Rhiannan storms into the war room like a goddess on a warpath, her hair still dripping from the lake, clothes half burned from the shadow battle. Her five are right behind her, radiating death and fury, and Reyna's already there with her mates ready to burn the world down.
She slams both hands on the war table.
"That was a fucking message. Not a coincidence. Not an accident. He wanted us to hear that."
Liam grits his teeth, voice low and sharp.
"He's trying to distract you. Draw you away before the trials finish."
Reyna nods quickly, her voice tight but focused.
"We can't take the bait. He wants us off balance. The soul trial is sacred, and the prophecy hinges on who makes it through."
Kael crosses his massive arms, growling:
"We ignore a direct lead on his name?"
"No," Rhiannan answers coolly. "We bank it. We archive it. Sasha?"
The AI's voice chimes in overhead with zero chill,
"Already encrypted and recorded under 'Creepy Ass Clues That Smell Like a Trap, Vol. 6.'"
Everyone snorts. Even Sable chuckles, barely.
Rhiannan points to the trial map.
"We finish what the goddess asked of us. We complete the soul trial, test the final ten, and choose the three. That is our focus."
Kaleb adds:
"And then we hunt that bastard with fire, fury, and divine receipts."
Mo dramatically raises a goblet and says,
"To not getting lured into a death trap before lunch!"
Reyna sighs. "Gods, we need a nap and a therapist."
The grand hall of Dragon Castle was humming with warmth and chaos. Torches flickered. Laughter echoed. The massive dinner tables overflowed with roasted meats, sugared fruits, firewine, and desserts soaked in moon spice.
Rhiannan arrived fashionably late, hair damp, body shimmering with post battle and lake dip glow, wrapped in a sheer wrap that did nothing to hide the curve of her hips or the fact that she'd skipped undergarments. Her five were behind her, equally flushed and smug.
Every single rebel, trial contestant, mate, and misfit had shown up glowing. Like they'd just had the best sex of their lives, and honestly, half of them probably had.
The whole damn hall smelled like lavender oil, sex, and freshly baked bread.
Mo was already shouting across the table with a mouthful of honeyed tart.
"Y'ALL SMELL LIKE ORGY AND VICTORY!"
Rhiannan cackled and threw a grape at him.
Kaleb poured firewine into everyone's goblet and yelled,
"To surviving shadow wolves and still being hot as fuck!"
Gailia and her dragon twins finally appeared, looking… well. Bonded. Glowing. Smirking. Their hair mussed, Gailia's lips bitten red. She gave a little wave, plopped down beside Rhiannan, and whispered with a dreamy sigh,
"I didn't know my body could do that."
Rhiannan nearly choked on her wine.
She stood, clearing her throat while everyone slowly calmed.
"Tomorrow is the Trial of the Soul. I won't give you clues. I won't give you mercy. But I will give you this" she raised her glass, "you've made it farther than anyone expected. So eat, drink, kiss your lovers, and get some damn rest."
Laughter. Cheers. Toasts.
And then her eyes drifted to him. Her vampire daddy. She waggled her eyebrows and spoke in his mind through the bond. "Join me in our room, now." They moved with impossible vamp speed, smashing through the halls.
Rhiannan stood in her chambers, tugging the sheer fabric off her shoulders slowly. Her back arched as the cool air kissed her heated skin.
She didn't hear Liam move, but suddenly his hands were on her hips, lips against the nape of her neck. A low, guttural growl vibrated through her bones.
"I've waited all godsdamn day to get my hands on you, little goddess."
She shivered.
His fangs grazed her throat, just enough to threaten, and then his hands dipped lower, between her thighs, where she was already slick and needy. His fingers didn't ask, they claimed, sliding through her folds and circling her clit until her legs buckled.
"So wet for me already," he murmured against her ear. "You knew what I'd do to you tonight."
Rhiannan moaned his name, barely able to speak as his fingers plunged deep, curling and thrusting, knuckles hitting just right.
And then another finger circled behind her, pressing in slow and sinful.
Her body jerked forward, but he held her still, whispering filth into her ear in that old, velvet accented vampire voice of his.
"I want you full. I want you ruined. I want them all to hear you scream my name."
