The sound that followed nearly stopped my heart.


    August.


    Their cries pierced the chaos like knives, sharp and terrified and impossibly small against the roar of battle.


    "No-!" I sobbed, scrambling to my hands and knees.


    The panic room door-reinforced stone,yered wards, every safeguard we''d built- shuddered violently as something mmed into it from the outside.


    Felicity.


    She''d run right past me as Iy there.


    I could see her there now, her madness burning so hot it made my skin prickle. She


    tore at the door with relentless fury, ws shrieking against enchanted stone.


    The boys screamed louder.


    I tried to stand.


    My legs gave out beneath me.


    Another impact rocked the door. Hairline fractures appeared along its surface, magic ring desperately as it struggled to hold.


    Inside, I could feel Rae.


    Focused. Terrified. Unyielding.


    She didn''t scream.


    She didn''t hesitate.


    She stood between my children and death.


    I forced myself to stand and move toward the door, stumbling as I went, but not stopping.


    A snarl ripped through the air-this one human, furious, and unmistakably Moonstone.


    "Rae-!"


    Cassian.


    He burst through the press of bodies like a force of nature, cutting down anything in


    his path with reckless, desperate speed. His eyes were wild as he reached the shattered threshold, taking in the scene in a single, horrified nce.


    The door gave way with a thunderous crack.


    Stone split.


    Magic copsed.


    The panic room was breached.


    Time slowed.


    I threw myself at Felicity in blind panic. My arms locked around her neck, and I dragged her to the floor with me, holding on with everything I had to keep her away from my babies.


    A rogue lunged through the opening, bloodied and snarling, eyes locked on the crib where my boys screamed in


    terror.


    Rae moved.


    She didn''t shout. Didn''t hesitate. She stepped forward and drove the dagger Cassian had given her straight into the rogue''s throat with a scream that was pure rage and fear and love all tangled together.


    The body hit the floor at her feet.


    Silence fell for half a heartbeat.


    Cassian stood frozen in the doorway, chest heaving, staring at the scene like he couldn''t quite make sense of it.


    Rae-blood sttered across her hands, long red hairing loose from its tie-stood rigidly between the crib and the fallen rogue. The dagger trembled in her grip, its de slick and red.


    August andn wailed from the crib, their cries raw and panicked.


    ian made a broken sound in his throat and crossed the room in three long strides, pulling Rae into his arms without a word.


    She shattered.


    The dagger ttered to the floor as she clutched at him, sobbing violently, her strength finally giving way now that she wasn''t alone anymore.


    "I-I didn''t know what else to do," she gasped. "I couldn''t-I couldn''t let them-"


    "You did perfect,” Cassian said fiercely, his voice breaking as he held her. "You did exactly right. Exactly what I needed you to. They''re safe. You kept them safe."


    I dragged myself upright, every movement agony, and staggered into the doorway.


    The moment Cassian saw me, his face crumpled.


    "Ellie," he breathed.


    I didn''t answer. I couldn''t.


    All I could see were my children-red-faced and sobbing, tiny hands clenched tight as they screamed themselves hoarse.


    I reached toward them, wanting nothing more than to gather them into my arms. Then I was yanked back violently. My back collided with the wall and the air was forced out of my lungs.


    The second rogue sprinted through the open doorway and the sound of struggle filled my ears as Cassian engaged to protect Rae and the boys.


    I sobbed as I struggled to force myself upright again. I failed. My legs were too weak and I''d lost my breath.


    Felicity screamed again- standing over me menacingly as I slid to the floor.


    Her face was somehow even angrier, her madness spiking as the sound of the boys'' cries reached her.


    Something answered that scream.


    Not fear.


    Not panic.


    Rage.


    A roar shook the packhouse, deep and thunderous, carrying Nn''s fury through stone and bone alike.


    He wasing.


    And this time, nothing was going to stop him.


    I clutched my sons tighter, heart pounding as the world seemed to narrow once more, funneling everything toward the inevitable collision I could feel building just beyond the door.


    The storm wasn''t finished with us yet.


    Not by a long shot.


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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.