Alec’s

I'm left standing there, still in shock. A part of me—the bitter part-wants to scream how dare she? But another part, the one I buried three years ago, aches with something else entirely. It missed her.

I'll never admit it out loud, but the truth is, when I wasn't angry or bitter, I missed her. I missed the girl who used to protect me from bullies. The one who stood up for me. The one who was there through every laugh and every tear. I missed the girl who made me laugh. Who I loved with every cell in my body.

I missed the girl who had been part of my life for as long as I could remember. Every memory I had from before that dreadful night has Piper in it. I can't think of a day when we weren't together, when we weren't connected at the hip.

Her betrayal broke me. It didn't just break my trust-it shattered everything beautiful we had built. It tainted our bond. It stained the memories I once held dear.

I thought we were it. That we would be best friends forever. That we'd grow old together, sipping tea on the porch as we watched the sunset, reminiscing about the chaos of our youth. If there was one person I believed would be in my life no matter what, it was Piper. And her betrayal shattered that illusion.

The hardest part of being in that cell three years ago wasn't even the torture. It was putting to death all the hopes and dreams I had when it came to the siblings. It was letting go of the fantasies I had built around them. It was facing the truth. That forever doesn't always last.

Piper's betrayal cut deep. It hurt more than anything Alec did to me in that cell. I thought she'd always be there. I needed her to be there... and each time I woke up in that cell alone, every time I realized that she hadn't stuck by me? it destroyed me in ways Alec's cruelty never could.

So yes, maybe I'm no longer bitter-but forgiveness is still a long way off.

I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. When I feel a bit more

grounded, I exhale and open my eyes. I move on autopilot, a fog pressing against my mind.

I head outside, hoping the fresh air will help clear my head and untangle my feelings. Both new and old.

I sit on a bench when I get outside. I watch Aspen play nearby with a boy and a girl around her age, while Martha sits on another bench, reading, though she glances up occasionally to check on the children.

"Nyx," I call, and to my surprise, she answers immediately.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Raven's plan will work?" My voice is soft, laced with doubt and fear.

She doesn't answer for a while, and there is nothing but silence.

"I'm not sure, Sadie," she whispers, her head on her paws. "It's a solid plan. It could work. I want to believe it will... but I can't say for certain."

I sigh, a heavy weight settling deeper on my chest.

"Do you feel it too?" I ask. "That foreboding feeling? That something is going to go wrong?"

"Yes. I do."

I'd hoped for a different answer. I'd hoped that it was all in my head. That it was just me being overly cautious and paranoid. But now, with her confirming it, my anxiety grows tenfold.

"Can you tell me about Kaden? Anything that might help."

Although I am not sure just how much she knows him, fact is she knows him... And besides, there is no way she doesn't know something useful about the man who is technically her brother-in-law.

She sighs, long and heavy, like she doesn't want to talk about him.

"I can't say much for now," she says. "But I'll tell you this-Kaden is evil. Pure, ancient evil. And powerful. He's one of the first demigods. That should tell you everything you need to know."

"So, you're saying he's unbeatable?"

"No. No one is unbeatable. Everyone has a weakness. But even at his weakest... Kaden is still strong."

Her words land like a punch, making me slump against the bench.

Well, that doesn't really give me much hope, now does it? And the way she put it, this is basically a suicide mission.

If he is still strong even at his weakest, how am I supposed to kill him?

"If we're going ahead with this crazy plan," she continues, "then we have to prepare. We have to be careful. You need to resume your training. As much as I think it's a terrible plan,

it's the only one we have."

I groan, already dreading the challenge. These powers aren't easy to master-but

she's right. We need every advantage we can get.

"You'll also have to be prepared to face Xena," Nyx adds. "Killing Kaden will unleash her fury. And trust me, her fury alone could lay waste to the entire world."

Isn't that a little bit dramatic?

"I know what you're thinking," she sighs. "But think about what you did the last time you lost control. Now imagine someone like Xena losing the love of her life. That kind of pain, of fury? It's catastrophic."

"Shit."

"Exactly."

กวนๆ

Losing a mate unhinges someone. The incomplete bond drives them to madness, If I do manage to kill Kaden, which I doubt-Xena will have to be dealt with because She won't just grieve. She'll unravel and she'll destroy everything in her wake. Cóntent

"So... what do we do about her?" I ask Nyx.

She looks at me like I just asked the stupidest question she's ever heard.noveldrama

"We kill her, of course."

Now it's my turn to look at her like she's grown a second head.

"What?!"

I always suspected the end goal was to take Xena down, but hearing it said aloud... it makes it all feel terrifyingly real.

"There was always one way this was going to end, either with me dead or with Xena dead. There is no middle ground. No forgiveness. No negotiation."

“B-but” I stammer, still unable to understand this crazy kind of hatred. The thought

of sisters killing each other just doesn't sit well with me.

How is she okay with killing her own twin? Won't she regret it in the future?

"If we don't kill her, she'll kill us—and I don't know about you, but I happen to like being alive. Besides, she needs to pay for what she did to me." Her voice is laced with so much fury and hatred, it practically scorches me.

"She is your sister," I murmur.

"She was my sister," Nyx growls. "The Xena I loved died a long time ago. The bitch that almost killed me and took everything from me isn't my sister anymore."

I stay silent because I just have no words. I don't understand and my brain and heart don't have the capacity to process a reality where sisters want each other dead.

She sighs.

"I know it's hard to understand, Sadie. But once you get all the memories, once you know what I know... you'll understand why I can't forgive her. You'll understand why Xena needs to die."