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S torm continues to avoid not just Sol and Serena, but all of us after that. I didn't know that Garrett could push past our barriers the way he did with Storm, and while he was trying to help, all that did was push Storm farther away while making the rest of us hesitant around him.

"It's a power level difference," the Queen explains as we exit the library after yet another day of finding nothing.

"So Garrett is stronger than us?" I ask because, while I believe he might be more skilled, I wasn't aware of a significant gap between us, at least not to that extent.

"No, not exactly." She pauses momentarily, as if trying to find the words to describe what she means, and I'm happy to wait. I'd rather have a whole understanding of what's going on.

"Garrett was able to find cracks in Storm’s shield, and it was probably because of the distress he's feeling about everything. Garrett has trained longer and has experience with a bond. Despite how young they might have been, he and Serena have been bonded for years."

Unlike Garrett, Rosalynn's been trying to help us find a way to save Lyle. She meets with us almost daily, but even still, we’ve got nothing.

Those people could have been saved.

She doesn't say it, but I can see her doubt, same as Garrett. She just keeps it to herself, unlike him.

Who am I to say they're wrong? For years, they've seen people they know and love turned into mindless killing machines that they've had no choice but to put down.

It was kill or be killed, and they did what they thought was best not only for themselves but for the rest of the kingdom.

What we're asking for is to find a way to save Lyle, which means every one of those deaths would have been for nothing.

It's weighing on all of us.

Nobody wants him to be lost, but as the days stretch on, it's hard to believe anything else is an option.

It’s weighing on Serena more than the rest of us—everything is.

Day by day, I see her shrinking back into herself, and there's not a damn thing I, or anyone else, can do about it.

At least not if you ask Garrett and the Queen, but there is one person who thinks he can be saved.

“So, if nobody’s ever been saved, why would Ryker tell Serena that all wasn’t lost?”

The Queen pauses, and for the first time since meeting her, she looks unsure.

She looks at me, her lips pulled down in a frown that tells me everything I need to know, before she turns to Serena, and I see her eyes soften. “I don’t know.”

It’s not the answer she wants to give us, and not the one Serena wanted. Just a few weeks ago, Serena would have taken the Queen's word as law, but not now, not with this.

Without a word, Serena stalks away. Everything in me tells me I should follow her, but I don’t.

Ever since we returned to the castle without Lyle, Serena's been different.

.. distant. I try to be there for her as much as I can, but right now, there isn't much we can do, and pushing her doesn't seem to be helping.

If anything, it might do more harm than good right now. This change was hard for us, but I can't imagine how it must be for her.

She blames herself for all of it.

The Queen watches her go, her shoulders sagging as she lets out a sigh.

“I know it’s not what she wants to hear, but we’ve tried everything, and nothing has ever brought anyone back after Draven infected them.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We tried everything for years.

” Her eyes never leave Serena, but I don’t think she’s really seeing her.

No, right now she’s far away in a memory that haunts her.

“The most we can do is put him in the cells.”

I know she’s trying to help. Even though we’re looking for the impossible, she’s still trying, and someday Serena will appreciate that, but right now…

Right now, she won’t take anything less than a cure for Lyle. There’s no way she’s going to give up on him, which means I can’t either.

“She won’t give up on him, and I think we both know the cells won’t hold him, your Majesty.” I don’t feel I need to explain that Serena wouldn’t accept that, at least not for long.

Even if we could get him in a cell, and that's a huge if, I can't help but feel like it would only put Serena in danger. We couldn't keep her from going down to see Storm, and Lyle will be no different.

The problem is, I was positive Storm wasn't a threat. I have no doubt Lyle is.

“No, the cells wouldn’t work, not with Serena.

” Her words sound stern, but the smile on her face is fond.

“Please call me Rosalynn. No more of this Queen or Your Majesty nonsense.” I open my mouth to refuse the way I have countless times now.

Something about using her first name feels too personal, a right I have yet to earn.

She waves me off, unwilling to have me deny her again.

