The descent from Mount Verdura should have been easier than the climb. It wasn't.
Alexander rode ahead of the others, leaving enough distance between himself and Elysia that even Liam seemed to notice. He had barely spoken since they left Ariella's sanctuary. Every time he looked back, his eyes found Elysia. Then he would turn away again.
His thoughts kept circling the same three women. Ariella. Seraphina. Elysia. He had spent time believing he understood what each of them meant to him. Now he wasn't so certain.
Ariella had always been difficult to resist. She was powerful, intelligent and confident enough to challenge him without hesitation. Their relationship had never been simple. There had always been something dangerous in it—the arguments, the attraction neither of them tried very hard to suppress. With Ariella, Alexander never felt as though he had complete control. Perhaps that was part of the attraction. She could read him too easily. Even when she said nothing, he often had the uncomfortable feeling that she had already understood what he was trying to hide. But there was always a distance between them. A boundary he could never quite cross.
Seraphina was different. She had been part of his life for the longest time they knew each other. He knew how she thought, how she reacted, what pleased her and what angered her. She had stood beside him countless moments when he had needed someone he could trust. With her, there was familiarity. Comfort. History. But lately, those things had begun to feel insufficient. He cared about Seraphina. He knew that. Yet when he imagined his future, he no longer felt the same certainty he once had.
Then there was Elysia. Alexander tightened his grip on the reins. She had ruined everything. Not deliberately. That was almost the problem. She had arrived in his life and refused to behave as though the world around her was supposed to make sense. She questioned him. Argued with him. Refused his orders. She had even challenged his reasons for hunting Aetheron, despite knowing how dangerous the King of Monsters could be.
And somehow, instead of pushing her away, every disagreement pulled him further towards her. There was something about her that he couldn't understand. She wasn't like Ariella. She didn't match him with calculated confidence. She wasn't like Seraphina. She didn't give him unquestioning loyalty. Elysia simply refused to bend.
And beneath that stubbornness, he had seen something else. Compassion. She wanted to protect creatures most people considered monsters. She had risked herself repeatedly for that belief.
Alexander didn't understand it. But he couldn't stop thinking about it. The more she resisted him, the more determined he became to keep her close. It was no longer about her ability to communicate with monsters.
He wanted Elysia herself. He wanted her attention. Her trust. Her affection. And, eventually, her completely. The thought should have troubled him more than it did. Instead, it felt inevitable.
By the time they reached the foothills of Mount Luminar, Alexander had already made his decision. Whatever happened next, Elysia would remain with him. He would not leave her to chance.
***
They established camp before nightfall. The foothills of Mount Luminar stretched into the distance, the mountain disappearing into clouds above them. The air was colder here, and the wind carried the smell of stone and pine.
Elysia approached Alexander while he was checking the camp's perimeter. "I want to see Seraphina."
He turned. The request caught him off guard. "Why?"
Elysia folded her arms. "Because she may have something useful for the journey."
"What kind of thing?"
"Magical clothing. Equipment. Something that could help us move around without being noticed."
Alexander's expression hardened. "No."
I stared at him for a moment. That was remarkably quick. She had clearly expected an argument, not an immediate refusal. "You didn't even think about it."
"I don't need to."
She studied him for several seconds. "That's convenient."
Alexander stepped closer. "Elysia, Seraphina has nothing to do with this part of the journey."
"That's not true." Her voice remained calm, but he could hear the frustration underneath it. "If she's capable of making things that could help us, then she has something to do with it."
"You don't need her."
"How do you know?"
Alexander's jaw tightened. "Because I said so."
Elysia's expression went flat. There it was again. The Crown Prince speaks as though his authority should end every argument.
She looked towards the mountain. "Fine."
Alexander watched her turn away. That was easier than he had expected. Too easy. "Elysia."
She stopped. He waited for her to look back. "You'll stay here."
She glanced over her shoulder. "I heard you the first time." Then she walked away.
Alexander watched until she disappeared behind one of the tents. He exhaled slowly. He couldn't allow Elysia to meet Seraphina. Not now. Not after everything that had happened. If the two women met, questions would follow.
And Alexander had no intention of answering them. He waited until the camp settled. Then he left quietly.
***
Seraphina's workshop stood apart from the main settlement, surrounded by tall trees and a wall of flowering vines.
Alexander knew the way without thinking. He had been here many times. The familiar scent reached him before he opened the door—dyed silk, cedar shelves, dried herbs and the faint sweetness of sandalwood. Inside, several pieces of fabric hung from wooden frames. Moonlight slipped through the windows and fell across bolts of coloured cloth.
Seraphina sat at her worktable. She looked up. Her face brightened immediately. "Alexander." She rose so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor. "I wasn't expecting you."
