Xander's povShe said nothing.Kael stepped between us, disbelief written across his face. “That’s not possible.”“I didn’t want to believe it either,” I said quietly. “But the scouts confirmed it. The moment I saw where the enemy had moved, I knew.”Vanessa’s mouth parted. “You…”“I trusted you, you're my little sister.” I said to Lyra, my voice low. “I cared for you. Protected you. Ava healed you when we rescued you from Magnus. And you sold us out.”She took a single step back.Not to flee.To think.To decide what mask to wear next.But I saw past all of them now.“What did he offer you?” I asked. “Power? Freedom?”Lyra didn’t respond. Her jaw clenched and her hands trembled slightly at her sides.Kaida moved toward her, her wolf rising beneath her skin. “Tell us the truth. Now.”Lyra closed her eyes.And then she whispered, “I was trying to protect you.”That made it worse.Because it meant she’d convinced herself that was the truth.I shook my head. “Guards.”The doors opened.B
Rowan's POVI didn’t hear a word after the fifth report.Voices droned on and on around the table—Kael’s updates on border sweeps, Vanessa detailing the shift changes, Ava quietly offering insight on ward security. Xander stood at the head, his expression unreadable, sharp as a blade. But me?I was gone.Somewhere else.Somewhere quieter. Somewhere before.Before the scarf. Before the disappearance. Before the betrayal.Before I had to live with the idea that my twin—my twin—might have been feeding our enemy.Lyra.I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palm. The hollow ache in my chest wasn’t just grief. It was a storm. Rumbling and growing. It would soon be unleashed.But not yet.I stood up abruptly. “Excuse me,” I muttered, stepping away from the table without waiting for permission. No one stopped me. Not even Xander. Not even Ava.They understood.Gods, they understood.I walked through the stone halls of Ashville’s war camp like a ghost. The same walls that had once b
Rowan's POVI had always believed that silence was a thing to fear.Growing up, silence in the castle often meant danger. It meant tension. It meant something unspoken was brewing in the shadows waiting to come to light.But tonight, sitting on the floor of my chamber with Kaida beside me—her presence comforting, her hand still clasping mine— the silence wasn’t suffocating.After the tears had dried up and the storm in my chest had calmed down, I found myself simply staring at kaida.I never understood the comfort people spoke about from their mates but I had always dreamt of it and now that I tasted it, I craved it more than anythingI had cried like a boy, and she hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t judged. Hadn’t pulled away.She stayed.That meant more than any words.The candle on my desk has burnt halfway down, casting soft shadows and golden glow on her. Her eyes were one of the features I loved so much about her, it was filled with so much warmth right now and suddenly the pain in my
Ava's povThe moonlight filtered into our chamber through the talk windows. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.Outside, the war continued in subtle ways—strategy, training, whispers of what the warriors were anticipating—but in here, all I could hear was the sound of the crickets chirping and Xander’s shallow breathing.He sat at the edge of the bed, his shoulders hunched forward, elbows rested on his knees. It hurt to see him this way with his back hunched forward like the weight of the world was resting there.And maybe it did.I sat up slowly, watching him for a moment, giving him space. His hands were clasped tightly together, knuckles white. His jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitch beneath his skin.“Xander,” I said softly, barely a whisper.He didn’t turn to me.After a while he spoke but his voice sounded distant and hoarse. “I was twelve when my mother died,” he said. “The day after Lyra and Rowan were born.”My heart clenched, and I silently pulled the blanket tig
Rowan's POVThe war room was quieter than usual.It wasn’t for lack of people—everyone who mattered was present. All the alphas from the allied packs, their Lunas, council members, and trusted generals sat or stood in the circular stone chamber, murmuring and glancing at one another. A map of the Shadow Forge was pinned to the center of the strategy table, surrounded by half-filled goblets of wine and war plans scribbled on paper.But the air was thick with something heavier than war.Betrayal.Lyra.My sister.I sat to the right of Xander, who looked like he hadn’t slept all night. His hands were folded in front of him, jaw locked tight, dark circles shadowing his eyes. I knew that look. He was barely holding himself together.I wasn’t doing much better.Lyra.The name echoed inside my skull like a curse I couldn’t shake. My twin. My mirror. I knew her movements like I knew my own. Or at least I thought I did.Until she vanished into the shadows.Until she had failed the test Xander
Rowan's POVThe room erupted like wildfire.Voices rose from every corner—sharp, angry, confused. All talking above each other. It was total and utter chaos, one that I could barely keep up with.“She’s a traitor!”“She could compromise the entire battle plan! If she hasn't already!”“We cannot risk this! Not again!”“We gave Magnus mercy, and look where that got us—bloodshed and betrayal!”I tried to breathe, but the walls of the war room felt like they were closing in, every shout a dagger being driven deeper into my skull.Magnus.They kept bringing up Magnus.A man I had stood beside for years. A man we’d all trusted until the moment he shattered that trust with fire and treason.Xander had killed him.And now… they wanted to know why Lyra was different.Because she’s not him, my mind screamed.“She’s his blood!” one of the alphas—Alpha Alaric of Thornspike—shouted across the room. “She carries royal lineage. If she defects permanently, that’s not just betrayal—it’s treason from w
