Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Evelyn

The night should have been still. It wasn’t.

Wind pressed against the windows hard enough to rattle the panes, and the walls seemed to hum, not with sound, but with pressure. Something deep in the bones of the packhouse had begun to move.

I woke gasping.

The first thing I felt was the cold. The second was the emptiness on the other side of the bed.

Trevor’s scent lingered; cedar, smoke, heat but the sheets were cool. He’d been gone for hours.

My pulse spiked before reason caught up. He’s at the cliffs, I reminded myself. Rowan’s with him. He promised he’d come back before dawn.

I pushed myself upright, one hand braced against the nightstand as the twins kicked beneath my ribs. Not painful, just… alert. As if they, too, sensed the chaos.

“Easy,” I whispered to them. “He’s fine.”

A lie tasted bitter even in a whisper.

A tremor rippled through my stomach, a flash of silver under my skin, faint light, there and gone. The glow had happened before, but never without Trevor nearby.

“Don’t do that,” I murmured, pressing my palm to the spot. “Not now.”

No answer, of course. Just the faint thud of their heartbeats against mine; steady, then suddenly out of rhythm.

One heartbeat skipped. Then another.

Then I heard it. His heartbeat. Not in the room. In my head.

A single, ragged pulse followed by a rush of static pain that made my vision blur. I doubled over, clutching my chest as his voice; faint, distant, broken echoed through the bond.

Evelyn...

Then nothing.

“Trevor!” The cry tore out of me before I could stop it.

The lights flickered. The temperature dropped. The twins kicked hard enough to steal my breath.

The bond snapped like an overstretched wire, flooding me with panic so fierce I nearly collapsed.

I stumbled to the dresser, grabbed the communication stone Rowan had left for emergencies, and whispered the activation word.

It flared once, then dimmed.

No connection.

“Come on, Rowan,” I muttered, shaking it. “Answer me.”

Still nothing.

That’s when the door burst open.

Jason filled the doorway, shirt half-buttoned, eyes wild. “You felt it too?”

I nodded, still shaking. “He’s gone silent.”

Jason swore under his breath and crossed to me, checking the faint shimmer still flickering across my skin. “That’s his link feedback. He’s hurt or the temple’s magic severed the connection.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “He’s hurt?”

“Not dead,” Jason said quickly. “I’d feel it if the Alpha bond broke completely. But he’s trapped in something. The temple’s old magic is interfering.”

I gripped his arm. “We have to go.”

“You can’t,” he said. “Rowan left strict orders—”

“I don’t care what he left,” I snapped. “That’s my husband.”

He hesitated, torn between duty and fear. “If you collapse on the cliffs..."

“Then pick me up,” I said. “But I’m going.”

A sharp voice cut through the hall behind him.
Linda.

“You’ll do no such thing.”

She stepped into the room wearing a heavy cloak, her hair pinned back like she’d expected the night to go wrong. Her eyes darted from Jason to me, assessing everything in a single heartbeat.

“The temple’s awake,” she said quietly. “I warned him this would happen.”

I turned on her. “You knew?”

“I suspected,” she corrected. “The Temple of Shades was built to test devotion. It reads the heart of whoever enters and uses it against them.”

Jason frowned. “Then it’s reading Trevor.”

Linda nodded grimly. “And what does Trevor’s heart hold?”

Me.

The word hung unspoken between us.

I grabbed my cloak from the chair. “Then it’s using me to trap him. All the more reason I have to go.”

Linda stepped forward. “Evelyn..."

I met her eyes. “He would burn the world for me. Don’t ask me to do less.”

For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then she sighed, the sound of a woman surrendering to something inevitable. “Fine. But you don’t go alone.”

She turned to Jason. “Ready the transport. I’ll accompany her.”

Jason blinked. “You?”

“You think I’d trust anyone else to keep her alive?” Her voice cracked on the word alive.

I expected an insult. I got something closer to concern.

Jason gave a short nod and sprinted out.

When he was gone, Linda crossed the room and adjusted my cloak, fastening the clasp with hands that trembled just slightly.

“You remind me of someone,” she murmured.

“Who?”

“Yourself,” she said, eyes glinting. “The version of me that didn’t know what she was about to lose.”