He forced himself to smile. "I needed to see you."
She came closer. "Then you should have sent word." Her fingers brushed his sleeve as she passed. "I would have waited for you."
There was nothing accusing in her voice. That made what he had come to do more difficult. Seraphina stopped in front of him. "You look tired."
"I've had a difficult journey."
"And yet you came all this way." Her hand rested against his arm. "That must mean something."
Alexander caught her wrist gently. "It does."
She smiled. For a moment, she leaned closer. "Then stay." Her voice dropped. "It's been too long since we've had a night without soldiers, politics or monsters interrupting us."
Alexander looked at her. The invitation was familiar. Once, he would have accepted without hesitation. Tonight, he stepped back.
Seraphina's smile disappeared. "What is it?"
"We need to talk."
She released his arm. The change in her expression was subtle, but he saw it. "That doesn't sound promising."
Alexander drew a breath. "The hunt has become more dangerous than I expected."
Seraphina waited.
"I can't continue putting you at risk."
She frowned. "So you came here to tell me that?"
"I came to tell you that we should end this."
Silence filled the workshop. Seraphina didn't move. Then she laughed once. It wasn't fun. It was disbelief. "End what?"
"Our relationship." The words seemed to settle between them.
Seraphina lowered her gaze. When she looked up again, her expression was composed. "Why?"
Alexander had prepared for this. "The quest has changed. Aetheron is more dangerous than we realised. I can't afford distractions."
Her eyes narrowed. "A distraction."
"You know that's not what I mean."
"Do I?" She stepped away from him.
Alexander reached for an explanation, but she spoke first. "You disappear for months. You return without warning. You tell me the hunt is becoming dangerous. Then you come here in the middle of the night and decide that our relationship is suddenly too much of a burden." Her fingers curled slowly at her sides. "And I'm supposed to believe this is about my safety?"
Alexander held her gaze. "Yes." The answer came too quickly.
Seraphina noticed. He could see it in her face.
"You've rehearsed that."
"I've thought about what I needed to say."
"That isn't the same thing." She turned away. For several moments, the only sound was the faint crackle of a candle. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter. "There's someone else."
Alexander's silence answered before he could.
Seraphina closed her eyes. "I see."
"Seraphina—"
"Don't." She raised one hand. "I don't want another explanation you've prepared on the way here."
Alexander stopped.
She took a breath and slowly turned back towards him. "If this is what you want, then I won't stop you."
He searched her face. There was hurt there. But no tears. No pleading. That unsettled him more than anger would have. "You understand?"
"I understand that you've made your decision." Her smile was small. Almost polite. "Isn't that enough?"
Alexander nodded. "It is." He moved towards the door.
Behind him, Seraphina remained silent. He didn't see the moment her expression hardened. He didn't see her fingers close around the edge of the table. And he certainly didn't see the question forming in her mind.
Who was that woman who had stolen her man?
***
Alexander returned to camp. Seraphina followed. She moved beneath the cover of an invisibility spell, keeping far enough behind him that he never noticed the faint disturbance in the air. She didn't know what she was looking for. An answer, perhaps. Something that would explain why Alexander had suddenly abandoned years of trust.
She found it at Elysia's tent. Alexander stopped outside. Seraphina remained hidden among the trees. He glanced around before entering. Her stomach tightened. She followed. Inside, Elysia was asleep.
Alexander knelt beside her bedroll. For a moment, he simply watched her. The anger in Seraphina's chest sharpened. Alexander reached towards Elysia's face and gently moved a strand of hair away from her cheek.
"You don't even realise what you've done," he whispered. His voice was soft. Almost tender.
Seraphina's hands curled into fists.
Alexander looked at Elysia for another moment. "I've given up more than you know." He lowered his head and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "You'll understand eventually."
Seraphina's breath caught. Then Alexander whispered the words that broke whatever remained of her restraint. "I'll make you mine." He rose and left the tent.
Seraphina stayed where she was. Her body felt strangely cold. She had expected betrayal. She had not expected this. Alexander had not left her because the quest was too dangerous. He had left her for Elysia. Her fingers trembled. The magic came before she could stop it. A pale glow gathered around her hand. One needle appeared. Then another. Then dozens. Thin poison-tipped needles hovered in the air, their points aimed towards the sleeping woman.
Elysia had done nothing to her. Seraphina knew that. But pain rarely cared about reason. She lifted her hand.
Then the world stopped. The needles remained suspended. The flame inside the lantern froze. Even the wind outside the tent disappeared. Seraphina's eyes widened. Someone stepped out from the darkness.
