The Alpha's Forgotten Heir

Chapter 19

The moment Seraphina’s boot crossed into the Vale’s heart, the air changed.

It pressed against her lungs, thick and cold like icy water, and for a heartbeat she swore she couldn’t breathe.

“Stay close,” Eira warned, her voice sharp but low. “If you get separated here, you won’t find your way back.”

The mist swallowed their words almost instantly, making them sound small and thin.

Rowan’s hand brushed Seraphina’s arm. “You good?”

She nodded once, though her fingers dug into the pendant at her neck. I have to be.

The ground was slick underfoot, the black mud sucking at their boots as they moved. Their breath fogged in front of them despite the unnatural stillness of the air.

Nadia, usually steady as iron, had her bow nocked and ready. Her head whipped at every sound—snapping branches, phantom whispers.

Darius walked behind Seraphina, his presence a shadow and a promise.

Then the Vale began to show them its teeth.

The first vision came for Rowan.

One moment he was walking, the next he stopped dead, staring ahead like he’d seen a ghost.

“Rowan?” Seraphina whispered.

He didn’t answer.

She followed his gaze and froze.

There, on the path ahead, stood half a dozen wolves—Rowan’s old pack. His Beta, his younger brother, even the elder who used to tease him for being reckless.

They were alive. Breathing. Staring at him.

And then, one by one, they collapsed, their throats opening under invisible claws.

Rowan roared, dropping to his knees, his spear clattering to the ground.

“No!” His voice cracked as he crawled toward them, his fingers sinking into mud. “No, not again!”

“Rowan!” Seraphina grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. “It’s not real—look at me, it’s not real!”

It took three tries before his wild eyes finally locked onto hers.

The bodies vanished. The path was empty again.

Rowan sucked in a shuddering breath, his entire frame trembling.

“Keep walking,” Eira ordered. “If you stop, the Vale will drown you in it.”

Rowan swore under his breath, retrieving his spear. His hands were white-knuckled on the shaft, but he kept moving.

It didn’t spare Nadia either.

An hour later, she froze mid-step, her bow lowering as tears spilled silently down her cheeks.

“Nadia?” Darius asked softly.

She shook her head, staring at something only she could see.

“I see them,” she whispered. “My parents. My mate. They’re all leaving me. Again.”

She turned to Darius, her eyes hollow. “Tell me this isn’t real.”

He stepped forward, cupped the back of her neck, and pressed his forehead to hers. “It isn’t. You’re here. With us. That’s real.”

She blinked hard, then nodded once, forcing herself to breathe.

By the time the vision struck Seraphina, she was already on edge.

Kael stood in the middle of the path, blood dripping from his chest, his eyes dim.

Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees.

“Kael…” Her voice broke.

He looked at her with something like sorrow. “You never came for me.”

She shook her head violently. “I tried—”

“You let me die.”

Her throat tightened until she could barely breathe.

Then she felt hands on her shoulders, grounding her.

“Seraphina.” Darius’ voice cut through the illusion like a blade. “He’s not here. I am. Look at me.”

She forced her eyes open. Kael was gone.

But the ache in her chest wasn’t.

Darius crouched in front of her, his golden gaze fierce. “You can’t let this place win.”

Her lips trembled. “I keep seeing him. I can’t stop.”

He reached out, cupping her face. “Then let me hold you here. Let me be what’s real.”

Her breath hitched.

“Darius—”

He kissed her.

This kiss was nothing like the first. It was raw, demanding, pulling her out of the nightmare and back into herself.

Her hands fisted in his shirt, holding on like he was the only solid thing left in the world.

When they finally broke apart, her forehead pressed to his, she whispered, “Don’t let go.”

“Not unless you ask me to.”

They kept walking.

Hours blurred together, the Vale twisting around them, trying again and again to break their minds.

But with every trial, they leaned on each other more—Rowan’s grim strength, Nadia’s steady courage, Darius’ unwavering presence.

And Seraphina’s fire.

By the time they reached the black stone arch at the Vale’s center, she was shaking with exhaustion but unbroken.

The arch pulsed with dark energy, the air around it buzzing like static.

Eira stopped, her face grim. “Whatever waits on the other side, it’s not going to let you leave easily.”

Seraphina tightened her grip on her dagger, her magic humming at her fingertips.

“Then it should be ready for a fight,” she said, her voice steel.

Darius’ hand brushed hers briefly.

“Together?”

Her lips curved faintly. “Together.”

And with that, they stepped through the arch.