Chapter 193
Chapter 193
Madilyn’s POV
I stood quietly at the door of Mason’s study, watching from the shadows as he slammed another file down on the desk with a force that made me flinch. The clock on the wall read midnight, but Mason hadn’t come to bed. He hadn’t even left that room since we got back from the sanitorium. I’d tried to be patient, to give him space, but something about the way his shoulders were hunched over tonight told me he was carrying more than maps and messages.
He was carrying fear.
He was carrying our future.
I leaned softly against the doorframe and took in the tightness in his jaw, the way his fingers raked through his hair in frustration. The tension was thick in the room, heavy like storm clouds before a downpour.
“What is it, love?” I asked gently, keeping my voice calm even though worry gnawed at my insides.
He didn’t look at me. His voice was strained and low. “Jayden has betrayed us.”
My heart stopped.
“They’re in Warpaw now,” he continued, his tone growing harder. “Jared has them. And Jayden’s told him everything—our weaknesses, our hidden paths, the location of the tunnels. All of it. He’s handed over Bloodmoon on a silver platter.”
He exhaled shakily and pinched the bridge of his nose. I could see it in the way his shoulders slumped—he was exhausted, but his mind refused to rest.
“Jared’s been waiting for this moment for years,” he muttered. “If he moves now, it won’t just be a battle—it’ll be a slaughter. No child will be safe if Bloodmoon falls.”
I walked toward him slowly, barefoot, my feet silent against the hardwood floor. The night air felt cold against my bare legs—I was still wearing Mason’s shirt, which barely reached mid-thigh. But I didn’t care.
I climbed into his lap, straddling him without a word, grounding him.
He looked up at me in surprise, but his hands instinctively went to my legs, holding me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
I lowered my forehead to his and breathed in the scent of him—woodsy, faintly spicy, and warm like home. My hands moved to his shoulders, massaging gently, feeling the knots and tension beneath his skin. He let out a soft sigh, the kind that held both relief and sorrow.
“You’ll figure it out,” I whispered, threading my fingers through his hair. “You always do. You’re not just the prince, Mason—you’re the soul of this kingdom. And I know you’ll protect it.”
I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes.
“We’ll protect it together. Because this is our home. And it’s Ariana’s home too.”
His grip tightened slightly. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then the tip of my nose, and finally my lips. There was something fierce in that kiss—like he was drawing strength from me.
When he pulled back, his icy-blue eyes burned with fire.
The decision was made.
He was going to fight.
\---
The next morning
Mason stood in the war room, his attention focused on the sprawling map of Bloodmoon laid out across the table. Little carved soldiers were arranged across key locations, each one marked with paint to indicate who they represented. It looked like a game, but we both knew it wasn’t.
This was our life.
Every path, tunnel, and ridge was etched into his memory. Whatever Jayden thought he knew, Mason knew ten times better.
He turned to me and introduced a new face—Havier.
Tall. Broad. Hair like sunlight. His presence was imposing at first, until he smiled. There was something honest about him, almost innocent.
“Havier is one of our best fighters,” Mason told me. “He’ll stay here to protect you and Ariana.”
I nodded, though fear twisted in my chest. “Are you sure he’s ready?”
“I trust him with my life,” Mason said firmly.
He knelt beside Ariana and kissed her soft cheek. “Daddy’s going out, sweetheart. Be good for Mommy, okay?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug so tight it looked like she never wanted to let go. Then she ran off, already chattering to Havier like they were old friends.
Mason stood and turned to me. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart.”
His kiss this time was deep—desperate. Like goodbye.
I wanted to hold him, to tell him not to go, but I knew better. Instead, I just watched him walk out the door.
When I turned back, Ariana was sitting at the kitchen table braiding Havier’s hair, humming softly. He looked at me with a sheepish grin.
“She’s got a strong grip,” he said, laughing.
“Mama, Havier’s just like a big teddy bear!” Ariana declared.
“You really shouldn’t let her do that,” I told him with a smile.
He shrugged. “Kids are my weakness. My mate and I are expecting a baby soon. I just hope she’s as sweet as your little girl.”
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Eighteen,” he admitted, cheeks turning pink. “Found my mate last year. We got married right away. She’s the only one I love more than my sword.”
I smiled softly, warmed by his sincerity. And as I turned back toward the door Mason had walked through, my heart whispered a silent prayer.
Please, let him come back to us.
\---
Third Person POV
The rumors had already spread.
War was coming.
The soldiers of Bloodmoon stood in tight lines, their armor shining in the morning sun. Eyes watched their prince—no longer just a leader, but a beacon of strength.
Mason stood tall, calm, confident. His voice cut through the still air like thunder.
“My brothers,” he said. “Today we stand on the edge of war. But this isn’t just a fight for land. This is a fight for our children, for our families, for our future.”
He walked between the ranks, his gaze never wavering.
“They want to take what is ours. But they don’t understand—we are not just a kingdom. We are Bloodmoon. We are carved from the mountains, raised by fire and love. We don’t bow.”
The soldiers stood straighter. Pride swelled in their chests.
“We know these forests. These hills. Every tunnel. Every stone. We’ve bled for this land—and we will bleed again to defend it.”
He gave orders. Quiet, coded commands only his army understood. Escape routes. Counter-strikes. Ambush points.
Then came the night.
And the screams.
Warpaw’s army didn’t come through the front gates.
They came through the back.
Through the hidden tunnel—one only Jayden could have told them about.
And they didn’t come with swords.
They came with scent.
Madilyn’s perfume.
The one she’d once created with love—now weaponized.
The sweet, familiar fragrance filled the air like poison.
It disoriented the Bloodmoon soldiers. Confused them. Made it impossible to tell who was friend or foe.
Cries filled the air. Steel clashed. Mist thickened. Fear spread like wildfire.
Chaos.
Madness.
Ariana’s lullaby perfume, now a deadly trap.
And far above, raised high above the smoke—
The Warpaw banners burned bright.
Bloodmoon was falling.