"Mama!"
Eryx's scream ripped through the air like a blade to my chest.
I spun around and ran toward the sound, my feet barely touching the ground, heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my ribs.
No.
No, no, no.
Not my son.
I was crying without sound as I ran, my throat tight, my lungs burning. The forest opened suddenly into a wide clearing—an open field bathed in an eerie glow. It felt wrong. Ancient. Sacred in the worst possible way.
It looked like a shrine.
And there, at the center of it, was my baby.
"Eryx!" I screamed.
He was tied to a tall wooden stake, his small body bound like an offering—like a sacrificial lamb. His eyes were wide with terror, tears streaking down his cheeks as he struggled helplessly against the ropes.
I ran toward him, desperation fueling my legs, but the moment I crossed a certain point, an invisible force slammed into me.
I flew backward and crashed to the ground.
Pain exploded through my body, but I forced myself up on shaking legs and tried again.
Another step.
Another invisible wall.
It was like running into solid glass—something I couldn't see but couldn't break through.
"No!" I screamed, pounding against the barrier with my fists. "Please! Please!"
Nothing.
I was trapped. Useless. Weak.
I had never truly understood what weakness was until that moment. Until I stood there, fully aware, watching my child suffer while I could do nothing.
"Mama!" Eryx cried again, his small voice breaking.
It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest piece by piece. I clawed at the barrier, screamed until my throat burned, until blood filled my mouth, but it didn't matter.
I could only watch.
I could only cry.
I could only witness as shadowy figures stepped closer to my son… as a blade was raised… as his cries faded into silence.
"Arielle… Arielle…"
Someone was calling my name, but I was too far gone to answer.
"Arielle!"
I jolted awake with a scream, my body snapping upright as if pulled from drowning.
"What—what?" I yelled, shoving Rosie away from me in blind panic.
She stumbled back, eyes wide with shock.
"Arielle! Are you okay? You were crying… screaming. I couldn't wake you."
My dream.
The images crashed back into me all at once—Eryx. The shrine. The barrier. Death.
I whipped my head to the side.
Eryx was there.
Alive.
Breathing.
"Eryx!" I cried, scrambling out of bed so fast I nearly fell. My legs barely held me as I rushed to him.
Fear crawled up my skin like a living thing, wrapping around my chest, squeezing until I could barely breathe.
My son.
I was going mad. I couldn't hear Rosie anymore. Her voice faded into nothing as panic roared in my ears.
Eryx wasn't in the bed where I'd laid him.
"Eryx!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I ran out of the room.
This can't be happening.
My breathing came in sharp, broken gasps. My vision blurred. The walls felt like they were closing in.
"Mama?"
I froze.
That small voice—soft, confused—pulled me back from the edge.
I turned and saw him standing in the hallway, rubbing his eyes, perfectly unharmed.
I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until it rushed out of me in a broken sob. I dropped to my knees and pulled him into my arms, clutching him so tightly he squeaked.
"Mama?" he asked again.
I cried openly now, burying my face in his hair, breathing him in like he was the only thing keeping me alive. I had no words to explain the terror lodged in my chest.
I just held him.
And I didn't let go.
By morning, I was a wreck.
I paced the room endlessly, unable to sit, unable to think straight. I wasn't the kind who dreamed—but when I did, they always meant something.
They always came true.
Maybe not exactly as I saw them… but they happened.
And I couldn't ignore this one.
When Kael didn't come to see me, I made the decision myself.
I went to his house.
I knew I wasn't supposed to be there without permission or summons, but none of that mattered. Not when my son's life was at stake.
Punishment meant nothing.
I walked straight into the house and found Kael in the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. He didn't look surprised to see me—mate bond, of course.
"Look who dares to come here after shutting me out," he said coldly.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I just needed space. Time to think."
This wasn't why I was here.
"You shouldn't be here," he replied, lifting his cup to sip.
"I had a dream."
He froze.
Kael knew my dreams.
Slowly, he lowered the cup. "Arielle—"
"I don't trust this test, Kael," I said, panic rising. "I saw Eryx die."
"Arielle."
"I'm serious!" I nearly screamed. "This test shouldn't be trusted!"
"You're being paranoid," he said calmly. "It's just a ritual to test if he is—"
"Worthy," I cut in bitterly.
"Capable," Kael corrected. "The elders don't believe he has alpha blood running through his veins."
The elders. Always the elders.
"You are an alpha, for crying out loud!" I snapped. "Why do you let them control you like a puppet?"
The words fell heavy into the room.
Too heavy.
I knew I'd made a mistake the moment they left my mouth.
"Arielle!"
Nora's voice thundered behind me.
I barely had time to turn before pain exploded across my face. I hit the cold tiles hard, the impact rattling my bones.
"You ungrateful imbecile!" Nora shrieked.
"How dare you speak to my son that way?"
She was on top of me before I could react, her fists raining down without mercy. She didn't care that I was human.
I curled into myself, arms shielding my face as blow after blow landed.
Pain blurred everything.
But through it all, one thought echoed in my mind.
Eryx.
And somewhere beyond the pain, I heard Kael's voice—sharp, furious—shouting my name.
Then everything went dark.