Damon’s brow furrowed at my allegation, his eyes darkened dangerously the next second. "What are you talking about?" He growled.
"This is not the ti to be growling Damon, what the fuck did you do to my mother?!" My voice ca out in full fury.
His eyes widened, as if my words had struck sothing deep. "I did not lay a hand on your mother," Damon’s tone was sharp, layered with disbelief. "Who told you such a thing?"
"Rhydian." I spat his na like venom. "He said you stord into the palace and fought with my mother. That you nearly killed her." My hands were trembling, but I refused to let them see how much his denial affected . "Why else would she be dying, Damon?"
Damon’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring slightly. "Rhydian is lying." His words ca out low, almost like a growl. "I would never harm her, Ember. I would never."
"Then where were you?" I pressed, stepping closer to him. "When I went to the northern wall of the castle, you were nowhere to be found. Tell where you were, Damon."
He inhaled sharply. "So you would believe his word over mine. I thought we had gone far along the way to have trust issues." His words broke off midway, his eyes flickering with sothing I couldn’t quite read.
"Damon, just answer the damn question. Where were you on that day?" I gritted my teeth. My eyes locked with his swirling with hurt.
"And who said I wasn’t there with you on that day? I was whi..."
"You were what?" I demanded, my voice rising.
Before he could respond, a heavy pounding ca at the door.
"Alpha!" A guard’s urgent voice pierced through the tension. "You are needed imdiately. The witches... they are under attack!"
Damon’s entire posture stiffened. His eyes burned with a mixture of fury and focus. "They are already under siege?" he muttered under his breath before glancing back at .
"Stay here," he ordered, his tone authoritative.
"No." I took a step forward. "We are not done talking about this."
He looked at for a long mont, as if morizing my face. Then his expression softened, just a little. "We will continue when I co back," he said quietly, turning away.
The door closed behind him with a soft click, and the mont it did, my knees nearly gave out. Tears trickled down my cheeks before I could stop them. The sound of his retreating footsteps faded, and my chest felt painfully hollow.
"Goodbye, Damon," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
I stood there for a few more seconds, before wiping the tears off my face. My gaze hardened, there was no ti to wallow in emotions when too many questions were left unanswered.
When I stepped out of the castle, Rhydian was already waiting for at the foot of the stairs, his expression unreadable. I brought Crystal along, she stood behind , clutching a bag, her eyes downcast.
"I’m ready," I said quietly. "Let’s go back."
Rhydian nodded slightly, his blue eyes flickering with sothing like satisfaction. "You made the right choice."
Crystal hesitated, glancing between us nervously. I could see the uncertainty on her face, the unease in her small movents.
"Co on, Crystal," I said softly, forcing a small smile. "You are coming with us."
Her eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. "Yes, Miss Aeris."
As we walked, an uncomfortable silence stretched between us. My mind was running wild, replaying everything I had learned. I couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing was terribly wrong. Rhydian’s story didn’t sit right, every word he said felt too carefully placed and practiced.
And even if I wasn’t sure my mother was truly my mother, she had still been there for when no one else was. She had cared for , saved more than once. Whether she was bound by lies or blood, I owed her sothing.
But deep down, a shadow of dread began to crawl inside . The fae realm had always felt wrong, like a beautifully crafted lie. A world wrapped in illusions, smiles that hid secrets, and love that ca with chains. My so-called life there was a performance, one I didn’t even know I was acting in until it was too late.
The closer we got to the outer gate, the heavier my chest beca. The night air was cold, the moon hung high, watching silently as if waiting for a tragedy to unfold.
Rhydian stopped when we reached an open field, where the faint shimr of magic danced in the air. He raised his hand, murmuring a spell under his breath. A blue light rippled outward, and a portal ford before us, swirling like liquid glass.
"Everything is ready," he said quietly, glancing back at .
I stared at the portal, my gut twisting painfully. Sothing about it felt wrong. I looked at him, my voice calm but firm. "There’s sothing I want to confirm before we leave."
He blinked. "What do you an?"
"I want to see Damon before I go. I’ll leave with you tomorrow morning."
His eyes narrowed slightly, his jaw tightening. "Aeris, this isn’t the ti..."
"I wasn’t asking for your permission," I cut him off. My tone left no room for argunt. "If you truly want to go with you, then wait until morning."
I turned to leave, ready to chase after Damon, when sothing cold and firm gripped my wrist.
"Rhydian?"
Before I could react, he pulled sharply backward. My eyes widened as the ground vanished beneath . The last thing I heard was Crystal’s panicked voice shouting my na.
"Aeris!"
The world spun violently. The air around twisted into a howling vortex of blue and white light. My body felt weightless, then unbearably heavy. I tried to reach for sothing... anything... but there was nothing to hold onto.
And then, with a sudden, bone-jarring stop, everything went still.
The air was different. It was heavy and cold.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing on marble flooring, surrounded by fae guards. Their armor glinted like moonlight, and their eyes were as emotionless as stone.
My heart sank when my gaze lifted and t the figure standing ahead of .
King Zeir.
His presence was commanding, his silver robes flowing around him elegantly. His expression was unreadable, but the coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
"Welco ho, Princess Aeris," he said, his voice calm but laced with venom.
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