Page 27 of A Reign of Malice (Wolves of Lunara #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SLOANE

C lara’s still with Noen when we head back to the castle, but Asher and Isla meet up with us, their expressions a mixture of apology and quiet urgency.

Neither of them needs to say a word. Especially since I’ve asked all of them to stand at the center of my chaos, to stand between me and whatever fate I’ve dragged us into.

The five of us pass through the castle gates, and the instant my foot crosses the threshold, my pulse stumbles.

The air feels wrong.

There’s a weight pressing down, thick and cloying, and I know without a doubt something has changed. My palm lands against the castle’s front door handle, but instead of cool metal, it’s warm. Unnaturally warm and not from the sun. It’s something deeper, more deceptive.

I glance over my shoulder at the others, dread curling inside me like smoke. “This isn’t right.”

Asher closes his blue eyes, inhaling deeply. His brow furrows, tension pulling at the corners of his mouth. “It’s Aurora,” he says grimly. “Her energy is everywhere. ”

My stomach clenches, nausea threatening to overtake me.

This is what we asked for. Help. Intervention.

But the reality of it is so much heavier than I expected.

My subconscious knew there were no guarantees when dealing with a goddess, especially one like Aurora, but the frantic part of me, the part terrified for Julian’s life, hadn’t allowed me to imagine this sort of scenario.

The moment we step inside, the silence is suffocating.

No clinking of dishes from the kitchen. No murmur of staff moving through the halls. No distant hum of conversations or footsteps echoing through the stone corridors.

Nothing.

The castle feels hollow, like the very breath has been sucked from its lungs. The air is thick with magic, the kind that prickles against my skin, seeping into my bones like cold water.

“Where is everyone?” Isla’s voice is hushed, barely more than a whisper.

No one answers. None of us know.

I take a step forward, every nerve in my body on edge, my wolf pacing just beneath my skin. Each step feels heavier than the last, the burden of uncertainty dragging me down.

The deeper we go, the worse the sensation gets.

It’s not just the emptiness. It’s the sense that we’re being watched.

Not by human eyes, but by the castle itself.

The walls hum with faint energy, something ancient and predatory.

Like the whole structure has become a living thing, bending to Aurora’s will.

Except this isn’t the first time since arriving at this castle that I’ve felt this way.

When I found the runes outside, it was similar. Maybe this isn’t Aurora. Maybe this is Aeson, and he’s doing something to the magic long ago set into these stones.

Once again, my mind tells me I need to get Julian. I’m not waiting a second longer.

Asher and Theo reach for me at the same time. “We’re not going to try to stop you,” Asher says, “but we’ve dealt with Aurora before. At least let us lead.”

I can’t argue with them, mostly because I know if anything happens to me, if I do the wrong thing, there’s a chance I won’t ever see Julian again.

“We need to go down this hallway, toward the southeast section, and head toward the lower levels,” I tell them, gesturing for them to go ahead.

Theo glances back at his mate then at me, his hand hovering near the hilt of the dagger at his waist. “Stay close.”

That isn’t going to be a problem.

Estee and Isla flank me, their presence a small anchor in the storm raging inside me. The five of us proceed with caution, but there’s an urgency crackling in the air, a shared sense of impending disaster. Each step down the narrow stone staircase feels heavier than the last.

By the time we reach the lower levels, sweat beads along the back of my neck despite the cool dampness of the air. The castle breathes around us, thick with ancient power, and every nerve in my body is screaming that we’re running out of time.

I continue guiding Asher and Theo, my senses tuned to the smallest flicker of magic or sign of life. The hallway stretches out before us, the narrow space leading to the painting, to the door hiding my mate.

I can’t wait.

I shove between the two men and sprint forward, my heart slamming against my ribs, blood roaring in my ears. I know better than to rush headlong into unknown magic, but reason has no hold on me now, not when I can feel him. Not when my soul is clawing at my insides, desperate to reach him.

But when I round the last corner, I hit something invisible. Hard.

I slam into an unseen barrier, a wall of steel wrapped in pure, vibrating energy. I stagger back, my palms still pressed against it as the force vibrates up my arms like an electrical current trying to peel my skin away from the bone.

