Chapter 15
MALRIK
My fingers drum over the arm of my stone chair as I stare at the empty space before me.
I’m not sure what bothers me most…
That they got Jocelyn out so easily, or that I think The Keep helped them.
Magically, the castle’s loyalty still lies with me. Rowan nearly broke it when I let her escape, but I grasped those lingering threads of power before it could fully break away from my hold.
Still, when she and her pack of mutts entered my home, they moved through it like she owned The Keep.
I stand and, with a snap of my fingers, my throne vanishes as I walk toward the far edge of the chamber, my palm resting lightly against the cold rock wall, feeling the hum of old magic pulse beneath my skin.
The Keep is quieter now. Emptier. The echoes of their presence have already faded.
I close my eyes and replay it again.
Every movement. Every decision. Every failure.
I expected resistance. I expected blood.
Of course, I wanted Rowan to win, yes, but I expected the cost to crack something inside her. To fracture her just enough that when the next move came, she would hesitate. That this ridiculous confidence she seems to carry now would falter.
Instead, she’s…flourishing.
The word tastes bitter, but I can’t deny the potential either.
They’ll all follow her now.
I turn slowly, pacing through the open space, lights flickering in my wake.
An audience was always necessary. Power means nothing if no one witnesses it.
Rowan needed this, wolves at her back and something to protect.
But that also means something to lose.
She chose the pack once over her mother, who should have been most important, and she’ll do so again.
But… It’s working a little too well.
She isn’t cracking under the weight of it.
She’s rising.
That is…rather inconvenient.
I exhale slowly, letting the frustration burn clean instead of wild.
Rage without purpose is weakness. Rage with direction is leverage.
I underestimated how quickly she would stabilize. A mistake that won’t happen again.
If she can’t be broken under false victory, then I’ll change the battlefield.
I stop at the far window, looking out over the dark tree line beyond The Keep’s reach.
She thinks she’s moving toward victory now. Toward knowledge and answers and preparation.
The thought makes me grin.
Let her believe she’s catching up. Let her gather her allies and build her little army.
It will make what comes next so much more enjoyable.
Pawns are replaceable.
Symbols are not.
And I know exactly which pieces on this board will make her bleed without ever touching her directly.
Supernatural leaders.
Voices of power.
Cornerstones of stability.
Remove them, and watch the world tilt.
Her family can live, but even if they’re safe, she won’t be left content with her decisions.
I’ll give her no choice.
Because while I made her my most formidable opponent, I’ve also learned her most predictable weakness.
I straighten, my next steps settling into place with cold certainty.
Yes, this will work. I’ll start small. Invisible, if possible. And if not…
Well, fear is a language all beings understand.
Soon, Rowan will learn something very important.
I do not need to destroy her.
I only need to make her choose.