POV: Alex
The pain woke me before the scream could.
It started low in my belly—sharp, sudden, wrong. A blade of heat sliced through me, stealing the breath from my lungs as I jerked upright in bed. Moonlight spilled across the chamber in pale ribbons, the wards along the walls glowing faintly with their usual steady power.
But something was different.
The air felt… strained. Heavy. Like the world itself was holding its breath.
“Riley,” I whispered hoarsely.
Another surge twisted through me—stronger this time. I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach as a strange warmth pulsed beneath my palm. Not pain exactly. Not fear either.
Power.
Riley was at my side instantly, eyes wide with alarm. “Alex—what’s wrong?”
Before I could answer, the room filled with silver light. The runes etched
