CHAPTER - 3

SAREYAH'S POV :

"I'm in pain, Brother Axton," I whispered, my voice fragile as he pulled me through the shadowed forest. His hand gripped mine too tightly, and his silence frightened me more than the darkness. "It hurts… please...please "

We stumbled deeper into the trees. My heart pounded, not just from the pain, but from the growing tension in the air. "Where are we going? Why won’t you answer me?" My breath hitched. "Axton!"

At last, he stopped. His back was to me. He kicked a rock with force, his shoulders heaving. "Why…? Why did you choose him over us? Over me?" he asked, voice cracking.

"I didn’t choose anyone over you," I said quickly, stepping closer. "I would never abandon you. Please, believe me. I love you."

He turned to me then, eyes dark and unreadable. I hugged him, trembling. "I love you, Brother Axton. I always will."

His arms wrapped around me tightly, as though he was afraid I would disappear. "Don’t leave us. Don’t leave me, Sareyah."

"I won’t," I said softly. "You have my heart."

But when he pulled away, something shifted in his gaze. He stared at me with an intensity that made my spine stiffen. "You love me?"

"Yes," I said, trying to smile. "All of you, especially you."

His smile spread slowly—dark, possessive. I didn’t see the others step from the fog behind us. He doesn’t know that Sareyah was thinking of love as a friendship, but Axton takes it seriously.

"What should we do with the boy who tried to take what's ours?" Lucas asked, voice cold.

"He touched our queen," Gabriel said, fury burning in his tone.

Felix remained silent, jaw clenched.

Axton stood by the window, whispering to himself, "She loves me."

I woke with a start. Distant cries echoed through the village.

"Mommy, what’s happening?" I asked my grandmother.

Her face was pale. "The neighbor’s child… they found her dead."

I froze. That child had laughed beside me just yesterday.

Fear swept the city like a tide. Doors locked. Families vanished overnight. My grandmother began packing.

"We’re leaving," she told me, her voice trembling. "It’s not safe here."

We left at first light. As the carriage moved, I curled into her arms, eyes fluttering shut.

But my dreams were haunted—of eyes watching me, voices whispering my name.