Before I could answer, Jason’s voice echoed from the hall. “Transport’s ready!”

I followed Linda out, my legs unsteady but my resolve sharp. The packhouse corridors buzzed with whispers as warriors watched us pass, a Luna and a matriarch walking into legend’s mouth.

Outside, the night was black and silver, moonlight carving the edges of the forest in cold light. The air smelled of iron and storm.

We climbed into the armored rover Jason had prepared. He took the driver’s seat, Linda beside him. I slid into the back, pressing my hand over my stomach again.

The twins were quiet now.

As the rover tore down the forest road, I stared out at the dark trees flashing past.

“Hold on, Trevor,” I whispered. “I’m coming.”



The road to the cliffs twisted through miles of forest, and the deeper we went, the thicker the mist became. The headlights cut through the fog in pale ribbons, but the shadows seemed alive... moving, bending, whispering.

Jason’s hands gripped the wheel tight, his eyes fixed on the faint trail ahead. I caught a glimpse of his profile in the dim light, veins standing out along his neck. He was fighting the same panic clawing at my insides.

Trevor’s mother, but mine by fate now sat beside him, her face expressionless, her gaze straight ahead. She hadn’t spoken in almost ten minutes, but I could feel her tension like static in the air.

Finally, I broke the silence. “You’re too calm for someone who just admitted an ancient temple eats hearts.”

She turned her head slightly, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Calm is the only weapon left when fear becomes useless.”

Jason exhaled. “That’s… comforting.”

“Wasn’t meant to be,” she said softly.

I leaned back, watching the forest smear past the window. The bond inside my chest ached—thin, strained, but still there. Like a fraying thread between two worlds.

“Evelyn,” my mother said suddenly, her tone softer. “You should know...Trevor won’t stop until he reaches you. That’s his greatest strength, and his most dangerous flaw.”

“He’s not flawed for loving me,” I said, more defensively than I intended.

“No,” she agreed quietly. “But he’s human for it. And love makes humans reckless.”

I met her gaze. “Then maybe recklessness runs in the family.”

Her mouth twitched. “Apparently so.”

Jason cut the engine as the terrain steepened, the roar of wind swallowing our words. “This is as far as I can drive. From here, we go on foot.”

The air outside was harsher, the kind that burned in your lungs. The cliffs loomed ahead, towers of black stone veined with silver light.

I clutched my cloak tighter, following as Jason led us toward the narrow pass that spiraled upward. The closer we got, the stronger the hum became. It vibrated beneath the soil, through the soles of my boots, right into my bones.

Linda stopped suddenly and raised a hand. “Do you hear that?”

Jason frowned. “Wind?”

She shook her head. “No. That’s—”

A shrill cry ripped through the air.

Wolves. Dozens of them.

They emerged from the fog... eyes glowing amber, coats matted with frost. Not from our pack. Their scent was wrong, mixed with something metallic and ancient.

Jason drew his blade. “Rogues?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Not rogues. Guardians.”

“Guardians of what?” I asked.

“Of him,” she said grimly. “Whoever leads the Veilwalkers now, they’re expecting us.”

Before Jason could respond, the ground trembled, and a fissure split open between us and the wolves. Silver light surged up, forming a barrier that shimmered like liquid glass.

I stumbled back, gasping. “What is that?”

“The temple’s threshold,” my mother said, voice steady but pale. “It’s calling to her.”

The wolves backed away, snarling, unwilling to cross the barrier.

Jason turned to me. “You can feel it, can’t you?”

I nodded weakly. The magic was pulling like invisible hands around my ribs. “It wants me to go inside.”

“Then it’s feeding off your bond,” he muttered.

Linda grabbed my wrist. “Listen to me. Once you cross that line, it will test you the same way it’s testing Trevor. It won’t use claws or teeth—it will use memory.”

My throat tightened. “Memory of what?”

“Your worst one.”

The words hung heavy between us.

Then, without warning, the bond inside me convulsed, hard enough to send me to my knees. A flood of heat surged through my chest, followed by a pulse of light that made the entire cliff glow.

I screamed.

Jason and my mother shouted my name, but their voices were distant, drowned out by a thousand whispers.

