“They could never?—”
“They could and they will if I don’t prove myself.” I squeeze his hands. “I’m not afraid of trials, Magnus. I’m afraid of not being enough. But that fear won’t stop me from trying.”
Something fierce and proud blazes in his eyes. “You’re already more than enough. But if this is what you need to believe it, then we’ll do it.”
“I thought the trial was supposed to be mine alone?”
“The first part is. Demonstrating endurance, problem-solving, compatibility with ice magic.” His smile is small but genuine. “But Keira added a second component. For both of us. Something about proving bonded pairs can function as tactical units in the field.”
“She’s testing the bond itself.”
“And using us as a case study for whether integrated mate pairs can be assets to clan security.” Magnus pulls me against his chest carefully, mindful of his wings and my exhaustion. “Rest now. Tomorrow you show my clan what I already know—that you’re extraordinary, formidable, and exactly who you’re supposed to be.”
I settle against him, letting his warmth and steady heartbeat lull me toward sleep. But my mind keeps turning over details from Crane’s files, patterns I noticed but didn’t fully process in the moment.
“Magnus?”
“Mm?”
“The traders Crane targeted. They weren’t just random rare bloodlines.” I pull back enough to see his face. “They were people who’d registered with the integration database. The system Elena set up to track genetic markers and magical affinities for research purposes. Voluntary participation, supposed to be secure.”
Magnus’s expression hardens as he understands. “Someone leaked the data.”
“Or sold it. Or provided access.” I close my eyes, exhaustion warring with the need to solve this puzzle. “Crane knew exactly who to target, where they’d be traveling, what their genetic profiles looked like. He had inside information.”
“Which means there’s still a security breach in the integration network.” Magnus’s arms tighten around me. “Someone helping him. Either willingly or unknowingly.”
“We need to tell Keira. Tell Elena. Before the assault, before?—”
“Tomorrow,” Magnus says firmly. “Right now, you need sleep. Real sleep, not the collapse-from-exhaustion kind. We’ll tell Keira everything tomorrow, and she’ll help us trace the leak.”
He’s right, and I’m too tired to argue. But as I finally drift toward real rest, safe in Magnus’s arms with his wings partially folded around us both, one thought keeps circling:
If there’s a traitor in the integration network, someone feeding information to Crane, then the assault might be walking into a trap bigger than any of us realize.
And I have no visions to warn us what’s coming.
Just the certainty that tomorrow’s trial will determine more than my worthiness to be Magnus’s mate.
It might determine whether the integration itself can survive what Crane’s madness has unleashed.
14
MAGNUS
Dawn breaks cold and clear over the Mountain Cat stronghold, light turning the ice-carved walls into crystalline fire. I wake with Lyra still in my arms, her breathing deep and even, finally getting the rest she desperately needed. My new wings are folded against my back, and I take a moment to marvel at them.
She stirs as I shift, and her eyes focus on me immediately. “Morning.”
“Morning.” I brush hair from her face, savoring this quiet moment before the day’s challenges begin. “How do you feel?”
“Better. Stronger.” She sits up, testing her limbs, and I can see the difference—her magical reserves have replenished, the exhaustion that haunted her features yesterday has eased. “Ready for whatever trial Keira has planned.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to?—”
“Yes, I do.” Her voice is firm. “Not to you. To your clan. To myself.” She takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “I need to know I can stand beside you in every way that matters to your people.”
Before I can respond, there’s a knock at the door. Healer Frost enters with food—rich meat, warm bread, and tea that smells of mountain herbs. He assesses us both with a healer’s eye, then nods approval.
