-Alexia-
Smoke choked the courtyard. Stone cracked beneath our feet. Magic flared and spat sparks in every direction. Students screamed, running unthinkingly, some tripping over debris as they fled. And in the middle of it all, Rowan's body twisted unnaturally under Gideon's control. His eyes glowed harsh and empty, and my heart lurched.
Finn, Soren, and Jasper stood before me, protective and fierce. Zeus pressed close, muscles coiled, growling low. My mind raced. How could I stop this without losing them—without losing Kaia?
Then the realization hit me like ice in my veins. There was only one way.
Gideon didn't care about the school. He didn't care about Rowan or the council's war. He wanted me. Everything—every attack, every threat—had been building toward this. He was using them to get to me.
"No," I whispered to myself, tasting ash on my tongue. But I knew it wasn't negotiable.
The courtyard shook as Gideon stepped through the smoke, calm and predatory. "Alexia," he said, his voice smooth, almost gentle. "You know this ends with you. Why make them suffer more?"
My mates' fear and anger rippled through the bond—Finn's fire flaring, Soren's shadow quivering with restraint, Jasper's heartbreak pressing into my chest. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. "I have to," I whispered.
"Come to me, and I'll stop this," Gideon continued, voice low, persuasive. "The school will stand. Your friends will live. Even your precious mates."
I shook my head. "You'll stop?"
"On my word," he promised, and I felt the dark pulse of his power underlining the claim.
Kaia's gaze met mine, wide and wet. She shook her head frantically, mouthing the word 'Don't'. But it was too late.
"I'll go," I said quietly.
"No!" Finn lunged, and I threw up a barrier of light. It flared, shimmering like glass, splintering under the impact of his fist.
"Don't do this!" Soren shouted. "You can't—please, Lex!"
I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling their hearts through the bond. "I love you," I whispered.
Jasper's eyes met mine, and I saw everything—love, grief, pride, and the unbearable knowledge that he couldn't stop me. "We'll find you," he promised. "No matter what it takes."
I nodded, tears spilling over. "I know."
Step by heavy step, I moved toward Gideon. Each footfall felt like wading through lead, my body screaming to turn back. Zeus shifted, attempting to block me, growling low. "You've protected me enough," I whispered to him.
The runes beneath us flared, forming a perfect circle of shadow. Power hummed, dark and suffocating. I reached Gideon's outstretched hand. His fingers were ice-cold against mine. "Good girl," he murmured.
Behind me, I heard the shatter of stone—Finn breaking through the barrier—but it was too late. The circle flared, energy swallowing everything. The last thing I saw before the world went black was their faces—desperation, heartbreak, love—all colliding in one soul-crushing instant.
When I woke, the air was damp and cold. Chains hummed softly against my wrists, holding me in place without cutting or bruising. They were meant to contain, not torture—but the weight of them felt like the promise of Gideon's control.
He stood in front of me, expression soft now, almost… sad. "You made the right choice," he said quietly. "You saved them."
I wanted to believe him. I tried to think of Kaia, Rowan, my mates, the school—they were all safe. That my sacrifice meant something. But his eyes told the truth: darkness, endless and hungry, coiled beneath the surface.
I shifted in the chains, testing their strength, my fingers brushing against the faint pulse of magic that ran along them. It didn't hurt. But the control it represented was absolute. Gideon's power was like ice in my veins, and yet… I wasn't broken. Not yet.
I forced my mind to focus. I could feel the threads of the bond—the faint hum of Finn's fire, the shadow pulse from Soren, the quiet heartbeat of Jasper. They were reaching for me, even now. And I for them. My heart ached, but it also steeled itself. This wasn't the end.
Gideon circled me slowly, as if savoring the sight of me restrained. "You think you've made a sacrifice," he said, voice low, almost intimate. "But you've only begun to pay the price."
I let the chains pull, testing. My light—the magic threaded with silver and gold—still pulsed faintly in me. Not enough to escape, not yet, but enough to feel the fire within. My mind reached for possibilities, for weak points, for the sliver of chance I always found before.
I clenched my jaw. If he thought chains and shadows would break me, he didn't know Alexia. I was not a girl to be caged. I had saved them once before, and I would do it again—this time from within his grasp.
Outside, I could sense the aftermath of the battle—the burnt wards, the chaos, the faint, lingering threads of magic where Rowan had struggled. My heart pulled toward them, aching with the knowledge that they were alive. And that was the lifeline I would cling to.
I let the tiniest spark of light coil in my chest, hidden but awake. Gideon's circle might hold my body, but it couldn't touch my resolve. Not yet. Not ever.
A shiver ran down my spine—not of fear, but of anticipation. Because one day soon, I would get out. And when I did… he would regret ever thinking he could control me.