Chapter 36
37
They were escorted out of Stormclaw Keep screaming, clawing at the guards, screaming Daxon’s name like they hadn’t just shattered everything. The doors opened and I saw them…Elowen and Taya, standing there wide eyed and frozen. The look on Elowen’s face? Devastated. Because she knew.
They had tried to hand her over to Aegis.
For nothing. Jealousy. Petty bullshit. As if she needed this to deal with right now. I sighed heavily, my heart absolutely broken.
Daxon POV
Stormclaw Keep Outside the Alpha Wing
I didn’t say a word when I saw her.
Elowen stood just outside the corridor where the enforcers dragged my sisters away screaming. Her eyes were wide and hollow. Her cheeks were pale beneath the burn of betrayal. Taya stood beside her, frozen like a statue, and Jace hovered just down the hall, unsure whether to approach or run.
But I moved first. I wrapped Elowen in my arms and pulled her in so tight, I felt her ribs shake. She didn’t say anything either. She just buried her face in my chest, and let me hold her like I was the last solid thing left.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
I hated that I couldn’t erase the look on her face. That stunned, heartbroken realization that someone you’d shared a roof with could sell you out to the enemy. That your own pack could betray you just for existing. She didn’t cry. Not then. That made it worse. She was too tired to cry.
“I’m taking you to our room,” I said softly. “Ash is waiting.”
She nodded, her fingers fisted in my shirt like she didn’t trust herself to let go.
By the time we reached the room, Ash was seated at the round table. His sleeves were rolled up and his dark hair was tied back. The table was covered in parchment scrolls, a leather bound grimoire, three sharp daggers, and two sealed mana stones glowing faintly with arcane symbols.
He looked up as we entered and immediately rose.
“Elowen,” he said gently. “Come here.”
She stepped away from me and into his arms without a word. He held her in that way only Ashrian could, restrained and dignified, but still real. Protective in the way no one expected of him.
“I heard what happened,” he said, his voice low. “I’m sorry. They’re fools. Dangerous ones. But it’s done.”
1/3
Chapter 36
“Why does it still hurt?” she whispered.
“Because you still have a heart,” Ash replied. “That’s what they never counted on.”
She pulled back slowly, and I saw it, the fire creeping back into her spine. Her breath steadied. Her hands stopped shaking.
“I have something for you,” Ash added, motioning to the table.
He handed her a scroll and a clean leather bound notebook. “Battle magic. History of hybrid warfare. Prophecy case studies. Physical combat. Strategy. You’re not just going to survive this prophecy, you’re going to master it.”
She blinked at him. “You made me a curriculum?”
Ash smirked. “Darling, if I’m going to teach you, I’m doing it properly. You start in an hour. Uniforms will be delivered after lunch. First session is outside. Meet us at the south training grounds.”
Elowen stared between us. “You serious?”
I stepped forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Dead serious. No more waiting. No more hiding. This
is where the prophecy meets training, and you? You’re gonna run circles around them all.”
She smiled. Just a little.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s go to school.”
Stormclaw Training Grounds – One Hour Later
The sun was high by the time we reached the southern field. The grass was flattened from years of sparring, and the white training stones glowed with faint runes of protection and reinforcement.
Taya was already stretching under the trees, her red hair braided tight, her eyes locked in. Rylen stood beside her, his thick arms crossed, his face stoic, but I saw the way his eyes flicked to Elowen the second she arrived. Jace was lounging on a bench pretending not to be excited.
Ash stepped forward like a general taking command.
“This is your class,” he announced. “And this is your war.”
Elowen stood straighter, her eyes scanning the field.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t fold. She stepped into the grass like it was a battlefield.
And Moon Goddess help anyone who stood in her way.
2/3
21:23 Wed, Sep 24
Hunted Hybrid Aegis War Saga 1
Chapter 37
Elowen POV
