Rowan didn't run.
He froze.
Completely.
Feet planted, back straight, eyes wide—
as if Lucian's words had yanked a wire that held him together.
Lucian lifted two fingers.
A quiet, precise gesture.
The royal soldiers behind him shifted formation—
blades drawn
stances sharp
descending toward Rowan like wolves scenting blood.
Horace swore under his breath and jerked me behind him instinctively.
"Rowan—MOVE!"
But Rowan didn't move.
At all.
Chandler grabbed Rowan's arm desperately.
"HEY—HEY—NERD—MOVE—MOVE NOW—"
Rowan whispered, too quietly:
"I knew this day would come…"
Horace stiffened.
"What do you mean—?
Rowan—GET BEHIND US—!"
Cassian, still holding Aiden's unconscious form, paled visibly.
"Rowan—NO—don't—don't do that—"
Lucian's voice cut the air with cold precision:
"Leave him.
He won't run."
My breath snagged.
Rowan swallowed, eyes glossy with something deeper than fear.
"Horace…"
Horace turned sharply.
But Rowan didn't meet his eyes.
He stared at Lucian instead.
"Lucian Frinton.
You think I'll let you take me again?"
Again.
My stomach dropped.
Horace's voice cracked.
"Rowan…
what do you mean 'again'?"
Rowan let out a shaky breath.
He didn't look away from Lucian.
"Horace…
I was there."
Horace blinked.
"…Where?"
Rowan's throat tightened.
"When the Omega Wing collapsed."
Every sound in the tunnel died.
Even the machines went still.
Cassian whispered,
"No.
Rowan… no—"
Chandler's jaw dropped.
"H-Hold on—what do you MEAN you were THERE—?!"
Rowan flinched.
"I couldn't say anything. If I did—if the Royal Office knew I survived—
they'd have hunted me down."
Horace's hand shook on my waist.
"You survived a structural collapse—why would they hunt you—?"
Rowan's voice broke.
"I wasn't supposed to survive."
A thick silence hung for several seconds.
Then Rowan breathed,
"I saw everything."
Lucian stepped forward, calm and poised.
"Finally," he murmured, "the truth surfaces."
Cassian hugged Aiden closer, tears staining his face.
"Rowan—stop—please—don't say it—"
But Rowan had already begun to unravel.
"I saw the suppressors malfunction," he whispered.
"I saw the walls melt.
I heard the alarms.
And I saw who triggered the collapse."
He looked directly at Lucian.
"You."
Chandler stepped back, horrified.
"Are you—ARE YOU SAYING THE PRINCE BLEW UP THE OMEGA WING—?!"
Lucian tilted his head.
"I didn't 'blow' anything. I neutralized a hazard."
Rowan trembled.
"You murdered forty-four students."
Lucian correct patiently,
"Forty-three. One survived."
Rowan's breath hitched.
He pressed a hand to his abdomen.
"I survived because—because Aiden found me under the rubble."
Cassian gasped.
"Aiden—?"
Rowan nodded.
"He dragged me out alone.
He carried me up six flights until help arrived."
Cassian's eyes overflowed with tears.
"Y-You never told me—"
Rowan looked at Cassian, voice soft.
"I wasn't allowed to.
If the Royal Office knew an Alpha had saved a witness…
we'd both be dead."
Aiden groaned faintly in Cassian's arms, as if reacting to the memories he couldn't voice.
Horace's voice was a whisper.
"Lucian…
you lied.
You said the wing collapsed from structural failure—"
Lucian smiled faintly.
"You believed me."
Horace's hands curled into fists—so tight his knuckles went white.
Rowan shuttered.
"I hid.
I changed my identity in the registry.
I took a fast-track job as a technician to stay under the radar."
He swallowed.
"But you—"
he stared at Lucian, voice cracking,
"you kept searching.
For the 'missing witness.'
For me."
Lucian's eyes softened, terrifyingly calm.
