“Oh, that’s beautiful.” Auren’s grin is sharp as broken glass. “The ones they’re most afraid of—the ones they locked the chamber to keep out—already completed it.” He looks at me, something wild in his eyes. “Do they know?”
“Not yet,” Jace says, his smirk growing. “But they will.”
My Ether flares—silver light edged with black, pulsing outward like a heartbeat. The temperature in the room drops.
“Five years,” I whisper. “She’s had five years to become me. To learn how to wear my face. To make them believe she’s the Source they wanted.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. Riley took my place. Has been living as me.
“She switched with you after the Ashen Oath,” Thane says quietly, and there’s weight in his voice. “Stepped right into your life at the sanctuary.”
“Some of the Feeders noticed something was off,” Stellan adds. “The way she moved, spoke. Little things.”
“Her Ether was inverted,” Thane continues. “Black threaded with silver instead of silver threaded with black. Her scars were gone. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t flinch.”
“We figured it out,” Stellan says, his voice tight.
“Later,” Auren cuts in gently but firmly. “First, we need to…”
“We need to stop her,” I say. “Before she—”
“Before she what?” Auren’s voice is gentle but firm. “Before she takes everything from you? Bree, she already has. She’s been on the Council for five years. She’s been living in your sanctuary. Sleeping in your bed.”
I want to argue. Want to rage. But he’s right.
“So what do we do?” Rhett asks, his voice rough.
“First, we need to figure out what Riley’s endgame is,” Thane says, stepping forward. “If she’s been consolidating power for five years, she’s not going to give it up easily. The longer she stays in Bree’s place—”
“We should overthrow the Council,” Rhett says, his voice hard and certain. “Take them down. All of them.”
Gray’s wolf form growls—a deep, rumbling sound of agreement that vibrates through the floorboards.
“No,” Stellan says firmly. “Too dangerous. They’ll—”
“What about the sanctuary?” Wes asks quietly. “The Feeders there—if we expose Riley, what happens to them?”
“They’re already enslaved,” Jace says, frustration sharp in his voice. “We can’t just leave them—”
“We’re not leaving anyone,” Theo says, his voice calm but certain. “But we need a plan that doesn’t get them killed in the crossfire.”
Seth, who’s been quiet this whole time, finally speaks. “What if she knows we’re back?”
Everyone turns to look at him.
“She has Bree’s memories,” he continues. “She might feel the bonds. Know that something’s changed. If she realizes the real Bree is free—”
“She’ll move faster,” Thane finishes grimly. “Consolidate her position before we can challenge her.”
Their voices overlap, building on each other, planning around me instead of with me. Making decisions. Protecting me.
Like I’m not even here.
My chest tightens. The familiar sensation of walls closing in, of being pushed to the edges of my own life. They’re doing it again. Talking over me, deciding for me, keeping things from me “for my own good.”
They haven’t changed.
How could I think they would? How could I believe a year in the Void searching for me would make any difference?
