The Elders will come. They’ll all die. War will follow.
My hand finds the crystal on my chest. The crystal Haron gave me. Holden didn’t want me to have it. There has to be a reason.
You think that can stop him?Rhiannon is watching me clutch the pendant.
Maybe.My fingers tighten around the smooth stone.But I don’t know how.
“Join me, Commander.” Holden’s words echo through the temple. “Give me the charm, and I’ll grant you what you’ve always wanted.”
Rhiannon’s pulse spikes.
“Your Alpha made you Commander so you’d give up on being Luna.” Each word lands like a calculated strike.
Xander’s head snaps toward Rhiannon. “He’s trying to rattle you.”
“He choseherand expected you to smile and salute,” Holden calls out. “Serve me, and you won’t ever be second to anyone again. You’ll be the only voice that matters.”
Don’t listen to him.But even as I think it, I feel an old wound reopening in Rhiannon’s chest. Her pain isn’t just about the loss of her former would-be mate, it’s about the loss of her chance to fulfill her highest potential.
“And you, Truth Seer,” Holden continues. “With the Lycans, you’ll always be the weak one that your Commander has to protect.” His smile becomes cruelly knowing. “I can give you the power to keep her safe.Realpower. Not just fool’s courage pretending to be enough.”
I could stay. Protect her. Actually make a difference.The thought surfaces before I can stop it.
“No archaic pack laws to bind you,” Holden goes on. “No Alpha King’s blessing needed. No bureaucracy telling you who you’re allowed to love. Stay with me, and no one will ever question what you are to each other.”
“What is he talking about?” Xander eyes us.
My hand tightens on the crystal.
Behind us, Conan’s breathing rattles. Shallow. Weak.
“He doesn’t look good,” Akila says. “We need to do something.”
Holden gestures toward us. A thread of white light drifts from Holden’s outstretched hand toward Conan. His breathing steadies. Color returns to his cheeks.
“I can heal him completely. Right now.” Holden’s eyes gleam. “All you have to do is say yes.”
Silence.
For one terrible moment, I want to.
I look at Rhiannon. She looks at me.
“No,” we say together.
The healing light fades. Conan’s breathing steadies, but he doesn’t wake.
Holden withdraws his hand, expression shifting from benevolent to bored. “A shame. I thought you might be reasonable.”
I press my back against the pillar, mind racing.We can’t overpower him. Can’t outmaneuver him individually. Every attack we’ve each tried has failed.
But we haven’t tried fighting as one.
“We need to do this together,” I say to Rhiannon. “I mean, all of us together.”
“What are you talking about?” she asks.
“Earlier, I heard Branson’s thoughts. . .and then Xander’s. Throughyou.”