“Serena is like a daughter to me, but even if she weren’t, you’re sharing a mate with my son. You’re all practically family and will one day help him rule this realm.”

She might not be Serena’s biological mother, but looking at her, it’s impossible to miss their similarities, especially with how stubborn they both are.

Despite feeling unworthy, I smile and give her a slight bow of respect before heading after Serena.

Like Rosalynn, I have no doubt Serena will also be a wonderful queen.

Sleep eludes me most nights, but since losing Lyle, it's gotten worse. Serena doesn't often sleep; instead, she tosses and turns before going to sit by the window and read until the sun comes up.

The first few nights after Sol woke, she fell asleep in his arms. It was the most sleep I'd seen her get since we came back, but it didn’t last long before the nightmares returned—nightmares that she seems determined to face on her own.

Or not at all.

But Serena's never been one to sit around and wait for things to handle themselves, and I don't expect her to start now, which is why I'm not surprised when she starts sneaking out.

Pike stopped sleeping in his wolf form a few days ago, which allows her to leave easily, whereas she might have had a problem before.

I don't ask him why he stopped, but I see the longing in his eyes, and I have to assume it has something to do with his inability to be her comfort while human.

Pike's always been the fun-loving one. His wolf has an energy about it that draws people to him, and he hides behind jokes and his good looks. Nothing ever mattered to us the way Serena does, and the way he's used to handling things doesn't work on her.

Storm hasn't come back to the room since the night Serena confronted him, and the rest of them sleep like the dead after training each day.

Between combat training with Garrett and his soldiers and training not only our mental shields but also our elements with the King and Queen, everyone is doing what they can to feel useful.

And it's not doing a lick of good.

None of us has made any kind of headway to help. What good does having strong magic and alpha beasts do if we can't help the one person who holds a piece of our soul?

No, sleep isn't something that I care to worry about right now.

Serena sits at the window long enough to ensure nobody has woken before she moves to the door on near-silent feet.

She's always been stealthy, able to sneak up on the guys, but not me.

I give her to the count of one hundred before following her at a distance. Thankfully, my beast allows me to move silently; not to mention, Serena’s not in her right mind. I’m not sure that she would realize I was behind her even if I didn’t try to hide myself.

For the last few days, she’s made her way back to the library to continue to pore over books that don’t help or to simply walk the grounds, but not tonight.

Tonight, she passes through the castle and goes right to the garden before making her way to the training yard.

As far as I know, she hasn’t been out here since the incident at the village.

While we’ve been training our magic and bodies, none of us wanted her to push herself too far, which is why we have been switching off time with her in the library.

If she stays occupied, it’s easier, safer.

I watch from a distance as she stretches and runs through workouts we taught her years ago, back when she was timid and shy and unable to defend herself. She’s not that person anymore, even if she doesn’t believe it.

No, Serena is the strongest person I’ve ever met. It’s one of the many things I love about her.

After a while, she moves from her workouts to working with her shadows, and for a moment, I’m in awe. The shadows, her elemental darkness, was something none of us were ready for, and not that long ago, it scared the hell out of her.

Not anymore.

Even from this distance, I can see the confidence she’d lacked before as her shadows answer her call and quickly bend to her every whim. It’s amazing to watch, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away even if I wanted to.

Serena has always been mesmerizing, but now…I’m not sure what it is, the bond or perhaps my beast is drawn to the power as she moves in what appears to be a dance that only she and her shadows understand.

Hours pass, and she’s a panting, sweaty mess as she falls to her knees, exhaustion written all over her face. I want to go to her, to wrap her up in my arms, bring her back to the room, and demand she rest, but I know that won’t do any good.

She lets her eyes fall closed, falling back to sit on her butt, legs crossed, as she pulls in deep breaths and blows them out slowly through her mouth.

With each breath, the shadows gather around her more and more until they take the form of a beast, and not her rabbit.

No, the beast isn’t hers, but it’s one I’m no less familiar with.

Lyle’s bear is huge. There's no way you could mistake it for a regular bear, even if you didn’t know what he was.