Chapter 39

• AUBREY
• I've been hearing from Jax more frequently lately, his demands growing increasingly urgent and specific. Each message brings fresh pressure, fresh reminders of my mission, making the conflict raging in my chest burn hotter with each passing day. Every moment I spend around Knox, despite knowing his father ordered my family's slaughter, every time I catch myself genuinely laughing with Iris, every maternal gesture from Queen Grace that makes my heart ache with longing—it's tearing me apart from the inside.
• The familiar tap-tap-tap at my window tonight makes my stomach clench with dread. The massive crow perches on the stone sill, its obsidian eyes reflecting the moonlight as it fixes me with that unnaturally intelligent stare.