SAGE
The world ca rushing back all at once.
Now in my body, I staggered, my knees giving way beneath the weight of what I had seen, what I now knew.
Strong arms caught before I could hit the floor, pulling into a familiar chest. Adam.
For a mont, I let myself stay there, breathing him in, anchoring myself to the solid heat of his body while my mind reeled. Shock didn’t fade quickly. It clung, sticky and nauseating, eating out from the inside.
The Queen.
The realization burned like acid.
Through the bond, I felt Adam’s awareness sharpen, felt the echo of what I had dragged back with bleed across the connection.
I knew—without needing to look—that he had seen fragnts. Enough. And if the murderous glares hardening the faces of his brothers were anything to go by, he hadn’t kept it to himself.
Good. Let them all see.
I straightened slowly, easing out of Adam’s arms, though my fingers lingered at his side for a heartbeat longer. Then I turned back to Claire.
Rage surged so violently it made my vision tremble.
"How long?" My voice ca out low, lethal. "How long have you been working with the Queen?"
Claire’s lips parted. Hesitation flickered there, a split second of calculation.
I didn’t give her ti.
Magic snapped through the air, brutal. It struck her face with a sharp crack, sending her head snapping sideways. Blood blood at the corner of her mouth as she gasped, shuddering.
I stepped closer.
"Don’t you understand yet?" I asked softly, almost lazily, the edge of my old, dangerous sass curling back into place. "You are powerless before ."
Her defiance wavered.
Good.
"I should thank you," I continued, circling her slowly. "All this ti, I thought I was using the Queen. Thought I was clever. Strategic. Turns out I was just another piece on her board."
The bitterness tasted foul on my tongue.
Claire swallowed, then laughed weakly. "She trained ," she said finally. "The Queen. She didn’t know about you at first, not as Maya. Not until later."
Her eyes flicked up to mine. "But Dora? That was planned. Together. She gave the potion. The one that weakened you."
The room felt suddenly too small.
So that was it.
The Queen had been using —my anger, my thirst for vengeance—to destabilize everything. To burn the werewolf region from the inside out. And I, in my arrogance, had thought I was the one pulling strings.
A sharp, humorless laugh tore out of .
"At the end of the day," I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else, "I was still that naïve little girl."
I looked back at Claire, fury rekindling. "Why?" I demanded. "Why does she hate the werewolves so much?"
Before she could answer, the night answered for her.
Noise erupted outside the compound. My eyes slid shut as dread curled deep in my gut.
The consequences. They had arrived.
It wouldn’t take much for vampires to breach the quarters. All they had to do was mimic one of the triplets. Slip inside. And then—
I shuddered.
If they reached the abstenum... Too many would die.
I acted without hesitation, calling forth cage magic, one that wrapped around Claire like iron bands. Her hands and feet snapped together, bound, her body locked in place as if encased in an invisible cage.
With a careless shove, I sent her skidding across the room, slamming into the wall and sliding down to the floor, helpless.
Then I turned back to the others.
Silence greeted . Heavy. Expectant.
"I’m sorry," I said, the words scraping my throat raw. "I thought the pack was against . I wanted revenge."
No one spoke.
Adam stepped forward. "I understand," he said simply.
I looked at him then, really looked at him, and sothing in my chest softened painfully. I took his hand when he offered it, squeezing once.
"I’ll do everything I can to stop this," I promised the room. "I won’t run from it."
Timothy cleared his throat. "How?"
I licked my lips, mind racing. I couldn’t fight an army of vampires alone. I knew that. And I needed to see the Queen before she realized I knew the truth.
But I couldn’t be in two places at once.
So I did the only thing I could.
I opened my mind. Pushed outward. And reached for Darius.
I dropped the barriers around the room deliberately, fully, accepting him into the space should he choose to co. No invitation needed. No waiting at thresholds.
Where are you?
The answer ca instantly.
The air shimred, reality folding in on itself as Darius appeared in the center of the room. Beside him stood the woman whose house I had stayed in, back at the mountains.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. So even stepped back, looking pale.
Darius, however, looked anything but impressed.
"So," he said coldly, eyes locking onto . "You finally did it. Unleashed the darkness because of revenge."
Sha burned hot in my chest. I bowed my head, unable to et his gaze.
Before I could respond, Xanth’s voice cut in sharply. "Enough. We have a war to fight. They’re already at the door."
Darius bristled anyway, fury radiating off him as Adam stepped instinctively between us.
Darius’s gaze flicked to Adam, dismissive. "Why is he acting like a mate?"
"Because I am," Adam said evenly. "I am her mate."
Darius exhaled, dragging a hand down his face, then shook his head as if shelving the issue entirely. His eyes drifted to Claire, bound and bleeding on the floor.
"And what," he drawled, "is your bride doing there?"
"She’s the one behind Sage’s almost death," Adam replied flatly. "Twice."
Darius arched a brow, genuine surprise flashing briefly across his features, but he didn’t comnt. Instead, he straightened, command snapping into place.
"Positions," he ordered. "Tell the warriors to fight with everything they have. We’re strongest in the dark. Wooden stakes if you can get them. Heart strike. That kills them."
"What about the other Ancients?" I asked.
"They’re here," he said grimly. "Already fighting. Every hand is on deck. The prince wants to speak with Adam."
I nodded. "They can have the abstenum. It’s really here."
Darius pursed his lips. "We already knew about it. When you were twisting in pain during your conversion... so thoughts leaked."
I didn’t bother denying it. We moved toward the exit together, Adam following us
At the door, I stopped, sighting Isla standing a few feet away, pale and terrified.
I sighed and turned to Daniel. "Take care of her."
He nodded solemnly.
Then I stepped into the night. Into the war I had helped summon.
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