"Of course I did.
Loose ends are untidy."
Horace growled, stepping in front of Rowan.
"You're not touching him."
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"Horace.
Move."
Horace didn't move.
Not an inch.
Lucian flicked his fingers—
the soldiers stepped forward.
"I will not repeat myself."
Chandler grabbed Rowan by the shoulders, shaking him.
"SNAP OUT OF IT—
STOP ACCEPTING DEATH LIKE IT'S YOUR JOB—
RUN—MOVE—SOMETHING—"
Rowan whispered,
"I… I'm tired."
"NO!" Chandler shouted.
"You don't get to be tired! Not when we're ALL fighting! Not when Cassian needs you—not when Aiden—"
Rowan flinched at their names.
Chandler's voice cracked.
"You're part of us.
We don't leave you behind."
Rowan's eyes filled with tears.
"But if I run… Lucas will never stop. He'll keep coming. He'll kill Elleanore. He'll kill Aiden. He'll kill Cassian next—"
Cassian sobbed.
"Rowan—PLEASE—STOP TALKING LIKE YOU'RE ALREADY GONE—!"
Lucian moved.
"Enough.
Come here, Rowan."
Horace blocked him instantly.
Lucian stopped mid-step.
"…Horace."
Horace didn't look at him.
He was staring at Rowan.
"Rowan.
You survived once.
You're going to survive again."
Rowan shook his head.
"You don't understand—
I can't keep outpacing what he's built—
the Academy, the Royal Office—
everything leads back to—"
Lucian's voice sliced through:
"Rowan, you were supposed to die that day."
Horace's entire body bristled.
Lucian continued calmly:
"You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Rowan whispered bitterly:
"I was in the library."
Lucian smiled.
"Yes.
Exactly."
I sucked in a breath.
The library?
Lucian walked slowly toward us.
"That wing collapsed because an Omega panic attack triggered a chain reaction.
That Omega was testing experimental suppressants."
Rowan's lip trembled.
Lucian tilted his head.
"You knew him well, didn't you?"
Rowan's entire face fell.
Cassian gasped.
"Rowan…
you're not talking about—
you can't be talking about—"
Rowan whispered,
"Yes."
And in that moment,
everything clicked.
My heart fractured.
"Aiden?" I whispered.
Rowan nodded—the smallest, most shattered of nods.
Horace froze.
Cassian dropped to his knees, clutching Aiden.
Chandler covered his mouth.
Rowan said it out loud—
"My cousin."
Cassian whispered,
"Your… your COUSIN—"
Rowan closed his eyes.
"Aiden was the one who triggered the collapse."
Silence.
A long, aching silence that stretched through the tunnel like a wound.
Rowan continued softly—
"He didn't mean to.
He was on suppressants the Academy gave him.
He had a panic spiral because he smelled something he shouldn't have.
There was a chain reaction…
and the walls…
caved."
Cassian sobbed harder.
"You should have told me—
you should have told ME—"
Rowan's eyes softened.
"I couldn't hurt him.
I couldn't hurt you."
Horace swallowed hard.
"Lucian.
You knew this?"
Lucian smirked.
"Of course."
And Rowan's breath fractured.
Horace's voice turned sharp.
"You blamed the collapse on structural failure—!"
"And it was structural failure," Lucian said patiently.
"The suppressants were unstable.
The building couldn't handle it."
He shrugged lightly.
"And the Omega involved was easier to bury than to explain."
Aiden whimpered faintly at the word "Omega."
Cassian pressed his forehead against Aiden's.
"You didn't do anything wrong—
you didn't mean to—
you were just a kid—
you didn't know—"
Aiden whimpered again.
Lucian stepped closer.
"Now you understand why Rowan must come with me."
Horace growled,
"No."
Rowan whispered weakly,
"Horace…
he'll kill all of you if I stay."
Horace stepped in front of him again.
"We'll protect you."
Lucian laughed softly.
