Darian's POV
The moment the words leave her mouth—
“I know now… the ring was Kaelen’s. He gave it to Serenya.”—
my world stops.
Everything inside me goes quiet. Even my wolf, who has been pacing and snarling since I arrived, goes still as stone. Her voice keeps moving, spilling through the air, but I don’t hear anything else. Just that single line, that single truth cutting through me like a blade.
Kaelen.
The ring.
The childhood gift.
My stomach drops, ice-cold and violent.
My ears ring.
I stare at her—at Serenity wrapped in Serensya’s face, in Serensya’s body, in Serensya’s presence—and I feel something inside me split open.
Kaelen… was the boy?
Kaelen… was the one she held onto?
Kaelen… was her fate before I even understood she existed?
The hallway tilts for a second.
I d
