Kieran’s POV

I don’t fall to my knees like Kane did. I don’t pace like Killian. I stand very still and feel something old and sharp split open inside my chest.

Fear—but not the kind people expect. Not jealousy. Not anger. Loss.

The chamber is quiet in the aftermath of Kane’s vow. The ancestral stone has settled into a low, watchful hum, like a creature that has tasted truth and is waiting to see if the rest of us will choke on it.

Scarlett stands where she was, hands loose at her ...