The ballroom dissolved into frantic whispers—wolves shifting nervously, advisers hurrying toward the Alphas, and guards pressing to the edges of the walls as though preparing for attack. The air thickened with fear, tension curling like smoke around the chandeliers.
But all I could see were the twins' eyes on me.
Talon's ice-blue gaze was sharp with calculation.
Raffyn's golden stare burned with something darker—recognition, maybe. Or warning.
My heart was hammered. "Why would they be looking for me?"
Neither answered.
Instead, Talon reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around my wrist—not possessively, but protectively, almost reverently. The cold energy swirling around him pulsed against my skin.
"We need to get you out of here," he murmured.
Raffyn stepped closer, his fire pressing into the space like a second heartbeat. "Now."
I staggered back a step. "I don't understand—why me? I'm just an omega."
Both brothers stared at me as though I'd said something absurd.
Talon's voice lowered. "Aureia, has no one ever told you that you're… different?"
My pulse jumped. "Different how?"
Raffyn huffed a breath—not irritated, but startled. "The way the air bends around you. The way wolves look at you. Haven't you noticed?"
Noticed? How could I not? The whispers, the strange abilities, the too-fast healing, the dreams that felt like memories…
Still, hearing it aloud made my stomach twist. "You're wrong. I'm ordinary."
"No," Talon said, taking one step closer. "You're anything but."
Before I could respond, Lucien burst through the ballroom doors—breathing hard, eyes glowing brighter than usual. His gaze locked onto me instantly.
"Aureia." Relief flooded his voice. "Thank the goddess."
He reached my side in seconds, placing himself between me and the crowd, wings of tension seeming to unfurl from his shoulders. His eyes flicked to the twins and hardened.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Raffyn answered first. "Nightfall movement. Too close to the border."
"And scouts confirmed they were tracking someone." Talon added, his gaze sliding back to me. "Her."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "Of course they were." He turned to me fully. "We need to leave. Now."
He grabbed my hand—not harsh, but urgent. His grip trembled faintly.
My chest tightened. "Lucien… why are you acting like I'm in danger?"
"Because you are," he whispered.
But the twins stepped between us.
"No," Raffyn said. "She leaves with us."
"She came to our territory. Our invitation. Our responsibility." Talon added calmly, though the tension in his shoulders said otherwise.
Lucien's eyes glowed brighter—almost angelic. "Aureia is not your pawn."
The word echoed like a slap. Wolves nearby flinched.
Raffyn stepped forward, heat rippling off his skin. "Watch yourself, angel."
Lucien didn't budge. "Make me."
The threat hung in the air—silent, deadly.
Talon's eyes flicked between them, calculating. "This isn't the time."
But Raffyn took another step, fists clenching, fire sparking at his fingertips. "He thinks he can protect her better? He can't even—"
"Enough." Talon's voice cracked like ice, chilling the air. He turned to Lucien. "Our scouts found Nightfall trackers on the border. Wolves don't scout omegas. They scout targets."
Lucien's expression darkened. He turned to me, voice gentler. "Aureia… tell me you've felt something strange lately."
My breath hitched. The dreams. The abilities. The healing. The whispers beneath the wind.
"Yes," I whispered. "Something is wrong with me."
Silence. Heavy and dangerous.
Then Raffyn spoke, voice low. "Something's very right with you. That's why they want you."
Talon nodded slowly. "Nightfall doesn't hunt without purpose."
Lucien stepped closer, cupping my cheek gently. "Aureia, if Jarek is looking for you…"
My stomach dropped. "Why would he be?"
Lucien hesitated—too long.
"You know something," I said.
He exhaled shakily. "Not enough. Only your presence… your aura… feels powerful. Far more than any omega."
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
Talon answered instead. "That scouts from the most dangerous Alpha in the kingdom crossed the border the same night you attended your first ball."
Raffyn folded his arms. "And they weren't looking for us."
"They were looking for you," Talon finished.
My breath grew shallow. A cold dread seeped into my bones.
"But why me?" I whispered. "I'm nothing special."
Lucien's gaze softened—pained. "Aureia… you've always been special."
Heat rushed to my cheeks, but fear swallowed it.
Voices around us grew frantic as guards and officials scrambled. The moon outside dipped behind clouds, casting the hall in a darker shade of blue. Something in the air shifted—a warning.
Suddenly, the chandeliers flickered.
Then—
A howl split the night outside the mansion.
Every wolf in the hall went still.
Raffyn's eyes flared gold. "That's a Nightfall howl."
Talon grabbed my arm. "We're out of time."
Lucien's hand wrapped around mine again. "Stay close."
"But where are we going?" My voice rose in panic.
"Somewhere they can't reach you," Talon said.
"Somewhere protected," Lucien added.
"Somewhere only Alphas control," Raffyn finished.
The three males exchanged a silent agreement—tense but unified.
Then Talon lifted his hand, and water spiraled around us like a protective barrier. Raffyn's heat flared outward, a shield against danger. Lucien stepped in front, wings of energy flickering faintly at his back.
In that moment, a terrifying realization hit me:
Three powerful, supernatural beings were forming a circle around me.
To defend me.
To claim me.
To protect something inside me I didn't understand.
The crowd parted as we moved toward the exit—three forces guiding me through chaos.
My pulse thundered. My breath shook. My senses sharpened unnaturally.
And in the distance—
far beyond the mansion walls—
I heard a voice I'd only heard in dreams.
Aureia… I found you.
My blood ran cold.
The others froze.
Lucien's grip tightened like steel.
Raffyn gr
owled low in his chest.
Talon's magic surged violently.
I realized then:
Nightfall wasn't looking for "someone."
They were hunting me.
And they were already here.