kaida's povThe war room was loud—too loud. Voices were raised and flashed against one another. Everyone wanted to be heard their voices, a mixture of anger and disbelief. My eyes swept the room, but I barely heard what anyone was saying. Not because I didn’t care, but because I was watching Rowan.His shoulders were rigid. His eyes—normally so warm—were lost, confused and filled with so much pain and sorrow that hurt me to see him that way.But I understood.I loved Rowan more than anything. And I loved Lyra too, in my own way. She had been the first to welcome me into the inner circle, had laughed with me, helped me adjust to Blackthorn despite the fact that I couldn't speak. She had signed every word to me patiently, never making me feel lesser for being unable to talk. She was… family.But even love could not change what she had become.Even love could not save her from what she had chosen.And that was the cruelest part of all.My fingers curled tightly around the hilt of my dagg
Kaida’s POV I woke up to silence. Not the comforting silence of pre sunrise peace, but the sort that clung too tightly—like the world was holding its breath. The bed beside me was empty. Rowan's scent was faint, faded. My heart skipped a beat. I sat up quickly, blinking the sleep from my eyes. His cloak was gone. His boots were missing. The blade he always kept by the bedside was no longer resting on the shelf. I felt it then. That slow, creeping dread curling into my gut like a snake slithering up a tree bark. Rowan was gone. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, standing quickly. My bare feet padded across the cool stone floor as I moved to the window, hoping—praying—that he was just outside, walking the paths like he sometimes did when he couldn't sleep. But the courtyard was empty. The guards posted there gave no sign that anyone had passed. I opened the door to our chamber and stepped into the hallway. The silence followed me like a shadow. I moved swif
Lyra’s povI don't know how long we sat there but I had droned out their conversation as I watched the burning fire. Suddenly, I felt the air shift. It wasn't the regular shift.But this time, it was different.Tense. Sharp.I knew why.I could feel it, their eyes were on me.And they deserved answers.I just wasn’t sure I had the strength to give them.Rowan came even closer, a steady wall beside me, his warmth grounding. He hadn't spoken much, just held my hand quietly under the blanket we shared. It should’ve comforted me more than it did. But the guilt clung to me, curling in my chest like a shadow that refused to be exorcised.I peeped at Ava across the fire, her knees were pulled to her chest, arms loosely wrapped around them. Xander had stood up and was standing just behind her, arms crossed, his gaze unreadable as it flicked from person to person—though it lingered on me more often than not.I was almost certain I could go the night without a word being said. That they’d keep
Lyra’s POVThe crackling of the campfire sounded distant just like the faint sound of voices laughing and talking. Familiar voices. Ones that once meant comfort and strength. Now, they sounded foreign and distant, like echoes bouncing off the thick stone walls of guilt I had built around myself.I sat wrapped in my cloak, hood drawn low, body leaning into Rowan’s side. His warmth was steady, grounding. I could feel his heart through the fabric, steady as a drum, but there was a tension in the way he held me. He didn’t trust me—not entirely. I didn’t blame him.They had every right not to.Ashville was ruined. The war was over. And I had helped start it. They just didn't know that.I didn’t know how to look them in the eyes, not after what I had done.Ava’s laugh echoed through the air, loud and carefree, like birds chirping and singing during the summer. She teased Vanessa about how she once fought her over Xander. Vanessa rolled her eyes but smiled, her fingers tangled with Kael’s. I
Ava's povThe fire crackled in the center of our circle, its warm glow and embers floating up to the dark sky above us. The scent of roasted meat and earth filled the air. It was the first night in what felt like centuries that I didn’t have to look over my shoulder or hold a weapon while I slept.We had won.The war was over. Zerathos was gone alongside his shadows and forge. It was a tough battle but we won in the end and that's all that mattered. The camp was quiet, solemn in places, and slowly coming back to life in others. Rebuilding had started before the ashes were even cold.We’d spent the entire day helping—healing, carrying, burying. Holding hands that trembled with grief. Offering words to those who could still barely believe they’d survived. It was exhausting in a new kind of way—no longer physical, but emotional.And now, for the first time in weeks, we sat around a fire without dread thick in the air. Just six of us. Allies through it all. Survivors of chaos.Ava sat bes
