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Then another.

Pull back.

The voice is faint, distant, like a whisper carried on the wind.

I try. But I can’t let go. I can’t—

The wind crushes in, bone cracking like kindling, flesh rupturing under the pressure.

Movement flashes in my periphery.

I turn sharply, the storm inside me shifting with the motion, and a gust of wind slams into another beast. It’s thrown against a wall with a sickening thud, crumpling to the ground.

It whines.

Not like a chimera.

The sound cuts through the haze, and I blink, the winds faltering as my gaze locks on the figure.

Ares.

The leonai lies sprawled against the wall, his molten eyes dim as he watches. He whines again, and my heart clenches so hard it feels like it might shatter.

Guilt crashes over me, suffocating and cold. My legs feel like lead as I take a step toward him, my hand reaching out.

“Ares,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

He flinches, baring his fangs as he pushes himself up.

Before I can say anything, before I can even breathe, he takes off, his wings beating the air in uneven strokes.

“Ares, wait!” I call after him, but he’s already gone, disappearing into the smoke and chaos.

The silence that follows is deafening.

I stand there, frozen, my chest heaving, the weight of what I’ve done pressing down on me like a physical force. The storm inside me is gone, leaving only the hollow ache of guilt in its wake.

“Aella.”

Lyxander’s voice is edged with something I can’t place. I turn toward him, my movements slow and heavy, like I’m wading through water.

My gaze lands on Kato first. He’s standing a few paces away, his sword slack in his hand, eyes wide as he stares…at me.

His lips part, but no words come out.

I look away, but it doesn’t help. My eyes dart between the faces of the kin, each one etched with varying degrees of shock and confusion.

Dread sinks claws into my stomach.

“Aella,” Lyxander says again, his voice firmer this time. He closes the distance between us in a few long strides, his hands steady as he scoops me up.

“Lyxander, I—”

“It’s all right.” He glances back to the others, his jaw tightening. “To the tower. Now.”

He turns and launches us into the air.

In the distance, Harpaurai descend from the palace.