Darkness again.
But this time—it wasn't silent.
It whispered.
It pulsed.
It reached for me.
Come, little seal.
Come home.
The Beast King's voice brushed my mind like cold hands trailing down my spine.
My heart stuttered.
My breath tore from me.
Pain exploded through my chest.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
Let go.
And I will save you.
"No," I whispered, barely audible.
You will die without me.
They cannot anchor you.
They will fail.
"They won't."
My voice trembled.
"They… they love me."
The Beast King chuckled softly.
Love is a weak anchor.
Blood is not.
I am your strongest bond.
Your origin.
Your lineage.
Your destiny.
"No…"
It felt like my soul was slipping.
Choose me, child.
And you live.
Choose them…
and you break.
My pulse slowed.
My body felt weightless.
And then—
A voice ripped through the darkness:
NOT HER.
NOT TODAY.
Owain.
Snarling.
Roaring.
Feral.
Terrified.
His voice cracked the void like lightning.
KANAH—FIGHT HIM!
FIGHT—LET ME IN—
Another voice burst through next:
Kanah, breathe.
Follow my fire.
Come toward me.
(Yllas)
Gerrin's voice followed, deep and grounding:
Kanah.
Hold to the sound of my voice.
Do not drift.
Do NOT drift.
And then—
Helion's voice, softer than I'd ever heard it:
If you die…
I'll never forgive you.
So don't.
Their voices formed a circle around me—
but the Beast King stepped into the center.
They cannot reach you.
Only one voice can hold you.
Only one anchor.
Choose.
The void split into four paths.
A wolf made of starlight.
A dragon made of molten gold.
An elf woven in silver.
A leopard carved in shadow.
And one path of pure silver flame—
the Beast King himself.
My heart stuttered violently.
Pain ripped through my ribs.
Owain's voice broke through again—
ragged
desperate
pleading:
KANAH—I'M HERE—LOOK AT ME—
The wolf-shaped path pulsed.
Yllas' voice followed—
sharper
steady through the panic:
Little flame.
Come to me.
Let my fire burn his hold away.
The dragon path glowed.
Gerrin's calm tone cut through next:
Kanah, listen to reason.
Your mind is fracturing.
Anchor to stability—
anchor to something that does not demand or control.
Anchor to peace.
The elven path shimmered.
Helion's voice came last—
quiet
raw
unusually sincere.
Kanah…
I'm bad at this.
But I don't want you gone.
So come back.
Please.
Choose life.
Choose us.
Choose something.
The leopard's shadow glowed faint gold.
The Beast King stepped closer.
Choose me.
All paths pulsed violently.
My heart spasmed.
Pain ripped upward.
I fell to my knees.
Choose, the Beast King commanded.
Owain roared:
CHOOSE YOURSELF!
My breath hitched.
My fingers curled.
My voice trembled.
"I… choose—"
The world waited.
The Beast King leaned forward.
Go on.
Say it.
And I—
I screamed:
"OWAIN!"
The darkness shattered.
The Anchor Revealed
Silver-scarlet light burst through the void—
not the Beast King's silver
not the Queen's violet
but Owain's light.
Warm.
Wild.
Alive.
Owain's shape tore through the darkness—
wolf and man blended into one aura.
He lunged toward me—
and the moment he touched my hands—
the pulse stabilized.
A violent shockwave blasted the void outward.
The Beast King snarled.
WOLF.
You dare—
Owain growled back, voice shaking:
I dare EVERYTHING!
She's not yours.
She will NEVER be yours.
She CHOSE me!
The Beast King's aura recoiled—
cracked—
shattered around the edges.
Owain pulled me against his chest—
tight
warm
fur and skin
heartbeat and breath.
"Kanah," he whispered against my ear,
raw and trembling,
"I'm here.
I'm here.
Breathe with me—
don't leave—don't—"
My fingers fisted in his shirt.
"I… chose you."
His breath caught.
His entire body froze.
Then his forehead pressed to mine, shaking hard.
"Say it again," he whispered.
"I choose you, Owain."
He broke.
I felt it—
his shoulders shaking
his breath collapsing
his chest tightening around me.
"I love you," he whispered, voice shattering.
"I—gods, Kanah—I love you so much—"
A flash of wolf-soul surged around us—
powerful
protective
claiming.
Not mating-claiming.
Not sexual.
A soul-anchor.
Owain's magic intertwined with mine—
wolf instinct merging with the Queen's seal
overpowering the Beast King's cold pull.
The void roared—
fought—
screamed—
and then snapped.
Everything dissolved.
Back in the Snow
I slammed back into my body, gasping.
Owain caught me instantly, arms cage-tight around me, chest heaving.
"Kanah—Kanah—sweetheart—open your eyes—"
I blinked.
His face above mine—
eyes amber-gold
wet
terrified
alive.
I touched his cheek.
"I'm here."
He collapsed over me, forehead pressing to my shoulder.
"Thank the gods," he whispered.
"Thank every fucking god—"
His voice broke again.
"I thought—
I thought I lost you."
I stroked his hair, trembling.
"You didn't."
You saved me.
Yllas knelt beside us, breathing hard, wings trembling.
"She anchored," he said quietly.
"Finally."
Gerrin pressed a hand to his heart, exhaling in relief.
"Her pulse is stabilizing."
Helion looked away sharply.
"About damn time."
Owain growled softly at him.
Helion shrugged.
Owain hugged me tighter.
"You said my name," he whispered.
"You chose me."
"I did."
His breath trembled.
"Why?" he whispered.
I touched his cheek again.
"Because you never saw my bloodline.
You only saw me."
Owain made a broken sound in his throat.
A wolf sound.
He kissed my forehead—
soft
reverent
shaking.
"Kanah…"
His voice was barely a breath.
"I'll never let anything hurt you again."
His aura flooded around me—
warm wolf-instinct
cooling the violet
protecting my heart
healing the backlash.
The Beast King's voice tried to push through—
Foolish girl.
Wolves cannot protect—
But my anchor held.
Owain snarled.
Out loud.
"To hell with you."
And the Beast King's voice vanished.
Silenced.
For now.
The Transformation
My rune glowed—
not violently
not painfully—
But with soft
warm
steady light.
Silver
gold
blue
violet—
all blending into a single steady color:
white.
Gerrin staggered back.
"Great gods…"
Yllas whispered, "She stabilized all four."
Helion muttered, "That's new."
Owain held me closer.
I leaned against him, breath slowing.
"Owain…"
My voice trembled.
"I feel… different."
He brushed my cheek with gentle fingers.
"What do you feel?"
"…whole."
His eyes softened.
A slow, awed smile touched his lips.
"You are."
But then—
the wind stilled.
The ground growled.
My rune pulsed sharply—
once—
A warning.
The snowline ahead shifted.
Something massive moved in the fog.
Gerrin's face went pale.
"Not again—"
Yllas' eyes glowed gold.
"Prepare yourselves."
Helion's claws extended.
"I KNEW peace wouldn't last."
Owain lifted me in his arms again, eyes blazing.
"No one touches her."
The fog split—
Revealing an army of silhouettes.
Not Basilisks.
Not wolves.
Not dragons.
Something worse.
Something older.
My rune flared white-hot.
And the new threat stepped forward.
Chapter ends.