Ysolde's heartbeat thundered inside her skull—too loud, too fast, too heavy, as if it didn't belong to her anymore. Snow stung her cheeks, wind roared in her ears, Kael's blood stained her hands.
"Call it," Kael whispered again, voice trembling, raw.
"Call what's inside you."
The riders closed in, forming a tightening arc around them. Spears lowered. Armor creaked. Their breaths fogged the air in deep, synchronized puffs—predators surrounding prey.
Ysolde felt her pulse jump violently.
She didn't know what he meant. She didn't know how to summon magic she didn't believe in, didn't understand, didn't want.
But the bond inside her—
It thrummed.
It pulled.
It woke.
Call it.
Her fingers curled into Kael's fur, gripping tight as if she could anchor herself through him. His body was hot, trembling with pain, with rage, with the instinct to protect her even while broken.
One of the riders stepped forward. A massive shifter with armor etched in crimson sigils.
"Get away from the king, girl," he growled. "We won't ask twice."
Kael bared his teeth, but the movement sent a spasm of agony through him. He collapsed to one knee, breath shattering in a cough.
The rider smirked.
"Pathetic, isn't he? A king brought low by his own curse."
Ysolde stood, trembling, placing herself between the rider and Kael.
His laugh was cold.
"You think you can protect him?"
Her hands balled into fists.
She didn't think.
She knew.
"Touch him," Ysolde whispered, "and I'll kill you."
The rider barked a laugh.
Ysolde didn't flinch.
Behind her, Kael's breath caught. The bond pulsed. The wind shifted—sharp, electric.
The rider lifted his spear.
"Girl," he said, voice dropping, "I'm doing you a favor."
He lunged.
Ysolde didn't scream.
She didn't move.
The bond erupted.
A shock tore through her chest like a lightning strike, spreading through her veins, splitting apart something she hadn't known was locked inside her.
Her vision went white.
The world went silent.
Then—
The snow exploded upward in a violent column of crimson light.
The spear hit the blast before it touched her—snapping in half as if struck by an invisible blade. The rider was thrown backward, flipping end over end through the air before crashing into a drift with enough force to crack the stone beneath.
The other riders stumbled.
Some shielded their faces.
Others cursed.
Kael stared up at her, eyes wide—silver burning with shock, awe, recognition.
She stood in the center of the storm with her hair whipping around her, blood swirling through the air in tiny red particles—like dust. Like embers.
Old Blood.
Awakened.
Ysolde gasped for breath, clutching her chest. The power inside her thrashed, pulsed, demanded.
The riders regrouped.
One snarled, "She's unstable. Take her now before—"
The crimson light surged outward in a pulse that knocked him off his feet.
Kael's breathing went ragged.
"Ysolde—" he rasped, "listen—listen to me—"
She turned to him, heart racing.
"This isn't something you control by force," Kael said through gritted teeth. "You have to want something. Focus on it. Anchor to it. Or the magic will tear you apart."
The wind howled around them, the power crackling like lightning trapped beneath her skin.
"What do I focus on?" she whispered.
Kael lifted his head, lips stained with blood, eyes fierce even through the pain.
"Me."
Her breath caught.
"Anchor to me," he said. "To the bond. To my voice. To whatever you feel when you look at me."
She didn't know what she felt.
But she knew she would burn the world before letting him die here.
That was enough.
She focused on Kael. On the silver in his eyes. On the warmth of his hand when he held her. On the moment he dove off the cliff without hesitation. On the way he said her name like it mattered.
Her heartbeat steadied.
The magic obeyed.
A wave of crimson light rippled across the snow, forming a circle around them. The riders snarled, trying to break through, but the air hardened—like glass, like a shield, like something older than any spell they'd ever seen.
Kael breathed out a shaky laugh.
"You're doing it."
Ysolde exhaled, trembling.
Then the Crimson Alpha dropped from the cliff like a falling star.
He landed in a crouch, snow flaring in a perfect ring around him. His red eyes glowed with fury and excitement.
"Well," he said slowly, rising to his full height.
"That is… unexpected."
Riders parted for him instantly.
Kael snarled, forcing himself up on shaking legs.
"Stay back from her."
The Alpha's gaze slid to Ysolde—hungry, calculating.
"You don't even know what she is, do you?" he asked Kael softly. "What that power means? What she could break? What she could wake?"
Kael bared his teeth. "I know she's mine."
The Alpha smirked.
"And that is exactly why she is dangerous."
He lifted his hand.
The riders readied their weapons.
The shield of crimson light around Ysolde flickered—just once, a tremor of instability.
The Alpha's eyes sharpened, predatory.
"She can't hold it, Kael. Her blood is powerful—but raw. Untrained. She'll burn herself out."
Kael growled, stepping forward despite the pain tearing through his body.
"She's stronger than you know."
The Alpha smiled.
"Prove it."
He snapped his fingers.
A surge of dark crimson magic shot across the snow—
Striking Kael directly in the chest.
He flew backward, slamming into the rocks with a sickening crack.
"KAEL!"
Ysolde sprinted toward him—
And her shield shattered.
The riders lunged.
Ysolde threw up her arms instinctively—
Crimson energy burst from her palms, ripping through the closest riders and sending them hurtling across the slope.
But the Alpha didn't move.
He simply lifted his hand again.
Ysolde felt the air around her tighten—like a fist closing around her lungs.
She choked, dropping to her knees as the invisible pressure squeezed harder and harder.
Kael tried to rise, snarling in agony.
"No—leave—her—"
The Alpha didn't even look at him.
"Your bond makes her vulnerable, little brother. You made her power unstable. Mine will stabilize it."
Ysolde fought to breathe.
The Alpha's magic curled around her throat, lifting her off the ground by nothing but force.
Kael roared, shifting again despite his shattered bones, his form twisting violently—
The Alpha snapped his fingers.
Kael collapsed.
"NO!" Ysolde screamed, power ripping through her veins.
The Alpha stepped closer, his voice a whisper of ice.
"It's time you learned what you are."
He reached for her—
And the bond inside her screamed.
A force detonated in her chest, violent and uncontrolled—
And the world exploded into red.