Chapter 24 Sound like final
Chapter 24 Sound like final
Chapter Twenty-Four
Maxie’s POV
The moment I pulled Tiara through the archway, the stone sealed behind us with a grinding echo, shutting Rowan inside the chamber with the approaching King. The sound felt final, like the last closing of a door that had remained open for far too long. I did not let go of Tiara’s hand. I could feel her trembling through our joined fingers, feel the shock vibrating through her like a second heartbeat. The tunnel ahead was narrow and sloped upward, carved from older, rougher stone than the pathways we had followed before. It was colder here too, as if no warm breath had touched these walls in centuries.
Tiara tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat. I slowed our pace just enough to allow her to breathe without collapsing, but not enough to give the King time to reach us. His aura was too close now. The roars behind us had grown violent, filled with fury and something unmistakably wounded.
Tiara’s voice finally broke through the silence.
“Maxie… Rowan is going to die.”
My grip tightened. “He made his choice.”
Her steps faltered. “Do you think he is telling the truth? About Lysandra? About me?”
I stopped and turned to face her. The tunnel was dim, but enough silver light leaked through the cracks in the stone to paint her face in pale shades of moonlight. Her eyes were wide, confused, afraid, and far too heavy with the burden of secrets she should never have carried.
“You heard the visions,” I said quietly. “You saw the truth for yourself.”
“I saw pieces,” she said. “Pieces that do not feel like they belong to me. Pieces I never asked for.”
I cupped her cheek gently. “That does not make them any less real.”
A tremor passed through her. “I am her daughter.”
“You are Tiara,” I said. “You are not defined by her choices.”
“But she tried to hide me,” she whispered. “She sent me away. She let me grow up believing I was nothing. Why?”
“Because she believed she was protecting you,” I said. “Because she feared what you would become.”
Tiara’s eyes filled. “She feared me.”
“No,” I said quickly. “She feared what the world would do to you.”
Tiara turned her face slightly into my palm, closing her eyes. “I do not know who I am anymore.”
“You are mine,” I said before I could stop myself.
Her breath caught.
I swallowed and corrected myself softly. “You are yourself. And that is enough.”
A distant explosion shook the walls, dust raining from above. Tiara flinched and grabbed my sleeve.
“Maxie,” she whispered. “Cameron is almost through.”
“I know.”
“He will kill Rowan.”
“He might.”
“And then he will come for me.”
“Yes.”
She pressed closer to me, her fingers curling tightly into my shirt. “What if I cannot fight him?”
“You will not fight him alone,” I said. “I am with you. Always.”
She breathed shakily against my chest, and I could feel her wolf pushing weakly beneath her skin, restless and frightened.
“Maxie,” she whispered. “If I really am Lysandra’s daughter… then I am the rightful heir.”
“Yes.”
“I am part of everything she ran from.”
“You do not owe her anything,” I said. “Not her past. Not her mistakes. Not her crown.”
“But Cameron believes he owns that power,” she said quietly. “He believes he owns me.”
“He does not,” I said. “He never will.”
Another roar split the air behind us, closer now, loud enough to rattle the stone beneath our feet. The tunnel vibrated. Tiara and I both turned as golden light began to seep through the cracks of the sealed archway.
“Maxie,” she whispered, voice filled with fear. “He is breaking through.”
“We need to move,” I said.
I took her hand again and pulled her up the tunnel. The incline grew steeper, the air sharper, thinning as we climbed higher into the mountain. The faint glow ahead told me we were nearing an exit. Rowan had been right.
But what waited outside was unknown.
We reached a wider passage, narrow cracks letting in cold mountain air that smelled of snow and pine. Tiara lifted her head slightly, inhaling.
“I know this scent,” she said.
“What is it?”
“Freedom,” she whispered.
We rounded the last bend, and the tunnel opened to a high ledge overlooking a vast spread of forest bathed in silver moonlight. The wind hit us immediately, sharp and cold, pulling at our clothes and whipping Tiara’s hair around her face.
Her breath caught. “It is beautiful.”
“It is dangerous,” I said.
“Everything has been dangerous,” she said softly. “But this is the first thing that feels alive.”
I pulled her closer. “We cannot stay here.”
She nodded.
Below us stretched a steep descent littered with jagged rocks and patches of snow. Farther down, the trees looked like dark pillars rising from the ground. If we made it to the forest, we could hide. If we stayed exposed on this ledge, the King would spot us within seconds.
Tiara turned to me. “Which way?”
“We climb down.”
We approached the edge, but before we could begin our descent, another explosion echoed from behind. The stone sealing the archway cracked. A blast of golden light burst through the fissures.
Tiara gasped.
“He is coming.”
I grabbed her waist. “Down. Now.”
I swung myself onto the ledge below, then reached up for her. She hesitated for a heartbeat, fear flickering in her eyes. I lifted my arms higher.
“Trust me.”
After a moment, she stepped into my reach. I guided her down gently, lowering her until her feet touched the ledge. The path ahead spiraled along the cliff face, narrow and unstable.
We had only taken a few steps when the archway behind us exploded.
Golden light flooded the mountain wall.
Cameron’s voice boomed out.
“Tiara.”
Her entire body froze.
I spun her toward me. “Do not look back.”
“I cannot stop him,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can,” I said. “With me.”
She met my gaze, eyes shaking.
“I am afraid.”
“So am I,” I said. “But we are not running anymore. We are surviving.”
She swallowed and nodded.
We descended further, moving quickly but carefully along the narrow path. The wind howled around us, carrying the faint scent of the King’s aura. It grew stronger by the second, heavy and suffocating.
Tiara stumbled once, and I caught her before she fell. The cliff below was a sheer drop into darkness.
“Do not look down,” I said.
“I am trying,” she whispered.
Halfway around the bend, the air shifted violently. The mountain trembled. Tiara clung to me.
“He is here,” she said, her voice shaking. “He is on the ledge.”
“I know.”
The wind thinned as a massive presence approached behind us, dragging golden light with it. His voice was closer, colder, deeper.
“Tiara.”
She squeezed my hand so tightly it hurt.
I turned to her.
“Listen to me,” I whispered. “You are not yours. You are not his. You are the Moon’s.”
She swallowed. “What if the Moon wants war?”
“Then let it,” I said. “But first, let us live.”
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, the glow of her mark pulsing gently under her skin. Her wolf pushed forward, not with fear this time, but with a fierce quiet determination.
“Maxie,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“I will not let him take me again.”
I nodded once. “Good.”
We reached the final part of the ledge where the path narrowed to a tight curve. I moved ahead of her, guiding her step by step.
Then a massive shadow fell over us.
A golden aura burned across the stone.
Cameron stepped onto the cliff above, his eyes glowing, his presence swallowing the air.
He spoke Tiara’s name once more.
And the entire mountain seemed to bow beneath the weight of it.