Page 74 of A Reign of Malice
Her voice is calm, but her eyes are still shadowed. “When Theo and I were…gone, we weren’t together. But I wasn’t alone. I spoke with my ancestors. My great-grandmother—an Alpha Queen from the time when dark magic was wielded freely—told me that what Aeson’s doing by using those runes is unnatural. He’s sacrificing his wolf to remain in control. He needed a strong mate, one as powerful, or even more than himself, to balance out the dark energy he’s absorbed. Sloane was the only one known in Lunara without a mate that could do that. An Alpha Queen. She was the perfect choice to balance out the monster he’s becoming. Without her, even if we don’t kill him, he’ll eventually destroy himself.”
A sharp gasp escapes Isla, and she moves instinctively to her sister’s side.
They share a glance, silent but full of understanding. When Estee continues, her voice wavers. “The more desperate he becomes, the more reckless. Aeson’s aware that his time is running out. And that makes him even more dangerous.”
I clench my fists. “That doesn’t change the outcome. There’s only one ending for Aeson, and I’ll be the one to give it to him.”
Estee nods solemnly. “Just remember, we all have something to lose. He doesn’t. That makes him unpredictable. We need to end this quickly. Cleanly.”
Looking at Sloane, I know Estee is right. My vengeanceisn’t worth losing my mate, but that doesn’t mean we can wait him out, either.
“Then we use all our resources.” I look at Garron again. “You said you still have wolves within the castle?”
“I do. Soldiers in line to protect Aeson.”
Sloane turns toward him. “What about Dasha?”
He raises both brows and shakes his head. “I’m not sure what you heard, but she’s Aeson’s advisor. She’s the last person we want.”
“No, she’s the first if you can convince her that the risk is worth the consequences. It would be worth reaching out to her through your pack connection and at least trying,” Sloane explains. “Her brother is being used as a pawn, but Dasha wants free of Aeson just as much as all of you. I promise you that.”
Garron strokes his jaw. “If she’s truly an ally, that changes things. I’ll send word—quietly. If we can get her, and a few guards on the inside, we stand a real chance.”
“How do you plan to take the castle?” Isla asks, arms crossed. “Because we’re not walking through the front gates like we’re expected.”
Garron’s smile is thin. “I thought we’d bring him to us.”
But when his gaze lingers on Sloane, something primal rises within me. I step between them with a low growl, chest rumbling. “You willnotuse my mate as bait.”
“Yes, he will.” Sloane’s words slice through the air like steel.
I turn to her, stunned.
Her expression is unflinching, fierce. “If it’s the only way to draw him out, I’ll do it. This isn’t just your war, Julian. It’sours.”
Her bravery both guts me and strengthens me.
Because she’s right.
But that doesn’t make it easier to accept.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SLOANE
Iknow what Garron is thinking the moment he says we should draw Aeson to us. And he’s right. This is the best way to cause the fewest casualties for the pack, and I’m the perfect person to lure him. I’m the one prize he’s desired, and I’ve just slipped right through his fingers. If I can convince him he has a chance to get me back, that I think Julian is the real monster here, then we stand a greater chance at ending this nightmare swiftly.
Julian turns toward me, and everything else in the room disappears. His gaze crashes into mine like a wave, filled with emotions too complex to name. I reach for him, taking both his hands in mine. They’re shaking, but I hold tighter.
“I spent two centuries in a prison I never deserved,” he says, voice low and rough like gravel. “I survived by letting go of everything—hope, revenge, even my purpose—but then you came. I sensed you, and for the first time through all that hell, I remembered who I was. What I wanted.”
He pauses, pain etched along the corners of his mouth. “I first tried to keep you at arm’s length because I didn’t wantyou hurt. But now that I have you? Putting you in the path of destruction goes against everything in me.”
I open my mouth, ready to explain why I have to do this, how I’m not afraid. But he keeps going.
“I see you, Sloane,” he says, his palm pressing over my heart. “I feel your strength in the way you speak, in the way you lead, in the way you love. You’re a warrior, through and through. Brilliant and terrifying in all the best ways. My fear isn’t rooted in doubt. It’s in the truth that I’m still learning to accept.” He leans closer. “You’ve become the most important thing in my world in the span of days. After everything I’ve lost, I can’t lose you too.”
Tears prick my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. “And you won’t.” I lift his hand from my chest and place a kiss over his knuckles. “You’ll be close, all of you. Waiting for the right moment to strike. We have a plan. We know what needs to happen. If Aeson suspects anything, he’ll burn everything down just to take one of us with him. We can’t risk that kind of devastation for our people.”
