Chapter 48. The Court's Demand

The Hidden Spring Caves were a hollow wound in the earth, far beneath the eastern flank of the Crest Ridge. Kade had used them during his youth, a place for training when he needed absolute silence or during self-imposed exile when his duty choked him. Now, they were a sanctuary for two fugitives and a silent chamber for the birth of a new power.

Aria sat curled beside a cold, slow-running underground stream, the sound of the dripping water the only thing that managed to penetrate the constant, low-frequency roar of the bond. Her new state felt like wearing a suit of armor made of pure energy—heavy, terrifying, and profoundly secure. The Moon Wolf essence, once a foreign invader, was now perfectly integrated, flowing through her veins as liquid silver, anchored by the stable, unshakeable copper-red of her flame core.

Kade sat opposite her, his back against the damp stone, the crystalline flame