Page 43 of Haunted Crowns
“You have already done what no one else could. You united a pack that once shunned your kind. You shine with a light that cannot be ignored. Even Kareon is no longer untouched by you.”
Eris flinched. “What do you mean?”
Kaelioth studied her, as if weighing the depth of her denial. “You already know.” The wind stirred, rustling the leaves. “You are the tether he never sought—the force he cannot fight. Wolves love once, and when they do, it is absolute. He has already bound his wolf to you. You could destroy him, and he would let you. He is your fiercest protector. And you…his most dangerous weakness.”
The truth settled heavy in her chest. She wanted to deny it, but something deep inside her already knew. The realization cut sharp.
No. I will not be his undoing.
Her hands trembled, as if something sacred—and dangerous—had just been placed in them.
How could she live with herself if she was the reason his fire burned out? If battle claimed him because his instinct chose her first?
The runes shimmered faintly beneath their feet, the grove holding its breath. Her own breath wavered as she turned to Kaelioth. “I will not be the reason he breaks,” Eris said, quiet but certain. “Whatever this bond demands, I will carry it, and I will protect him with all that I am.”
Kaelioth held her gaze. For a long moment, he said nothing. The wind moved between them, soft, approving. Ancient. Then he turned, eyes lifting to the forest’s edge, where night thickened like smoke. “The forces beyond this den are watching. They are coming. And when they do, they will not simply stand againstyou. They will try to erase you as they did with Seraphina.” A chill slid down her spine. “Be strong, child. And never lose faith.”
Eris swallowed. The weight in her chest was inevitable. Inescapable. After a breath, she bowed her head, a solemn sign of respect. “Thank you, Kaelioth. For showing me the way when I was lost.”
He watched her. Something flickered in his amber eyes, not just approval, but something deeper. Then he returned the gesture.
Without another word, she turned. Her steps were sure, even as her mind raced ahead. Kareon’s golden eyes burned in her thoughts, raw, unguarded, filled with something she couldn’t ignore.
She had to find him. The thread between them was strained, but not yet severed—frayed by fear, pulled taut by everything left unsaid. And before fate, battle, or the chaos ahead could snap it completely, she would mend it.
Kaelioth remained still as Eris vanished over the hill, dusk casting her in fading gold.
Even after she was gone, he did not move, as if the ground still held the echo of her presence and the air whispered of what was yet to come.
Slowly, he knelt by the spring, fingers grazing the earth where ancient runes pulsed faintly beneath his touch. The water shimmered, stirred by the night breeze. For a moment, he saw not his own reflection—but hers.
Seraphina.
The woman who had been his breath. His always.
His voice was a murmur. “You were right, my love. She carries your fire. Your light.” He exhaled, the weight of his promise settling deep into his bones. “I swore I would guide her. And I will…until my last breath.”
The wind stirred, curling around him like a warm, familiar caress. It was not just breeze. It was her.
He closed his eyes and smiled.
“Wait for me, my love,” he whispered. “I am coming to you, one breath at a time.”
Eris walked with purpose. Kareon felt her presence before he saw her: a shift in the air, a pull in his blood. Then came slow and measured footsteps. She drew closer, until something inside her faltered.
He looked up.
Across the den, Eris met his gaze, torn between fear and something deeper, something she was not ready to name. Kareon did not move, not until she stood close enough that the tension between them stretched taut, a thread pulled to the point of breaking.
His warriors were still talking, still marking battle maps, but Kareon was not listening. His focus was entirely on her. For a moment, something flickered behind her eyes: doubt, fear, want. Then, without a word, she turned and stepped into a nearby tent. She did not call to him or look back, but she hesitated just long enough for him to see it. An invitation.
He followed.
The fabric whispered shut behind him. He did not speak. He simply stood there, arms crossed, waiting.
Eris’s breath came fast and sharp, as if she were holding herself together by force. She had rehearsed this moment in her head again and again, but now that she stood face-to-face with him, it all unraveled.
She swallowed hard. “Kaelioth explained the bond to me,” she said, her voice trembling but steadier with each word. “I understand now.” She drew in a breath, her hands curling into fists. “He said…” Her voice faltered, the words lodged in her throat like splinters. “He said I’m your greatest weakness. And I will not allow that. Because…” A shudder ran through her as the storm behind her ribs broke loose. “Because I cannot lose you.”
