194

194
Valencia’s POV
The silence stretched on. No one wanted to be the first to speak about Kai.
Finally, I forced the words out. "Is he... is Kai really dead?"
Logan's expression darkened. "Yes."
"Tell me what happened. Please. I need to know."
Logan sat back down beside me on the bed. He took my hand again.
"After I broke free from the binding stone, I chased him to the Sea Wolf. He tried to escape by sea. I jumped onto the ship and we fought. He shifted into his wolf form. I shifted into mine."
Logan paused. His jaw tightened.
"I was stronger. Faster. He was injured and couldn't keep up. When he shifted back to human form, I demanded to know why he betrayed you. Why he did all of this."
"He said Soren raised him from age two. That Soren is the only father he's ever known. He said he completed his missions to prove his worth. To earn Soren's recognition. That was all that mattered to him."
Tears started falling down my cheeks again. I couldn't stop them.
"His body is still on the Sea Wolf," Logan said. "We need to decide what to do with it."
I looked down at my hands. At the Heart of Rubia gleaming on my finger.
"He was a victim too," I whispered. "Soren took a two-year-old child and twisted him into a weapon. Into a killer with no emotions. No capacity for love or connection."
"He also nearly killed you," Logan said. His tone was cold. Matter-of-fact. "I don't regret killing him, Valencia. I would do it again without hesitation."
"I know." I wiped my tears away. "I know you had to. But I still feel sad for him. For the life he could have had if Soren hadn't found him."
Logan was quiet for a moment. Then he squeezed my hand gently.
"What do you want to do with his body?"
I thought about it. Kai had tried to murder me. Had cut off my finger. Had stabbed me and left me to die.
But he'd also been that scared little boy in Moonfall Ridge Pack fifteen years ago. Before Soren corrupted him.
"A sea burial," I said finally. "Tomorrow morning before we leave. Something simple. He doesn't deserve an elaborate ceremony. But he deserves more than being thrown overboard like garbage."
Logan nodded. "Alright. We'll arrange it."
Sir Aldwyn cleared his throat softly. "If I may make a suggestion. Perhaps a private ceremony. Just the necessary people. Given the circumstances, a large gathering wouldn't be appropriate."
"That's fine," I said. "I just want to give him some dignity in death."
Master Theron gathered his medical supplies. "You should rest tonight, Valencia. Your body has been through tremendous trauma. Even with the ring's healing, you need sleep."
"I will. Thank you for everything you did, Master Theron."
He bowed slightly. "I only wish I could have done more. The ring saved you. I merely... assisted."
After Master Theron left, Sir Aldwyn moved toward the door as well.
"Actually," he said, turning back. "Valencia, if you're feeling strong enough, I would like to speak with you privately. There are things you should know before you leave Ravencrest Island."
Logan immediately stood up. His protective instincts kicked in. "Anything you need to say to her, you can say in front of me."
Sir Aldwyn raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Of course. I understand completely. You're both welcome in my chambers. I have some items that belonged to Ophelia. Things she left specifically for Valencia."
My heart skipped. "Ophelia left things for me?"
"Yes. And there's much I need to explain. Will you come?"
I looked at Logan. He nodded once.
"We'll come," I said.
Sir Aldwyn's chambers were in the highest tower of the fortress. The walk there was long. My legs felt weak. Logan kept his arm around my waist the entire time, supporting me.
The room was filled with Ogden family artifacts. Dragon banners. Ancient books. Ceremonial weapons. Everything carefully preserved.
Sir Aldwyn gestured to two chairs near the fireplace. "Please, sit."
Logan and I sat down. Sir Aldwyn remained standing. He stared up at Ophelia's portrait.
"I knew about the plan," he said suddenly. "Ophelia's entire plan. I knew what she was going to do. I knew about you, Valencia. I knew you would come to this island someday."
Shock ran through me. "You knew? This whole time?"
"Yes. Ophelia told me everything before she performed the ritual. Before she transferred her power into you. She made me promise to guard the Heart of Rubia. To wait for the day when a girl with purple eyes would come seeking it."
"Why didn't you tell me when I first arrived?" I asked.
"Because Ophelia made me promise not to interfere with your journey. She said you needed to discover the truth yourself. In your own time. Through your own experiences."