Ariella. She walked slowly towards her sister. Her face was calm. Too calm. "Enough, Seraphina."
Seraphina's fingers tightened. "You."
Ariella stopped a few feet away. Her gaze moved from the floating needles to Elysia. Then back to Seraphina. "Put them down."
Seraphina laughed bitterly. "You expect me to?"
"I expect you to think before you do something you cannot undo."
"Think?" Seraphina's voice shook. "He just left me for her."
Ariella didn't flinch. "I know, Seraphina. I know what he's done."
Seraphina stared at her. "You knew?"
Ariella's silence was answer enough. The anger in Seraphina's face gave way to something more painful. "How long?"
Ariella stepped closer. "Long enough."
"You knew about him and Elysia?"
"I knew Alexander was becoming interested in her."
"That's not what I asked."
Ariella's eyes lowered briefly. "No. I didn't know everything."
Seraphina's hand trembled. "You knew he was lying to me."
Ariella met her gaze. "I knew he kept things from you. He kept things from me too."
The admission hurt more than Seraphina expected. For a moment, she could only stare at Ariella. Her mind seized on the words, turning them over until their meaning became impossible to ignore.
He kept things from me. Ariella hadn't needed to say more.
Alexander had been lying to her. Not simply hiding some harmless secret, not merely avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. He had been seeing Ariella while standing in front of Seraphina and pretending she was the only woman who mattered.
Her chest tightened. How many times had she trusted him? How many times had she listened to his promises and believed the tenderness in his voice was meant only for her? She had defended him when others questioned his intentions. She had given him the benefit of every doubt, even when something about his behaviour didn't sit right with her.
And all this time, Ariella had been there. Her own sister.
Seraphina's fingers curled against her palm. The betrayal from Alexander was painful enough. But Ariella knew. She had known there was something between them, even if she hadn't known the full extent of his lies.
Seraphina swallowed hard, refusing to let the tears gathering in her eyes fall. She had thought she was surrounded by people she could trust. Alexander had betrayed her love. Ariella had betrayed her as a sister. And now this new woman appeared out of nowhere. She looked towards Elysia. The sleeping princess hadn't moved. "Then why are you protecting her?"
Ariella's expression softened. "Because this isn't her fault."
Seraphina shook her head. "He chose her."
"Alexander chose to betray us." Ariella's voice remained quiet.
"Those aren't the same thing." Seraphina stared at her sister.
For several seconds, neither spoke. Then the poison needles began to tremble. Ariella stepped closer. "Look at her."
Seraphina didn't want to.
"She doesn't even know what he's doing." That stopped her. Ariella continued. "You can punish Elysia for something Alexander did. But it won't change what happened between you and him."
Seraphina's eyes burned. "I hate him."
Ariella's expression didn't change. "Then don't become like him."
The words struck harder than any accusation. Seraphina looked at the needles floating above her hand. One by one, they disappeared. The glow faded from her fingers. Her shoulders dropped.
Ariella released the spell. Sound returned to the world. The lantern flame moved. Wind passed through the trees. Somewhere outside, a horse shifted in its sleep. Elysia remained unconscious.
Seraphina stared at her. "Does she know?"
"She knew about me." Ariella hesitated.
She hadn't told Seraphina about the pact. For a moment, she wondered whether she should. Elysia had trusted her with something dangerous, and revealing it now felt like another betrayal.
Seraphina let out a bitter laugh. "Well, that explains why you're on her side." She wiped quickly beneath one eye before the tears could fall. "He's been lying to us."
Ariella didn't deny it. For once, there was nothing either sister could say to make the truth less ugly.
Seraphina looked towards the tent entrance. "What happens now?"
Ariella glanced at Elysia. "That depends on what you decide to do next."
Seraphina's jaw tightened. She wanted revenge. She wanted answers. More than anything, she wanted Alexander to feel even a fraction of what he had made her feel. But when she looks at Elysia again, her anger still remains for her even though it's not her fault. At least that was what Ariella wanted to believe. How naive of her sister.
Elysia had been asleep through all of it, unaware of the confrontation unfolding only a few steps away. Unaware that Seraphina had come within moments of ending her life. Unaware that Ariella had stopped her. And perhaps that was what made it worse. Elysia had no idea how close she had come to dying.
Ariella placed a hand on Seraphina's shoulder. "Come with me."
Seraphina didn't move immediately. Then, slowly, she followed her sister into the darkness.
Behind them, Elysia slept on. Unaware that the man who wanted to possess her had just broken one woman's heart and nearly caused another to spill blood for it.
And somewhere beyond the camp, Alexander walked beneath the moonlight, believing he had finally cleared the path towards the woman he wanted. He was wrong. The path had only become more complicated.