As Kane stepped to her side, positioning himself between her and Raius, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her gently against him.

“Proceed,” he ordered the court. Then, he lowered his lips to her ear. As they grazed her skin, her hairs rose, and she swallowed, trying to focus on what the council was saying while her mate attempted to seduce her. “Did you come to confront Aworyn or to get me back faster?”

“Get you back faster?” she whispered, turning to look at him, her voice barely audible.

Kane smirked, his other hand coming up to caress her face. “You burn for me. I feel your desire, your arousal in my glyphs like a living, breathing life-force, and it is searing.”

Her breath hitched, and she struggled to keep her composure, the heat between them almost overwhelming. His touch, his words, they ignited a fire within her that was exactly how he described it: a living, breathing life-force. It had to be the glyphs.

“I came to speak with Dairdat,” Emory whispered as his fingers caressed her throat in a way that made her knees weak. She was barely able to speak as he continued to ogle her, taunting her with that smile that made her want to kiss him until she was out of breath.

“Your imperial highness?” one of the elders called, breaking the spell between them. They reluctantly turned their attention back to the audience they’d momentarily forgotten.

Kane cleared his throat, his arm still firmly around Emory’s waist, keeping her steady. “Yes, Varyn,” he said to the elder with the vivid purple eyes. Varyn, now she knew who that was.

“We have no time to continue to debate the same thing with them. Shall we adjourn, your imperial highness?” Varyn said.

“I’ll join Lady Chav’re since she wishes to speak with me. I don’t suppose you mind that, imperial lord,” Dairdat said as he rose.

“She stays,” Raius growled from beside them in a rough and commanding voice. “Your mate is the epicentre of this desolation, and we must resolve this here and now!”

Desolation? The audacity to imply she was responsible for the gods” failings! A wave of irritation swept through Emory. “There is nothing to resolve.” She slipped away from Kane’s hold and walked up to Raius. “It is not my destiny or duty to help you and yours maintain your relevance in a world you abandoned ages ago. The dragons are the new world order, and it would be pointless and your extinction if you attempt to go to war with us again.”

“How dare you speak to me like that?” Raius growled, his eyes glowing pure white with rage, lightning crackling around him. Emory took a cautious step back, feeling the raw power pouring out of him.

Kane immediately stepped in front of her, his hulking form a protective shield. “Enough! Threatening my mate will not solve anything; it will only aggravate me.”

She moved to Kane’s side, maintaining eye contact with the furious god. “I have come to understand the truth. The dragons are here to stay, and they will bring balance to the empire. Balance you have failed to bring. It’s why our world has chosen a new guardian for itself! The sooner you accept that truth, the faster we can resolve this, and that is the only resolution here.”

“You think you can simply decide the fate of the gods and the dragons just because you’re to be the mate of the dragon lord?” Raius sneered with contempt. “You are but a mortal, caught in forces beyond your comprehension.”

Her fire bubbled, simmering with the intent to scorch in totality. She growled, her eyes blazing as she felt the glyphs throughout her body moving, flowing like lava feeding off her rage. “I understand more than you think, and unlike you and your complacent gods, I do not risk the lives of innocents for a cause as foolish as relevance and demand worship simply because I think I am entitled to it!”

“Watch your mouth, wolf!” Raius barked.

“Raius!” Kane growled, the heat of his rage flaring like an invincible halo around him.

“Your grace,” Aworyn called from among the elders, pulling their focus to her. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, her eyes glowing with a soft, lunar light. “The Chav’re is my last hunter, created from the pure essence of the star Orheia, destined to be the balancing beam of our world. In a way, she is doing exactly what she was created for, with no affinity to any one of us.”

Created from the pure essence of a star? It was incredible, but she didn’t fully understand what it meant. She glanced at Kane, his golden eyes fierce with anger but softening when they met hers.

“That would explain a lot,” Dairdat said, and for the first time, Emory heard him sigh, a sound of resignation that almost made her laugh.

