Cold air hit my face before anything else.
Wind.
Snow.
Damp earth.
Owain carried me through the forest at a pace no human could have kept up with. His arms were locked beneath me, one under my knees, one around my back, holding me as if the world itself couldn't pry me from him.
My breath hitched. "Owain… put me down… I can walk—"
"No," he said softly.
Firm.
Final.
His voice trembled every time he looked at me.
My ribs still ached from where the serpent had struck. Gerrin's magic had mended the breaks, but the bruising and internal damage lingered. Every breath felt like fire behind my lungs.
Yllas flew overhead, silent as a storm cloud, wings cutting through the air. His gaze flicked down to me every few seconds, molten gold with intensity that wasn't only protective — it was possessive in a way he tried to hide.
Gerrin walked beside Owain, staff in hand, markings glowing faintly silver.
Helion brought up the rear, tail flicking, eyes sharp, ears twitching at every sound. He looked like he wasn't paying attention — but he missed nothing.
The forest deepened, trees growing thicker and darker, bark turning silver-white with frost. The deeper we moved, the colder the world became, until breath curled in front of every one of us.
Owain tightened his grip around me each time I shivered.
"You're freezing," he murmured.
"So are you—"
"No."
His jaw flexed.
"I'm burning."
And he was.
Heat radiated off him in pulses — fear, instinct, desperation.
He carried me for hours without slowing.
Not once.
Kanah's Point of View
I drifted in and out of awareness.
Every time my eyes fluttered open, I saw one of them:
Owain's jaw clenched in determination.
Yllas' wings circling protectively overhead.
Gerrin watching me with analytical worry.
Helion pretending not to care — but staying close.
Every time my vision blurred, I felt something else:
Silver.
Gold.
Blue.
Violet.
The colors burned behind my ribs like they were trying to tear through my skin.
Once, I whispered:
"It hurts."
Owain stiffened.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead so soft I barely felt it.
"I know," he said. "I know, Kanah. Stay with me."
But the mark pulsed again — and darkness pried at my vision.
Each time I slipped, a voice pulled me back.
Not Owain's.
Not Yllas'.
Not the Beast King's.
A woman's.
Wake, child.
Do not drift.
The Seal opens.
The First Queen.
Owain's Strain
We stopped only once all day — because Gerrin forced it.
"Owain," Gerrin said gently, touching his arm, "You need to rest. You'll collapse."
Owain snapped his head sideways, eyes blazing amber. "No."
"I'm not asking," Gerrin insisted.
"You don't understand," Owain growled, voice breaking. "If I stop — if I put her down — she'll disappear. He'll pull her again."
Yllas landed nearby, dark hair whipping in the wind.
"Owain. She needs stability."
Owain snarled.
"No one touches her but me."
Helion raised a brow. "Calm down, wolf. You're vibrating."
"Shut up."
Gerrin sighed. "Owain. You can hold her. Just sit. Fifty seconds."
"Sixty," Helion corrected.
Owain glared. "You counting?"
"I count everything."
Finally — Owain lowered to his knees.
Still holding me.
Still refusing to loosen his grip.
His chin rested atop my head, breath trembling.
"Kanah," he whispered into my hair, "don't leave me. Don't leave me."
My fingers curled weakly into his shirt.
"I'm here."
He inhaled sharply — a broken sound.
Yllas looked away.
Gerrin's markings dimmed with sympathy.
Helion rubbed the back of his neck.
Owain pressed his forehead to mine.
"If you die," he whispered, "I'll burn the world down."
The air stilled.
No one contradicted him.
Because he meant it.
The Forest Changes
The deeper we went, the stranger the world became.
Trees twisted into beautiful, impossible shapes.
Pale light seeped through the branches like moonstone glow.
Flowers bloomed where no sunlight touched.
The air tasted like ancient magic — clean, sharp, cold.
Yllas landed beside us.
"This place hasn't awakened in hundreds of years."
Owain bristled. "What do you know about it?"
"Enough."
Yllas's wings folded tightly.
"My mother took me here once. Before she died."
Gerrin nodded. "Elves have rumors. Old ones. About the Sanctuary being tied to Queen blood."
Helion smirked. "And no one mentioned this earlier because…?"
"It was a myth," Yllas said.
"Until she arrived."
My chest tightened painfully.
Owain whispered, "Kanah?"
I clutched his shirt.
"I'm—okay—"
Lie.
The violet light inside me pulsed violently.
Yllas stepped closer, brow furrowed. "Her seal is overloading."
