NORA POV
Silas’s warning echoed through me long after he disappeared into the woods.
“They won’t kill you, Nora. They’ll crown you.”
It chilled me more than any threat. Because now I understood—the prophecy wasn’t about stopping a curse.
It was about choosing a side.
We returned to the camp quiet, subdued. The air was heavy with dread. Every step felt like walking toward something irreversible.
Reya pulled me aside as the sun began to rise.
“There’s news,” she said. “From the Northern Alphas.”
My stomach clenched. “What kind of news?”
She handed me a scroll with wax so black it shimmered blue under light.
An official invitation.
TO THE CHOSEN VESSEL, NORA VANCE, AND HER ALPHA, DARIUS THORNE.
YOU ARE SUMMONED TO THE UNITY SUMMIT IN THREE DAYS.
“Unity summit,” I muttered, scann
