"Did you just say Elizabeth and Knox?"
"Yes—Elizabeth and Knox."
"Please," Ariel said urgently, her voice tightening, "take me to them."
"Wait, love," Horace cautioned gently, concern threading his voice. "You don't have to rush like this. We don't even know if it's truly them."
"Elizabeth is my cousin," Ariel shot back breathlessly, panic flickering in her eyes. "And Knox claims to know something about my mother."
Horace exhaled, then turned sharply to Xavier. "Alright. You don't need to go to them. Let them in."
Xavier immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Yes," he said curtly. "Let them in."
Minutes later, the heavy doors parted. Lycan warriors escorted Elizabeth, Knox—and Knox's unicorn—into the compound.
Ariel, Horace, and several of his comrades waited just outside the mansion.
"Elizabeth?" Ariel froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Ariel?" Elizabeth's voice trembled as she took an unsteady step forward.
