Chapter 78

Chapter 78
Maya’s POV

Pain woke me before sound did.

It crawled up my spine like frost, stiff and sharp, locking my limbs in place. My wrists burned where the restraints had been moments before..no, hours before — time didn’t exist properly down here. The Watchers made sure of that.

I gasped and sucked in damp air that tasted like old stone and blood.

The ritual chamber was empty.

For the first time since my capture, empty.

The altar still pulsed faintly at the center of the room, carved symbols glowing weakly like dying embers. Veyra’s presence lingered in the air ..cold, suffocating — but she wasn’t here.

She had left.

Opportunity throbbed painfully in my chest.

I pushed myself upright, biting back a cry as my knees screamed in protest. My magic felt wrong — stretched thin, like veins drained too often. Every breath hurt, but I forced myself to move.

Tiara.

The name burned brighter than pain.

I staggered toward the narrow tunnel at the chamber’s edge, dragging one foot behind the other. Every step left a smear of blood on the stone floor, but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

The Watchers’ compound thinned as I moved upward — fewer guards, weaker wards. Veyra was arrogant. She believed I was broken enough to stay.

She was wrong.

By the time I reached the forest edge, the world had blurred. Trees swam in and out of focus. The moon hung low and sharp above me, silver light slicing through branches.

Hollow Creek lay just beyond the treeline.

Home.

My legs gave out before I reached it.

I collapsed hard against the roots of a fallen pine, lungs burning, vision flickering. My body shook violently, every nerve screaming.

Footsteps crunched nearby.

I forced my eyes open.

Two figures froze when they saw me.

Bren.

Eli.

Bren’s hand flew to his blade. Eli’s eyes widened in shock. “Maya?”

“Don’t—” I croaked. My throat felt shredded. “Don’t attack.”

Bren hesitated. I saw the war in his eyes — guilt, fear, anger, memory. He took a step closer, then stopped.

“You’re… alive,” Eli whispered.

Barely.

I tried to stand again and failed. Bren caught me before my head hit the ground, his grip firm but careful.

“She’s burning up,” he muttered. “What did they do to you?”

“They want Tiara,” I said, the words tumbling out raw and desperate. “They’ll take her. They need her to open the gate.”

Eli’s face drained of color. “What gate?”

“Not here,” I gasped. “Not yet. But soon. Joe—”

The name sent a ripple through the air.

Bren stiffened. “Joe is coming?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “And if he reaches Hollow Creek—”

A growl split the night.

Low. Lethal.

Lucien burst from the trees like a living weapon, silver eyes blazing, blood still staining his armor. His gaze locked onto me — and whatever he saw there snapped something inside him.

“You,” he snarled.

Bren barely had time to react before Lucien had him shoved aside. A clawed hand closed around my throat, lifting me off the ground.

“You don’t get to crawl back here,” Lucien hissed. “Not after what you did.”

Pain flared, but it wasn’t fear that broke me.

It was heartbreak.

“I didn’t betray her,” I choked. “I swear—”

His claws pressed harder.

“Maya!” Noland’s voice thundered through the trees.

Lucien froze — just long enough.

Noland crashed into him, knocking him back with a force that sent both of them skidding across the dirt. Noland positioned himself between us instantly, chest heaving.

“Enough!” he roared. “Look at her!”

Lucien surged forward again, eyes wild. “She led them to our walls!”

“No,” I rasped. “I didn’t.”

Noland turned to me, dropping to his knees. His hands hovered, unsure whether to touch me. “Maya… tell me.”

Tears burned my eyes.

“They forced it,” I whispered. “The sigils. The marks. They used me like a door they kept kicking open.”

Lucien laughed harshly. “Convenient.”

“I never told them where Tiara was,” I sobbed. “Never. They found her because of the bond. Because of me. I tried to stop it.”

My voice broke completely. “I would die before hurting her.”

Noland’s jaw clenched. He looked back at Lucien. “She’s telling the truth.”

Lucien stared at me like he wanted to tear the world apart. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I escaped just to warn you,” I said hoarsely. “And I won’t survive much longer.”

Silence fell heavy and dangerous.

Above us, wings rustled.

Eli’s eyes snapped upward. “Ravens.”

Three of them circled silently above the clearing, feathers black as pitch, eyes glowing faintly red.

Joe’s spies.

Bren swore under his breath. “They heard everything.”

I laughed weakly, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. “Good.”

Lucien spun toward the sky, fury incarnate. “I’ll tear him apart.”

The forest shifted.

Darkness bled outward from the treeline, swallowing moonlight whole. The air thickened, pressure crushing down like the weight of an oncoming storm.

Every wolf froze.

Footsteps echoed through the trees.

Slow. Deliberate.

The ravens scattered.

And from the shadows, a voice drifted forward — calm, amused, terrible.

“You always were bad at listening, Lucien.”

Joe stepped into the clearing.

The world seemed to recoil from him — shadows bending, trees leaning away. His eyes gleamed with cold intelligence, his smile sharp enough to draw blood.

“Run,” I whispered.

Noland pulled me closer, one arm wrapping protectively around me. Lucien stepped forward, claws out, teeth bared.

Joe’s gaze flicked to me, then softened mockingly. “Ah. The runaway returns.”

He spread his arms slightly. “Thank you for the warning, Maya. It saved me time.”

The forest plunged into complete darkness.

And Hollow Creek held its breath