Sera's POV
Silver fire explodes across the battlefield.
My mother and her army of Heretics unleash their power all at once, creating a wall of light so bright it turns night into day. Mordren's hunters scatter, screaming, trying to shield their eyes.
Sera! My mother's voice cuts through the chaos. We need to go NOW!
But I can't move. I'm staring at Caspian, watching blood seep through his fingers as he presses his hand to his wounded side.
Go, he tells me, his face pale with pain. Your mother is giving you a chance to escape. Take it.
Not without you.
I'm a Temple hunter, Sera. Your mother's people will kill me the moment we're clear.
My mother appears beside us, power crackling around her hands. Up close, I can see how much we look alike the same eyes, the same stubborn jaw, the same mark burning on our chests.
You must be Caspian, she says, studying him with cold calculation. The High Priest who's been hunting my daughter for three years.
Mom, please I start.
And now you're injured protecting her. My mother's eyes narrow. Interesting.
We don't have time for this! Luna shouts, running up with three other resistance fighters. Mordren's regrouping. We need to move before
A blast of dark energy slams into the ground between us, sending everyone flying.
Mordren stands on a ridge above us, his hands glowing with black light. You think I didn't prepare for this? You think I didn't know you'd come crawling out of hiding eventually, Mira?
My mother pushes herself up, spitting blood. Hello, Mordren. Miss me?
Not particularly. Mordren raises his hands, and more dark energy swirls around him. But I'll enjoy killing you properly this time. And your daughter. And every single Heretic you've gathered.
You can try, my mother snarls.
The battle explodes again Heretics against Temple hunters, power against power, light against dark. It's beautiful and terrible and I can't tell whose winning.
Caspian grabs my arm. We need to get out of here. Both armies will tear each other apart, and we'll be caught in the middle.
I can't leave my mother
Your mother has an army! Caspian winces as his wound bleeds harder. We don't. If we stay, we die.
He's right. I hate it, but he's right.
Luna! I shout over the noise.
Luna appears, her face streaked with ash. What?
Get my mother out of here. Please. Don't let her die trying to save me.
Luna's eyes widen. You're leaving?
We have to. I look at Caspian, then back at Luna. Tell my mother I'll find her. But right now, Caspian and I need to disappear.
Where will you go?
I don't know. Somewhere Mordren can't find us. I grab Luna's hand. Thank you. For everything.
Luna pulls me into a fierce hug. Don't die, okay? I didn't spend two years keeping you alive just to lose you now.
I won't. I promise.
Caspian tugs at my arm. Sera, we need to move.
We run.
Behind us, the battle rages on screams and explosions and the crackle of magic. But we don't look back. We just run, deeper into the forest, farther from the fighting.
Caspian stumbles after ten minutes, his face gray with pain.
Stop, I command, catching him before he falls. Let me see.
The wound on his side is deep, still bleeding despite his attempts to stop it. He needs a healer. Needs medicine. Needs
I can help, I realize suddenly.
What?
My power. I can heal. I remember what Elder Thorne's message said Heretics can break bonds but also restore them. If I can restore, maybe I can heal too.
Sera, you've never tried
I have to try now.
I press my hands to his wound, reaching for the power inside me. It responds immediately, flowing through my palms as warm silver light.
Caspian gasps as the light sinks into his skin. I feel his pain through the mate bond sharp and burning but then it starts fading. The wound knits together, muscle and skin reforming until there's nothing left but a pale scar.
How did you... Caspian touches his side in wonder. That's impossible.
Apparently not. I pull my hands back, exhausted but relieved. Can you walk?
Yes. But where are we going?
Good question.
We're hunted by both sides now Mordren wants us dead, and my mother's army might not trust Caspian. We have no supplies, no plan, no safe place to hide.
There's a place, I say slowly, remembering. A cabin Luna told me about once. Neutral territory, magically hidden. If we can reach it before dawn
Lead the way.
We walk for hours through the dark forest. Every sound makes us jump. Every shadow could be an enemy.
Finally, just as the sky starts turning gray, we find it a small cabin nestled in a clearing, surrounded by shimmer of protective wards.
