Chapter 6 Six

CHAPTER SIX

Mira POV

The tower trembled under the weight of approaching footsteps. I could feel the magic in the walls humming, reacting to every heartbeat, every shadow, every move I made. Jason’s hand remained firm on mine, grounding, yet there was no softness in his touch. There was nothing but determination, the kind that reminded me why I had once trusted him—and why I had sworn never to trust him again.

“Stay close,” I hissed, moving toward the Core. Shadows rose around my boots, extending like tendrils along the walls, ready to strike at the first enemy.

Jason’s eyes flicked to me. “I’m not leaving.”

“Good,” I said. My voice was cold, sharp. I needed him focused, but I hated that I could feel the old pull between us. Hatred and desire twisted together, impossible to separate.

A group of Council soldiers appeared at the end of the hall. They moved cautiously, wands raised, chanting words older than the kingdom. Their spells flared against the shadows I had summoned, burning faintly against my power. I struck first.

Shadows shot forward like arrows. Soldiers screamed, collapsing under the weight of magic they could not resist. Jason moved behind me, his sword slicing cleanly through armor, leaving bodies in his wake. We fought in perfect synchronization, not because we were allies, but because we had once known each other’s strength. Once trusted each other to survive.

A soldier fell at my feet, his eyes wide with terror. I didn’t pause. My hand lifted, shadows twisting around his legs and yanking him to the floor. Another fell. And another.

Then I saw it. A figure in the corner, hooded, moving too quickly for any normal soldier. Magic radiated from the figure in pulses I recognized instantly. Someone with power. Someone trained. Someone watching us.

Jason’s voice broke through my focus. “Do you see that?”

“I see them,” I said. My blade swung, cutting through the shadows as I stepped toward the figure. “Show yourself.”

The figure moved faster than I expected, magic colliding with mine. The Core trembled. Sparks of light and dark collided around us. I realized the Core was reacting to the fight, its energy feeding off ours, feeding off the tension.

Jason moved beside me. “Mira, we can’t fight them both.”

“I can,” I said. I didn’t look at him. Not yet. My energy surged, dark and sharp. Shadows lashed outward, striking the figure, but they barely slowed their movement.

A hand shot out from beneath the hood. Magic hit me in the chest. I stumbled backward. Pain exploded through me, sharp and familiar. Jason caught me before I fell, his eyes searching mine.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice low.

I pulled away. “I am fine.”

But I was not. Every strike reminded me of the girl I once was, of the pain I endured, of the betrayal that had defined me. Every heartbeat reminded me that Jason had failed me, and yet here he was, fighting beside me as if nothing had changed.

The figure raised their hands again, more power surging toward the Core. I realized then that this was not just an attack. It was an attempt to control the Core, to seize the magic I had come for. The Council had brought their strongest, their most dangerous mage. Someone trained, precise, lethal.

Jason growled low in his throat, moving forward. “We stop them together. Stay with me.”

I hesitated. Stay with him? Could I? After everything? I had trained for years to stand alone, to survive alone. But the danger was too immediate, too real. I nodded, letting him guide me, letting our movements merge, our powers collide in unspoken coordination.

The figure struck again. Jason deflected with his sword. I unleashed shadows with both hands. Magic collided, shaking the chamber, tearing at the stones. The Core pulsed violently, energy spilling out like liquid night.

And then I felt it. A surge of recognition. The figure—whoever they were—knew me. Knew my magic. Knew how to anticipate my strikes.

A whisper, soft but sharp, reached my ears. “Mira.”

I froze.

Jason looked at me. “What is it?”

I didn’t answer. My wolf stirred violently. Rage and fear intertwined. The figure stepped closer. Their hood fell back. The light hit their face.

And I saw them.

A face I knew. A face I had tried to forget.

Jason POV

The chamber was chaos. Shadows and spells collided. Stone cracked. The Core pulsed wildly. My soldiers would have died instantly if they had been here.

I kept my eyes on Mira. She moved with precision, ruthless focus. But then I saw it. The sudden pause. The recognition in her eyes. Her wolf shifted under her skin, tense and alert.

I turned.

The figure from the shadows stepped forward. Hood down. Their face exposed. And my stomach dropped.

I knew that face too. But I did not expect to see it here. Not now. Not ever.

Mira’s blade twitched. “You,” she whispered. Rage and disbelief in her voice.

The figure smiled faintly. “You survived.”

“I always survive,” Mira said, voice steady, but her grip on the Core tightened.

I glanced between them. Every instinct screamed that this was a trap. The Council had planned this. The mage had been waiting for her, waiting for me, waiting for both of us to collide in this tower.

I stepped closer to Mira. “We need to finish this,” I said.

“No,” she said sharply. “We finish this my way.”

I understood then. She was not going to let me protect her. She was not going to let me decide. She had taken back control of her life, of her magic, of everything the Council had tried to steal from her.

The fight was only beginning.

And I realized with a cold certainty that nothing would ever be simple again.

Mira and I, side by side, facing an enemy more dangerous than either of us alone, and neither of us could fully trust the other.

Not yet.

Not after everything.

But the Core pulsed faster. The mage moved faster. And the chamber was about to collapse around us.