She turned her attention back to Raius. “I am not trying to undermine you, even though that seems to be your intention with me. You have to understand that a new dawn is coming. One where dragons, gods, and everyone else can coexist. But it requires all of us to accept change and work together. Fighting the dragons simply because they’re set to become the new world power and displace you isn’t feasible. I assure you, if you choose war, you will lose.”

Raius’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but his posture remained rigid. “And if we refuse?”

“The world is changing, with or without your consent. Adapt or be left behind. It’s as simple as that,” Emory replied with a shrug.

Kane’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close. His touch was a steadying force, his warmth a reminder of his desire for her, a living, breathing force that mirrored her own.

“You heard my queen. Adapt or stay out of our way,” Kane echoed. “We have no desire for war. But war or cooperation, the choice is yours, and we can go either way.”

The room fell silent at their proposition. Emory could see the conflict in Raius’s eyes, the struggle between pride and the dawning realization that the world was shifting beneath his feet. The gods had abandoned the empire long ago, and it made no sense for them to still lobby for control. Not the Lycans, wolves, or humans would side with them—not after all the loss and pain they’ve all been through.

“If you need time to think, take it. The Imperial Lord and Consort will have their unification ceremony in two days. You have until then,” Dairdat said as he approached her. “Lady Chav’re, shall we take our leave to discuss a few things?”

Emory nodded. “Very well. Let’s go.”

As they turned to leave, Kane pulled her gently to him, cupping her face and smiling as he caressed it. She returned the smile, feeling a warm flush spread through her. Then he kissed her softly, his lips sparking electric along the lines of her glyphs she could feel like a sixth sense.

“Find me when you’re finished with Dairdat,” he whispered to her.

She nodded, feeling a flutter in her chest as she stared into those golden eyes. With an unconscious lick over her lips, before turning from him to follow Dairdat out of the room and into the corridor of the Gersentu Tower.

They walked through the hallowed corridors until they reached a smaller, more intimate deliberation room with a round table at its center. Dairdat gestured for her to sit, then joined her, his demeanor calm and measured as always.

“What is it you wish to talk about, Lady Chav’re?” he asked in his usual stoic tone.

She pulled up her right sleeve, revealing the intricate glyphs that had appeared on her skin. “This is one of them. They appeared earlier, and I wonder why or how. I feel everything more vividly now, especially Kane’s feelings.”

Dairdat’s normally inexpressive eyes widened in surprise. He shot to his feet with such urgency that Emory instinctively followed suit. He stepped closer, studying her eyes with an intensity that made her feel exposed.

“Remain here. I shall be right back,” he said, and without another word, he dashed out of the room.

Emory stood there, staring at the door through which Dairdat had just exited, feeling both confused and apprehensive. She traced the lines of the glyphs on her arm, wondering what they meant and why they had appeared now. Why had Dairdat reacted so strongly?

Minutes passed, each one stretching longer than the last. Emory paced the room, her mind racing as she considered the possibilities. The glyphs were beautiful, glowing softly with an otherworldly light that made her even more curious about them. She could feel Kane’s emotions so vividly—his desire, his anger, his love—all of it intertwined with her own feelings. It was as if their souls were becoming one, bound by these mysterious markings.

Before she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, she felt Kane’s presence pulsating in tandem with her glyphs. She grunted with each powerful pulse as it vibrated through her, and with a groan, grabbed the table to lower herself back to her seat. The feeling continued, the vibrations intensifying. She squeezed her eyes shut to quell it and, in her mind, saw Kane walking through the hall towards her in the company of the entire Crimson Wing. All of her seemed to hone in on him, but not in a way that she could sense him, but like she was one with him.

Moments later, the door swung open, and Dairdat returned, accompanied by Kane and the others, just as she had envisioned.

“Eilir.” Kane crossed the room in swift strides, his eyes filled with concern as he reached her side and lowered to hold her face. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, feeling the vibrations ease as he took her hand, his touch grounding her. “I’m fine now,” she said, her voice steadying. “But these glyphs” they’re connected to you, aren’t they?”

