Chapter 37

The blade against Orion’s throat gleamed in the moonlight.

Kael’s growl rumbled low and deep, his golden eyes locked on Rhyzar’s every movement.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t think.

Every instinct in me screamed to attack, to rip Orion from Rhyzar’s grasp, to end this before it got worse.

But if I moved—Orion would die.

Kael’s claws twitched, his body coiled like a spring, but he wasn’t reckless.

Not with our son’s life hanging in the balance.

Rhyzar’s smirk was infuriatingly calm.

"Come now, Ayla," he murmured. "You know how this ends. Let the boy go, and no one else gets hurt."

No one else.

Like Orion wasn’t my entire world.

Like losing him wouldn’t rip me apart.

My wolf snarled inside me, fighting against the stillness, demanding blood for even the suggestion of letting him go.

But my hands were trembling.

Because I knew the truth.

Rhyzar had already won.

We couldn’t take the risk.

Not like this.

Not with Orion’s life on the line.

My voice was hoarse, broken when I spoke.

"What do you want with him?"

Rhyzar’s violet eyes gleamed.

"To finish what was started."

I swallowed hard. "What does that mean?"

Kael took a slow step forward, his teeth bared. "Let him go, and I might let you live."

Rhyzar laughed.

Actually laughed.

"Ah, Kael," he sighed. "Still so predictable."

Then, his expression darkened.

"But this isn’t your decision."

His gaze shifted back to me.

"It’s hers."

A sharp, piercing silence.

Kael’s breath hitched. "Ayla."

"Let him go," I whispered.

Rhyzar arched a brow.

Kael staggered back, eyes wild. "No."

I lifted my chin, my chest aching with every word.

"If I give him to you," I forced out, "you swear to let us go. No more Bloodborn. No more hunting."

Kael snarled. "You can’t."

"What choice do we have?" I snapped.

His hands curled into fists.

But he didn’t answer.

Because we both knew—there wasn’t one.

Rhyzar smiled.

And in that moment, I knew.

I had just damned my son.

Orion was silent.

He didn’t cry.

Didn’t beg.

Didn’t scream.

His silver eyes locked onto mine, filled with a quiet understanding no child should ever have.

"Mommy, don’t."

A sharp, jagged pain ripped through me.

I clenched my jaw. "I have to."

His tiny hands clutched my tunic.

"You don’t."

A breath.

A heartbeat.

I let him go.

His fingers slipped from my grasp as Rhyzar pulled him away.

Orion didn’t fight.

He just looked at me.

With betrayal in his eyes.

And then—he was gone.

Rhyzar vanished into the night, Orion’s small frame disappearing into the darkness.

I took a step forward.

Then another.

And then—I collapsed.

The world blurred.

My breath shattered.

My wolf howled in agony.

And Kael—Kael was staring at me like I had just ripped his heart out.

Because I had.

And the worst part?

I didn’t regret it.

Because my son was still alive.

But for how long—I didn’t know.

Kael stood in absolute silence, his entire body rigid with disbelief.

"You let him go."

A whisper.

A blade through my ribs.

I forced myself up, my breathing ragged, raw.

"We had no choice."

Kael’s golden eyes burned.

His chest rose and fell sharply, his hands shaking with restrained fury.

"We always have a choice."

I flinched.

Because I knew.

This wasn’t just about Orion.

This was about us.

About the pack we had tried to rebuild.

About the family we had sworn to protect.

And now—I had shattered it.

Kael exhaled sharply, pacing away from me, hands on his hips.

"Do you even realize what you’ve done?" he demanded.

"I saved him!" I shouted.

Kael froze.

His golden eyes burned brighter than the flames of a funeral pyre.

"No, Ayla," he whispered.

"You just delivered him into their hands."

A sharp, unbearable silence.

And I knew.

I had lost him.

Not just Orion.

Not just my son.

Kael.

I had lost him too.

The wind was cold against my skin.

The scent of blood and fire still clung to the air.

Ronan stood nearby, watching, but not interfering.

Because what could he say?

What could anyone say?

Kael turned to me, his voice calm. Controlled.

Too controlled.

"I’m going after him."

I staggered. "Kael."

"You can come or you can stay," he said.

"But I’m getting our son back."

A sharp, vicious pain twisted in my chest.

I had let Orion go to save his life.

And Kael—Kael was willing to risk everything to get him back.

Even if it killed him.

Even if it destroyed us both.

I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling.

"Kael," I whispered. "Don’t do this."

His golden eyes flashed.

"I don’t know who you are anymore," he murmured.

And then he turned.

And walked away.

I didn’t stop him.

I couldn’t.

Because the truth was.

I didn’t know who I was anymore either.