“You did what wasright.” The distinction seems to please him. “That’s rarer than you might think, particularly among the Fae.” He tilts his head, studying me. “The prophecy is progressing.”
“The fourth bond.”
“Yes. Though not in the way I expected.” He pauses, and I see something that might be respect in those silver depths. “The prophecy shows paths, Guardian. Possibilities. It showed a woman with gray eyes standing in your arena, drawing your blood. It showed a claiming, a bond, a child. But it didn’t show the betrayal. Didn’t show her leaving. Didn’t show you offering to destroy yourself for her freedom.”
“The prophecy can’t account for free will.”
“Precisely.” He leans forward, his form rippling in the glass. “That’s what makes this bond different. Stronger. The other bonds—Thorn, Frost, Vine—they were built on manipulation and biology. Necessary, but fragile. This bond was broken and remade. Shattered and reformed. It’s been tested in ways the others never were.”
“Is that good?”
“It’s essential.” His voice takes on a weight that makes the air tremble. “The prophecy requires eight bonds. Eight children. But more than that, it requiresgenuineconnections. Love that transcends circumstance. Choice that defies compulsion. The fourth bond is the hinge upon which all others will turn.”
“And the child?”
Oberon’s smile widens. “She’s healthy. Strong. Already growing inside your omega with a vitality that speaks to the prophecy’s power.”
I feel my heart stop. “She? You’re certain?”
“A daughter. Born of stone and will. She will carry your strength and her mother’s courage into a new age.” He pauses. “Hannah doesn’t know yet. She suspects, but hasn’t confirmed. You should tell her.”
“I will.”
“Good.” His form begins to fade. “The fourth bond is sealed. Stone Court’s strength joins Thorn’s diplomacy, Frost’s discipline, and Vine’s abundance. Four of eight. The foundation is laid.”
“Wait—” I step forward. “The manipulation. The sixteen years I spent engineering Hannah’s circumstances. Does that… does that taint the prophecy? The bond?”
Oberon pauses, half-dissolved in the mirror.
“You engineered her circumstances,” he says slowly. “But you did not engineer her choice. When she stood in your arena, she chose to fight. When she discovered your betrayal, she chose to leave. When you offered her freedom, she chose to stay.” His silver eyes hold mine. “The prophecy requires sacrifice, Guardian. Sacrifice and choice. You sacrificed your certainty. She chose despite her doubt. That is stronger than any manipulation you could have devised.”
He fades completely, leaving me alone with the weight of his words.
And the knowledge that somewhere in this fortress, the woman who chose me against all odds is carrying our daughter.
I find Hannah in the training room.
She’s practicing forms with a practice blade, her movements fluid despite the fatigue I can feel through the bond. She doesn’t hear me enter—too focused on the dance of steel and stone.
“You’re pregnant.”
She spins, the blade coming up instinctively before she recognizes me. “What?”
“Lord Oberon visited.” I move toward her slowly, watching her face. “He confirmed it. A daughter. Healthy. Growing.”
The blade clatters to the floor.
“I suspected,” she whispers. “The exhaustion. The nausea. But I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to—” She stops, pressing a hand to her belly. “A daughter?”
“Strong as the mountain. Courageous as her mother.” I reach her, cupping her face in my hands. “The fourth bond is sealed. The prophecy is progressing.”
“Is that why you’re happy?” Her voice carries an edge. “Because of the prophecy?”
“No.” I lean down, pressing my forehead to hers. “I’m happy because you chose me. Because despite everything I did, you stayed. And now we’re going to have a child—not because of manipulation or prophecy, but because we chose to build something real.”
She’s crying. I feel the tears hot against my palms.
“I’m scared,” she admits. “I don’t know how to be a mother. I barely know how to be a partner. And the prophecy—what if our daughter is born into the same kind of trap you built for me?”