And suddenly, I wasn’t standing on the cliffs anymore.

I was inside the temple.

Stone walls stretched endlessly around me, painted with shifting light. The floor pulsed beneath my feet, alive, breathing. And there, in the center of it all, was Trevor, kneeling, his hands pressed to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.

“Trevor!” I ran toward him, but he didn’t look up. His lips moved soundlessly, whispering something I couldn’t hear.

When I touched him, the vision shattered.

I was back on the cliffs, gasping for air.

Jason caught me as I stumbled, his face white. “Evelyn, what happened?”

“I saw him,” I managed. “He’s alive, but he’s trapped. The temple’s showing him something... something that’s hurting him.”

Her  expression hardened. “Then we go in.”

Jason blinked. “Wait, what? You can’t just...”

She gave him a look that silenced him. “You’ll stay here and guard the entrance. If the wolves attack again, you hold them back.”

Jason hesitated. “And you two?”

“I’ll keep her alive,” she said simply.

I met Jason’s gaze, then nodded once. “Tell Maya and Julia what’s happening. If we don’t return..."

Jason shook his head sharply. “Don’t finish that sentence, Evelyn. You’re both coming back.”

I didn’t argue.

He pressed his forehead against mine briefly, a warrior’s silent promise then turned to face the fog, blade drawn.

Linda placed her hand on my shoulder. “Ready?”

“No,” I whispered. “But I’ll go anyway.”

Together, we stepped through the silver barrier.

The air inside the threshold changed instantly denser, ancient. It smelled of smoke and starlight. Every breath felt like breathing memory.

As we moved deeper, the walls pulsed faintly with veins of light. Symbols glowed as we passed, each one whispering fragments of voices I didn’t recognize.

Then one whispered my name.

I stopped dead.

Linda turned. “What is it?”

“It spoke,” I said quietly. “It knows me.”

Her expression softened. “Of course it does. It’s been waiting for you.”

“Waiting?”

She looked ahead into the dark. “For the one who can end it.”



The tunnel stretched ahead like a throat made of stone, swallowing light and sound alike. My footsteps echoed, swallowed, then echoed again, as if something down there was mimicking us.

Linda walked beside me, her posture regal, her expression carved from steel. Even in this darkness, she moved like a queen who’d seen worse monsters than shadows. I envied that. My fear was a living thing, clawing inside me.

The deeper we went, the heavier the air became. The light from the runes flickered with each of my heartbeats. And every few steps, I swore I heard Trevor whisper my name.

“Evelyn…”

Soft. Distant. Desperate.

Linda stopped suddenly, her hand shooting out to grab my arm. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not him,” she said flatly.

I blinked at her. “What?”

“The temple’s voice is built from your memories. It will sound like him because that’s what it uses to break you.”

I wanted to argue, but the voice came again, clearer this time.

“Evelyn, please… come back…”

My knees weakened. The sound was too real. The exact way his voice dropped when he was afraid, the warmth under the pain.

“That’s him,” I whispered. “I know it is.”

Linda’s grip tightened. “And if it’s not?”

“Then I’ll find him anyway.”

Before she could stop me, I took a step forward and the world shattered.

Stone turned to sky. The torchlight became sunlight. And suddenly, I was standing in our home.

Our room.

Trevor stood by the window, shirtless, his back to me. The morning light kissed the lines of muscle across his shoulders, the faint scars that told a story only I knew. His scent; warm cedar and wolf wrapped around me like a blanket I’d missed for years.

For a moment, I forgot to breathe.

He turned, and the world seemed to exhale with me.

“Evelyn,” he said softly, smiling like he hadn’t seen me in forever.

My heart broke open. I ran to him. He caught me mid-step, his arms strong and familiar, his mouth finding mine like instinct.

I melted.

Every touch, every breath, every heartbeat was real.

I cupped his face, trembling. “Trevor, I thought..."

He kissed me again, slower this time. “You don’t have to think, love. You’re safe now. It’s over.”

Something in the way he said it made me pause.

Safe. Over.

Two words Trevor never trusted.

I drew back slightly. “What’s over?”

He smiled, but his eyes didn’t match the smile. They were too dark. Too still.

