Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Violetta's POV

I turned on my heel and walked out of the place, letting the doors swing shut behind me. There was no point in wasting another breath on these ambitious fools. Whatever had truly happened to Violetta, I was never going to find the truth here.

I needed Lyra, and I needed to reach the wolf lands immediately.

By the time I crossed the border into the unified territory through the sky portal, my anger had barely even subsided at all.

I landed in the courtyard outside the new packhouse. A couple of guards and maids greeted me warmly, knowing who I was and that I was welcome anytime. I had barely taken ten steps down the hallway when Lyra appeared around the corner, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw me.

For a single heartbeat, neither of us said a word, taking in the sight of each other after months of distance.

Then, a smile broke across her face, and I closed the distance between us, pulling her tightly into my arms and burying my face in the curve of her shoulder.

“I’ve missed you,” I murmured against her hair.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me just as firmly. “I just knew I felt the bond. But I was here thinking I was delusional since you were enjoying your newfound freedom away from all the royal drama.”

“I was,” I said, pulling back just enough to look into her bright silver eyes that mesmerized me. “Until I returned home and discovered that the queen I left in charge had vanished without a trace four months ago.”

“Oh… that. You know about what happened?”

“I know enough to be furious,” I answered.

“Well… Thorne…”

“Do you know if she is alive, Lyra?” I pleaded quietly. “I heard my people stormed your lands looking for her at first.”

“They did. But she wasn’t here when they came looking. Good news: She’s alive, Thorne.”

I froze completely, my breath catching in my throat. “What did you say?”

“She was found,” Lyra repeated gently. “She is alive.”

A massive wave of relief washed over me so quickly that my knees almost felt weak, but just as swiftly, a dozen confusing questions flooded my mind. “Where is she?”

“She’s here, inside the packhouse,” Lyra said.

I stared at her in disbelief. “You managed to find her? Or did she come here after she knew they were gone?”

“Selene found her,” Lyra explained, as we walked further into the packhouse. “Considering the time, I am sure she is resting.”

Lyra led me into a quiet sitting room and laid out every single detail of what had unfolded over the past few months. She told me about the gruesome severed wings left behind in the cavern outside the Outbounds, the desperate hollowed soldiers trying to bring back Azythar, the horrifying blood sacrifice they had attempted, which somehow removed the hex Violetta’s mother had placed on her to prevent her demon side from coming out, and the vicious ambush in the forest. She explained how the amulet had been stolen from her neck, the catastrophic reality of Azythar’s lingering soul, and the moment Violetta had lost complete control of her demonic bloodline before Selene had stepped in to bring her back from the edge of madness.

I sat in silence the entire time, listening intently without interrupting once, taking in the full horror of what Violetta had been forced to endure completely alone.

When Lyra finally finished her explanation, I sighed in relief. “So she is truly alive.”

“Yes,” Lyra said softly.

“And her power is unstable?”

“Very unstable,” Lyra admitted with a frown. “Her dual nature is warring within her after the trauma of losing her wings. But she’s been better… she’s learning how to control it.”

“Is she dangerous to those around her?” I asked, looking up.

Lyra hesitated for a brief second. “She is dangerous to herself far more than to anyone else, Thorne. But there’s a lot of progress, we’ve been helping her with it.”

“I am glad. It is really selfless of you to accommodate her in your lands.”

“After everything she did then? She’s most welcome.”

“And what of the amulet?” I asked, turning my attention to the greater threat. If Azythar was resurrected, our victory months ago meant absolutely nothing at all.

Lyra looked over her shoulder toward the doorway as Kade stepped into the room. “Brother… it is good to see you.”

I stood up, giving him a brief hug. “And you as well.”

“Were you able to retrieve it from them?” I asked, after pulling away and sitting back down.

“No,” Kade answered plainly.

“Then where is Azythar’s essence right now? Is his soul loose in our lands?” I asked, feeling panic a little.

Lyra looked between us. “I received direct guidance from the ancient spirit of Arcanum.”

“Arcanum showed me the path to my ancestral temple,” she explained. “I used the magic there to destroy the original source of the amulet’s containment power before Svetlana could complete the extraction ritual.”

“And what happened to Azythar’s spirit when the amulet broke?” I asked.

“His soul transferred into the temple’s foundation,” Kade replied.

I frowned, trying to understand the magical mechanics behind it. “Why into the temple?”

“Because a primordial soul like his cannot be completely destroyed by mortal means,” Lyra sighed. “Unfortunately it had to be bound to an anchor that’s sacred and powerful enough to hold him.”

I nodded slowly. “And what is the state of the seal now?”

“It is securely locked within the deepest parts of the temple,” Lyra assured me. “Only someone carrying my bloodline can open it to access it.”

I let out another long breath, leaning back against the chair. “At least that is one catastrophic problem we do not have to worry about right this second.”

“Do not get too comfortable,” Lyra warned.