This is it, I breathe.
We approach carefully. The wards part for us Luna must have keyed them to my magical signature. Inside, the cabin is simple but clean. One room with a fireplace, a small bed, shelves of dried food.
A safe house for wolves on the run.
Caspian collapses into a chair the moment we're inside. We should be safe here. For a while, at least.
How long do you think we have?
Days. Maybe a week if we're lucky. He looks at me, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion and something else. Guilt, maybe. Or regret. I'm sorry, Sera. This is all my fault. If I'd just believed you earlier
Don't. I sit beside him. You were lied to your whole life. You can't blame yourself for believing those lies.
I should have questioned them.
Maybe. But you're questioning them now. That's what matters.
We sit in silence, the weight of everything crashing down on us. My mother is alive but fighting a war. Caspian's uncle is a murderer who killed his own family. We're fugitives from both sides.
And somehow, through all of it, we've fallen in love.
What happens now? Caspian asks quietly.
I don't know. I lean my head on his shoulder. But we'll figure it out together.
His arm comes around me, holding me close. Together, he repeats.
For the first time in three years, I feel safe.
But the feeling doesn't last.
A knock at the door makes us both jump.
Expecting company? Caspian asks, his hand going to his blade.
No one should know we're here.
The knock comes again. Louder this time.
Sera Nightshade. The voice is female, young, and unfamiliar. I know you're in there. I've been sent to deliver a message.
Caspian and I exchange glances. It could be a trap.
But we don't have much choice.
I open the door slowly.
A girl stands there maybe sixteen years old, with bright green eyes and short red hair. She's wearing simple traveling clothes, no weapons I can see.
Who are you? I ask.
My name is Raven. The girl smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I'm a messenger for the Moon Goddess herself.
My blood runs cold. What?
The Goddess has been watching you, Sera. Watching your choices. And She has a message. Raven's expression turns serious. You have three days to reach the Grand Temple and destroy the Binding Altar. If you fail, every mate bond in existence will shatter simultaneously. Millions of wolves will die.
That's impossible, Caspian says. We can't reach the Temple in three days, let alone break in
You can. And you will. Raven pulls out a small crystal that glows with divine light. The Goddess is giving you one chance to save your kind. But you have to choose save the wolves by risking your own life, or run and let them all die.
That's not a choice, I whisper. That's a death sentence.
Yes, Raven agrees. But it's the choice every Heretic faces. Your parents chose wrong they chose power over sacrifice. Your mother chose to survive instead of finishing what she started. Now it's your turn.
She presses the crystal into my hand.
Three days, Sera. At dawn on the fourth day, the Binding Altar will activate. And every mate bond will break. Raven looks between us. Including yours.
Then she vanishes, literally dissolving into silver mist.
I stare at the crystal in my hand, my heart racing.
Sera, Caspian says slowly. We can't
We have to. I look up at him, tears burning my eyes. If we don't, millions of innocent wolves will die. People who have nothing to do with the Temple's corruption. Children. Families. People in love.
If we go to the Temple, we'll die.
Maybe. Probably. I close my fist around the crystal. But at least we'll die trying to save them.
Caspian stares at me for a long moment. Then, incredibly, he smiles.
You're insane, he says.
Completely.
And I love you for it. He stands, wincing slightly. So. We have three days to break into the most heavily guarded fortress in the wolf world, destroy an ancient magical artifact, and somehow survive. Any ideas?
Despite everything, I laugh. Not even one.
Perfect. Neither do I. Caspian takes my hand. Guess we'll figure it out as we go.
I squeeze his fingers. Together.
Together.
We stand there, holding hands, both knowing we're probably going to die.
But at least we'll die trying to do the right thing.
The crystal in my other hand suddenly grows warm. An image appears in my mind the Grand Temple, massive and imposing, with one secret entrance we might be able to use.
And standing guard at that entrance, waiting for us, is someone I never expected to see again.
Kieran Wolfscar.
The rival who tried to steal me from Caspian.
The hunter who almost killed us both.
And in my vision, he's smiling.
Like he's been waiting for us all along.