“Everything,” he said. “You don’t have to fight anymore.”

I frowned, pulling back. “No. That’s not you. Trevor never says things like that.”

The illusion flickered, just once but enough.

And then the world tilted.

His smile twisted into something wrong. His eyes bled to black.

When he spoke again, his voice layered over itself, ancient and hollow.
“You will end as all Crescent-Born do consumed by your own power.”

I stumbled back, choking on fear. “You’re not him!”

“Does it matter?” it whispered, stepping closer. “He’s already gone.”

The walls melted. The floor split. Flames roared up around me, and in the chaos, I heard Trevor’s real voice, faint but defiant.

Evelyn, fight it!

The sound of him snapped through me like lightning.

My fingers burned, light spilling from my palms, pure and blinding. The air trembled. The illusion shattered with a sound like breaking glass.

I fell to my knees, gasping.

The temple was back. The heat gone. The flames gone. Just stone, cold and real.

Linda was kneeling beside me, her hand on my shoulder. Her eyes—usually so hard—were wide with a flicker of awe.

“You broke it,” she said softly. “On your own.”

“I heard him,” I whispered. “The real him. He called me back.”

Linda exhaled slowly. “Then your bond is stronger than the temple.”

I smiled weakly. “That’s because love’s stronger than old ghosts.”

She studied me for a long moment, something complicated flickering behind her eyes. Then, quietly, she said, “Maybe I was wrong about you.”

I blinked, uncertain if I’d heard her right. “What?”

“You’re stubborn. Too emotional. Reckless.” She looked away, her jaw tight. “But you love him the way I never knew how to love anyone. And maybe that’s why he chose you.”

My throat tightened. “Linda...”

“Don’t,” she said softly, cutting me off. “You’ll ruin the moment.”

I laughed shakily, tears slipping free before I could stop them.

For the first time, she didn’t look away. She reached out, brushed one away with her thumb, and whispered, “You remind me of his father.”

I froze. She’d never spoken of him before.

“What was he like?”

Her gaze softened. “A disaster. But the kind that made you believe disaster could be beautiful.”

We both went quiet, listening to the echo of that memory.

Then, beneath the silence, something pulsed.

A heartbeat. Trevor’s.

“Do you hear that?” I whispered.

Linda nodded slowly. “He’s close.”

“Then we go.”

We followed the sound through a narrow passage where the runes grew brighter, almost too bright to look at. The walls trembled with power.

Each beat drew me forward, faster, desperate, until we reached a vast chamber where the ceiling arched like the sky itself.

And there he was.

Trevor; on his knees, hands braced on the stone floor, surrounded by a circle of light and shadow locked in battle. His veins glowed silver, his face pale.

“Trevor!”

He lifted his head weakly. His eyes found mine.

“Evelyn…”

His voice broke on my name.

I ran.

The light surged the moment I crossed the boundary, blinding and wild, but I didn’t stop. The magic lashed at me like wind and fire, but something inside me; love, instinct, desperation, burned hotter.

I fell to my knees beside him and pressed my forehead to his. “You came back,” he breathed.

“I never left,” I whispered.

He smiled faintly, his hands trembling as they slid to my belly. “They’re still… moving?”

“Yes,” I said, voice shaking. “They’re strong. Just like you.”

His laughter was soft, ragged. “Remind me to stop underestimating you.”

“I plan to,” I said, tears spilling over.

The energy around us pulsed once more, then began to fade. The shadow retreated, the circle dimming. The temple’s roar quieted into a single, steady heartbeat—the same rhythm echoing inside my chest.

The magic that bound him loosened.

He collapsed forward, into my arms.

And for the first time in hours, I felt the bond hum whole again.

Linda stood a few feet away, her cloak whipping in the rising wind. She watched us with an unreadable expression, then turned her gaze upward to the runes that had begun to shift again.

“Whatever we broke,” she said quietly, “we’ve only woken something worse.”

Trevor stirred against me, his voice hoarse. “Let it come.”

I kissed his forehead, whispering, “As long as we’re together.”

The chamber trembled... once, twice and the light turned red.

Whatever was sleeping inside the Temple of Shades was awake now.

And it knew our names.