “We’ll get her to the kingdom, Sebastian. You won’t have to do this alone.”Sebastian doesn’t respond immediately. His jaw clenches, and his grip tightens on the steering wheel as the car races forward. Finally, he exhales sharply. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”The tension in the car is suffocating. Outside the window, the forest blurs past, dark and unyielding. The cries and howls have faded, but the fear they’ve left behind lingers like a shadow, wrapping around us and refusing to let go.The car barrels through the dense forest, the sound of the engine reverberating in the heavy silence of the day. The cries we heard earlier have faded, but the memory of them clings to me, chilling my bones. My heart races with every twist and turn of the rugged path, the bumpy ride only adding to my growing unease.Sebast
Celine POVMy eyes widen as his words sink in, panic rising like a tide threatening to pull me under. “So there’s no way to the kingdom?” I ask, my voice tinged with desperation. My fingers clutch the edge of the seat as I try to process what this means.“There is,” Sebastian replies firmly, his tone a mixture of calm authority and urgency. His eyes flick to Dolton and Jonathan. “But it won’t be by car. The road is compromised, and the cars will have to be left behind. We’re going to fly the rest of the way.”Fly? My stomach twists at the thought. I’ve never flown, and the idea of being carried through the sky sends a shiver down my spine. My instincts scream against it, but I know there’s no other option.Sebastian continues, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “I’ll take Celine with me. You two will need to let my guards carry you. They’re trained for this, and it’s the safest way to get to the kingdom.”Dolton exhales a long, frustrated sigh, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
Celine POVThe first creature turns just as I reach them, their red eyes gleaming in the moonlight, their body already beginning to grow, their limbs stretching, muscles thickening, their entire form warping into something even more monstrous.I don’t let them finish.My bear slams into them first, its massive paws crashing into their chest, sending them flying backward before they can fully shift. The moment they hit the ground, my fae magic surges, pinning them down with invisible force.The second one lunges for me, their claws elongated, too fast to stop. Sebastian intercepts, he shoves his bone dagger into their side, twisting it deep. The creature lets out a shriek, staggering back, its already growing form faltering as black ichor spills from the wound.But it isn’t dead, its body ripples, shifting more, getting bigger.“Celine!” Sebastian shouts, yanking his weapon free as he stumbles back.I don’t hesitate, my wolf form springs into action, slamming into the creature’s back,
Celine POVI push harder, ignoring the burning in my legs, just when I think I'm getting close, something shifts ahead of me.A figure steps into my path and I skid to a stop, breath catching in my throat as I take in the woman standing before me. Tall, elegant, and draped in flowing, scaled armor that shimmers like dragonhide. Golden eyes, sharp as a blade, lock onto me with cold amusement.My stomach twists. Tatsuya. The dragon who was supposed to marry Sebastian. The woman who had tried, over and over, to push me out of his life.I steel myself, straightening despite the pounding of my heart. “Move.”A smirk curves her lips. “Still so demanding.” She cocks her head, eyeing me like I’m something insignificant. “And still so out of place.”Anger coils inside me, hot and seething, but I shove it down. I don’t have time for this.Sebastian shouts again, his voice rough with strain, and I move to step around her, but she mirrors me, blocking my path effortlessly.I clench my fists. “I d
Celine POVI move through the dense forest, my steps light but quick, every sense sharpened as I search for my mates. The trees loom taller here, their thick canopies blocking out most of the moonlight, leaving only thin slivers to guide my way. I don’t stop. I can’t.Something shifts and the air thickens, pressing against my skin like unseen hands trying to hold me back. A pulse of something dark, something unnatural, ripples through the trees, making the leaves tremble though there’s no wind. I halt mid-step, my breath catching in my throat.No.I swallow hard, my pulse hammering in my ears as I stare into the unnatural blackness spreading ahead of me. It’s not just the absence of light. It’s something alive, something seething, something waiting.The darkness will consume you.The Fae Queen’s warning echoes through my mind, cold and unwavering.It’s already inside you.I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I’ve felt it before, the whisper of something foreign crawling
