Bree sets down her coffee mug with deliberate care, but her hands are shaking. “We can’t run forever.”
The subject change is desperate, obvious, but the words settle over the table like a blanket anyway, smothering the tension that was building. Everyone looks at her—not as someone fragile who needs protection, but as someone stepping into authority. Into power.
Into whatever the hell she’s becoming.
About time.
She continues, voice steadier now despite the panic still flickering in her eyes. “We can’t. And I’m tired of being afraid. Tired of hiding. Tired of letting other people make choices about my life.”
Gray’s eyes flare brighter at her words. Wes leans forward like he’s drawn by invisible threads, but there’s worry in his expression now—like he’s starting to understand why Thane looks ready to commit murder. Even Rhett’s protective tension shifts into something more focused, more purposeful.
She’s not just talking about Phil. She’s talking about everything—the Council, the sanctuary, the bonds that are changing all of them in ways they don’t fully understand.
“So what do you want to do?” I ask, because someone has to break the tension before Thane explodes.
She looks around the table, meeting each of our eyes in turn. When her gaze lands on me, I see something that makes my chest tight—determination mixed with trust, like she’s counting on me to be exactly who I’ve always been even as everyone else becomes something new.
“We face them,” she says. “Together. Whatever comes next, we face it together.”
The table goes quiet again, but it’s a different kind of silence. Charged with possibility instead of fear.
Maybe the real question isn’t whether we run or fight. Maybe it’s whether we can keep up with her at all.
Because looking at Bree now—glowing, determined, stepping into power that was always hers, those black threads pulsing through her silver Ether—I’m starting to think she’s not the one who needs protecting anymore.
We are.
Chapter 21
Bree
“You don’t have to be unafraid,” Theo says quietly, his hand steady on my shoulder. “You just have to stand.”
We’re still inside the sanctuary, clustered near the main doors, and I can hear the murmur of voices outside. The whole community gathering. Waiting.
For me.
My hands won’t stop shaking.
“I can’t,” I whisper, staring at the heavy wooden doors like they’re the gates of hell. “Theo, I can’t face him. Not after—”
“Yes, you can.” His voice is calm, certain. “You’ve already survived him once. You’re stronger now.”
“Am I?” The question comes out broken. “Because I feel like that same terrified girl who used to hide when he came knocking.”
Theo moves to stand in front of me, his dark eyes serious. “That girl survived. That girl found the strength to leave, to build something new. She brought all of us together.” His voice drops. “She’s still in there, Bree. And she’s not weak.”
I close my eyes, trying to breathe. Trying to believe him.
“The community is scared,” I manage. “They need me to be strong, and I—”
“They need you to be real,” Theo corrects. “Fear doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”
The doors creak open, and Gray appears. His face is grim. “He’s here.”
My stomach drops. Everything inside me goes cold and small.
Phil.
