Damn it. Damn it.
How did I lose him? I only turned away for a minute—
I kept repeating the thought as I ran in the direction Aspen had gone. Just moments ago, we had been sitting at the edge of the northeastern meadows, overlooking the woods, watching the trees sway and dance with the wind. Everything had been calm. Peaceful.
Then chaos erupted.
Thunderous elk hooves shook the ground as a shout rang out—a breach. I turned, searching for Aspen, and in that instant, he was gone.
I should have known. He would always be the first to run headfirst into danger. Brave, yes—but reckless. I swear, not a single beast king I've met knows how to think before acting.
"Aspen! Aspen!" I shouted, my voice nearly lost as herds of elks charged past me toward the intruders. There was no way I could block their path without being trampled to death.
So I ran alongside them, keeping my distance, lungs burning, legs screaming. I couldn't see him anywhere.
He was entrusted to my care. My watch.
I gritted my teeth and ran faster.
The herd suddenly slowed, then stopped. On the horizon stood a pack of hyenas, their manic cackling slicing through the plains.
And there—at the very front of the elks—stood Aspen.
My blood turned cold.
"What a warm welcome," one of the hyenas laughed. "A feast laid out just for us. Vera truly never disappoints!"
"You are not allowed to set foot in our lands," Aspen declared, his voice firm, commanding. "Leave now—or die."
The hyenas erupted into laughter.
"Ooooh, should we be scared, little fawn?" one jeered. "Your meat will be the first we feast on."
Aspen, you crazy little fool.
I was terrified. No matter how brave I tried to be, these creatures could tear me apart without hesitation. The fear I'd felt watching movies—Jurassic Park, Jaws—was nothing compared to this. I survived the bats, but these beasts were different. Senseless. Bloodthirsty. They wouldn't reason.
They attacked without warning.
An elk lunged forward, shielding Aspen as hyenas crashed into the herd. Antlers clashed, bodies fell. Elks kicked, struck, gored—some hyenas were brought down beneath sharp tines—but others tore through flesh with savage precision.
Aspen fought with fire in his eyes, vengeance driving every move.
Then I saw it.
A hyena behind him. Ready to strike.
I didn't think. I moved.
I summoned my bow and fired—too slow. The hyena dodged. I expected that; my control still wasn't perfect. I just needed to buy time. Another hyena lunged toward Aspen, and I summoned my dagger, throwing myself between them.
"Shelley! What are you doing here?!" Aspen shouted.
"I'm here for you," I yelled back. "What the hell are you thinking?!"
"I'm avenging my parents!"
"Stop using their deaths as an excuse!" I snapped, slashing at a hyena as Aspen kicked and struck beside me. "They sacrificed themselves so you could lead. There are other ways to prove yourself—and this should have been the last!"
I knew these predators hadn't found Velaris on their own.
Fucking Vera!
She was at it again. She's really going to get it from me now.
I was scratched, clawed—my dagger knocked from my hand. I summoned it back instantly. I refused to use fire. If I lost control, I could destroy everything.
Then the cackling grew louder.
I turned.
Aspen was pinned to the ground.
The hyena raised its jaws—
I didn't think.
Fire exploded from me.
The hyena screamed as flames consumed it.
Burn. Burn. Burn.
Fire leapt from fur to fur, igniting the pack. Aspen stared in horror as hyenas fell, some reduced to ash. He collapsed to the ground, shaking, eyes wide.
"Shelley…" he whispered, pointing at me.
I looked down.
Flames wrapped around my body.
Rage swallowed me whole—the elks' suffering, the hyenas' cruelty, the unbearable weight of abundance feeding the fire. I wasn't controlling it anymore.
I was it.
With one sweep of my arm, fire surged across the grass like a living wave. Elks scattered. Hyenas shrieked, fleeing—but the flames hunted them down.
Cackles turned to screams.
I knelt beside one of them, writhing in agony.
"You love to hunt," I said coldly. "But not to be hunted."
I exhaled.
Fire finished it.
Every step I took scorched the land. My chest ached, grief and fury tearing through me. This was abundance—it didn't choose what it multiplied. It simply did.
"Shelley, please!" Aspen cried. "Stop!"
I looked around.
His kingdom was burning.
No.
This wasn't what I wanted.
I collapsed, sobbing, curling into myself as the fire raged. I wanted mercy. Peace. Prosperity—not this.
Then—
Wind.
Water.
A powerful gust swept through the plains, followed by a crashing deluge that smothered the flames. A low, calming whistle echoed, and a swift, unseen force finished what remained of the hyenas.
Aspen crawled toward me.
"Please… stay back," I begged, trembling. "I don't want you hurt."
My body shook violently. My energy was gone. I needed to mate—or I might not survive—and of course, fate had chosen the middle of a battlefield.
I broke.
Then—
Arms wrapped around me.
Cool. Steady. Grounding.
Another presence followed—wind brushing my face, gentle and familiar, carrying the faint scent of the sky. Strong hands closed around mine, warm and anchoring, refusing to let go.
I didn't need to look to know.
Rocco held me close, solid and unyielding.
Talon's breeze soothed the fire still trembling beneath my skin.
Aron's hands steadied me, careful, protective, real.
Together, they kept me from breaking apart.
Then—through the haze of exhaustion and fading consciousness—I saw him.
Gideon.
He stood at a distance.
Watching.
So far away.
For a heartbeat, my heart ached painfully at the sight of him. Relief and longing twisted together—but his eyes did not rush toward me.
They were distant. Empty. Sad.
I wanted to reach for him.
I couldn't.
My thoughts slowed. My heartbeat softened.
And darkness finally claimed me.