Sir Aldwyn finally turned away from the portrait to face us.
"But now that the ring has shown you everything, now that you know the full truth, I can speak freely."
He walked to a cabinet and opened it. Pulled out a small wooden box.
"We were secretly engaged," he said. His voice cracked. "Ophelia and I. No one knew except us. We planned to announce it after the political situation stabilized."
He opened the box. Inside was a simple silver ring.
"I gave this to her two weeks before the Ashwood massacre. She wore it on a chain around her neck. Hidden beneath her dress. So no one would see."
Tears ran down his face now. He didn't bother wiping them away.
"She was eighteen years old. So young. So full of life and hope. And then her family was slaughtered. Her world was destroyed. And she decided the only solution was to sacrifice herself."
Sir Aldwyn's hands trembled as he held the box.
"I begged her not to do it. I told her we could run away together. Flee to the far continents. Start a new life. But she refused. She said she couldn't live knowing Ashwood would go unpunished. Knowing innocent people would suffer under his rule."
"She came to me the night before the ritual. She told me everything." Sir Aldwyn closed the box and set it down. "I was horrified. I told her she was no better than Ashwood if she was willing to sacrifice innocent people for revenge. We fought. Argued for hours. She cried. I cried. But in the end, she made me understand."
"That she saw the future. Multiple possible futures. And in every single one where she did nothing, where she tried to run away or hide or find another solution, Ashwood won. He conquered Aldermere. Then Valdoria. Then the entire continent. Millions died under his rule."
Sir Aldwyn walked back to stand in front of Ophelia's portrait.
"But in the one future where she performed the ritual, where she created you as a weapon, there was a chance. A real chance to stop him. So she chose that path. Knowing it would cost her life. Knowing it would cause tremendous suffering. But seeing no other option."
"That doesn't make it right," I said. My voice shook. "She destroyed so many lives. Kevin and Sienna. Logan's relationship with his mother. All those people in Moonfall Ridge Pack. How can that be justified?"
"It can't," Sir Aldwyn said simply. "There is no justification. No moral argument that makes it acceptable. Ophelia knew that. She carried the weight of those deaths every day leading up to the ritual. It destroyed her inside. But she did it anyway because the alternative was worse."
The room fell silent. I stared at the floor. Processing everything.
"Don't hate her, Valencia," Sir Aldwyn said quietly. "Please. I know you have every right to. I know what she did was monstrous. But try to understand. She was a girl who saw her entire family butchered. Who saw a tyrant preparing to conquer the world. And who had the power to maybe stop it, but only at a terrible cost."
"I don't hate her," I said finally. "I'm angry at her. I'm hurt by what she did. But I don't hate her. Because I understand making impossible choices. I understand sacrificing one person to save many."
I thought about my oath in King's Fang. About promising to sacrifice anything to save Logan's life. About how that oath had led to Kai's death.
"I won't fight for her though," I continued. "I won't kill Ashwood because Ophelia wanted me to. I'll fight him because he's evil. Because he needs to be stopped. Because innocent people deserve protection. That's my choice. My reason. Not hers."
Sir Aldwyn smiled sadly. "That's all she ever really wanted. For you to have the strength to make that choice. The rest was just... preparation."
Logan stood up. He walked to the window and looked out at the dark ocean.
"You said Ophelia left things for Valencia," he said without turning around. "What things?"
Sir Aldwyn walked back to the cabinet. He opened a different drawer this time.
"Before the ritual, Ophelia gave me several items to hold. She said when the girl with purple eyes came, when she proved herself by passing through the flames, I should give these to her."
He pulled out a leather journal. Old and worn. The pages yellow with age.
"This is Ophelia's personal diary. She wrote in it every day for the last three months of her life. It contains her thoughts. Her fears. Her regrets. And her hopes for you."
He handed it to me. The leather was soft under my fingers. Warm. Like it had been recently held.
"There's also this."
Sir Aldwyn pulled out a small wooden box. Different from the one with the engagement ring. This one had dragon runes carved into the lid.
My hands shook as I took it.
"What's inside?" I asked.
"Something that might give you hope. Open it."
I lifted the lid carefully. Inside, wrapped in soft white cloth, was a lock of hair. Brown hair. Kai's hair.