Chapter 58

Chapter 58
Twila's POV Cont'd
Orion's expression became serious again.
“You shouldn't be here alone.”
“I needed somewhere quiet.”
“You could have told me.”
“I didn't think I needed permission.”
“You don't.” He stepped closer. “I just don't want you wandering around alone after everything we've been through.”
I looked away. “I know.”
He studied me. “You're still thinking about last night.”
I nodded. “I don't know if it was a dream.”
“What did your instincts tell you?”
“That it was real.”
Orion was quiet.
“And what do you think?”
“I think something was wrong.”
“With the dream?”
“With what I saw.”
I hesitated. “I saw you.”
His brow furrowed. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“And who else?”
I looked at him. “Natalia.”
Something changed in his expression.
“Natalia?”
I nodded. “I don't know why she was there. I don't even know what it meant.”
Orion remained silent for a moment.
“Did she say anything?”
“No.”
“Did I?”
I shook my head. “No. It was strange. You were both just there, and I could feel something.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“I don't know.” I sighed. “That's the problem. I can't explain it.”
Orion studied me carefully.
“Do you think she was a threat?”
“I don't know.” I looked down at my hands. “But something about that moment didn't feel right.”
He nodded slowly.
“Then we'll be cautious.”
I looked at him.
“You believe me?”
“I have no reason not to.”
The simple certainty in his voice made something inside me soften. I smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
Orion's expression softened.
“But you can't allow fear to control you.”
“I'm not afraid.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You've been staring into space for the past five minutes.”
“I was thinking.”
“About Natalia?”
I hesitated. “Among other things.”
He didn't press me.
Instead, he looked toward the training grounds.
“You've been through a lot.”
“That doesn't mean I can stop.”
“No.” His gaze returned to me. “But you don't have to solve every mystery today.”
I sighed.
“Everyone keeps telling me to be patient.”
“Perhaps everyone is right.”
I gave him a skeptical look. “You're enjoying this.”
“A little.”
I smiled despite myself.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Then a sudden breeze swept across the training grounds.
I froze.
That warmth returned and it was stronger this time.
I placed a hand against my chest.
Orion noticed immediately. “Twila?” He called.
I closed my eyes. There was something there, a distant sensation.
Not a voice, not a vision… Just a pull.
Something was trying to get my attention. Then it disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
“What happened?”
“I don't know.”
Orion stepped closer. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” I took a slow breath. “I think I just felt something.”
“What?”
“I can't explain it.”
He watched me for a moment before nodding.
“Then don't force yourself to.”
I looked at him.
“You really like saying that.”
“And you really dislike hearing it.”
“That too.”
He smiled and I couldn't help smiling back.
Perhaps I really did need a break.
Even if my powers refused to give me one.

Authoress's POV
Far from the Southern Kingdom, Ryker continued his journey through the western territories.
The landscape around him had changed.
The villages he passed were quieter than he remembered. Some homes had been abandoned, while others remained occupied by people who barely acknowledged the riders passing through.

Ryker pulled his horse to a stop. He looked toward a distant settlement.
This was once one of the prosperous villages under the Western Kingdom.
Now, it looked forgotten.
His fingers tightened around the reins.
“This is what he did,” he muttered.
Alpha Zareth had always spoken about strength. About conquering. About making the Western Kingdom feared by the other kingdoms.
But standing there, Ryker could finally see the truth.
His father hadn't made the Kingdom stronger. He had drained it.
Ryker looked toward the horizon. For a while, he had believed taking the throne would solve everything.
Now he wasn't so certain.
He reached into his coat and touched the golden scroll case containing the strange parchment. He had studied it several times since finding it.
The symbols still made no sense, yet something about them bothered him.
Ryker mounted his horse.
He had a Kingdom to reclaim and father to confront.
The symbols on the parchment were a mystery he wasn't yet ready to understand.
For now, that was enough.

Back in the Southern Kingdom, Natalia stood alone inside her chamber.
She reached beneath her clothing and pulled out the necklace. The pendant caught the light from the candle.
She stared at it.
Tonight… Soon, everything would change.
She slipped the necklace back beneath her clothes and walked toward the mirror.
For the first time in days, she allowed herself to imagine the life she wanted.
Orion beside her, the Luna title around her neck, the Kingdom accepting her and Twila gone.
Natalia's smile slowly faded.
She had underestimated Twila once. She would not make that mistake again. Whatever strange powers the girl possessed, Natalia would find a way around them.
She only had to wait until midnight.

The castle had fallen silent.
One by one, the candles in the corridors had been extinguished, and the servants had retired to their quarters. Even the guards stationed outside the royal wing spoke in hushed voices.
Midnight was approaching. Natalia sat before the mirror in her chamber, staring at the necklace resting inside her palm.
It looked harmless and that was what made it frightening.
The necklace had belonged to her family for generations. Her great great grandpa had gotten it on a visit to the Western Kingdom and now, it was passed down to her. A delicate chain held a small pendant that appeared crystal-like beneath ordinary light. But tonight, there was something different about it. A faint warmth pulsed through the crystal.

Natalia closed her fingers around it, her heart beating faster.
She had waited for this moment. She had endured Twila's presence long enough.
She had watched Orion look at another woman with a tenderness Natalia believed should have belonged to her.
Tonight, all that would change.
She remembered the shaman's instructions.
"Do not wear it until you are ready. Make sure Orion is the first face you see. Midnight."
Natalia glanced toward the clock. Five minutes. She stood, her reflection stared back at her.
She adjusted her dress, brushed her hair into place, then looked at the necklace again.
"What if it doesn't work?" The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
She immediately shook her head.
It had to work. She had paid enough, risked enough, and waited enough.
She slipped the necklace around her neck.

For a second, nothing happened.Then the pendant grew warm.
Natalia sucked in a breath. A strange sensation travelled from the necklace through her chest.
It wasn't painful but not exactly pleasant either. It felt as though something had entere
d the room without opening the door.
The candle flames flickered. Natalia's eyes widened.
Then the clock struck twelve.
She smiled. "It is time."