Nov Pov-
The forest was too quiet. The kind of quiet that made your skin crawl, like the trees were holding their breath.
"We're close," Kieran said, his voice smooth and annoyingly calm, like he wasn't worried at all. "I can smell blood. Your sister's not far."
My heart clenched at the mention of Serena. I pushed forward faster, but Kieran's hand shot out, curling around my wrist.
"Careful, wolf."
I opened my mouth to snap back, but before I could, the ground beneath us shuddered. Vines shot up like snakes, coiling around my legs, my waist—pulling me straight into Kieran.
"Wha—hey! Get this thing off me!" I shouted, struggling against the thorny vines. The harder I pulled, the tighter they wrapped.
Kieran wasn't helping. He was smirking. Actually smirking. "It's a binding snare. Old fae magic. It feeds off resistance."
"Then do something!" I hissed.
"Oh, I could." His eyes glimmered with mischief as the vines tightened, pressing me flush against his chest. "But the snare only releases when two hearts beat as one. A test of trust."
I froze. "You're kidding."
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" He tilted his head, lips way too close to mine for comfort. His breath ghosted over my cheek. "Relax, little wolf. Sync with me. Or we stay tangled all night."
My face burned. "I'd rather die here."
His grin widened. "Careful. You say that now, but if you keep looking at me like that, I'll forget this is just a game."
My heart betrayed me by hammering in my chest. I cursed silently and tried to calm it, but of course the vines only tightened again, squeezing me closer until I could feel every line of him.
"Kieran—" My voice cracked, and his smirk told me he noticed.
"Shh. Trust me." His tone softened for the first time, deep and steady. It startled me more than his teasing.
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to match his breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Slowly, my heartbeat steadied—still racing, but less frantic. Against my will, it synced with his.
The vines loosened. Then, with a sharp snap, they crumbled away, leaving us tumbling forward.
Of course, I landed flat on my back. And of course, Kieran landed right on top of me.
For one dangerous second, everything stopped. His face hovered inches from mine, his hair brushing my skin, his eyes locked on me like he could see through every lie I told myself.
I didn't want to like him. I swore I didn't. But my lips tingled anyway, traitorous and aching.
"Kieran, get off—" I whispered, breathless.
Before he could answer, a voice cut through the trees. Low. Dangerous.
"Nova?"
My blood ran cold. I twisted my head—and my stomach dropped.
Damien. And Serena. Standing right there. Watching us.
*******
Damien Pov-
I should've turned back the second I smelled them.
Nova.
And him.
But instead, I pushed forward, Serena at my side, and now here I was — staring at the wolf I swore meant nothing to me, tangled beneath the Fae Prince like some damsel out of a ridiculous ballad.
For a second, the world tilted. My demon stirred, whispering ugly things I refused to acknowledge. I locked it down, jaw tight.
Kieran didn't move off her. Of course he didn't. His smirk was pure provocation, the bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
Nova scrambled, shoving at him, cheeks burning red. "It's not—this isn't—"
I cut her stammering off with a slow clap. Cold. Controlled "No. It looks exactly right. The omega crawling under the first man who gives her attention. Figures."
Her eyes snapped to mine—furious, stung. Perfect. Better her rage than the way my chest twisted.
"Excuse me?!" she shouted, shoving Kieran off at last. "You arrogant—!"
Her head snapped toward me, eyes wide, offended. Exactly the reaction I wanted.
Good. Anger was easier than… anything else.
Kieran leaned casually on his elbow, still half draped over her, gaze glittering with amusement. "Don't be jealous, Damien. She just couldn't resist me."
My hands curled into fists. The vines at my feet cracked under the force of my grip. But I smiled. That cool, empty smile everyone knew me for. "Jealous? Of you? Don't flatter yourself, fae. I don't care what—or who—keeps you busy."
Lie.
A bitter one. But my voice never betrayed me.
Nova finally shoved free and scrambled to her feet, fury blazing across her face. "Both of you just stop!, enough with you dick measuring contest,"
Kieran's grin widened. Mine stayed cold. But beneath it, something ugly clawed at my chest.
I glanced at her, just once. That stubborn fire in her eyes, the wild way she looked when her hair was a mess, when her heart was still pounding from danger—
I forced the thought down. Locked it in a box.
She wasn't mine. She would never be mine.
I turned away, letting the shadows hide the twist in my expression. "We move. Now. Unless you'd prefer to keep rolling around in the dirt."
Nova's gasp of outrage made Kieran chuckle low in his throat, like he'd won some invisible round. And maybe he had.
Because even as I walked ahead, pretending none of it mattered, every step burned with the image I couldn't scrub out—
Her.
And him.
Together.
"I caught a clue about the flag. That's what matters. Not… whatever this is."
"And you're sure it's the flag," Nova mutters from behind but I ignore her at first letting a few seconds pass before I reply.
I stopped on my strides and looked behind.
I let my voice cut through the clearing, cold and sharp as steel.
"I don't lose sight of a goal, I intend to pass this trial, not flirting my way through it,"
The words came harsher than I intended, but I didn't take them back. Her head snapped up, her cheeks coloring. Good. She should be embarrassed. She should know better.
"I—What?—" she stammered, and for a second, I hated how much heat rose in me at the sight of her flustered.
Kieran chuckled. Low. Amused. Like this was a game meant for his enjoyment.
"Jealous much?" he drawled, deliberately soft but pitched enough for me to hear.
My jaw clenched.
"Don't flatter yourself," I said flatly, though I knew he saw right through me. His smirk told me as much.
Serena's voice broke the silence. Calm. Cutting.
"Okay why are we pretending we're a team you guys? You all realize only a pair can win this trial, right? Just one pair."
Her words hung heavy between us. Nova blinked, startled. Kieran's smirk dipped for the first time. I didn't answer, because I didn't have one.
Instead, my eyes locked on the flag in the clearing ahead. Standing alone, glowing faintly. Too easy.
It prickled against my instincts. Wrong. A lure.
And for the first time since stepping into this cursed trial, I felt a sharp coil of dread tighten inside me.