Everything shook at once, no warning. The roots above us snapped loose and crashed down like dead fingers slapping stone and my heartbeat jumped so loud it drowned out the roar behind us, louder than Victor screaming through the tunnel.
The house wasn't reacting anymore, it was choosing. And somehow… It was choosing me.
Kael grabbed my hand like he thought I'd disappear if he blinked. "Stay behind me, don't look at him."
Yeah, of course I looked.
Victor stepped out of the tunnel like he owned every brick in this cursed place. His eyes glowed with this sick gold fire that made my stomach twist and the elders behind him… God, they didn't even look human anymore, their shadows stretching too far along the walls, too thin, too wrong.
Victor lifted his hand. "Elara!!!! Don't make this worse"
Selene hissed, "You're pathetic"
"Do not test me, child," Victor snapped.
The guardian roared behind us, the whole chamber shaking like it hated being part of this story. Riven was braced, half-shifted as he was ready to fight, but he wasn't watching Victor at all, he was watching me.
"Elara," he barked, sharp enough to cut. "The guardian's almost here. If it reaches you before we move, the ritual starts. Right here, right now."
I stepped back shaking. "I don't want the ritual, I don't want any of this"
Kael squeezed my hand harder, grounding me. "I know, that's why we're running"
Victor slammed his hand into the wall and the chamber lit up in cracked gold lines, glowing like lightning under skin. "She's not going anywhere!"
Selene yanked my arm. "Move!"
All three of them dragged me toward the side tunnel, but the ground split in front of us, tearing open like something alive. Light shot straight up and the whole house groaned deep and angry, like it was waking up for real.
Kael shouted something: anger, panic or both.
Victor stepped closer with this almost-smile that made my spine crawl. "She can't escape destiny, none of you can."
"Destiny?" I snapped back. "You mean your obsession with control?"
His eyes sharpened instantly. "You think this is about control? Without the guardian, without the ritual, without you, this family dies"
"Then let it die," I shot back before I could stop myself.
Victor looked scared. "If the ritual fails, the guardian fails, if the guardian fails, the land dies. And that means the pack dies and all of us will die as well."
Kael moved me behind him fully. "She's not your weapon"
Victor's magic sparked, bright and violent. "She belongs to the blood, she belongs to the line"
"No," Kael growled, low and shaking with fury. "She belongs to herself"
The guardian smashed through the tunnel behind us, huge and terrifying, the stones were exploding everywhere. Its eyes locked on me instantly. Kael shoved me aside right as it lunged.
We hit the floor so hard. Selene dragged me up, I was coughing from the dust that covered us. Riven caught the guardian's jaw and held it back with everything he had.
"Riven!" Selene screamed.
"I'm fine, keep moving!" he roared. But I could see he was definitely not fine.
Victor raised his hand, magic building like a storm. "Elara, stop fighting this! Come here!"
The guardian thrashed, its claws tearing into the stones, trying to snap Riven in half.
Everything was blurry from the dust, noise, claws, fear all smashing together.
Kael grabbed my shoulders, forcing my eyes on him. "Listen to me. Right now, you need to trust me, okay?"
My voice cracked. "I don't know…"
"You should," he said with a soft voice as he was sure of what we were doing.
"You do, Elara"
We could hear the roar of the guardian from where we were and Victor was also shouting something in a language that felt older than the walls.
The floor split open down the middle, and I think it's because Victor, as he was chanting in a language we barely understood.
Selene cursed under her breath. "Kael, we need another way out!"
"There is one," Kael said. "But we have to jump"
Jump? Into what? Into where? Why?
The floor opened wider, like the house wanted to swallow us.
Kael pulled me toward the crack. "Elara, don't think, just move"
Victor's magic hit the wall beside us, and the stones were just exploding.
" Elara watch out!!!!" Selene said. I ducked as shattered rocks sliced past my face.
The guardian threw Riven like a ragdoll, he hit the wall hard and didn't get up.
"Riven!" Selene screamed till her voice was breaking.
Victor took another step. "I SAID COME HERE, ELARA!"
Kael didn't wait anymore, he grabbed my waist and sprinted straight for the crack.
"Kael…!" I screamed.
"We don't have a choice!"
Selene ran right behind us.
The floor gave out and we fell. A long brutal drop. My stomach flipped and it felt like the world was spinning in the worst way.
Kael wrapped himself around me mid-fall, shielding me with his body.
We fell in a cold water that was deep and violent. It swallowed us whole and dragged me under before I could even catch my breath. I kicked upwards trying to get my head up because my lungs were screaming. The current of the water yanked me sideways into pitch black of nothing.
Kael's hand brushed mine then slipped away. I tried to reach out again as I was choking.
Before I could do anything, a hand grabbed my wrist, it wasn't Kael as its hand didn't feel human.
A voice pressed straight into my head, deep and ancient: "You cannot run from what you are"
I choked under water, I was panicking. The guardian was in my head.