Sera's POV
"You can destroy him."
Maven's words echo in my head as I pace my room. Three days have passed since she dropped that bomb and disappeared, leaving me with more questions than answers.
A Breaker. I'm a Breaker. Whatever that means.
I haven't seen Kael since. Rook brings my meals and says the king is "dealing with things." But I feel him through the bond—a constant presence at the edge of my awareness, watching, waiting.
Afraid.
A knock on my door startles me. "It's Rook. Can I come in?"
"It's not like I can stop you," I say.
The door opens, and Rook steps in carrying a tray. But this time, there's something else—a stack of books under his arm.
"The king thought you might be bored," he says, setting them on the table. "He remembered you like to read."
I stare at the books. They're old but beautiful, with leather covers and gold lettering. Stories, histories, poetry. Exactly the kinds of books I used to borrow from the village library.
"How does he know what I like?" I ask.
Rook shifts uncomfortably. "He's been watching you for weeks. Through the curse connection. He saw your dreams, your fears, your... everything."
A chill runs through me. "That's creepy."
"Yeah." Rook doesn't disagree. "But he couldn't help it. The bond was forming whether he wanted it to or not. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already..." He stops.
"Already what?"
"Obsessed," Rook finishes quietly. "With saving you."
I sink onto the bed. "Maven said I can destroy him. What does that mean?"
Rook's eyes widen. "She told you that?"
"Right before she vanished. What's a Breaker, Rook?"
He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer. Then: "A Breaker is someone who can see the core of a curse and shatter it. Not just see through it—actually break it apart. They're rare. Maybe one every hundred years."
"And I'm one of these Breakers?"
"Apparently." Rook sits in the chair across from me. "Which means you could break Kael's curse. Free him from being the Beast King."
Hope flares in my chest. "That's good, right? He'd be human again!"
"Or dead," Rook says flatly. "The curse has been part of him for a hundred years. It's tangled with his life force. Ripping it out might kill him. Probably will kill him."
The hope dies. "So I can either leave him cursed or kill him trying to free him."
"And since you're bonded, if he dies, you die." Rook nods. "Yeah. You're both pretty screwed."
I laugh, but it sounds hysterical. "This is insane."
"Welcome to life with the Beast King." Rook stands. "Come on. You've been locked in here for days. Let me show you around. You need to understand this place if you're going to survive it."
I follow him out of the room and through the fortress. As we walk, Shadowborn bow their heads or move aside. Some stare at me with hatred. Others with curiosity.
"They blame me," I say.
"Some do," Rook admits. "They think you're making Kael weak. But others think you're the only chance he has at being free."
We pass a courtyard where Shadowborn are training—fighting each other with weapons and claws. They move like warriors, organized and disciplined.
"They were soldiers," Rook explains. "Kael's army when he was human. When the curse hit, we all got caught in it. Some of us died. Some became... this." He gestures at himself. "But we're still soldiers. Still loyal."
"To Kael?"
"To the man he was. To the man he's trying to remember how to be." Rook's voice is sad. "Every year, he slips further. More beast, less man. We watch him disappear piece by piece."
My chest aches. "That's horrible."
"It is. That's why some of us are glad you're here. You make him fight to stay human. But others think you're just prolonging his suffering."
We reach a garden—the only spot of color in the dark fortress. Flowers bloom in impossible shades, glowing softly. And sitting on a bench, tending to them, is Kael.
He's in his half-form, mostly human but with shadows clinging to him. He looks up when we arrive, and those silver eyes lock onto mine.
"Sera." His voice is careful. "You're out of your room."
"Rook's showing me around." I don't know why I'm nervous. Maybe because this is the first time we've been face-to-face since Maven's revelation.
Kael stands, and I see what he's been doing—planting flowers. Fresh ones, bright red, in a careful pattern.
"They're for you," he says quietly. "I noticed... in your dreams. You loved the flowers in your mother's garden. Before she died."
Tears sting my eyes. "You saw that?"
"I saw everything." He looks away. "I know it's wrong. Invasive. But the curse didn't ask permission. It just... connected us."
I move closer, looking at the flowers. They're perfect—exactly like the ones Mother used to grow.
"Thank you," I whisper.
Kael's eyes snap to mine, shocked. Like he expected me to be angry, not grateful.
"I'll leave you two alone," Rook says, backing away with a knowing smile.
"Wait—" I start, but he's already gone.
I'm alone with Kael. The bond hums between us, warm and alive.
"I've been avoiding you," Kael says.
"I know. Why?"
"Because Maven's right." He turns to face me fully. "You could destroy me. Should destroy me, probably. End the curse. Free yourself."
"And die in the process," I point out.
"Maybe not. Maven might know a way to break the bond first." His voice is flat. "You could be free. Live your life. Forget any of this happened."
"Is that what you want?"
"What I want doesn't matter." He steps closer. "You didn't choose this, Sera. I forced it on you. The least I can do is give you an out."
I look at him—really look at him. At the man trying so hard to be human, to do the right thing, even when it costs him everything.
"What if I don't want an out?" The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.
Kael freezes. "What?"
"I said—" I take a breath. "What if I don't want to break the bond?"
"You should want to." His voice is rough. "I killed your village. I trapped you here. I'm a monster."
"You saved my life," I counter. "You protected me when my own family wanted me dead. You kill anyone who tries to hurt me. You plant flowers because you saw my dreams." I step closer. "Maybe you're a monster. But you're my monster."
The words hang between us.
Kael's eyes shift—silver to red and back again, like he's losing control. "Don't say things like that."
"Why not? It's true."
"Because it makes me want things I shouldn't want." His hands clench into fists. "You're nineteen years old, bonded against your will, trapped in a curse you don't understand. And I'm a hundred-year-old monster who's been alone for so long I don't remember how to be gentle. This isn't a love story, Sera. It's a tragedy."
"Maybe it's both," I say quietly.
Kael makes a sound that's almost a laugh. "You're killing me, you know that?"
"Through the bond?"
"Through everything." He reaches out like he wants to touch me, then drops his hand. "I should stay away from you."
"But you won't."
"No." His eyes meet mine. "I can't."
That night, I wake up screaming.
The nightmare was worse this time—Lyra's face as she watched me die, Father running away, Maya's ankle snapping, the village burning. And through it all, Elder Mordain's smile.
I bolt upright, gasping for air, tears streaming down my face.
My door opens slowly.
Kael sits in the hallway, in full beast form. His massive body blocks the entrance, and his red eyes glow in the darkness.
"You're safe," he says, his voice deeper and rougher in this form. "Nothing can hurt you. I won't let it."
"Not even you?" I ask, echoing his earlier words.
"Especially not me." He lays down across the threshold like a giant guard dog. "Sleep, Sera. I'll be here."
Something in my chest cracks open. This monster, this curse, this impossible situation—somehow, it's becoming home.
I lie back down, and for the first time since the massacre, I feel safe enough to sleep.
But in the morning, everything changes.
I wake to screaming. Not nightmare screaming—real screaming, coming from somewhere in the fortress.
I run to the window and freeze.
The courtyard below is filled with human soldiers. Hundreds of them, armed with weapons that glow with magic. And leading them, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a cruel smile, is Lord Damon.
He's found me.
And standing beside him, wrapped in chains that burn with holy light, is Maya.
My best friend. Alive. And being used as bait.
Damon looks up at my window like he knows exactly where I am. His voice carries on the wind, magically amplified.
"Come down, my bride. Or I'll kill your friend slowly. Your choice."