Chapter 36

The air was too still.

Even after the battle, even after the last of the Bloodborn assassins lay dead at our feet, the forest remained too quiet.

Not safe.

Not victorious.

Like something—someone—was watching.

I held Orion close, feeling his heartbeat pounding against my chest. He had stopped shaking, but his silver eyes were still too bright, still haunted.

Kael was pacing a few feet away, his golden eyes stormy with unspoken thoughts.

He hadn’t spoken since the fight ended.

Since I accused him of thinking about leaving Orion behind.

I knew it was the truth.

And that was a wound that would never heal.

Ronan wiped blood from his blade, his expression grim. "We need to move. There might be more of them."

Kael finally stopped pacing, his hands clenching into fists. "We’re not just running blind. We need to know who sent them."

A shiver crawled down my spine.

Because I had a feeling I already knew.

And when the voice came—**smooth, sharp, filled with cruel amusement—**I knew I was right.

"Why run when you have already been found?"

My stomach dropped.

The shadows shifted.

And from the treeline, a figure stepped forward.

Tall. Elegant. Deadly.

A man draped in black and silver, his golden hair falling loosely over his shoulders, his piercing violet eyes glittering with interest.

My wolf snarled.

Because I knew him.

Kael did too.

His voice was low, edged with fury.

"Rhyzar."

Rhyzar.

Once a trusted warrior of the High Council.

Once a brother to Kael.

Once… a friend.

Now—a traitor.

Now—the man who had ordered Orion’s capture.

Rhyzar smiled, his violet eyes sweeping over us, lingering on Orion.

"Fate is cruel, isn’t it?" he mused. "We should have killed the boy when we had the chance."

A snarl tore from my throat.

Kael stepped in front of us, his golden eyes burning. "You won’t touch him."

Rhyzar sighed, shaking his head. "Still clinging to old loyalties, I see."

His gaze flicked to me. "And you, Ayla. Still so willing to fight for something that shouldn’t exist."

My wolf snapped at the edge of my mind, fury and fear colliding inside me.

Orion stiffened in my arms.

And then—he whispered.

"He’s lying."

I froze.

Rhyzar’s smile widened. "Oh? And what exactly am I lying about, little one?"

Orion’s fingers dug into my tunic.

I felt it again.

The shift in him.

The way his power was beginning to awaken—again.

"You don’t want to kill me," Orion whispered.

"You need me."

Rhyzar’s violet eyes darkened.

A single second of hesitation.

And that was all the confirmation I needed.

I stepped forward, my pulse hammering in my ears. "What does he mean?"

Rhyzar exhaled slowly, as if debating whether to tell the truth.

Then—he smiled.

And I hated that smile.

"Did you really think the Council wanted him dead?" Rhyzar asked, tilting his head. "That the Bloodborn were sent to end his life?"

The world tilted.

A deep, sinking feeling coiled inside me.

Kael’s expression was unreadable. "Then what did they want?"

Rhyzar’s gaze locked onto Orion.

"To finish what was started."

My blood ran cold.

A heavy silence filled the space between us, thick and suffocating.

Rhyzar’s lips curled into something resembling pity.

"You still don’t understand, do you?" he murmured. "Orion was never meant to be just your son. He was meant to be a weapon. A vessel."

The world lurched beneath my feet.

I staggered backward, my arms tightening around Orion.

"No," I whispered.

But I knew.

I had always known.

I had just refused to accept it.

Kael took a sharp step forward, his voice low, lethal.

"You expect us to believe this?"

Rhyzar only smiled.

"Believe what you want. But the truth remains the same—the boy belongs to the Council."

Kael’s wolf surfaced, a low growl vibrating through his chest.

"I’d rather die than let you take him."

Rhyzar sighed. "That was always your problem, Kael. Too much pride. Too much misplaced honor."

Then, before I could react.

He moved.

Fast.

Too fast.

And in the blink of an eye.

He was standing right in front of Orion.

A blast of pure energy erupted outward, throwing me back, sending my body skidding across the ground.

I gasped for air, my vision blurring as pain ripped through my ribs.

Orion was no longer in my arms.

He was standing alone in the center of the clearing, his small body rigid, glowing with power.

Rhyzar stood just a few feet away, his hand outstretched.

But he wasn’t attacking.

He was testing.

Orion lifted his chin, his silver eyes flickering like a dying star.

"I’m not afraid of you."

Rhyzar chuckled. "Brave words, little one."

Kael lunged.

A blur of motion, a snarl of rage as he struck toward Rhyzar.

But before his claws could touch him—Rhyzar vanished.

Reappearing behind Orion.

A cold, sharp dagger pressed against my son’s throat.

Everything stopped.

The world.

My breath.

My heartbeat.

Kael froze mid-step.

Rhyzar smiled, pressing the blade just enough to draw blood.

"Now," he murmured. "Shall we discuss terms?"

My lungs burned.

My body shook.

The entire world narrowed to the sight of that dagger against Orion’s skin.

A single wrong move—and I would lose him.

Rhyzar’s voice was smooth, controlled.

"You can fight me, Ayla," he said. "Or you can give him up willingly. Either way, Orion is coming with me."

Kael growled low, his body vibrating with barely restrained fury.

"If you think I’ll let you walk away with him."

"You will," Rhyzar interrupted.

His grip on Orion tightened.

Kael stilled.

A sharp, piercing tension filled the space between us.

Because we all knew—if we fought, Orion would die.

My voice came out raw, broken.

"What do you want?"

Rhyzar’s violet eyes gleamed.

"To fulfill his purpose."

I inhaled sharply, my entire body trembling.

I had two choices.

Fight and risk Orion’s life.

Or surrender and lose him forever.

My wolf howled inside me, begging me to move.

But I couldn’t.

Because for the first time—I didn’t know what to do.

And that uncertainty was going to cost me everything.