Her legs trembled. Her moans became cries. His hands never stopped.
By the time he was inside her, thick, hard, merciless her mind was mush. He owned her in that moment. In both holes. Hands gripping her hair. His fangs finally sinking into her shoulder when she shattered apart with a scream.
And he didn't stop.
He devoured her.
The morning sun rose over the castle like a gentle promise, but Rhiannan was already awake long before it dared peek through the trees. She'd been up with the castle mages since four a.m., her gown dusted with stardust and anticipation as they finalized the enchantments for the soul trial, the most sacred, and arguably most brutal, of the tests.
This one wasn't just about courage or power. This was about truth. About what lay buried beneath skin and spellwork. And Rhiannan would be in the thick of it, because the chosen ones' souls would reach for her through the mirror gates. She'd have to listen. Feel. Judge.
Downstairs, the castle buzzed with energy. The grand dining hall had been transformed into a sprawling breakfast buffet. Faeberry waffles, maple glazed meats, crystalline fruit carved like roses. Contestants, rebels, royals, and random weirdos from Faenet filled every space.
Just before the trial's scheduled start, a live broadcast launched, Rhiannan and her five mates standing tall, their hands clasped. Behind them stood Reyna and her three lovers, their bond still new, still glowing.
Rhiannan's voice rang out: "Today, the soul will speak. If you are not prepared to face yourself, turn away now. There is no shame in walking back, but there is death in pretending."
But before the final words left her lips, chaos struck.
From the treeline emerged a colossal red wolf, towering, wild, and radiating untamed power. The camera zoomed in as he padded forward, eyes locked on Reyna.
He didn't shift. He didn't speak. He simply approached, nudged past shocked onlookers, and licked Reyna's hand.
She froze.
"Oh, for the goddess's sake, another one?!" Mo cried, voice cracking with disbelief as Faenet exploded in real time.
👤 @WitchyWeaver69: HE DIDN'T EVEN SHIFT WTF WHO IS HE 🔥🔥🔥
👤 @PackMomma: Another mate?! Reyna's building a damn harem! GIVE HER A CROWN!
👤 @GoddessSlays: Bro just walked outta the woods like 'That's my Oracle now.' SOBBING.
Reyna reached down, fingers trembling, and brushed the wolf's head.
"He's mine," she whispered.
The castle lost its collective mind.
1. Nyxar Veyne – The Vortex Widow The mirror stood before her like an enemy she couldn't stab. When the surface rippled, she saw herself drenched in blood, not from battles, but from the innocents she'd killed without knowing their names. A child's face appeared behind her in the glass. She fell to her knees. And screamed.
2. Veena Sahl – The Blight Ember The flames in her chest rose uncontrollably as the mirror whispered all the names she'd cursed. She had always told herself vengeance was justice...but the mirror showed her a burning village and the ashes of a child cradling a doll. "I did what I had to," she snarled, but her hands trembled.
3. Torvax Korr – The Cryo Tyrant The cold didn't protect him here. The mirror showed his first kill...a boy barely grown who had begged him to stop. It wasn't war. It was ego. "I'm not that man anymore," he whispered, and the ice cracked beneath his feet.
4. Zaiya Bloodrage – Rebellion General The mirror pulled no punches. Her hands, once drenched in justice, now dripped with guilt. She saw her mother's disapproving gaze and the comrades she'd left behind. "You're strong, but are you good?" the mirror asked. And she couldn't answer.
5. Nico & Nimra – The Twin Rogues They entered together, their reflections splitting. Nico saw the time he'd abandoned Nimra to save himself. Nimra saw the one lie she'd never confessed: that she'd wanted to be chosen by the goddess instead of her twin. They walked out holding hands, stronger.
Back in the audience, Rhiannan watched it all unfold. Her chest ached with the weight of their pain, and their truth.
She turned to Reyna.
"Whatever happens… these ten? They're becoming legends."
And Faenet agreed.
👤 @TrialWatcher420: If Nyxar doesn't win I RIOT
👤 @BlightBabes: Veena crying?? I'm CRYING TOO
👤 @TorvaxDaddy: THAT ICE KING IS EVERYTHING
👤 @OracleSquad: The wolf. The seer. The Oracle Queen. We are so back.