"You? Protect him?
From me?"
Chandler raised the broken pipe.
"Yeah. Actually. All of us."
Rowan pulled Chandler back anxiously.
"Chandler—no—don't—"
Cassian lifted Aiden's head, whispering desperately.
"Aiden—please—wake up—
we need you—
I need you—"
Lucian sighed.
"You're all very sentimental."
He raised his hand.
"Soldiers.
Take Rowan."
They moved.
Fast.
Efficient.
Chandler swung the pipe—
A soldier kicked him aside like swatting a fly.
He hit the wall hard.
"CHANDLER—!" Rowan screamed.
Another soldier reached for Rowan—
And suddenly—
Rowan vanished.
He stumbled backward—
right behind Horace.
Horace lunged into the soldier at full strength, knocking him aside.
Lucian blinked.
"…Teleportation?"
Rowan gasped.
"No.
Horace pulled me."
Horace didn't deny it.
He stood in front of Rowan, blocking all five soldiers at once.
"Elleanore—stay behind me."
The machines clicked sharply in anticipation.
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
"Don't make this difficult."
Horace bared his teeth.
"I'm DONE being your weapon."
Lucian's smile faded.
"Elleanore," he said softly.
I flinched.
"Come to me.
If you don't, Rowan dies."
My blood froze.
Horace turned sharply.
"No."
Lucian's voice sharpened.
"You have three seconds."
Horace roared,
"ELLEANORE—DON'T—!"
I stared at Rowan.
At Cassian crying.
At Aiden trembling.
At Chandler slumped against a wall.
At Horace—
terrified.
Lucian raised his hand.
And I stepped forward.
Horace screamed.
Rowan shouted,
"No—stop—!"
Cassian sobbed,
"ELLEANORE—DON'T—!"
Lucian smiled.
But Horace moved.
He grabbed my arm—
and pulled me behind him—
just as the machines launched.
Straight at Lucian's soldiers.
Rowan gasped.
Chandler whispered,
"…Oh my god."
Cassian held Aiden tighter.
And Horace whispered in a broken voice:
"Elleanore…
don't you EVER walk toward him again."
The Attack on the Crown Heir
Horace pulled me behind him so fast I stumbled.
The instant his arm locked around me—
the machines launched.
Metal limbs slammed into armored soldiers, knocking them off their feet.
Sensors flared blue.
The air filled with the screech of metal skidding across stone.
Lucian stepped back in annoyance as one of his men crashed at his feet.
"Contain them," he said calmly.
But the machines weren't listening to him.
They were responding to me.
Every movement they made synced with the pounding of my pulse.
Another soldier lunged forward—only to be tackled by a spider-like unit crawling down from the ceiling.
Cassian flinched, shielding Aiden more tightly.
Chandler scrambled up from where he'd been thrown, eyes huge.
"Holy—holy SAINTS—they're fighting the soldiers!"
Rowan grabbed his hoodie again and yanked him back.
"Stay close—I don't know how long they'll listen to her—"
Lucian's voice sliced through the chaos.
"Elleanore."
My head snapped toward him despite myself.
He watched the machines with mild irritation.
"You don't know how to control them."
Horace growled,
"She controls enough."
Lucian smiled thinly.
"You mean she's reacting. Not controlling."
"Doesn't matter," Horace said grimly.
"As long as they're not hurting her."
Lucian's gaze flicked to him.
"You underestimate how quickly instinct tech can recalibrate."
Rowan stiffened.
"Horace—he's right. The moment her scent pattern wavers—"
Lucian finished smoothly,
"They'll revert to primary commands."
Chandler blinked.
"…Primary commands like… what?"
Lucian's eyes warmed with something cold.
"Eliminate anomalies."
Rowan inhaled sharply.
"H-Horace—we need to move—NOW!"
Before Horace could respond—
The floor shook.
A deafening crack split the tunnel ceiling.
Everyone froze.
