Page 67 of A Crown of Fates

She’s right, we have a plan, but as I start to shift back to my human form, I can’t shake the lingering echo of Orix’s presence still attached to me.

If he can still get inside my head, overpowering Aurora’s block, what else can he do?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ESTEE

The moment Theo tells me what happened during the pack run, a fury unlike any I’ve ever known ignites in my chest. My blood boils, and my wolf snaps her jaws in frustration, her senses prowling through the trees, searching for our enemy, ready to battle without hesitation.

Clueless, the pack is left to enjoy the night beneath the stars, Theo sending our mental goodbyes as we race back to the castle. I shift before we even reach the stone steps, the transition happening so fast that my muscles scream in protest, but I don’t care. I need to touch him, to see him, to make sure he’s truly here with me and not some illusion left behind by that dreadful god.

Theo stands before me as I approach, still dressed in his royal suit, the silver crown sitting proudly atop his dark hair. Yet my focus isn’t on his regal appearance; it’s on his eyes. I search their depths for shadows, for signs of Orix’s lingering presence. I reach out tentatively, brushing his chest, my senses pushing through the bond, probing for any fractures.

I find none.

All I feel is Theo—his warmth, his love, his strength. It floods through our connection, steady and unyielding, as though he’s reinforcing it for my benefit.

Relief crashes over me, and I collapse into his arms, gripping the fabric of his tunic. “I won’t lose you to him.”

He wraps his arms around me tightly, his voice a soft promise against my ear. “You won’t. I don’t know how he managed to reach me, but it won’t happen again. I swear it.”

A familiar voice interrupts us, carrying a sharp edge. “What won’t happen again?”

I turn, and Elyn is standing in the doorway. Or rather, what’s left of the elder wolf I once knew. Her silver hair now gleams with vibrant life, cropped neatly around her face. Her lavender eyes glow faintly, brimming with power, and her skin, once marked by time, is now smooth and youthful.

“You…you look…” I stammer, struggling to reconcile this version of her with the one I’ve come to know. Theo told me about her changes, but seeing them is something else entirely.

“Like someone who can finally get stuff done without feeling like my bones are about to break,” Elyn replies, a wry smile curving her lips. She steps forward and hands Theo a wooden box, the Selaris insignia etched intricately into the lid. “Aurora might not return, so we need to be prepared. This will help you end Orix. Permanently.”

Theo’s hands hover over the latch, curiosity flickering across his face, but Elyn smacks his fingers away.

“If I wanted that out in the open, I wouldn’t have put it in a box,” she snaps. “This is your secret weapon. With this?—”

Without thinking, I slap my hand over her mouth, rougher than I intend, and yell, “Stop!”

Elyn’s lavender eyes narrow as she pulls my hand away with surprising ease. “If you weren’t days away from being my queen, you’d be on your ass right now.”

“I’m sorry, but Theo’s mind isn’t safe.” I’m not actually sorry, considering this woman took joy in killing me before, but I’d rather pretend with her for the moment.

Her expression hardens, her gaze shifting to Theo. “What does she mean? Aurora’s shield is still in place. I can feel its energy. No one should be able to penetrate that, except the goddess herself.”

My mate’s mood plummets, and I already know it’s because if Orix managed to do so, he might not be as weak as we were told.

“He spoke to me,” Theo admits. “We were out on the pack run and everything was perfect then his voice was in my head and his presence was nowhere to be found. His connection to me is still intact.”

Elyn mutters something under her breath before stepping forward and flicking Theo on the forehead.

“Ow—what the?—”

“Do you know nothing of power, young king?” she scolds. “When Aurora shielded your mind, it was just that—yourmind. But you were in your wolf form. Orix’s connection isn’t to you alone. It’s also to your wolf. Two separate entities, two separate vulnerabilities. As long as you don’t shift, he can’t reach you.”

The logic is sound, yet it feels too simple. Still, I can’t ignore the truth in her words. Our wolves, though bound to us, have their own souls. Something I didn’t consider until she so blatantly pointed it out.

“Now, if everyone can keep their hands to themselves,” Elyn says tersely, gesturing back toward the box. “I’ve brought you a dagger with a special ability. One that will only work once, so you don’t want to open this until you’re ready. I’ve disguised the weapon as one of the royal scepters. Break the casing and stab Orix with the blade. The stones on the hilt will take care of the rest.”

“Where did you get this?” Theo asks, eyeing the box suspiciously.

Elyn smirks, a hint of mischief in her gaze. “I stole the dagger from King Airik. I found out he was planning to…well, thatdoesn’t matter now. I just knew I needed it more than he did, and now I know why.”

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