Aria’s POV
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Kael’s face went grey.
Not pale. Grey. Like soone had drained the color out of him in one pull.
I was across the tent before I even realized I’d moved.
"Kael—" My hand found his arm. "What happened? What’s wrong?"
He didn’t answer right away. Just stood there, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping, one hand pressed flat against his temple like he was trying to hold sothing in place that was threatening to break loose.
"Kael." I squeezed his arm harder. "Talk to ."
"It’s Ronan." His voice ca out rough. Strained. "Sothing’s wrong at the front lines."
My stomach dropped.
"What do you an wrong?"
"I don’t know." He dropped his hand. Looked at , and his eyes were dark—not angry, sothing worse. "The link cut out mid-sentence. He was reporting an attack and then—nothing. Just static. I can’t reach him."
My pulse kicked up. Hard and fast.
"Maybe it’s just interference," I said quickly. "Maybe the attack disrupted the link sohow. Maybe—"
"Aria." Kael’s hand ca up to cup my face. Gentle but firm, grounding both of us. "I’ve had warriors knocked unconscious in the middle of battle. I’ve had them pinned under rubble, drugged, half-dead. The link doesn’t cut out like this. Not unless—"
He stopped.
Didn’t finish the sentence.
Didn’t need to.
"This could be a trap," I said. My brain was moving fast now, trying to outpace the panic rising in my chest. "They know you’d co if sothing happened to Ronan. They could be baiting you—drawing you out so they can—"
"I know." His voice was flat. Final. "I know it could be a trap."
"Kael—"
"And I’m going anyway."
He stepped back. Pulled out his phone. Started typing sothing one-handed while his other hand stayed at my waist, like he needed to keep touching while he did this.
"If there’s even a chance he’s alive," Kael said, not looking up from the phone, "if there’s even a chance any of them are alive and need help—I’m not leaving them out there." He hit send. "I won’t ask my people to take risks I’m not willing to take myself. That’s not how this works."
His phone buzzed. Three tis in quick succession.
He glanced at the screen. Nodded once. "Security team is mobilizing. They’ll et us at the north checkpoint in ten minutes."
"Us?" My voice ca out higher than I ant it to.
He looked at .
Just looked at .
And I saw it written all over his face—the argunt he was already having with himself, the war between wanting safe and knowing he couldn’t leave here unprotected if this really was a coordinated attack.
"You’re staying here," he said finally. But his voice wavered. Just slightly.
"Like hell I am."
"Aria—"
"If this is a trap, they’re not just coming for you." I grabbed his jacket. Held on. "They’re coming for too. For the girls. For anyone you care about. You said it yourself—Rebecca knows how to hit you where it hurts. You think she’s going to leave us here undefended while you run off to save Ronan?"
His jaw worked.
"The safest place for ," I said, keeping my voice steady even though my heart was trying to climb out of my chest, "is with you. With your security team. Not sitting here alone waiting for soone to kick down the door."
"The girls—"
"Are with Selene and half the household guard. They’re protected. But I’m coming with you."
"Aria, you’re pregnant—"
"I know I’m pregnant!" The words ca out sharper than I ant them to. I took a breath. Tried again. "I know. Believe , I know. But Kael—I can’t sit here. I can’t just wait and wonder if you’re coming back. I can’t—"
My voice cracked.
He pulled against him. Hard and fast, one arm around my waist, the other hand in my hair, holding so tight I could barely breathe.
"Nothing is going to happen to ," he said into my hair. Low and fierce. "I promise. I’m coming back."
I wanted to believe him.
God, I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt.
But the fear sitting in my chest wouldn’t move. Wouldn’t budge. Just kept pressing and pressing until I felt like I was suffocating under the weight of it.
"Believe ," Kael said. He kissed my forehead. Quick and hard.
I nodded.
He moved toward the tent flap, already pulling out his phone again, already barking orders to soone on the other end.
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair.
Shrugged it on.
My hands were shaking.
Just slightly. Just enough that the zipper took two tries to catch.
Trying to look calm. Trying to look strong. Trying to look like I believed everything was going to be okay.
But my heart was screaming.
And deep in my chest, beneath the fear and the love and the desperate hope that we’d all make it through this—
A terrible sense of foreboding blood.
Dark and heavy and impossible to ignore.
Sothing bad was coming.
I could feel it.
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