Silence followed the Beast King's vanishing roar.
Not peaceful silence.
The kind that fills a battlefield after the smoke settles.
Heavy, choking, wrong.
The chamber still trembled from the aftershock.
The air tasted like fire and ash.
Veins of molten gold faded slowly across the walls.
Owain held me against his chest, my body limp in his arms.
"Kanah," he whispered, "open your eyes. Please—please open your eyes."
I didn't.
I couldn't.
His heartbeat pounded violently beneath my cheek, uneven and terrified.
He cupped the back of my head, fingers trembling.
"Owain," Gerrin said softly, "we need to check the mark."
Owain bared his teeth. "Touch her and I will tear your arm off."
Helion crouched beside him, golden eyes narrowing. "Wolf. She's unconscious because of the Beast King, not us."
"That's EXACTLY why you're not touching her!"
"We're trying to help," Gerrin insisted.
Owain growled, a low, broken sound. "No one helps her but me."
Yllas stepped forward.
Owain lunged.
He didn't make it far—Yllas stopped him with a single hand pressed to his shoulder.
"Wolf," Yllas said quietly. "Let us help her."
Owain's voice cracked. "He claimed her. He touched her. He MARKED her—"
His whole body shuddered.
"And I wasn't strong enough to stop him."
Something in Yllas' expression softened.
"You shielded her with your body," Yllas said sharply. "You protected her from the flames. You were strong."
"I wasn't strong enough," Owain whispered.
No one argued.
No one could.
The Beast King had reached her through a rift, through wards, through dragon territory.
It meant his reach extended further than any of them expected.
Gerrin finally stepped forward.
"Owain. She's losing energy. If the mark spreads, she'll…"
His voice faded.
He wouldn't finish the sentence.
Owain tightened his grip around me protectively.
"Fine," he whispered. "But if you hurt her—"
"We won't," Gerrin said.
Helion added, "If anyone touches her wrong, I'll help you kill them."
Owain blinked at him.
"…Thanks?"
"Don't get used to it."
Gerrin knelt beside me and moved Owain's hands—not fully removing them, only shifting them enough to expose the mark.
Owain flinched as if the movement physically hurt him.
The Beast King's mark pulsed faintly across my chest—
black as ink.
silver as moonlight.
fractured like a burning sigil carved into flesh.
Gerrin inhaled sharply. "It's dormant."
"Dormant?" Helion echoed.
"Yes. The First Claim is designed to wait."
"Wait for what?" Owain demanded.
Gerrin swallowed. "For completion."
Owain's growl shook dust off the walls.
Yllas crouched beside me, studying the mark with sharp, molten-gold eyes.
"It's not just a Beast King claim," Yllas murmured.
"It's… layered."
Helion's ears twitched. "Meaning?"
Gerrin rubbed his forehead.
"Meaning the Beast King used her own rune to anchor it."
Owain snarled. "How do we remove it?!"
"We can't," Gerrin whispered.
Owain froze.
Helion muttered, "Well, that's terrible."
Yllas closed his eyes. "We can't remove it yet."
Owain snapped his head toward him. "YET?"
Yllas opened his eyes—flames flickering inside.
"Her rune isn't done changing."
As if hearing its name, the rune pulsed beneath my skin.
Once.
Twice.
Then burned—
gold
silver
and something else beneath.
Owain's breath hitched.
"Kanah—wake up, please—wake up—"
The rune flared again.
Owain shoved backward suddenly, snarling in pain, as if it had pushed him away.
Gerrin caught him. "Owain—stop forcing your aura! Your instincts are overwhelming her!"
Owain's voice cracked. "I can't—she's—she's slipping—"
"She's not slipping," Gerrin said. "She's stabilizing."
Yllas frowned. "No. She's… splitting."
Silence.
Helion blinked. "She's what?"
Yllas pointed.
And they all stared.
The mark was glowing—
but so was the rune.
Two separate lights.
The black-silver Beast King mark pulsed slowly.
The golden rune pulsed rapidly.
Gerrin whispered, "They're fighting each other."
Owain's entire body shook with rage. "GOOD."
"No," Gerrin snapped. "It could tear her magic apart."
Owain's breath stopped.
"What do we do?" Helion asked quietly.
Yllas answered.
"We watch. We wait. And we make sure neither overpowers the other."
Owain lifted his gaze slowly.
"Or we override it."
The air was still.
"Wolf…" Gerrin warned.
Owain's voice was soft.
Deadly.
Certain.
"You said another claim can break it. Right?"
Gerrin nodded reluctantly. "Yes."
"And a wolf claim is strong enough?"
"It depends on—"
"Not a dragon?"
Yllas exhaled quietly.
"Dragon claims can override wolf claims," Yllas said.
"But wolf claims bind emotion. Dragon claims bind instinct."
Helion smirked. "Leopard claims bind desire."
Gerrin added, "And elf claims bind magic."
Owain looked like he wanted to punch all three of them.
"NO ONE is claiming her except her mate," Owain snapped.
"That's the point," Helion argued. "WHO is her mate?"
Owain growled. "ME."
"That's not how it works."
"How do you know?" Owain barked. "Because YOU like her too?!"
Helion smirked. "Obviously."
Gerrin sighed. "All of us do, genius."
Owain choked on air.
"What—what—no—NO—"
Yllas ran a hand through his hair.
"She affects everyone. Because the rune reacts differently to each of us."
Owain's whole body shook with fury and confusion.
"She's my mate," he whispered.
"She trusted me. She chose me."
Gerrin hesitated.
"Owain…"
"What?!"
"She… hasn't chosen yet."
Owain's eyes darkened, sinking into pure amber.
