“He’s becoming one,” Julia replied.
“I’m happy but also saddened to see you here, Champion,”Stark said.“I know what you had to sacrifice in order to fulfill this trial of fate.”
“Why are you still on this side of the crossing?” I asked.
“I’m waiting,”Stark answered with a ruffle of his feathers.“For him, but also you. We are all waiting for you.”
The fog along the river lifted, revealing the brilliant turquoise waters with vibrant-colored pebbles scattered along the bend. Red, blue, and even green stones lined a shallow pathway meandering across the distance to the opposing shoreline. My gaze followed the path, almost as if a higher power was guiding me to what lay on the other side.
The world stilled as a tall, commanding figure appeared along the edge. My throat went dry as my eyes locked with the male across the way. The green Cathal eyes that I’d passed by countless times in the hall of the alphas, which I saw in Magnus and Neera, were staring back at me.
“Father?” I stammered as I sprang to my feet.
A smile turned at the corner of his mouth as his expression softened, giving me a firm nod. He turned his head as a human female came to his side. My father wrapped his arm around her waist as he pulled her in close. The mating mark of a shifter visible along her neck. The sun-kissed skin, beautiful brown eyes, and vibrant,wavy golden hair were identical to my vision of her in the Labyrinth.
“Mother?”
She looked at me with tears glistening in her gaze, a deep sense of pride and love beaming in her expression. Emery bent and tenderly kissed her brow as she leaned into his chest. My heart fluttered joyfully at the sight of them together.
“They’re proud of you, Skylar,” Julia said, touching my shoulder. “So very proud.”
I couldn’t speak to them from the other side of the crossing, but I didn’t need to.
Then, on Emery’s other side, a familiar-looking male with the same Cathal eyes stepped forward. His shoulder-length blond hair lightly turned in the breeze, and I knew in my soul that this was the alpha who sealed the Heart of Valdor away.
He met my gaze, and, in a flash, he shifted into his animal, a proud, powerful lion with a mane the color of spun gold. He tilted his head back and released a thundering roar that reached us on the other side of the crossing. My mother stepped from my father’s side as he shifted into his massive grizzly bear, adding to the chorus of my ancestors booming behind them.
“What does this all mean?” I asked.
“Your time among the living is not done yet, Skylar,” Julia said, coming to my side and brushing my hair over my shoulder. “You must go back.”
“What?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m dead. How am I supposed to go back?”
Julia grinned as a breeze played with the curls along her headband. Her dark eyes softened as she looked at me with the love only a mother could give. “You know how,” she said as she touched my heart.
In the distance, I heard a faint melody drifting along the gentle breeze. “Daxton.” I closed my eyes, feeling the pull of our mate bond trying to guide me home. “He’s… He’s still holding on.”
“Stubborn males.” Julia chuckled.
“But how? How am I supposed to—” I paused as the spark of fire from my animal kindled in my center. My soul ignited like the blazing sun, vibrant and overflowing with untapped power, finally ready to be unleashed.
I turned my gaze away from the river, hearing the song of my animal spirit.
“Go,” Julia whispered, releasing her hold as my feet guided me from the crossing. “This was always meant to be.”
I paused, glancing back one final time at my loving aunt, saying farewell. “I love you,” I said to her before my eyes traveled across the river to my ancestors, who built the mountain for me to rise and touch the sky. “I love you all. Thank you—”
My father shifted into his human form and knelt, placing a fist over his heart with a bowed head, honoring me with his recognition of me as an alpha. My heart burst with gratitude at the pride in his expression. My mothergently pressed her fingers to her lips, releasing them toward me as she joined my father.
“Go!” Julia yelled, giving me the final push I needed.
I pivoted and raced across the clearing, toward the song calling mehome.
“Fly, Sky.”
Chapter Seventy-Three
Castor Aegaeon
