Chapter 65
Kai
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
The way Avilyna’s soul reaches for mine feels similar to a forgotten melody. Familiar, intimate, as if I’ve been humming it my whole life without ever knowing the tune.
My breath catches as she arches her back, and in that instant, a blinding burst of light erupts from her. It shoots into the sky, radiant and pure, illuminating the world for one breathless, eternal second. Before the darkness swallows it whole again, leaving behind only silence.
Still reeling, I leap into action. Pulling her from the warm stream, I lift her in my arms, holding her close as I carry her to where she left the blanket.
As soon as Vi is on the ground, she doubles over.
And I feel it, something inside me rips open—a sharp, gut-deep pull, as if her pain is tethered to my own.
Avilyna screams–raw, guttural, filled with pain.
The sound slices through the cold air, sharp and primal.
Her body convulses in the snow, thrashing as if something inside her is trying to tear its way free.
Her spine bows unnaturally, fingers digging into the snowed earth, clawing for something solid as her body betrays her.
A snap, followed by the wet rip of flesh giving way, and wings emerge. Massive, creamy at the base, scorched by moonlight and fading to a stark white that catches the stars’ glow. Streaked with blood, dripping down her spine. Soaking the snow, steaming against the cold.
These wings weren’t born clean; they were earned through pain. With time, her skin will thicken and harden as she gets stronger, as I did with my lycan. Each movement of her wings sends gusts of air rippling through the cliffs, scattering snow.
They're breathtaking and radiant. Terrifyingly beautiful, these wings of light, just like she is, my little terror.
But then, it hits me.
A punch to the chest, pain that makes my breath catch.
As if the world is folding in on itself, collapsing under a weight I don’t understand.
A sharp claw twists through my mind, searing, unstoppable pain.
And then everything comes flooding back.
Drowning in screams, smoke, destruction, the forest, a harpy, Sammy, Nekros’ dark grin…
And her.
Then fire eats everything, while blood drips down my chin.
"I remember," I choke out, my voice low, rough, as if it's been dragged from the depths of the mountain caves. And I do, I remember everything. The memory lock is gone, and with it, the illusion.
Fists clench, I wipe my face, my pulse crashing in my ears, deafening. She’s on her knees in the snow, shaking, glowing, bleeding. And all I want is to hold her and make it stop, but I can’t move. Because Vi, my Vi, she’s the reason Sammy is dead.
That truth is the blade in my chest, twisting with every breath. Cutting through the part of me that still cares for her. The part that wants, needs, to believe she didn’t mean for any of this to happen. The part that would do everything to protect her…
My thoughts are a mess, not knowing if I want to save her or scream until my throat gives out. I’m unravelling, bleeding from the inside out, while she’s coming apart in front of me.
“Kai,” she whispers, voice splintered. “I’m so sorry.” Tears stream down her face. For a moment, just one, Avilyna looks so broken it’s unbearable, so I look away, coward.
“Stop,” I snap, voice raw. “Just stop. I can’t think straight with you near me.
” Grabbing my shirt from the rock, I can’t bear to look at her like this, broken.
Unbuttoning the shirt, I help her slide her arms into it, but the feathers are sharp and slice the fabric a little.
Her wings are pure power; you can feel it in the looming shadow they cast. I manage to button it up sideways; it’s better than the thin gown she was wearing.
But as I watch her, all I can feel is betrayal.
The gnawing, heavy feeling presses on my chest, leaving me overwhelmed by a sense of failure. I ignored the orders once more, failing to follow through. Now I must watch the repercussions unfold, again.
I can’t even look at her without that relentless, crushing sense of defeat clawing its way up my throat. I should have just stayed with my initial plan: stay far away from that little terror. And keep any chance of whatever this is from staying nothing.
“I need space.”
Sammy’s gone.
He’s gone because he cared about her. Gone because of what she didn’t do.
The chaos, the screams of our fallen allies.
The weight of the world presses harder with every breath.
Each second feels heavier than the last. I stagger back, lightheaded.
Vision blurs as anger, pain, and loss mix until I can’t tell one from the other.
Hurrying to put my pants on, I try to regain control over my nerves, but it’s too much. Clutching my head, I’m desperate to clear the fog, except it’s useless.