Ava’s POVThe morning after the final battle was a strange kind of quiet. Not silence, exactly—there were still murmurs, the crackle of the early fires, the low sobs of those mourning their fallen, and the laughter of those too happy not to laugh. It was a quiet that came after chaos, the kind that felt borrowed, fragile, as if the world was holding its breath, unsure if the war was truly over.But it was.Zerathos was gone. His shadows had dispersed, leaving behind only the smell of ash and blood.I stood at the edge of the ruins that had once been the main part of our camp, the place where strategy was whispered and sleepless nights were passed in tense silence. Now it was littered with broken weapons, scorched earth, and fat too many lifeless bodies.Kael called out names from a growing list, his voice steady despite the tremble in it. Vanessa stood beside him, her hand in his, as they honored each name with a nod and a moment of silence. Rowan knelt by the body of one of his falle
Ava’s POVLyra was a blur of shadows, her body twisting and jerking with the force of a nightmare that had fully claimed her. Her eyes were two hollow pits of blackness, her once vibrant blue eyes now lost beneath an abyss. The very air around her seemed to tremble with the power of Zerathos’ dark magic, and the wail that tore from her throat was not the sound of her voice anymore. It was something ancient, something malevolent, echoing in the very bones of the earth beneath us.Xander’s blade clashed with hers as she lunged at him again, but there was no recognition in her movements—just raw, unfiltered rage. The Lyra I knew, the sister of Rowan, the one who had laughed with me and shared secrets in the quiet corners of our kingdom, was gone.“Lyra!” Rowan screamed, his voice was raw and hoarse, breaking with the anguish of a twin who had just watched his sibling become something unrecognizable. His voice was a beacon of desperation, but it did nothing to stop the creature she had be
Ava’s POVThe ground trembled beneath our feet as Lyra's form charged toward Xander with unnatural strength, the sound of her shrieking filling the air with an unnatural, bone-chilling shrill. Her movements were too fast, too erratic, her body a twisted mockery of the sister I knew. Her eyes, once silver with kindness, now pulsed with an abyssal blackness—pools of darkness that swallowed any light. She was lost. But I refused to believe it. Not completely. Not yet.“Xander, MOVE!” I shouted, pushing myself forward, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I couldn’t lose him. Not now.Xander barely had time to react before Lyra was upon him, her blades gleaming with malice as they sliced through the air. He barely dodged, the edge of her dagger grazing his shoulder, sending a burst of pain radiating through his body. He growled, backing away, but she was relentless—her speed matched only by the cold fury in her eyes.“No!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation, but the words were lo
Ava's pov Xander leapt first, ducking low and slashing at Vorthar’s legs. The beast snarled and turned, leaving his side open. That was my cue, I lunged, flipping through the air and slamming both daggers into his back. He screamed, bucking like a bull. I held on until he slammed into the wall, crushing me under his weight. I dropped, breath knocked out of me. But Xander was already there, slicing into Vorthar's arm, forcing him to drop me. I hit the ground and rolled, vision spinning. I’d felt pain before. But this was different. I was using too much light magic too quickly, draining faster than I could replenish. My body wasn’t healing as fast. “Ava!” Xander shouted again. “You okay?” “I’m fine,” I gritted out, but we both knew it was a lie. Vorthar was breathing heavier now. Bleeding, but not enough. “This isn’t working,” I said. “We need something stronger.” “We have something,” Xander said. “The dagger—the one blessed by the gods from the light forge. You st
Ava's pov The air shifted. Thick and foul, like rot crawling up my throat. The growl that followed was unlike anything I’d ever heard—low, guttural, and layered with something ancient. It didn’t just shake the stone floor beneath our feet; it vibrated through my bones. I reached out instinctively, my hand finding Xander’s. His eyes were locked ahead, pupils dilated, body coiled tight like a predator seconds away from lunging. From the far end of the ruined tower, something moved. The beast was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It towered over us, a grotesque creature which was a blend of molten stone, jagged metal, and ancient magic. Its hide glowed with veins of lava, its claws like blackened obsidian swords. Two burning eyes bore into us from beneath a twisted helm of scorched bone, and from its back, massive wings of burning flame unfurled with a hiss. It did not just move. Itslithered, stomped, and snarled all at once. Its hulking form emerged from the shadows, black as
Xander's pov The moment Zerathos disappeared, the battlefield turned into complete chaos. No strategy. No formation. Just war. The creatures he left behind—unhinged, bloodthirsty, unrelenting—descended on us like a storm of teeth, claws, and dark magic. They weren’t trying to win anymore. They were trying to destroy. Ava dropped from the sky beside me, her wings of light folding into her back, face flushed with power and exhaustion. Her magic had taken a hit, but she was far from done. “Are you okay?” I asked quickly, barely catching my breath. “For now,” she said, her eyes scanning the battlefield. “We need to fall back and regroup. We can’t win like this.” “We won’t make it if we fall back,” Kael growled as he appeared beside us, one eye swollen shut, blood streaking down his temple. “They’re everywhere.” “We hold the line,” Vanessa said as she hurled a light-forged spear at a charging Revenant, pinning it against a crumbled tree. “We can’t give them ground.” Ava’s