The corridors of the Moon Hall were colder than the training chambers, yet the tension inside me burned hotter than fire. I moved silently, feet careful on the stone, feeling the threads of the bond pulse beneath my skin like a warning. Kael, Riven, and Solen were nearby, their presence palpable even without touching the bond directly. Each heartbeat echoed through me, thrumming in unpredictable rhythm.
Astraea stirred restlessly beneath my ribs. Something is coming, she warned. Not training. Not chance.
I paused, hand pressed against the wall, and felt it—a shadow brushing against the edges of the bond, subtle, deliberate. Lyris. She'd found a way to meddle without entering the room, feeding the tension like dry leaves on a flame.
I inhaled slowly. Control yourself. Anchor.
Kael flinched beside me, eyes darting, jaw tight. "Did you feel that?" he muttered. His voice betrayed confusion—fear even.
Riven's nostrils flared, shoulders stiff. "It's… her, isn't it? Lyris."
Solen's dark gaze didn't leave me. "Yes," he said quietly. "She's testing us. Seeing how far she can push."
I narrowed my eyes. "Then we don't let her. Not now."
The bond pulsed violently, responding to their emotions—frustration, irritation, fear, and an undercurrent of something else I couldn't name. I could feel it twisting in my chest, threatening to break through control. My wolf hissed low, urging me to pull back, but I stood my ground.
"Focus on me," I said firmly, extending my hand toward them. "Not her. Not the hall. Not the shadows."
Kael's gray eyes met mine first. His pulse surged against the threads, jagged, untamed. Riven's green eyes flickered with guilt and doubt. Solen's dark stare was calm but tense, measured in a way that made me shiver.
Astraea's voice was steady. They must feel without losing themselves. This is their lesson.
The first test came as subtle as a whisper. The threads between us flared, pulling at my chest, each heir's emotions pressing in at once. Kael's frustration was sharp as steel, Riven's guilt twisted into knots, Solen's restraint taut and suffocating.
I staggered, clutching my chest, trying to breathe through the pressure. "Control!" I shouted. "Anchor the bond, or it will break all of us!"
Kael growled, flinching as his own control faltered. Riven cursed under his breath. Solen's calm faltered, his hand twitching as if he could physically grasp the threads.
Then it happened.
A flare exploded from Kael's pulse—violent, raw, and uncontrolled. The bond lashed at him like a whip, and the others felt it instantly. Riven stumbled, caught between anger and panic. Solen's hands clenched at his sides, jaw rigid as the flare shocked his control. And me? I gritted my teeth, drawing the threads toward me, shaping the pulse into rhythm, forcing the fire into containment.
The energy was almost unbearable. Pain burned across my chest, lancing through my lungs, but I didn't back down. Astraea surged protectively, wrapping me in power, guiding me through the backlash.
Kael collapsed onto one knee, chest heaving, sweat stinging his eyes. "I… I can't… I—"
"Then stop thinking about control!" I snapped, voice trembling with both fear and power. "Feel! Be honest! Don't let the bond punish you for hiding who you are!"
Riven staggered, catching Kael's arm to steady him, muttering, "She's right…" Solen, still standing, exhaled sharply, finally loosening the rigidity in his stance.
From the shadows, Lyris moved again, subtle and deliberate. Her fingers brushed the air near the threads, faint but enough to disrupt the rhythm we had just gained. The bond flared again, minor this time, but the warning was clear: She will escalate.
I spun, glaring at the empty shadows. "Not now, not tonight," I hissed. "We won't let you win."
Kael finally raised his head, eyes clouded but more aware, more human than I'd seen in months. "I… I didn't know it would feel like this," he admitted, voice raw. "The bond… it's not just power. It's… reflection. It shows what we hide. And I—"
Riven nodded slowly, looking chastened. "We all… we all fear what it exposes."
Solen's dark eyes softened ever so slightly. "Then we learn. We adapt. Or we break."
I swallowed hard. "Then adapt. We survive. We anchor. Together."
Astraea hummed beneath my ribs, satisfied. They are learning—but not fast enough for Lyris. She waits, always waits.
The hall was silent except for our breathing and the faint hum of the bond. Kael slumped slightly, Riven steadied him, and Solen remained still, calculating, alert. I took a deep breath, letting the threads settle, finally feeling some control.
Yet the warning lingered. Lyris's interference was subtle now, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way. The moment she realized the bond could no longer be manipulated without reaction, she would push harder.
And the first heir to break entirely? That moment was coming.
I just didn't know which one it would be.