Lena’s feet pounded against the forest floor as she fled deeper into the darkness. Twigs snapped beneath her boots, and the cold night air stung her lungs, but she couldn’t stop—not with hunters closing in behind her and her sister’s desperate cries ringing in her ears. Emma was buying her precious time, but Lena’s heart was breaking with every step she took away from her.
Tears blurred her vision as Lena pushed herself faster, branches clawing at her clothes and skin. The prophecy. The impossible choice between Marcus and Damien. It all whirled through her mind, a hurricane of emotions threatening to swallow her whole. How could she choose? How could she sacrifice one of them to save the other?
A low growl echoed from somewhere to her right, and Lena’s pulse spiked. She veered left, hop
