Nyx's POV
The silver light fades, and I collapse.
My power is gone as quickly as it came. The rejection wounds scream through my body. I can't breathe. Can't think.
Around me, the exiles slowly get back to their feet. They're staring at me like I'm a ghost.
"What the hell was that?" someone whispers.
"Did she just—"
"Omega Sovereign," the huge man gasps, still on his knees. His face has gone white. "I thought they were all dead."
Ember pushes through the crowd. She kneels beside me, her scarred face unreadable. "Can you hear me?"
I try to answer, but darkness is pulling me under.
"Get Tobias!" Ember shouts. "Now!"
Someone runs off. Ember scoops me up again. "Stay with me, kid. Don't you dare die after showing us that."
But I'm already falling into the black.
I dream of my mother.
I never met her—she died giving birth to me. But sometimes I dream about her anyway.
In the dream, she's beautiful with long dark hair and silver eyes. My eyes.
"My little moon," she whispers, touching my face. "They tried to hide what you are. They tried to cage your wolf. But the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."
"I don't understand," I sob. "Why did this happen to me? Why did they reject me?"
"Because they're afraid." Her smile is sad. "The Alphas ruled for so long, they forgot that Omega Sovereigns existed. They forgot that true power doesn't come from dominance. It comes from balance."
"I don't want this power! I just wanted them to love me!"
"I know, baby. I know." She pulls me into her arms. "But love that requires you to be weak isn't real love. You deserve mates who see your strength and choose you anyway."
"What if they never do?"
"Then you choose yourself." She kisses my forehead. "Now wake up. Someone's waiting for you."
I open my eyes to firelight.
I'm lying on a soft bed—the first real bed I've touched in days. My wounds are bandaged. Someone cleaned the dirt off my skin.
"Welcome back to the living."
I turn my head. Ember sits beside the bed, sharpening a knife. In the firelight, I can see her better. She's maybe twenty-four, with bright red hair pulled back and a jagged scar running from her temple to her jaw.
"How long was I out?" My voice cracks.
"Two days." She sets down the knife. "Tobias said you should've died three times over. The rejection wounds, the exhaustion, the power drain. But here you are."
I try to sit up. Pain shoots through me, but it's not as bad as before.
"Easy." Ember hands me a cup of water. "Drink slowly."
The water tastes like heaven. I drain the whole cup.
"Thank you," I whisper. "For saving me. For bringing me here."
Ember shrugs. "I'm a sucker for lost causes." But her eyes are kind. "Besides, anyone who can make that asshole Derek bow deserves a chance."
"Derek?"
"The big guy who threatened you. He's been running his mouth for months about how he should lead this place. One look from you put him on his face." She grins. "That was beautiful."
I touch my chest where the bonds are. I can still feel my five Alphas through them, far away. They're in pain. Confused. Scared.
Good.
"What happens now?" I ask.
"Now you rest. Heal. Get stronger." Ember stands up. "Then we figure out what the hell you are and what you want to do about it."
"What I want?" I laugh bitterly. "Nobody's ever asked me that before."
"Well, I'm asking." She crosses her arms. "You're an Omega Sovereign, kid. Do you know what that means?"
"The dark witch said I make Alphas bow instead of bowing to them."
"That's part of it." Ember sits back down, her expression serious. "But it's more than that. Omega Sovereigns were the original rulers, before the Alphas took over. They could unite packs without violence, heal broken bonds, sense lies, and command any wolf regardless of rank."
My head spins. "That's impossible."
"You made a hundred wolves submit with one look. You tell me what's impossible." She leans forward. "The Alphas wiped out the Omega Sovereigns three hundred years ago because they were scared. Scared of losing power. Scared of anyone who could challenge them."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you need to understand what you're sitting on." Her eyes are fierce. "You're not just some reject who got lucky. You're a threat to every Alpha in the five kingdoms. And when they figure out you're alive and what you are, they'll come for you."
Fear claws at my throat. "Then what do I do?"
"You get strong enough that when they come, you're ready." She stands up. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow, your training begins."
She walks toward the door, then pauses. "Oh, and Nyx? Those five Alphas who rejected you? They've been losing their minds for the past two days. Word is Kieran nearly killed his own Beta. Cassian locked himself in his library. Darius is seeing things that aren't there. Riven can't stop crying. And Zane's having visions that make him scream."
My heart twists. Part of me feels satisfied. Part of me feels sick.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Ember's smile is sharp. "Because you need to decide something. Are you going to forgive them? Try to fix the bonds? Or are you going to make them suffer the way they made you suffer?"
She leaves before I can answer.
I lie back down, staring at the cave ceiling.
Through the bonds, I feel Kieran wake up from another nightmare. I feel Cassian's mind breaking. I feel all of them falling apart.
I could help them. Send them comfort through the bonds. Let them know I'm alive.
Or I could let them drown in the same pain they gave me.
My wolf stirs. "What are you going to do?"
Before I can answer, the door bursts open.
A old man rushes in, his eyes wide with panic. This must be Tobias.
"We have a problem," he gasps. "A big one."
"What's wrong?"
"Your sister. Lyra. She just announced her engagement to all five Alphas at once."
My blood runs cold. "What?"
"She's claiming the Moon Goddess gave her a vision. That she's the true Mate of Five, and you were just a test." He pulls out a crumpled paper—a message from the kingdoms. "The bonding ceremony is in one week. If it succeeds, she'll have the power of all five kingdoms. She'll be unstoppable."
I stare at the paper, my hands shaking.
Lyra is trying to steal everything. My destiny. My mates. My power.
And if she bonds with them, the connections I have through the broken bonds might kill me.
"There's more," Tobias says quietly. "The High Priestess announced that any information leading to your body will be rewarded with gold. They want proof you're dead."
"Why?"
"Because if you're alive, you can challenge the bonding. Omega Sovereigns can break false mate bonds with a single touch." He looks at me seriously. "You're the only thing standing between Lyra and ultimate power. Which means she's going to do everything she can to make sure you never leave this wasteland."
Outside, I hear wolves howling. Not friendly howls.
Hunting howls.
Ember runs back in, her face grim. "We've got company. Twenty royal guards, heading straight for us. Someone told them where we are."
"How long do we have?" Tobias asks.
"Minutes."
I push myself out of bed, ignoring the pain. "Then we fight."
"You can barely stand," Ember protests.
"I don't care." Silver light flickers around my hands. "They took everything from me. My home. My family. My mates. I'm not letting them take my life too."
Through the bonds, I feel something shift.
The five Alphas sense danger. They sense me in danger.
And for the first time since they rejected me, I feel something from them besides pain.
Fear.
Not for themselves.
For me.