Celine POVNo, this isn’t real. But my body doesn’t listen. The pain in my wrists is real. The exhaustion in my limbs is real. The sinking, bone-deep dread pooling in my stomach is real.I tremble, my body reacting before my mind can stop it. Because it remembers.His grip moves from my chin to my throat.“You always did look pretty like this,” he muses, amusement lacing his tone. “Helpless.”Rage coils inside me, but it’s buried under terror. I want to move, to shift, to fight, but I can’t. The fear keeps me frozen, suffocating me, keeping me exactly where I was back then.No! I am not this girl anymore, I'm not weak. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block it out, trying to force myself out of this. My wolf howls inside me, my vampire thrashes, my fae magic writhes against my skin—but I can’t reach them.I'm trapped.His fingers tighten around my throat. “Say it,” he murmurs, his lips inches from my ear. “Say what you are.”I squeeze my eyes shut, but the words press against my lips
Celine POVI move fast, following the trail, but the forest shifts around me, warping and twisting. The trees stretch impossibly high, their shadows lengthening across the ground, closing in. The faint glow of my path flickers, then vanishes.Stopping, my chest rises and falls as my pulse thrums against my ribs. The weight in the air changes, pressing down on me, thick and cloying, like something unseen is crawling beneath my skin. A slow, familiar dread seeps in, a darkness I haven’t felt in years—one I buried, one I thought I had escaped.The air turns frigid, and a voice I hoped to never hear again slips through the silence, curling around me like a noose.“Well, well. Look at you.”The sound sends ice through my veins, rooting me in place. Footsteps echo across the forest floor, slow and deliberate, each step crunching against dead leaves. The scent of him reaches me before I even turn, cologne masking something vile, something rotting beneath the surface.Richard.He steps into v
Celine’s POVI don’t land. I appear. One moment, I am standing before the elders, drinking from that cursed cup. The next, I am somewhere else entirely. My stomach lurches as my body is thrown into existence, my knees buckling as I hit the damp ground. The sharp scent of pine and earth floods my senses, and before I can even gather myself, a low, guttural sound rumbles from the darkness.I freeze.The forest around me is thick, the trees impossibly tall, their twisted branches woven so tightly together that only slivers of moonlight cut through the canopy. The air is dense, wrong, like the energy in this place doesn’t belong to the real world. Thick vines coil around the trees, pulsing faintly, as if the forest itself is breathing. Shadows shift between the trunks, moving too quickly, too deliberately to be nothing.Then I hear them. Growls. Deep, predatory and close.I force myself to stay still, my breathing controlled, my hands curled into fists at my sides. I can feel them circlin
Jonathan POVThe moment my foot touches the ground ahead of me, the maze shifts.The walls groan, twisting violently, stone grinding against stone. The mist thickens, rising like a living thing, curling around my legs. Whispers crawl up my spine, slithering through my skull, pressing into my thoughts.“You are not enough.”“You cannot protect her.”“She is already gone.”I clench my jaw, forcing the voices out. I do not believe them. I will not believe them. I have spent my life fighting, surviving. I have bled for the people I swore to protect. I will not break here.My hands curl into fists, my breath slow, controlled.Then, ahead of me, a figure steps from the mist. I stop, my heart hammering against my ribs, it’s me, but also not.This version of me is different. His stance is casual, his expression unreadable. His golden hair is neatly in place, his clothes
Jonathan POVI wake with the taste of blood in my mouth.The air is thick, humid, pressing down on my skin like a weight I can’t shake off. My body aches, my limbs sluggish as I push myself up from the damp, uneven ground beneath me. My head throbs, and for a moment, I can’t focus, my vision swims as I try to make sense of where I am.Something is wrong.I inhale deeply, expecting the rush of awareness, the sharpness of my fae senses snapping into place, but instead—nothing. No magic. No connection to the energy that has always been a part of me. The absence of it is suffocating, a hollow space where power should be. My fingers dig into the wet soil, frustration curling in my chest. No. This isn’t right.The last thing I remember is the trial. The elders. Being separated from Celine.Celine. The thought slams into me like a blade. I reach for the bond—expecting to feel even the faintest trace of
Sebastian POVI wake to the scent of fire and blood.The air is thick with it, hot against my skin, clinging to my clothes as I push myself up from the dry, cracked earth beneath me. My head throbs, a dull, pulsing ache that makes it hard to focus. I inhale deeply, expecting to feel the fire of my dragon’s breath in my lungs, the power of my shift just beneath the surface, waiting to be called upon.But there is nothing.The absence of my dragon is instant and suffocating. A hollow space where my power should be, where my instincts should guide me. I exhale slowly, reigning in the sharp spike of irritation that threatens to rise. Panic is for those who don't know how to command themselves.I force myself to my feet, brushing dust from my clothes as I scan my surroundings. The sky above is a vast black void, no stars, no moon, just emptiness stretching endlessly. The landscape around me is barren, littered with jagged bones that rise from the