Even the machines stopped.
Cassian whispered,
"…What was that—?"
Aiden stirred in his arms.
Not awake.
Not conscious.
Instinct-driven.
"Cass…
Cass…
no… don't…"
Cassian brushed a trembling hand through Aiden's hair.
"I'm here—I'm here—stay with me—"
But Aiden's eyes fluttered open—
bright, glowing gold.
And wrong.
Cassian gasped,
"No—no no no—Aiden—NOT NOW—"
Aiden's breath hitched.
He looked like he was about to break again.
Lucian watched with interest.
"A feral Alpha. How… convenient."
Horace snapped,
"Don't touch him."
Lucian ignored him.
"Interesting that he reacts strongly to Elleanore."
I flinched.
Lucian smiled.
"Oh. You didn't know?"
Cassian tightened his hold on Aiden, frantic.
"STOP—Don't twist things—he's not reacting because she's Omega—he's reacting because he's HURT—because he's scared—"
Lucian tilted his head.
"No.
His scent locked the moment she entered the Academy."
Aiden whimpered again.
"Elleanore…"
Cassian's face twisted in agony.
Horace's scent spiked with anger.
"Lucian. Stop."
Lucian didn't.
"Rowan," he drawled, "you didn't tell them?"
Rowan shook his head violently.
"I didn't know—it's not my information to give—Aiden doesn't even—"
Lucian smiled razor-thin.
"Aiden Valehart is scent-bonded."
Everything inside me went cold.
Cassian's breath shattered.
Chandler dropped the pipe he'd grabbed.
Rowan whispered,
"No…
No—that's impossible—he would've—he would've SAID—"
Lucian nodded at me.
"With her."
Horace's world seemed to crack in front of me.
"What?" I whispered, throat tightening.
"What are you talking about—?"
Lucian lifted a hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter.
A broken Alpha bond like his is useless."
Cassian broke.
"STOP TALKING ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT—YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM—!!"
Lucian smirked.
"On the contrary.
I know exactly how to break what remains of his control."
He lifted two fingers.
And the machines—
turned.
No longer bowing.
No longer listening.
Sensors shifted.
Glowed red.
Direction changed.
Straight toward—
Aiden.
Cassian screamed.
"NO—
NO PLEASE—
DON'T—"
Aiden growled faintly, still half-conscious.
Rowan grabbed Chandler's arm and pulled him back.
Horace stepped in front of us, shielding me.
"Rowan.
Tell me what's happening."
Rowan stared in horror.
"They recalibrated.
They found a new priority target—
Aiden's scent is unstable—
they're treating him as a threat—"
Cassian's entire body shook as he stood between Aiden and the machines.
"No.
No—
you're not touching him—
I won't let you—"
A machine lunged.
Cassian shoved Aiden aside—
and the machine struck him across the ribs.
"CASSIAN!" Aiden choked, grabbing him as he fell.
Rowan cried out.
Chandler screamed.
Horace moved instantly.
"ELLEANORE—stay behind me—"
"No—!"
I stepped forward.
My scent burst outward without my permission—
like panic, like desperation, like fire.
The machines recoiled, glitching violently.
Horace grabbed my arm, voice breaking.
"Elleanore—
you're killing yourself—stop—!"
Lucian watched with fascination.
"Oh…
this is better than I imagined."
A soldier tried to take advantage of the distraction and grab Rowan.
Horace reacted without thinking.
He slammed into the soldier—
fist to armor—
a bone-crunching sound echoing violently in the chamber.
The soldier collapsed instantly.
Rowan stared.
"Horace—
you can't fight trained guards—
those are CROWN forces—!"
Horace bared his teeth.
"I don't care."
Lucian's expression sharpened.
"Horace.
If you continue, that is treason."
Horace didn't look at him.
He was watching me—
every tremble
every breath
every flicker of pain.
"Elleanore," he whispered urgently,
"just breathe—please—just breathe—let me handle this—"
I tried.