“Aurora!” I roar, my voice shredding the silence like a storm tearing through glass.

I don’t care if she’s a goddess or a curse in a pretty dress. If she intends to stand between me and my mate, I’ll rip her apart.

My wolf surges forward, fangs bared, claws splitting through my fingertips, but just before I lose myself completely to the shift, my world flips sideways.

Julian steps into the hallway, and I freeze.

He’s free.

My heart lurches painfully, torn between elation and fear. He’s here. He’s breathing. But something’s…off.

His fists are clenched at his sides, veins bulging along his forearms. His shoulders rise and fall with each heavy breath, his chest expanding like he can’t get enough air. But he doesn’t look up. Doesn’t see me. It’s like he doesn’t even know I’m here.

A soft golden sheen coats his skin, shimmering faintly like sunlight trapped beneath the surface. It clings to him, ethereal and wrong, like something borrowed from a force far too powerful to belong to any wolf.

And then I see her.

Aurora .

She steps into view beside him, her hand curling around his bicep like she owns him, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she whispers something I can’t hear. Her body leans into his, far too close for comfort, and the possessive snarl building in my throat is nearly impossible to contain.

“What’s happening?” Estee whispers beside me, her voice barely audible.

I can’t answer.

Julian’s entire form begins to shimmer, the glow intensifying until his head falls back, his eyes squeezed shut.

His mouth opens wide, but no sound reaches us.

The opaque wall between us absorbs everything, including his apparent agony and the lingering fury, leaving us helpless spectators to whatever Aurora is doing to him.

My claws gouge into my palms as I fight the primal rage building in my core. My wolf thrashes inside me, slamming into my ribs, begging for release. I grit my teeth, trying to hold her back, but the moment Julian vanishes into Aurora’s energy, I lose the fight.

A feral roar tears from my lips, my bones snapping, skin stretching as my shift begins and not the smooth, fluid shift of my usual transformation. No, this is jagged and painful, like my body itself is resisting.

What the hell is happening?

“You wolves have no patience.” Aurora’s voice slithers through the air, smooth and mocking. “I honestly don’t know why I keep coming back to this miserable realm.”

My shift falters, pain surging through me as my body is forced back into human form with a jarring snap. My knees buckle, and I hit the floor, panting and shaking with frustration and pain.

When I can open my eyes again, Julian is standing there, whole and perfect and alive .

My chest cracks wide open, everything inside me spilling out in a flood of raw emotion. Relief, joy, fear, and rage—all crashing together until I can’t contain it.

His eyes meet mine, and they shine with that bright, endless blue I’ve dreamed about. His skin is clean, glowing with health. His hair is no longer the uneven mess it was moments ago. He’s even fully dressed in black pants and a grey collared shirt that clings to his heaving chest.

Every part of him healed and brought back to what I imagine he was the day he was cursed. Strong, powerful, and now…mine.

I launch myself forward, my body moving before my mind can catch up. His arms open just in time to grab me, holding me so tightly my ribs protest, but I don’t care.

“Julian,” I whisper, my voice cracking as I press my face into the warm curve of his neck. His scent—clean yet wild, and faintly metallic from the magic still clinging to his skin—floods my senses, slowly unraveling me.

His hands press against my back, fingers digging into my waist like he can’t bear to let go. His chest rumbles, a sound halfway between a growl and a sob.

“I’m here,” he murmurs, voice rough and thick with emotion. “I’ve got you.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. I can’t—not yet. Not with Aurora standing there, watching us like an animal toying with its prey.

“I hate to break up whatever this is,” Aurora says, her voice cutting through the fragile moment like a blade. “But we need to go.”

I jerk back, still clutching Julian’s hand. “We’re not going anywhere. I have a pack to protect from Aeson.”

Aurora’s lips curl into something that might be a smile, but there’s no kindness in it. “That’s not my problem.” Her tone is bored, dismissive. “You asked for my help, and now it’s time to repay me. We leave now.”

“No.” My voice shakes, but I hold my ground. “I?—”

The floor shifts beneath my feet, the stone falling away like sand slipping through my fingers. My stomach lurches, Julian’s grip tightening on mine just as the world tilts and collapses in on itself.

And then we fall into an abyss.