Killian POV
"MOVE!" I roar at Darius.
We're both running for our cars. Isla and Selene are already speeding away toward the Morven estate.
Toward Mira.
Toward Vanessa.
Darius blocks my path to my vehicle. "You're not going anywhere near that child. You lost that right when you let a witch curse her mother."
"That's MY daughter—"
"Who you let be poisoned against her own mother for YEARS." Darius's wolf is in his eyes, gold and furious. "Isla doesn't want you there. Respect that."
"I don't give a damn what Isla wants right now. My daughter is in danger!"
"Because of YOUR choices! YOUR mistakes!" Darius shoves me back. "You want to help? Then stay out of the way and let the people who actually love Mira handle this."
Something inside me snaps.
I punch him.
We crash to the ground, shifting mid-fall. My black wolf tears into his golden one. We're a blur of teeth and claws and rage.
"STOP IT!" Marcus's voice cuts through the violence. "Both of you! While you're fighting, that little girl is dying!"
We freeze.
Marcus is holding his phone up. "I just got a message from the Morven Pack. Vanessa broke through their outer defenses. She's inside the estate. They have maybe five minutes before she reaches Mira's room."
Five minutes.
Darius and I shift back to human form at the same time.
"Truce," he says, breathing hard. "Until Mira's safe."
"Truce," I agree.
We run to our cars. I'm faster—I know these roads better. But Darius is right behind me, his headlights blazing in my rearview mirror.
My phone rings. It's Elena.
"Killian, listen to me," she says urgently. "Vanessa isn't just coming for Mira. She's coming for Isla too. This is a trap. Vanessa knows Isla will do anything to protect that child."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because despite everything, I know you actually love your daughter. And if Vanessa kills Isla, Mira loses her mother forever. Is that what you want?"
No. Goddess, no.
"What do I do?" I ask.
"Vanessa's using dark magic. Really dark. The kind that requires a sacrifice to break." Elena's voice shakes. "Someone has to die to stop her spell. And she's planning for that someone to be Isla."
My blood turns to ice. "How do you know this?"
"Because I've been tracking Vanessa's magical signature for three years. I know what she's capable of." Elena pauses. "Killian, if you actually want to make things right, you need to get there before Isla does something stupid like sacrifice herself."
"I'm going as fast as I can—"
"Not fast enough. Isla can shift into a form that moves faster than cars. She'll be there in three minutes. You need two."
"That's impossible!"
"Then find a way to make it possible!" Elena hangs up.
I floor the gas pedal. My engine screams. I'm going 110 miles per hour on a road that's barely meant for 60.
My wolf is howling inside my head. Mate in danger. Cub in danger. FASTER.
Behind me, Darius is keeping pace. His face is grim through his windshield.
My phone rings again. This time it's a number I don't recognize.
"Alpha Blackthorn," a woman's voice says. "This is Moira Morven. Isla's grandmother."
"Is Mira okay—"
"For now. But you need to know something about my granddaughter. She's spent three years training for this moment. Learning to control her power. But there's one thing I couldn't train out of her."
"What?"
"Her love for that child. If it comes down to choosing between her own life and Mira's, Isla will sacrifice herself without hesitation." Moira's voice is heavy. "She's already decided. I can hear it in her mind through our family bond. She's going to let Vanessa kill her if it means Mira survives."
"No." The word rips out of me. "I won't let her—"
"You can't stop her. No one can. Once a Morven decides to protect someone, they'll die doing it." Moira pauses. "But you might be able to give her a reason to live."
"How?"
"Vanessa's spell requires a willing sacrifice. Someone who chooses to die. But if Isla knows that Mira needs BOTH her parents alive—that you've finally become the father that child deserves—she might fight to survive instead of giving up."
"I don't understand—"
"Convince her you've changed. That you're worth living for. That together, you can give Mira the family she deserves." Moira's voice hardens. "But Killian? If you're lying—if this is manipulation—my granddaughter will know. And I will personally destroy you."
She hangs up.
I stare at my phone, my mind racing.
Three years ago, I threw away my mate. Chose comfort over love. Let a witch destroy my family.
Now I have one chance to fix it.
One chance to prove I'm not the monster I became.
The Morven estate appears ahead—massive, beautiful, glowing with silver light.
