Cassian’s cousin had moved before the eclipse ended. Prince Alaric controlled the capital gates, the royal treasury, and enough council votes to declare Cassian corrupted by Blood Moon magic. His proclamation named Evelyn an enchantress and offered a reward for her living capture. Cassian read the message twice, then fed it to a candle. “You should remain here,” he told her. The bond carried the rest of his thought: safe, hidden, beyond the reach of another war. Evelyn folded her father’s letter and tucked it inside her coat. “We have known each other less than a week, and you are already repeating mistakes.”
He winced. “I am asking, not ordering.” “Then my answer is no.” Around them, Moonclaw workers dismantled the raised Alpha platform and arranged council tables in a circle. Change was no longer an idea hidden in a cavern. It was carpenters arguing over equal chair heights, healers demanding records, and young guards choosing whether to follow Noah instead of a commander appointed by birth. Evelyn would not protect that change by disappearing. “Alaric will tell the kingdom I control you,” she said. “If I hide while you fight, he gets the story he wants.”
Mira entered with Seraphina leaning on her arm. The wound would heal. The binding charm over Seraphina’s stomach was gone, leaving a lattice of bruises. She offered Evelyn a small iron key. “Lucian kept copies of every payment to Alaric,” Seraphina said. “The prince supplied royal wolfsbane and ordered your father’s death after Cassian reopened the border archives.” Her voice shook, but