“How could you?!” The words rip from my chest. “You let him die, Vi! He loved you. I loved you!”
She flinches.
I am a part of her broken pieces now, and that thought hurt even more than the betrayal. So I bury it deep down in the marrow of my bones.
“I loved him too,” she whispers, voice cracked and distant.
“I loved him too… and I love you,” Avilyna repeats and sucks in a trembling breath, her whole body shaking.
“I was just a kid. I didn’t know any better.
I wanted to save them both… I never meant for Sam to get hurt!
” The words hit like a fist to the gut, making the pain sharper.
Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and my heart breaks.
“I didn’t want this,” she says again, softer now. Like the truth itself might swallow her whole. “I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t mean for Sam to die.”
But at that last word, anger wins. Simmering thick and hot, spilling out as lava, burning everything in its wake.
“That’s just so typical of you, Avilyna.
Never thinking ahead, never thinking about the consequences.
Just always throwing yourself headfirst into danger as if the world is supposed to bend to catch you.
” I don’t stay to see how the words hurt her, turning around, I start walking away.
“That’s unfair.”
“News flash, Princess life’s unfair.”
The weight of the truth crashes down. How much I failed, how much she failed, and how none of it matters now. Nothing I say, nothing she says can bring them back. The anger, the grief…
“Let’s go. Patrol starts in twenty minutes.” I start walking, the words scraping out of me as ash. But then my lycan senses catch something, a presence, close, and wrong. I look back and freeze. Avilyna is no longer alone.
No, she’s now held by a tall, imposing figure standing behind her. His hand knotted in a strong grip around her hair, yanking her head back. His other arm pinning her wings, fingers pressing exactly at the root, the weak point, he knows valkyrie anatomy.
Avilyna thrashes, fighting, but his grip twists, holding her in place as a squeak of pain leaves her.
And that makes my blood turn to ice. A growl rips out from my chest, low and feral.
Fury surges through me, hot and wild, drowning every thought in rage.
Completely different from what I felt earlier, raw, violent.
This time, there’s no fucking doubt about the goal. Rip. His. Head. Out.
But then, he speaks. His voice is smooth, too calm, and coated in poison.
“Hello, old friend.”
The words are strange and yet familiar. Slamming into me as a blow to the ribs.
I know that voice. And suddenly, the past isn't buried anymore. It claws its way to the surface as something undead.
“It’s quite frustrating,” he says smoothly, “to hear you blame my sister dearest for your loss.”
Avilyna gasps, eyes wild, brimming with tears.
“Sister?” That’s when I see it.
The resemblance, his eyes, sharp green, unmistakable.
The same scattered freckles, the same mouth, but everything else is wrong.
Where Avilyna is sun-kissed warmth, he’s pale and hollow.
Her hair is fire; his, the black sheen of raven feathers.
Netherworld has touched him, twisted him beyond repair.
“Alek?” His name falls from her lips, a hopeful curse.
He grins—wide, sharp and cruel, feeding off her hopes, and my hesitation serving as fuel.
“And he lived, surprise, surprise,” Alek drawls mockingly. “I’m sorry I can’t say the same for your brother, but… Trust me—” He leans in slightly, his voice dropping to a venomous purr. “That's for the best.” And winks.
Fury ignites in me, blinding. I lunge, every muscle taunt, but he’s faster. With a slow, deliberate movement, Alek drags his long, shadowed claw across Avilyna’s throat, not deep. But enough, and my world narrows to that one drop of blood leaking under his thumb.
“One more step,” he warns, voice now cold and coiled with threat, “and we’ll be twins again.”
The words hang in the air, laced with a heavy promise.
“You’re the raven”, I growl.
Alek tilts his head, studying me with amusement. "Took you long enough to figure that one out. I see that the rumour might be true. Lycans are just big, stupid dogs."
There goes my last thread of control and shift without hesitation. The familiar surge of power rushes through me, grounding me. I bare my teeth, claws digging into the frozen earth.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” Alek says in false mockery. “Because, as I was saying… Maybe your anger is a little misdirected. Shouldn’t you be pissed at the one who let Netherworld stroll right into Kallahan in the first place?”
His words stop me. A chord snaps tight in my chest. I’d been so consumed by rage, so desperate to relieve the pain, I never stopped to see the truth staring me right in the face.
The letter…