Rex snagged the badge without thinking.


    And when he got a clear look at it, his eyes almost popped out.


    Three stars shone on the badge, screaming pure authority.


    The girl tossed it like a dime, yet it had three shining, almost ring starts on it.


    One star for brigadier generals; two for major generals; three? Lieutenant generals.


    Realization hit Rex like a truck.


    A lieutenant general-two full ranks above him!


    One Rex clutched the badge hard, his knuckles going white, a cold sweat slicking his palm.


    Right then, his mind shed to that military legend-the one who''d hit general at seventeen.


    If Raven was that legend, everything was about to turn upside down.


    In a sh, Rex''s rugged face went pale as a ghost, all his usual confidence wiped out.


    72%


    At the same time, the Grayson family crew saw Rex holding that badge, his expression flipping like crazy, and a quiet worry started settling into their


    chests.


    A scary thought hit them: Raven might be in the military too.


    And her rank could even top Rex''s.


    But a secondter, they all pushed it out of their heads.


    That was ridiculous.


    Valha was a powerful force, no doubt. Bing its leader was a big deal, but with some luck, it wasn''t out of reach.


    Climbing to a high military rank, though? That''s not something you stumble into.


    You''d need to do huge things for Vyrdenia and have at least Elite Warrior skills to prove it.


    A kid who didn''t even look twenty-an Elite Warrior? Get reat.


    After a moment, Rex forced his head up, his voice rough and raspy.


    "Where''d you get this badge?" he asked.


    He was holding onto onest thread of hope, praying it wasn''t really Raven''s.


    But that hope was about to get smashed.


    Raven just looked at him, a slight, almost cocky smirk ying on her lips.


    "Getting a bit toofy these years, Rex?" she said. "You think someone would sh a badge like this if it didn''t belong to them?"


    Her wordsnded like a hammer.


    She crushed Rex''sst lifeline and breaking through his final mental shield.


    16:19 Mon, 14 Apr


    In that moment, one thought took over his whole mind.


    "We''re toast," he muttered. "The Grayson family''s done for!"


    By Vyrdenia''s rules, Jax and Dane trying to take out a lieutenant general meant


    life behind bars at minimum.


    And as Dane''s dad, he wasn''t getting off easy either-guilty by connection.


    Panic kicked in, his legs buckled.


    "Thud". He dropped to his knees right in front of Raven.


    The whole ce went silent, like time just froze.


    Everyone on the Grayson side-Jax, Dane, all of them-stared at Rex kneeling


    before Raven, mouths hanging open,pletely stunned.


    They couldn''t believe their eyes.


    This was absurd. Rex Grayson, a guy who could call shots in the military, was now on his knees for a teenage girl.


    Questions buzzed in their heads.


    "What''s happening?" Someone muttered.


    Could this girl really outrank Rex in the military?-They wondered.


    But a kid under twenty, even with a big-time family, couldn''t grab a high spot that young!


    Meanwhile, Jax watched it all go down, his breath hitching, heart thumping hard.


    His big brother-the Grayson family''s backbone-was kneeling to the same girl who''d just crushed their pride.


    Now he was thinking if Raven was serious about being higher up in the military than Rex.


    Unfortunately, the answered seemed to be yes.


    Jax knew Rex well. He knew his big brother''s pride was through the roof-he''d never kneel to someone lower than him otherwise!


    Yesterday, when Raven let Dane off after he mentioned Rex, Jax thought she was spooked by him.


    And just a minute ago, when Rex rolled in, he''d even pictured Raven hitting her knees, begging for mercy.


    Now it mmed into him like a freight train.


    12%


    He whispered, "Yesterday, when Raven had me down with a flick of her hand, it wasn''t a fluke or a lucky hit. She''s got Elite Warrior strength, at least!"


    Right then, he felt like aplete idiot, kicking himself hard.


    Never in his life had he felt this dumb-not even close.


    The clues were right there, staring him in the face, but he''d ignored them because


    of her age.


    If he hadn''t totally misread Raven''s power, the Grayson family wouldn''t be in this hole now.


    Jax always thought he was sharp, but looking back, he''d been dumber than a bag of rocks.


    Vivian had just been silently thanking her lucky stars for sticking with Rex and thinking it was the smartest move she''d ever made. Now, however, she froze.