NARRATOR

Zarek rushed out into the castle garden. Immediately, Celine came running to meet him.

"Love, what’s going on? Why did everything suddenly turn into chaos?"

"What happened to my daughter?! Tell me!"

Before he could explain, Valeria grabbed him by the collar, her voice breaking with tears.

The pain in her blue eyes was undeniable.

She could feel her, her presence, even her scent, the melancholy lingering in the air—her little girl had been close to them. Why did it feel like the fading spirit of someone dead?

"Calm down, Your Majesty, relax, I’ll explain. Aldric, please," Zarek asked the Lycan King, who immediately went to support his mate, consoling her in his strong arms despite his own desperation.

Quinn and Gabrielle were equally distressed, their faces full of worry.

Gabrielle tried to comfort her daughter; they had all felt Sigrid’s overwhelming sadness.

"Sigrid has been called for a mission by… the Goddess," Zarek spat the name out like he’d tasted shit.

"She didn’t giv