Sienna's POV
I burst out of the Trial of Balance like I was breaking through water. The world around me seemed sharper, clearer. Colors were brighter. Sounds were louder. I could feel everything.
But what I felt most was Ronan's pain. Then nothing.
The battlefield was chaos. Shadow animals fought against wolves and vampires. Kieran, in a form I'd never seen before—larger, more powerful—led the charge against a huge horned shadow monster.
And there, at the end of the fight, stood the Shadow Alpha. My dark image. In her arms was Ronan's body.
"No!" I screamed.
The Shadow Alpha saw me. She smiled—a cold, cruel smile—and dropped Ronan to the ground like trash.
I ran to him, pushing past fighting creatures, my hands already glowing with ruby light. But this light was different now. It wasn't just red. It shimmered with silver, black, and white—all four parts of balance.
I fell to my knees beside Ronan. His face was pale, his chest still. I couldn't feel our link.
