Chapter 99 "Where I Belong"
"No. You won't."
Conrad's voice cut through the air before I could even finish explaining.
I was still sitting in the library, trying to catch my breath after the vision, when he entered—quick steps, agitated energy, the bond between us clearly conveying everything I had felt.
Fear.
Pain.
Decision.
He already knew.
His golden eyes were more intense than I had ever seen them, almost gleaming in the torchlight. The wolf within him was close to the surface.
Dangerous.
"Conrad..." I began, trying to remain calm.
"No." He repeated, now lower, but much more firmly. "You will not enter a dimensional rift. You will not put yourself at risk. And you definitely will not take our son near something we don't even know what it is."
The word "our son" carried enormous emotional weight.
Love.
Protection.
Terror.
I stood up slowly.
"You haven't heard everything yet."
"I've heard enough." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly trying to control his own anger. "Kael told me."
I glanced quickly at Kael, who raised his hands in silent surrender.
"He needed to know," Kael said.
And he was right.
Conrad approached me in two long strides, cupping my face in both hands, as if needing to confirm I was really there.
"You almost fell just now. I felt it. Your heart raced, your magic went out of control. And you want to tell me the solution is to go straight to the heart of it?"
The bond between us vibrated.
I could feel his fear as if it were my own.
Maybe it was.
"I don't want this," I said softly. "But it's necessary."
His eyes darkened.
"There's no such thing as 'necessary' when it comes to your life."
"It exists when it comes to thousands of lives."
A heavy silence fell.
Conrad rested his forehead against mine.
"I spent years thinking I'd lose you before I even met you," he whispered. "Now that I have you... you want to run towards something that could destroy you."
My hand moved to his chest.
"I'm not running towards death."
"You can't promise that."
And he was right.
I couldn't.
I took a deep breath.
"What's in the rift is trying to get out. If it succeeds, there will be no kingdom to protect. There will be no future for our son."
He closed his eyes tightly.
"Then we find another way."
"There is no other way."
When he opened his eyes again, there was pain there.
And determination.
"Then I'll go alone."
My heart stopped for a second.
"No." My answer came immediately.
"If anyone needs to come in, it's me." His energy surged, the air around him vibrating with pure magic. "I am the source of light. I can try to contain—"
"It doesn't work like that!" I interrupted. "The ritual requires balance. Light and shadow together. You alone wouldn't survive even a few seconds."
"I'd rather die trying than lose you."
His words hit me like a physical blow.
Tears filled my eyes.
"Conrad..."
He pulled me into a tight, almost desperate hug.
"You are my mate. My queen. The mother of my child." His voice faltered for the first time. "I wasn't made to live in a world without you."
My heart broke.
Because I felt the same.
But I also felt the truth.
"You won't live without me," I whispered against his chest. "Because we will together."
His body stiffened.
Slowly, he pulled away enough to look at me. "Together?"
I nodded.
"The ritual requires three elements. Light. Shadow. Blood bond." I placed my hand on my belly. "We are that."
The silence that followed was long.
Deep.
Irreversible.
Then Conrad let out a heavy sigh, as if accepting something he hated.
His hand went to my belly, with reverent care.
The baby moved immediately.
His eyes widened.
"He... responded."
"He always responds to you."
Emotion surged through the bond between us like a warm wave.
Love.
Pride.
Fear.
Protection.
Conrad rested his forehead against mine again.
"If there's any chance this could go wrong..."
"I know."
"I won't let you face this alone."
"I know."
He took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes, the king was back.
"Then we prepare."
My heart raced.
Because at that moment...
The decision was made.
And there was no turning back.
The rest of the night passed like a blur of urgent decisions.
Maps were spread out on the large library table. Ancient scrolls, border records, patrol routes, abandoned territories. Everything that could help us leave the kingdom without drawing attention was being analyzed.
Kael paced back and forth, clearly restless.
"If Solange suspects you're leaving, she might try to stop you," he said. "Or worse... she could use it against you. Spread rumors that the king and queen have fled."
Conrad rested his hands on the table, his gaze fixed on the map.
"That's why nobody can know."
"Not even the council?" I asked.
He hesitated for a second.
"Not yet."
I understood. There was too much treachery circulating within the castle. People who were once loyal were now frightened, manipulated, or bought with promises of power.
Solange had created deep rifts.
And rifts were open doors to conspiracies.
"Leaving through the main gates is impossible," Kael continued. "The guards officially answer to the king... but many are still loyal to your mother."
Conrad let out an irritated sigh.
"She always built influence in the shadows."
My stomach clenched at the memory of the cell. The feeling of emptiness. The fear of losing our baby.
Instinctively, I placed my hand on my belly.
Conrad noticed immediately.
His hand covered mine.
Silent protection.
"There's an ancient passage," I said slowly, remembering something I'd seen in one of the Elyrions books. "Beneath the roots of the east wing. It was used by the ancients to leave the territory without breaking the magical barriers."
Kael stopped walking.
"Do you know where it is?"
I nodded.
"I think so."
The look Conrad exchanged with Kael carried relief... but also concern.
"Then this is our path," Conrad decided.
The weight of reality fell upon me at that moment.
We were really going.
Leaving the castle.
Crossing the kingdom.
Entering an ancient and unstable territory.
And then... into the rift.
The baby moved gently, as if sensing my thoughts.
I took a deep breath.
"We need light supplies," I said. "Nothing that will delay us. And cloaks to conceal our energy."
"I'll take care of that," Kael replied. Conrad remained silent for a few seconds, looking at the map as if trying to foresee every possible threat.
"Solange won't stand idly by," he said finally. "If she notices our absence, she might try to seize political control. Or declare that we've been corrupted by dark magic."
"She's hinted at that before," I reminded him.
"Yes. And now she'll have more room to maneuver."
Fear gripped my chest.
"What if we return and the kingdom is no longer ours?"
Conrad looked up at me.
His golden eyes were steady.
Unwavering.
"Then we reclaim it."
"You are my home. Wherever you are... that's where I belong."