I did.
But my vision blurred.
My scent fluctuated painfully.
Not enough to control the machines—
but enough to agitate them.
They twitched.
Shifted.
Clicked.
Rowan whispered,
"She's destabilizing. Horace—she's burning through her limits. She can't keep this up—"
Lucian stepped closer.
"We can end this nicely.
Elleanore comes with me.
Rowan comes with me.
The rest of you walk free."
Cassian sobbed,
"No—NO—leave them alone—leave ALL of us alone—"
Lucian ignored him.
Horace growled,
"No one is going anywhere with you."
Lucian raised a brow.
"Do you plan to fight the Crown?"
"Yes," Horace said without hesitation.
Lucian's eyes narrowed.
"Then you leave me no choice."
He lifted his hand—
A final signal.
The machines clicked—
and swarmed.
Straight for Rowan.
Horace lunged.
Rowan froze—
eyes wide—
a terrified child all over again.
Chandler screamed,
"ROWAN—MOVE—!!"
But Rowan didn't.
He was reliving the Omega Wing collapse—
every second of it.
Horace reached him—
too late.
A machine's limb slashed—
Rowan cried out—
Horace dragged him back—
A spray of red hit the tunnel floor.
Cassian screamed.
"ROWAN!!"
I reacted without thinking.
My body moved.
My scent burst outward like a shockwave.
The machines froze.
Sensors flickered wildly.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"Oh…
extraordinary."
Horace held Rowan, hand pressed to Rowan's bleeding shoulder.
"Rowan—stay awake—stay awake—HEY—look at me—"
Rowan trembled violently, breath hitching.
"I'm—sorry—
I—I can't—
I can't—go back—"
"You're not going anywhere," Horace whispered fiercely.
"I promise you."
Cassian crawled toward them, dragging Aiden.
"Rowan—Rowan—no—no—NO—"
Aiden, barely conscious, tried to lift his head.
"…Rowan…?"
Chandler sobbed,
"Rowan—stay with us—don't you dare die—"
Lucian watched thoughtfully.
"Such devotion."
Horace looked up with pure hatred.
"You're a monster."
Lucian shrugged.
"A necessary one."
He raised his hand again—
Another machine began to move.
And I—
I stepped forward.
Shaking.
Barely breathing.
But standing.
"Lucian."
He turned.
"Enough."
My scent pulsed.
Horace gasped.
Rowan lifted his head weakly.
Cassian froze.
Chandler stared.
Lucian smiled faintly.
"Oh?
Have you finally decided?"
I nodded.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"I have."
Lucian spread his arms slightly.
"Good girl."
But then he faltered—
because I didn't step toward him.
I stepped toward Horace.
Lucian's face cracked.
"Elleanore—"
I didn't look back.
I pressed my hand to Horace's back, grounding his scent with mine—
shielding Rowan behind us.
"No one touches them," I whispered,
voice trembling but steady.
"Not the machines.
Not the soldiers.
And not you."
Horace looked at me like I was the world.
Lucian's smile fell completely.
"Elleanore."
I met his eyes.
"I choose him."
And the machines—
stopped.
Every limb.
Every twitch.
Every sensor blink.
Frozen.
Lucian stared.
"…Impossible."
But it wasn't impossible.
It was instinct.
It was bond.
It was me.
Horace tightened his arm around me, voice thick.
"Elleanore—"
But Rowan collapsed fully then, body shaking violently in Horace's grip.
Cassian screamed his name.
Chandler cried.
Aiden broke into a sob he couldn't control.
And Horace—
Horace held all of us together with trembling strength.
Lucian lowered his hand slowly.
"Very well," he said softly.
"If you won't come willingly…"
He snapped his fingers.
The ground trembled.
Stone cracked.
The ceiling above us split open.
And something else—
something worse—
descended into the tunnels.
Lucian whispered:
"Then I'll take you by force."