Ellie POV


    The first thing I learned was that the goddess''s power answered fear faster than it


    answered anger.


    That realization frustrated me more than anything else.


    I stood in the inner training chamber again, bare feet pressed to the cold stone, eyes closed, breathing slow and measured the way ric had taught me. The air around me hummed faintly, a living thing just beyond my skin.


    I reached.


    The sensation came immediately-a familiar warmth blooming in my chest, spreading outward in a controlled wave. It wasn''t violent. It didn''t surge orsh out. It settled instead, like a barrier sliding into ce.


    Invisible.


    Unyielding.


    ric circled me slowly, boots echoing softly against the stone. “Hold it,” he instructed. "Don''t push. Let it stabilize."


    I clenched my jaw, doing exactly that.


    The power formed a shield around me-not something I could see, but something I felt. The air thickened. Sound dulled slightly. When ric tossed a small stone toward me, it veered off course just before impact, skittering harmlessly across the floor.


    It worked.


    It always worked.


    That was the problem.


    I opened my eyes, exhaling sharply. "That''s it?" I asked, unable to keep the irritation from my voice. "It just... deflects?"


    "Yes," ric said calmly.


    I turned toward him. "What if I want to do more than stand there and brace myself? What if I want to fight?"


    +25 Bonus


    His expression didn''t change. He''d been expecting this.


    "The goddess''s protection is not a weapon," he said. "It is a boundary."


    "A boundary won''t stop her," I snapped before I could stop myself. "Felicity isn''t afraid of boundaries."


    "No," he agreed. "She isn''t."


    paced the edge of the chamber, fingers flexing at my sides. The power lingered, responding to my agitation with a faint flicker that brushed my awareness like a warning.


    "I hate this," I admitted quietly. "Everyone else is preparing for battle. Nn. Cassian. The alphas. And I''m learning how to... what? Endure?"


    ric watched me carefully. "You are learning how to hold," he corrected. "That is not nothing."


    “It feels like nothing,” I said. “It feels like waiting to be overrun."


    He stopped in front of me. "Ellie."


    I looked up.


    "You don''t need to stand beside Nn on the battlefield to matter," he said firmly. You don''t need to spill blood to protect your family."


    “But I want to,” I whispered. "I don''t want to be hidden away while everyone else risks everything."


    A flicker of something crossed his face-understanding, perhaps. Or sorrow.


    ((


    You think strength only counts when it looks like violence," he said gently. "That''s true. Some threats you can destroy. Others, you have to hold the line long enough


    ple to survive them."


    daway, chest tight.


    Nn had said something simr once. That all he needed from me was to keep myself and the boys safe.


    At the time, it had sounded like reassurance.


    Now it sounded like a boundary I couldn''t cross.


    "I feel like I''m just waiting around to die," I admit softly.


    ric closes the distance and pulls me into a brief but firm hug.


    "You have to trust yourself and us, Ellie. It''s the only way this can work."


    +26 Bonus


    I sigh and return the hug. The emotions fighting within me feel like the real storm right now. Anger, fear, and resentment are burning bright within me. All the while, the goddess''s energy reacts to the fear, building a defensive shield that feels sturdy, even as I wish that it could be something sharper and more intimidating.


    Later, alone in the nursery, I watched August andn y under Rae''s careful eye. They were crawling faster now, more coordinated, little bursts of energy contained in soft limbs and bright curiosity.


    Nn''sughter echoed faintly down the hall-he was sparring with someone,


    off the restless tension that never fully left him anymore.


    o my chest. A sharp, cold shard of something mmed into my ween my ribs like a knife. It was that sacred energy again, the


    The vision came unbidden.


    The boys running.


    Not from danger-toward it.


    Toward Nn.


    And me, standing still. I reach for them, call out, but my voice is followed by the dense forest. They don''t even look back at me.


    Watching them go.


    It was a dream that had been recurring for months. Why did ite to mind right now? It was so vivid and real. It had to be important in this moment. It had to be. BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you


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    Cede is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a ir for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cede''s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.