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Alex shook her head again.

Leaning forward as much as her bindings would allow, Zaylin roared, “PICK UP THE DAGGER, ALEX!”

Just as forcefully, Alex screamed, “NO!”

She then looked up at the canopy, addressing her words to whoever was listening. “This isn’t the freaking Hunger Games! You’re all sick if you think I’m going to kill someone—anyone— just for your entertainment! I can’t—Iwon’t—” She inhaled deeply and tried again. “You need to give me a different task. This is no test of love—true love would never demand such a cost.”

There was a long silence that fell around the clearing before Zaylin quietly spoke, repeating Saefii’s earlier words. “Love is sacrifice, Alex. Sacrifice always demands a cost.” Continuing just as quietly, she said, “You don’t have a choice here.”

Tears welled in Alex’s eyes, blurring her vision.

Seeing Alex waver, Zaylin’s throat bobbed, but she held her gaze and whispered, “Pick up the dagger, Alex.”

This time, Alex did as she was told.

“Now walk towards me,” Zaylin continued whispering.

Once again, Alex followed her order.Step, step, step, step, each movement bringing her closer to the Tia Auran. Closer to the act that would break her in a way that could never be unbroken, leaving her scarred forevermore.

“Alex—” Jordan started, but he didn’t finish. Or if he did, Alex didn’t hear. She couldn’t hear anything over the warring of her own mind, over the horror of what she was about to do.

“Good,” Zaylin whispered when Alex was right in front of her. In a wobbling voice, she instructed, “Now raise the blade to my chest.”

As if undergoing an out-of-body experience, Alex moved her shaking hand upwards, her thoughts screaming. She’d felt like this only once before, when Aven had Claimed her and ordered D.C.’s death. But she wasn’t Claimed this time. This time, her decisions were her own.

“One quick stroke,” Zaylin continued instructing. The pupils in her silver eyes were dilated with fear, her breathing shallow, herbody stiff with tension. Yet she wasn’t struggling. Instead, she was helping to expedite her death. “It’ll be over before—” Her voice cracked. “Do it quickly, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Tears leaked down Alex’s face, her lips trembling. “I—”

“Just do it, Alex!”

So Alex did.

In one swift movement, she sliced the dagger forward and upwards.

But she didn’t use it to pierce Zaylin’s flesh.

Instead, she cut straight through the vined bindings, releasing the Tia Auran from her entrapment.

No longer held against her will, Zaylin still didn’t move. She just stared at Alex in shock.

“You told me I didn’t have a choice, but you were wrong,” Alex whispered, unable to see anything through her watery eyes. She wiped a hand across her face, but more tears just fell in their place. “Raelia is called The Crossroads for a reason— it’s a place of choices.”

A shuddering breath left her as she recalled Roka’s words from what felt like forever ago: ‘Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices. There are many paths we can take. It’s up to us to decide which ones lead in the right direction.’

“I made the only choice I could live with,” Alex whispered, holding Zaylin’s incredulous gaze. “Even if it means it’s the choice I’ll have to die with, too.”

And with her statement, she dropped the dagger, the tip of the blade spearing into the soft earth underfoot with resounding finality.

“One life, Alex,” Zaylin croaked out. “One single life and you’ll save your entire world.”

“You’re right,” Alex said, just as croakily. “But that one life will be Aven’s, not yours—and not theirs.” She pointed to her silently watching friends. “And even then, Aven won’t die by myhand. Because the surest way to become a monster is to follow in their footsteps.” She drew in a painful breath and finished, “Death leads to death. But as for me, I choose life. And I’m sticking with my decision, no matter the consequences.”

Stepping back, Alex wiped her face one last time and, after seeing the looks of support her friends sent her, their pride in her actions rather than their fear of what the future might bring, she raised her voice and called, “We’re done here.Stop.”

With the official word of surrender, Raelia instantly began to dissolve around them until they were no longer in the mushroom-circled clearing, but instead back on the dais in the stadium, all of them except for Zaylin who had vanished with the wildflower scenery.

No longer bound by branches, Kaiden strode purposely over to stand by Alex’s side. He took her left hand in his, his thumb lightly stroking once over the line of her thin Claiming scars. Bear followed quickly in his footsteps, reaching for her right hand. Jordan, D.C. and Declan all moved closer as well, until the six of them were standing hand in hand to face their coming judgement. Even if they all knew what it would be.