Gerrin's eyes widened. "Owain. We need to hurry."
The Sanctuary Appears
It rose from the ground like a mirage.
Massive white stone walls, half-buried by time.
Ancient vines curling around carved pillars.
Crystals embedded in the earth glowing violet-blue.
A colossal stone gate with runes older than any Beast race.
Owain's breath hitched.
"No," he whispered.
"We're not going in there."
Yllas tilted his head. "Afraid?"
Owain snarled, "Every wolf who stepped inside never returned."
"Because wolves weren't meant to enter," Gerrin murmured.
Helion grinned lazily. "And we're doing it anyway. Great."
Owain growled.
"This place kills. It devours magic. It traps souls."
His hold on me tightened.
"I'm not risking her."
But the moment we reached the gate—
My rune ignited.
Bright violet.
Burning gold.
Cold blue.
Sharp silver.
All four colors.
The gate scraped…
Then opened.
By itself.
All four males froze.
Yllas whispered, "It recognizes her."
Gerrin's voice trembled. "The Sanctuary accepts her."
Helion smirked. "Well. I guess the Queen approves."
Owain swallowed hard, looking at me like he was about to break.
"Kanah…"
My fingers brushed his cheek.
"I need to go in."
His eyes closed.
Gerrin added gently, "She'll die if we don't."
Owain shuddered.
Then stepped forward.
Carrying me through the open gate.
Inside the Sanctuary
Magic hit instantly.
Warm.
Cold.
Electric.
Alive.
Violet crystals lined the walls, pulsing like heartbeats.
The air shimmered with glowing dust.
The floor was carved with runes that rippled when stepped on.
Owain staggered from the weight of the power.
"Damn," Helion muttered. "Feels like ten spells punched me."
Gerrin dropped to one knee, gasping. "So much magic… I can't—"
Yllas remained standing, but barely. His wings lowered, heat rippling around him.
"This place is… overwhelming."
Owain held me tighter.
"It's too much for her—"
But the moment he said it—
The magic surged toward me.
Like a tide.
Like it knew me.
Like it wanted me.
I gasped, back arching in Owain's arms.
"KANAH!"
The Sanctuary lit up.
Every rune.
Every crystal.
Every pillar.
Violet light swallowed everything.
I floated—
Owain's arms slipping away.
"KANAH!" he screamed.
Yllas roared.
Gerrin reached for me.
Helion cursed violently.
But they couldn't reach.
The light pulled me into the center of the room.
My feet touched the ground.
Every rune rippled beneath them.
And then—
She appeared.
The First Queen.
But not in a vision.
In front of me, her form outlined in violet light.
Owain choked, falling to his knees.
Yllas stiffened.
Gerrin stared in awe.
Helion stopped breathing.
The Queen stepped toward me.
Her eyes were endless.
You finally arrived.
I trembled.
Owain crawled toward me, desperate. "DON'T TOUCH HER—"
He hit an invisible barrier and slammed backward.
The Queen didn't look at him.
She touched my cheek.
Cold.
Warm.
Powerful.
Child.
You must listen.
You carry more than a seal.
More than a bond.
More than his mark.
My breath shook.
"W-what do I carry?"
Her expression softened.
My blood.
And something else.
I swallowed. "What else?"
Her voice turned heavy.
A second bloodline.
One even the Beast King fears.
The room grew colder.
Owain's voice cracked against the barrier.
"Kanah—DON'T LISTEN—"
But the Queen lifted a hand.
He went silent.
She looked into my eyes—
and revealed the truth:
You are not only Queen-born.
You are Beast King–born.
My heart stopped.
Everything shattered.
Owain screamed silently.
Yllas staggered.
Gerrin's staff dimmed.
Helion's pupils narrowed.
I whispered, shaking—
"What… what did you say?"
The Queen stepped closer.
You are his daughter.
And my descendant.
Born of war.
Born of prophecy.
Born to end him.
My vision broke.
Owain slammed into the barrier, voice raw with pain.
"NO—NO—NO—KANAH—NO—"
Yllas roared with enough fury to shake the ground.
Gerrin cried out in disbelief.
Helion cursed so viciously the Sanctuary walls shook.
My hands trembled.
My chest ached.
Everything hurt.
I whispered—
"No… I can't be…"
The Queen nodded.
You are the key to his downfall.
Because you carry his power.
Because you carry mine.
The Beast King's voice broke through the Sanctuary air—
Found you.
The Queen's eyes widened.
RUN.
But the mark exploded—
And the Beast King pulled me into darkness.