Owain didn't let go of my hand.
Not when the howl of the Beast King ripped through the forest.
Not when the rival alpha dissolved into snarls.
Not when wolves started shifting around us like an avalanche of fur and gold eyes.
He held on—
tight
desperate
possessive
terrified—
like I was something he was already losing.
"Kanah," Owain breathed, "run."
But I didn't move.
Because the moment I tried to take a step—
Yllas stepped out of the shadows.
Cold wind snapped across the trees as frost rose from the ground around him.
The wolves froze instantly.
Even Owain stiffened.
Yllas' voice was calm, but edged with danger.
"We're leaving. Now."
Owain snarled. "You're not taking her."
Yllas didn't flinch. "You heard the howl. Wolves can't mask her aura. Dragons can."
"That is not your decision—"
"Yes," Yllas said quietly, "it is."
Helion appeared beside us in a blur of gold and shadow.
"You two want to fight over her in the middle of the forest? With the Beast King howling at the border? Brilliant."
Owain growled. "I'm not letting a dragon take her anywhere."
Gerrin stepped forward, voice steady.
"Owain. Yllas is right."
Owain turned with a snarl. "You too?!"
Gerrin didn't break eye contact.
"She needs distance from wolf land. The Beast King's resonance is stronger near instinct-based territories."
Yllas added, "Dragons are the only species whose aura can counter his pull."
Owain's jaw clenched so hard I heard the crack.
"No," he whispered. "No."
He stepped in front of me, blocking Yllas with his body.
"She stays with me."
Yllas exhaled.
Slow.
Controlled.
"Move, wolf."
Owain took a half step forward, eyes glowing fierce gold.
"Try me."
Yllas lifted two fingers.
Frost exploded outward—
shards of ice spiraling around us in a violent cyclone.
Owain lunged—
But Helion grabbed his shoulder, dragging him back.
Helion's voice was low. "This is not the moment to lose your mind."
"She's mine," Owain snarled, fangs flashing.
"Temporary bond," Helion said. "Not a claim."
Owain roared, "SHE TRUSTED ME!"
That stopped everyone.
Even Yllas paused.
Owain turned to me, desperation shifting into raw fear.
"Kanah… don't go."
My heart clenched.
But then the rune pulsed—
sharp, hot, warning.
The Beast King's resonance was getting closer.
I whispered, "Owain… I have to."
The silence that fell was suffocating.
Owain's breath shook.
He didn't yell.
He didn't growl.
He didn't rage.
He just looked at me with something that hurt to see.
Slowly, he lifted my hand to his lips.
Just one soft touch.
"Come back," he whispered.
My chest twisted.
"I will."
Yllas moved forward cautiously, frost still swirling around him.
"Kanah," he said gently, "come here."
My legs shook as I stepped toward him.
Owain's growl vibrated the trees.
Helion held him back again.
Yllas extended an arm—not grabbing me, just offering.
I placed my hand in his.
His fingers tightened around mine with a sudden, overwhelming warmth.
Not like fire.
Not like frost.
Something deeper.
Owain sensed it.
His face twisted, instincts flaring so hard the air vibrated.
"What are you doing to her?" he snarled.
Yllas didn't look away from me.
"Shielding her."
A wave of warmth swept over me—
powerful
grounding
steady
cutting the Beast King's pull in half.
My knees almost buckled.
"What… what is that?"
Yllas' voice softened.
"Dragon aura."
Owain roared and surged forward.
Helion slammed into him, pushing him back. "Stop it, Owain!"
Gerrin whispered sharply, "You're hurting her! Your instincts reacting this strongly is affecting her rune!"
Owain froze.
His eyes shot to my chest—
where the rune was glowing too bright.
"Shit—" he choked. "Kanah—"
"It's okay," I whispered. "I'm okay."
But I wasn't.
The rune pulsed erratically.
Yllas glanced at it.
Studied it.
Then spoke a single word:
"Minevra."
The air thickened.
Gerrin inhaled sharply. "Did you just—?"
Helion muttered, "Holy shit."
Owain's entire body stiffened.
His eyes widened.
"That's a Dragon Calling," he growled. "You don't do that to a human!"
Yllas ignored him and pressed his palm gently to my sternum.
Heat spread across my chest—
not painful
not hot
just… consuming.
The rune steadied.
My breathing evened.
The Beast King's pull receded sharply.
Owain's voice broke.
"What did you do to her?"
Yllas met his eyes.
"I gave her a shield."
"That was NOT a shield—"
"That was the only thing that worked," Yllas snapped.
Owain lunged again.
And this time—
not even Helion could hold him.
Gerrin threw up a barrier.
Owain slammed into it hard enough to crack stone.
"STOP TOUCHING HER!" he roared.
Yllas stepped in front of me, wings flaring slightly.
"She needs me right now," he said calmly. "Your instincts are destabilizing her rune."
Owain's eyes bled from gold into pure, wild amber.
His claws dug into the barrier, cracking it.
"Get. Away. From. Her."
"No."
The forest trembled from the force of Owain's fury.
I whispered, "Owain…"
His gaze snapped to me—raw, unguarded.
"You're leaving," he whispered. "You're choosing him."
"No," I said immediately. "I'm choosing survival."
He froze.
His breath hitched.
Yllas didn't smirk.
Didn't taunt.
Didn't gloat.
He just wrapped an arm firmly around my waist, pulling me close to his side.
"Let her go," he whispered to Owain.
But Owain shook his head slowly.
"No. I'm coming with you."
Shock sliced through the group.
Gerrin stiffened.
Helion blinked.
Yllas' brows lifted slightly.
Owain stepped through the cracked barrier, breathing hard.
"I'm not leaving her again. I don't care if the dragons hate me."
Yllas stared at him for a moment.