And burning.
Part of the main building is on fire. Dark magic swirls around it like smoke.
I screech to a stop. Darius pulls up beside me.
We run toward the entrance together.
Morvem warriors are fighting everywhere—against shadows, against dark creatures Vanessa must have summoned. The air stinks of blood and magic.
"WHERE'S MIRA?" I roar at the nearest warrior.
He points toward the east wing. "Third floor! But you can't—"
I'm already running.
Darius is right beside me. We crash through doors, leap over fallen debris, dodge magical attacks.
We reach the third floor hallway.
At the end of it, I see them.
Isla stands in front of a closed door—Mira's room, I'm guessing. Her whole body glows with silver light. She looks like an avenging goddess.
Facing her is Vanessa.
But not the beautiful woman I remember. This Vanessa is twisted, wrong. Her eyes are pure black. Dark magic swirls around her like living shadows.
"Move aside, little Luna," Vanessa hisses. "I just want the child."
"Over my dead body," Isla says calmly.
"That can be arranged." Vanessa's smile is terrible. "In fact, that's exactly what I need. Your death will fuel the spell that destroys the Morven bloodline forever."
"So that's your plan? Kill me, kill my daughter, wipe out my family?"
"Not just your family. All three original bloodlines. Morven, Silvercrest, Nightshade. All of you need to die so someone else can rise."
"Someone else?" Isla's eyes narrow. "Who are you working for?"
"Someone who promised me more power than you can imagine. Someone who's been planning this for fifty years." Vanessa's dark magic pulses stronger. "And all I have to do is kill you and take your daughter's blood."
Behind the door, I hear Mira crying. My heart breaks.
"You'll never touch her," Isla says. Her power explodes outward, pushing against Vanessa's darkness.
The two forces collide. The hallway shakes. Windows shatter.
I try to move forward, but the magical pressure is too strong. It's like walking through concrete.
"Killian," Darius grunts beside me. "We need to combine our Alpha power. It's the only way through."
He's right. I hate that he's right.
We lock eyes. Put our hands together.
Our combined Alpha power punches through the magical barrier.
We burst into the hallway just as Vanessa raises her hand. Dark energy gathers in her palm—enough to kill.
"ISLA!" I scream.
She turns. Sees me. Her eyes widen with shock.
That one second of distraction is all Vanessa needs.
The dark energy bolt fires.
Not at Isla.
At the door behind her.
At Mira.
Everything happens in slow motion.
Isla spins, throwing herself in front of the door.
The bolt hits her square in the chest.
She gasps. Stumbles.
Silver blood drips from her mouth.
"NO!" I'm running. Darius is running. We're both screaming.
Isla falls to her knees. Her silver light starts flickering.
Behind the door, Mira is screaming: "MOMMY! MOMMY, PLEASE!"
Vanessa laughs. "Perfect. A willing sacrifice. The spell accepts—"
"Not quite," Isla interrupts. Her voice is weak but steady. She looks up at me with those beautiful green eyes. "Killian. I need you to promise me something."
"Anything. Goddess, anything—"
"Take care of our daughter. Be the father she deserves. Love her enough for both of us."
Tears are streaming down my face. "You're not dying. I won't let you—"
"It's already done." She smiles sadly. "The spell's activated. I'm the sacrifice. But Mira lives. That's all that matters."
"NO!" Darius drops beside her, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. "There has to be another way—"
"There isn't." Isla touches his face gently. "Thank you. For being kind to me. For showing me I was worth something."
Then she looks at me. "Killian. I forgive you. For everything. Just... just be better. For her."
Her eyes start to close.
Her silver light fades.
And I feel it—the mate bond, dormant for so long, suddenly screaming with agony.
She's dying.
My mate is dying.
And it's all my fault.
"NORA!" I grab her shoulders. "Don't you dare leave! You hear me? DON'T YOU DARE—"
Behind us, Vanessa screams in triumph. "YES! The sacrifice is accepted! The Morven line ends NOW—"
The door to Mira's room explodes open.
A tiny seven-year-old girl stands there. Her eyes are glowing the same silver as her mother's.
"Nobody hurts my mommy," Mira says.
And power—pure, ancient, devastating power—erupts from her small body.