“Yup,” Sin says, already walking, hand lifting again to draw the shield around the three of us. “Keep that in mind if you’re planning any backstabbing.”
“What’s the plan then?” Levi asks. “Sneak in, take them down one by one?”
I shake my head. “No sneaking. We go loud. Blast through the Northern entrance mid-ceremony, when they’re distracted.”
Levi stops dead. We do too.
“You’re going the wrong way,” he says, face hard. “Amira changed it. Ceremony’s in the Southern Garden.”
Sin mutters a curse and spins on his heel. “Great. Fantastic. Let’s just circle the entire damn kingdom while we’re at it.” Then he points at Levi, eyes narrow and issues an Alpha Command. “Bark.”
“Woof!” Levi scowls, betrayed. “You could’ve picked literally anything else.”
“It was the first thing that came to mind,” Sin says without an ounce of shame. “Now run. We’ve got ground to cover.”
“We should shift,” Levi grumbles. “Wolves are faster.”
“I can’t keep the shield up long enough in wolf form,” Sin snaps. “So shut up and move.”
We listen to the grumpy Beta and pick up the pace.
We stop just outside the high stone wall enclosing the Southern Garden, hidden behind a row of tangled bushes thick enough to hide an army.
“There are people everywhere,” I whisper, peeking through the leaves. Movement everywhere. Shadows flitting. Nervous energy coiling through the air.
“Amira chose well,” Sin mutters, eyeing the wall. “There’s a magical ring around the entire garden. Prevents shifting. No one goes in or out in beast form.” He curses under his breath. “Shit. It’s rune-based. Old magic. I know it’s carved into the perimeter somewhere, but I can’t remember where.”
My heart stutters. “If you can’t shift — if we don’t have your dragon — we’re screwed.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he snaps, tension flaring.
Levi’s voice cuts through the tight silence. “Wait. So the dragon thing’s real? You can actually turn into one?” His wide eyes flick to Sin like he’s waiting for him to start breathing fire right at this moment.
Sin doesn’t bother answering. Just gives a grim nod.
Levi exhales, then steps closer to the wall, placing his palm against the stone. “I know where some of the runes are. The Gamma used to bring us here for control training — taught us how to fight without shifting, how to leash our beasts.” His brow furrows. “I found a few of them while screwing around after hours. If I can take one of the runes out of formation, the whole ring should collapse.”
I lean forward. “You’re sure?”
He nods. “I can move without suspicion. I’m still part of the royal warriors, after all. I’ll signal you when it’s done.”
“What kind of signal?” I ask.
Levi grins. “Something big. You won’t miss it.”
“Go,” Sin says, voice low and tight. “But if you betray us...” He lifts a single finger. “Shadow Fire.”
Levi lifts both hands in mock surrender, eyes dancing. “Yes, Sindre,” he says sweetly.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Sindre? That’s your full name? The Sparkling One?”
“I will incinerate you both,” Sin hisses, deadpan.
“Later,” I promise him with a grin. “After we survive.”
Sin waves Levi off with a clipped command. “Find the runes. Disrupt the line. And don’t get caught.”
Levi doesn’t hesitate. He vanishes into the garden perimeter like a ghost.
