"You are aware," Nyxara said quietly, "that they will not forgive this."
Aerys did not answer immediately.
The heavy door behind them groaned as the Beta guards struck it again. Stone dust drifted from the ceiling, settling into his hair and armor. The citadel had been built to withstand war, but nothing had ever been designed to protect an Alpha from his own choices.
"I am not asking for forgiveness," Aerys said at last. "Only time."
Nyxara studied him, her gaze sharp despite the dim light. "Time is the one thing this world never gives."
Another удар echoed through the chamber door.
"They will break through," she said.
"Yes."
"And when they do?"
Aerys turned toward the far wall, where ancient markings lay half hidden beneath centuries of grime. With a press of his palm, a seam appeared. Stone shifted. A narrow passage opened, breathing out cold air.
"This way," he said.
Nyxara did not move.
"You trust me," she said, not as a question.
"I should not," Aerys replied. "But I do."
She nodded once and stepped into the passage.
The door sealed behind them just as steel crashed against stone.
The hidden corridor sloped downward, spiraling deep beneath the citadel. The air grew colder with every step, heavy with something older than dust.
Nyxara's footsteps slowed.
"This place remembers," she murmured.
Aerys glanced at her. "You said that before."
"And you noticed," she replied.
That unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
"How do you know these things?" he asked.
Nyxara brushed her fingers along the wall without touching it. "Because I listen."
"To what?"
"To what was silenced."
The corridor opened into a vast underground chamber. Broken pillars lay scattered across the floor. At its center stood a circular dais, stained dark with old blood.
Aerys stopped.
"I have not been here since my ascension," he said.
Nyxara stepped closer to the dais, her expression unreadable. "This is where they ended them."
"Ended whom?"
"The Alphas who failed."
Aerys's jaw tightened. "They were traitors."
"Were they?" Nyxara asked. "Or were they human?"
He did not respond.
She turned to face him. "Tell me something, Aerys Vaeldric. When was the last time you felt pain?"
He hesitated.
"Physical pain does not count," she added gently.
The silence stretched.
"I do not remember," he said.
Nyxara nodded. "That is what frightens me."
"Why?"
"Because it means the breaking has already begun."
Above them, the council chamber trembled with anger.
"He defied protocol," a Beta lord snarled. "He harbors an anomaly within the citadel."
Seris Maelthorn stood apart from the others, eyes closed, hands clasped behind his back.
"She is not an anomaly," Seris said quietly.
The room fell silent.
"What would you call her, Omega?" the lord demanded.
Seris opened his eyes. "A reminder."
"A reminder of what?"
"That Alphas were never meant to last."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
"The Alpha must choose," another voice said. "The woman or the world."
Seris's gaze darkened. "He already has."
The underground chamber felt heavier now, as if the stone itself were listening.
"You should leave," Aerys said suddenly.
Nyxara looked at him. "You said that before."
"And I meant it then."
"And now?"
"Now I understand the cost," he said. "If you stay, they will use you against me."
Nyxara tilted her head. "You speak as if you are already lost."
Aerys laughed softly. "I have been lost for years. You simply made me aware of it."
She took a step closer.
"Then why protect me?" she asked.
Aerys met her gaze. "Because when you are near, the noise stops."
"What noise?"
"The constant demand to be less than human."
Nyxara inhaled sharply.
"You do not know what you are asking for," she said.
"Then tell me."
She looked away. For the first time, uncertainty crossed her face.
"If I stay," Nyxara said slowly, "you will feel again."
Aerys's breath caught.
"And that will destroy me," he said.
"Yes."
"And the world?"
She hesitated. "Eventually."
He stepped closer until only inches separated them.
"You speak of destruction as if it is inevitable," he said. "What if it is necessary?"
Nyxara met his gaze. "That is how every ending begins."
The alarms sounded above them.
Not the bells of warning.
The horns of judgment.
Aerys stiffened.
"They have issued the decree," he said.
Nyxara's eyes darkened. "What decree?"
"The Rite of Severance," he replied. "They will take you."
"And if I resist?"
"They will kill you."
Nyxara nodded once, as if she had expected nothing less.
"Then we should not be here when they arrive."
Aerys frowned. "We?"
She smiled faintly. "You chose already. Do not pretend otherwise."
He cursed under his breath.
"There is a way out," he said. "Beyond the outer walls."
"And after that?"
"There is no after," he replied. "Only exile."
Nyxara stepped closer, her voice lowering. "An Alpha without a throne is still an Alpha."
"Not for long," Aerys said. "They will hunt me."
"Good," she replied softly. "Then they will finally see you."
Aerys searched her face. "You speak as if this is what you want."
She did not deny it.
"Why?" he demanded.
Nyxara held his gaze, something like sorrow flickering there.
"Because the only way to end a system," she said, "is to let it consume itself."
Aerys felt the weight of her words settle into his bones.
"You are not my enemy," he said.
"No," Nyxara replied. "I am your consequence."
The ground above them shook as armored boots thundered closer.
"They are sealing the lower exits," Aerys said.
Nyxara reached for his hand, stopping just short of touching him.
"If I ask you to let me go," she said, "will you?"
He did not hesitate. "No."
"If I ask you to stay away from me?"
"No."
Her lips curved into a sad smile. "Then you truly are an Alpha."
Aerys frowned. "Is that an insult?"
"It is a warning."
She finally took his hand.
Pain surged through him. Sharp. Immediate. Real.
Aerys gasped, staggering but refusing to let go.
Nyxara's grip tightened. "Now you understand."
"Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "And I am still here."
The chamber door shattered.
Light flooded the room.
Voices shouted orders.
Aerys stepped forward, placing himself between Nyxara and the approaching guards.
"Stand down," he commanded.
The guards froze.
Because no matter what he had chosen, the Alpha still ruled.
Nyxara leaned close, her voice barely audible.
"Once they know the truth," she whispered, "they will never stop."
Aerys did not look back.
"Then tell me now," he said. "What truth?"
Nyxara's fingers tightened around his.
Her answer was quiet.
Final.
"I was not born," she said. "I was placed."
Aerys turned toward her sharply.
"By whom?"
Nyxara met his gaze as the guards raised their weapons.
"By the gods you are meant to kill."
The first blade moved.
Aerys whispered,
"Then stay behind me."
Nyxara shook her head.
"No," she said softly. "Stand with me."
And for the first time, the Alpha hesitated.