Chapter 96

Alex POV

You know she will never choose you with me around,” I snarl. His wince tells me the words slice deep, and I wonder if this will be the final straw to break my family.

My brothers and I have been through so much over the years, we’ve had each other's backs at every twist and turn. But that all changed when one of us was taken; then Archer was killed, what little bond we had left shattered.

The three of us who remained have been playing make believe, acting as if we are okay when, in all reality, nothing has been the same since we left home.

Father said that this mission would bond us and bring us closer than ever. I scoff and slowly push myself back to my feet. If father could only see us now, I know the disappointment he would feel would be heavy.

“I didn't start the ritual, Credence,” Lennox snarls, but his voice isn't as deep as it had been before as he walks toward me, his hand outstretched as he beckons Razar to his side. “Maxwell did, the night that we saved that male