Then nodded—once.
"Then let's move. The longer we stand here, the more the Beast King tracks her."
Owain was instantly by my side again.
Close.
Too close.
Yllas kept his hand on my waist.
Owain kept his hand on my back.
Their auras crashed into each other like fire and frost.
Helion rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great. Two idiots. One human. Let's go."
Gerrin sighed. "We'll need to ward her before we reach the Spire."
"Spire?" I asked.
Yllas nodded. "Dragon territory."
Owain muttered darkly, "I hate dragons."
"You hate everything right now," Helion said cheerfully.
"Correct," Owain snapped.
We moved through the forest quickly—
Yllas guiding,
Owain guarding,
Helion scouting,
Gerrin warding the ground behind us.
As we moved deeper, the trees began changing.
The air grew hotter.
The wind grew heavier.
The sky glowed faintly red.
Owain tensed. "We're crossing into flame territory."
Yllas corrected him quietly. "Home."
In the distance—
A massive black silhouette pierced the sky.
A spire.
Tall as a mountain.
Serrated like a dragon's wing.
Glowing faintly from within.
My breath caught.
"What… is that?"
Yllas' voice softened.
"The Drakonth Spire."
Owain scoffed. "Of course dragons live in a giant death spike."
Yllas ignored him.
"The Spire masks aura. Especially trial-bonds and unstable runes. Inside, the Beast King will not sense you at all."
Owain's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Gerrin murmured, "Then we hurry."
We pressed forward—
but the moment we stepped into dragon territory—
Something shifted.
I felt it.
Heat.
Pressure.
Recognition.
Like stepping into a presence that remembered me.
Owain froze. "What was that?"
Yllas' expression tightened.
"The Spire sensed her."
"That's not normal," Gerrin muttered.
Helion smirked. "She's very likable."
Owain growled, "Not now."
The closer we got, the hotter the air became.
The rune pulsed again—
not in pain,
not in warning,
in… resonance.
Yllas slowed.
"Kanah. Stay close to me."
Owain snapped, "She is close."
Yllas shot back, "Not close enough."
I stepped between them before they could tear each other apart.
"Can you two NOT do this right now?!"
They both froze.
Owain exhaled.
Yllas looked away.
Helion grinned.
Gerrin murmured, "Thank gods."
We reached a ridge overlooking the Spire.
The ground glowed faintly beneath our feet—like veins of lava beneath the soil.
Owain's hand tightened around mine again. "Kanah… your rune is flaring."
I looked down.
My chest glowed bright gold.
I gasped. "What does that mean?"
Yllas answered quietly.
"It means the Dragon Spire is calling you."
My stomach dropped. "Why?"
Gerrin's markings pulsed.
"Because you carry a royal seal."
Owain's grip tightened. "And dragons recognize royalty?"
Yllas didn't deny it.
He just stepped closer, his hand sliding to the small of my back—
not grabbing,
not pushing,
supporting.
"When we enter," Yllas said softly, "you will feel the Spire's aura. It may be overwhelming."
"How overwhelming?" I whispered.
"Enough to trigger another rune reaction."
Owain snarled instantly. "Then we're NOT going in—"
"We have no choice," Yllas said. "This is the safest place in Aetheryon."
Owain shook his head. "Not if it hurts her—"
"It won't."
"How do you know?"
Yllas looked at me.
Not Owain.
Not the others.
Me.
"Because she responds to instinct," he said softly. "Not rank. Not force. Not power."
Owain froze.
Yllas continued, voice low.
"And dragons don't force. We call."
He stepped closer, face inches from mine.
His aura wrapped around me gently—
warm, bright, fierce.
My breath hitched.
Heat rushed through me.
Owain lost it.
He shoved Yllas back with a snarl. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"
Yllas' eyes narrowed. "I shielded her. You nearly drowned her."
"I PROTECTED HER!"
"You smothered her."
Owain lunged.
This time—
Yllas didn't move.
He let Owain collide with him.
Claws against frost.
Heat against heat.
"You will lose," Yllas said quietly.
Owain bared his fangs. "Try me."
Before they tore each other apart—
The ground pulsed.
The Spire glowed brighter.
The rune over my heart flared—
brighter
hotter
wilder—
until I screamed.
Both males froze.
"Kanah!" Owain rushed to me.
Yllas reached me faster.
Their auras collided—
and the rune split its energy outward—
A massive shockwave erupted.
Owain and Yllas were thrown backward.
Helion shielded himself mid-air.
Gerrin slammed a barrier down.
And I—
I floated.
Not off the ground—
but inside my own mind.
Light.
Heat.
Power.
The rune spiraled into a blazing pattern.
And I heard—
A whisper.
Come.
Come, child of the Seal.
Come to the Spire.
I gasped as the vision faded.
Owain caught me before I fell.
He held me tight, shaking.
"Kanah," he whispered. "Kanah—are you with me?"
I blinked up at him.
"I… saw something."
"What?"
"Something inside the Spire."
Gerrin stepped closer. "A memory."
Yllas' voice was quiet. "A calling."
Helion muttered, "A warning."
Owain's voice trembled.
"Tell me."
I swallowed hard.
"It wants me to come inside."
The forest went silent.
Owain whispered, "Over my fucking body."
Helion exhaled. "Too late."
Gerrin looked grim. "The Spire chose her."
Yllas nodded once.
"She enters."
Owain roared, "THE HELL SHE DOES!"
But as he reached for me—
The rune pulsed—
and pushed him back.
For the first time—
not gently.
Not softly.
Forcefully.
"Owain!" I cried.
He froze.
Not because he couldn't move.
Because he realized—
The bond
the grove
the rune
the calling
wanted me forward.
Toward the Spire.
Owain breathed one broken word.
"Kanah…"
And the Spire flared again.