"You're wrong."
Helion muttered, "This will be messy."
Before anyone could respond—
The Spire roared.
Flames burst along the walls, sealing the chamber in a cyclone of heat.
Yllas stiffened.
"The Spire is locking down."
Gerrin grabbed his staff. "Again? Why?"
Helion sniffed the air. "Something's coming."
The ground shuddered.
A pulse shot from Kanah's rune—
knocking them all backward.
Owain hit the wall and roared in agony.
Yllas braced with his wings.
Gerrin fell to one knee.
Helion cursed loudly.
The rune glowed white-hot.
Kanah's body arched—
eyes opening—
and she gasped.
Not awake.
Not conscious.
Not fully here.
Her voice drifted out of her lips—
but not in her own tone.
A layered voice.
Like two people speaking at once.
"You should not have touched the seal."
The room froze.
Gerrin whispered, "That's—"
Yllas finished, jaw tightening:
"The First Queen's echo."
Owain crawled forward. "KANAH—STOP—PLEASE—STOP—"
Kanah's glowing eyes shifted toward him.
Not seeing him.
Not recognizing him.
Just ancient judgment.
"The Beast King breaks the law.
The seal answers.
The child wakes."
Her body jerked again, light exploding around her.
Helion shielded his eyes. "This is bad."
Gerrin shouted, "The mark and the rune are syncing—"
Yllas bared his teeth. "No. They're COLLIDING."
The Spire walls cracked.
Owain reached for her desperately. "KANAH—COME BACK—"
The rune flared violently—
and Owain was thrown back again, snarling.
I floated.
Not off the ground—
but inside my own mind.
Darkness.
Light.
Fire.
Shadow.
A whisper.
Break the bond.
Before it breaks you.
I gasped, breath ripping from my lungs.
I Woke
Everything slammed back at once—
heat
pain
light
Owain's voice
Yllas' roar
Helion's curses
Gerrin's frantic spells—
I surged upright with a violent inhale.
"Owain—!"
He was there in an instant, arms around me, pressing his forehead against my shoulder, breath shaking.
"Kanah—thank gods—I thought—"
I clung to him, fingers digging into his back.
"I'm okay," I whispered.
A lie.
But he needed it.
He held me tighter.
Too tight.
Possessive.
Terrified.
Yllas stepped forward. "Kanah—how do you feel?"
Owain snarled at him immediately. "Back off."
Yllas ignored him.
"Kanah?"
I reached to touch the mark—
but my hand froze halfway.
Two lights pulsed beneath my skin.
Gold.
Silver.
"I feel…"
My voice shook.
"…broken."
Owain lifted my face to his.
"No," he whispered.
"You're here. You're alive."
Gerrin spoke carefully, "Kanah… the Beast King completed part of the First Claim. If he tries again—"
"He won't," Owain snarled. "I'll kill him."
"That's not enough," Gerrin said gently. "The claim is connected. He can sense her."
Helion stood, stretching his spine, tail flicking. "And he WILL come back."
Owain's grip tightened. "Then we run."
"No," Yllas said firmly. "Running won't break the bond."
Owain growled. "Then YOU break it."
Yllas hesitated.
Gerrin inhaled slowly.
Helion crossed his arms.
And they all looked at me.
Yllas spoke first, voice calm but heavy.
"There's only one way to break a Beast King's claim."
Owain froze. "No."
Helion whistled. "Oh, this is going to be dramatic."
Gerrin nodded grimly. "Another claim."
Owain bared his teeth. "NO."
"Kanah must accept a different mate-bond," Gerrin said softly.
Owain roared. "SHE'S MINE."
"Then she must choose you," Yllas replied coldly.
Silence slammed into the chamber.
My heart was hammered painfully.
Owain trembled. "I—I don't want to force her."
"You aren't forcing anything," Gerrin said gently. "This is her choice."
Helion leaned against a pillar. "She could choose ANY of us, technically."
Owain lunged. "SHUT UP."
"Or none of us," Gerrin added quickly.
Owain froze.
His face twisted.
That possibility hurt more than anything else.
"I don't care," Owain whispered, voice breaking. "I just want her safe."
Gerrin's expression softened. "Then let it be her choice."
All eyes turned to me.
The mark pulsed.
The rune pulsed.
Both waiting.
Both wanting.
Owain knelt in front of me, hands shaking, gaze raw.
"Kanah," he whispered.
"You don't have to choose now. You don't have to choose today. Or tomorrow. Or this week. I will wait. As long as you need."
My vision blurred with tears.
"But if he comes back…"
He swallowed hard.
"At least let one of us protect you properly."
I exhaled a shaky breath.
"Owain…"
He bowed his head against my knees.
"Just… don't choose him."
Yllas stepped forward.
Gerrin came beside him.
Helion stood behind them, arms crossed.
Four males.
Four instincts.
Four potential claims.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"I…"
I trembled.
"I don't know yet."
No one spoke.
Owain nodded slowly.
"I understand."
But his eyes shattered.
Yllas exhaled through his teeth.
Gerrin looked away.
Helion muttered something too quiet to hear.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
The mark pulsed silver.
The rune pulsed gold.
My voice trembled.
"We break his claim.
One way or another."
Owain's eyes sharpened.
"We will."
Yllas nodded. "We will."
Gerrin whispered, "Before he finds you again."
Helion smirked darkly. "Let him come. I'll gut him."
The Spire groaned overhead.
The chamber trembled.
And deep inside my chest—
the gold and silver lights twisted again.
Not fighting.
Combining.
My breath hitched.
"Oh no—"
Owain grabbed me. "KANAH—?!"
The rune flared white-hot—
and everything went dark.
Again.