CHAPTER 14
1111 Words
(Aira’s POV)
Lamig.
Pero iba ang lamig na naramdaman ko ngayon. Hindi yung palaging tumatagos sa balat ko, kundi parang may panlabas na pwersa—malakas, deliberate, at may intensyon. Parang may humihinga sa paligid, matalim at tahimik, at ramdam mong bawat galaw ay may dahilan.
Luminga ako sa paligid ng kwarto. Ang lamig ay hindi normal. May rhythm, parang may humihinga sa labas… sa border ng Winterfang. Para bang ang snow mismo ay nagbabantay, nakikinig sa bawat galaw ng hangin.
“Cassian…” bulong ko, parang nag-aalala. Halos nanginginig ang boses ko.
He looked up, eyes sharp, sensing my unease. Parang alam niya agad na may mali.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered, almost trembling. Hindi ko alam kung panic o instinct lang ang naramdaman ko, pero ramdam ko—may paparating.
Outside, the air was shifting. Frost creeping unnaturally along the walls, even the candlelight flickered against the cold. My fingers tingled, not from touch, but from magic—my magic reacting to the presence beyond the border. Parang may maliit na tinig sa loob ko, nagbabala: They are close. They are watching. Don’t slip.
“Show me,” Cassian said, standing up immediately. Ang presence niya, parang invisible shield, automatic protective energy. Ramdam ko sa buong katawan ko na ready siyang ipagtanggol ako. Ang bawat galaw niya, bawat tingin, parang nakatutok sa lahat ng galaw sa paligid.
I focused, trying to reach the edge of my senses. And then I felt it—a subtle pulse through the snow. Someone was moving. Calculated, cold… almost clinical. Parang bawat hakbang nila ay may rhythm, at ang frost sa paligid ay kusang tumutugon sa bawat galaw.
“Alpha… tracks,” Mara said suddenly, voice tense. “Out there. Near the treeline. Not just footprints… something else. Magic traces. Someone is probing the perimeter.”
Cassian’s jaw tightened. “Snow Court?”
My stomach dropped. Oo. The symbol I saw earlier—the twisted snowflake—was theirs. At ngayon, nararamdaman ko ang presence nila, malapit, calculated, dangerous. Ang snow mismo ay tila nagbabadya ng panganib.
“Yeah,” Mara nodded. “And it’s… strong. Different from your frost, Aira. Not reactive like yours. Deliberate.”
I swallowed hard. “They’re… looking for me.”
Parang isang malamig na kamay ang humawak sa puso ko.
Cassian’s eyes flickered to me, dark, unreadable, but I caught the edge of something. Protective. Fierce. Alpha.
“I’ll handle them,” he said, voice low but cutting through the tension. “Stay inside. Do not—”
“Cassian!” I interrupted, a little desperate. “If they find me outside… they’ll—”
“They won’t. I’m not letting them touch you,” he cut in, calm but deadly. Hindi ako makagalaw sa bigat ng kanyang promise. Parang buong mundo ko ay naka-frame sa kanya, naka-hold sa bawat salita niya.
I tried to steady my breathing, feeling the frost twitching along my arms. Why am I so aware?
It was like my magic… was screaming at me, warning me. The storm inside me wanted out, wanted to protect me… but it wasn’t like before. It wasn’t violent. It was reactive, confused, aware of the threat but uncertain how to strike.
The candlelight flickered against the frost creeping along the edges of the room. Ang lamig ay parang may boses, naghihintay, at bawat tingin ko sa labas ay nagpapakita ng pulso ng kanilang presensya.
“Just… stay inside,” he repeated, soft this time, almost gentle. Parang sa boses niya may warmth pa rin—hindi lamig. Hindi takot. Just… assurance.
I nodded, trying to calm my powers, trying to calm myself. Pero kahit nakaupo ako, kahit nakabalot sa blankets… ramdam ko sila. The Snow Court was here, and I couldn’t run. Not really. Hindi ko kayang i-ignore ang aura nila—parang kumakagat sa paligid ng Winterfang.
Cassian moved closer, halatang hindi siya aalis sa tabi ko. “Aira, if anything happens, I need you to trust me. Don’t fight alone.”
“I… I can’t control it,” I whispered, voice barely audible. “If they sense me… my frost…”
He shook his head slowly. “Then let me control the outside. You control inside. We work together.”
For a second, I almost laughed at the irony. Control inside, control outside… as if I have a choice. Pero the way his hand hovered near mine, protective, unshakable… parang may parte ng akin na naramdaman, na kahit panakot, may safety.
Mara cleared her throat. “Alpha… they’re moving closer. I can feel it. Almost like… testing.”
Cassian’s eyes narrowed. Every muscle in his body tense. “Good. Let them come.”
At doon, naramdaman ko ang first real pangamba. Hindi lang sa Snow Court… kundi sa sarili ko. What if my frost reacts before I want it to? What if I lose control and hurt someone?
Pero at the same time… I realized something. I wasn’t alone.
Cassian’s presence, his alpha energy, wasn’t just a shield. Parang sinasabi niya sa akin—I’ll be the wall. You just survive.
The snow outside the Winterfang borders swirled unnaturally, carrying with it whispers of ice, power, and malice. I could feel it pressing toward the pack, toward us. And my magic… it reacted. Not violently, not yet. Pero enough to make my hands tingle, enough to make my chest tighten, enough to make the air around me hum faintly.
“Cassian…” I breathed, almost afraid to speak.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said softly, voice a low rumble. “I’m ready. Always.”
My heart slammed, pounding in my chest as I realized…
Even if the Snow Court found me tonight… even if my magic betrayed me… I wouldn’t face it alone.
Not with him.
Not ever.
I pressed my palm against the blanket, feeling the subtle vibration of my frost, the energy pulsing in response to the threat outside. It was alive, like it could sense the danger, but it also hesitated. Parang nararamdaman nito ang presence ni Cassian—hindi ito agresibo sa kanya. Parang alam nito na may proteksyon sa tabi ko.
And then, the first shards of ice shot past the treeline, glittering in the moonlight. My pulse quickened.
“It begins,” my magic whispered.
I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, feeling the warmth of his presence, the tension in the room, the danger outside. And deep down, a small, fragile piece of courage sparked inside me.
The Snow Court was here. They had marked me.
But Cassian was here too.
And somehow… for the first time, I believed we might survive.
- Writer