He took her hands and pushed her sleeves up to look at them, they pulsed purple now, and her eyes widened in wonder. The elders murmured something to each other in that unfamiliar tongue she guessed was dragon speak, and she eyed them before turning her focus back on Kane.

“Imperial lord, it’s not possible for an outsider, especially one who you have not yet joined with to carry the stones of Arcanis,” one of the other three elders she didn’t know by name said. But it was strange, he’d said that in the dragon tongue and she understood him clearly.

“Or a female,” Varyn said. “The imperial consorts never share in the glyphs.”

“How is this even possible, Dairdat?” Kane asked, looking over at the elder who stood with the most confused expression on his face.

“It is a unfounded, Lord Odreil. But a wolf imperial consort is uncharted territory,” Dairdat said quietly, staring right at her. “Do you understand what we’re saying?” he added like he could tell she was following along.

Emory nodded slowly. “Yes, I do. I don’t know how, but I can understand you.”

“It could be one of two things. Either our divine elders and ancestors have accepted her and somehow found a way to link you and her through the power of the glyphs or they have chosen a high priestess for the fold after so long,” Dairdat said with a thoughtful scowl on his brows. “Or it could be something worse. Your mate must pass the trial of fire to become one with you.”

She stared at Dairdat, feeling the newfound awareness swirling through her. The power of the glyphs kept her grounded, unafraid, unperturbed, and very clear-headed even in such a stressful situation.

“The trial of fire?” she asked, managing to keep the anxiety flickering in her chest out of her voice.

Dairdat nodded. “Yes, it is an ancient trial that tests the worthiness of the imperial consort. It is both a test of strength and spirit. If you pass, you will be fully accepted into the fold, and your bond with Kane will be solidified in a way that has not been seen for centuries.”

“And if I fail?” she arched a brow.

Kane caressed her face, gently turning her gaze to meet his. “You won’t.”

“Not that I don’t believe you, but what if I fail? I need to know everything before I’m completely plunged into something I had no say in.” Emory searched his eyes, seeing the hesitation there. She already suspected the answer, a whisper of fear in the back of her mind, but she needed them to say it aloud.

“The fire of the glyphs now flowing through your core consumes the unworthy,” Kane told her. “But when you pass, it purifies and bestows you a spark that matches your soul.”

She held his gaze, her mind racing with thoughts. Why did his ancestors feel the need to test her? Perhaps because the elders had not fully accepted her, or maybe it was a reflection of the doubt surrounding their union. She wasn’t one of them, an outsider thrust into their world. This trial seemed like a culmination of all the tests she’d faced so far, from being forced to kill Rahl to the constant scrutiny she endured.

“Take me home,” she said softly to Kane.

He rose and pulled her to her feet, holding both her hands in his. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Eilir. I swear it.”

“You have no say in this,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “It’s the way it should be. This is between me and your ancestors, and I hope they know what they’ve got themselves into.”

Kane’s eyes flashed with pride, twinkling in a way that made her smile. “You’ll show them.”

As they stepped through the doorway back into their lair, her heart raced with anticipation. She squeezed Kane’s hand subconsciously, feeling his strength flow into her. His guilt and worry now seeped through the connection, and she slipped away from him to walk to the mirror.

“Eilir, I am sorry for’”

“Don’t do that,” she interrupted, turning to face him. “Don’t apologize for things beyond your control. This is my trial as much as it is yours.”

Kane stepped closer, his golden eyes searching hers. “I wish I could take this burden from you.”

She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “We carry it together. That’s what this bond means, right? We face everything together.”

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

“I try.” She leaned into his touch and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

They stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other’s embrace. The warmth of his body against hers was a comforting reminder of their connection. She could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady.

She pulled back slightly, looking up at him. “Tell me how it works.”

Then Kane led her to the bed. They lowered to sit on it, the mattress dipping slightly under their combined weight. He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving hers before he began.