Ella's POV

The west tower door swung open quietly. Creaky hinges would've been better somehow. Kane had been sneaking in here a lot, super careful, like he was obsessed.

The room inside took my breath away. Every surface was covered in photos of a woman with honey-colored hair and amber eyes. She looked just like me. She was wearing floaty dresses, and in most pictures, she's touching her tiny baby bump with a happy smile.

Lyra.

But it was the new stuff that freaked me out. Pictures of me, lots of them, taken without me knowing. Me in the gardens. Me reading by the window. Me holding my stomach. And some disturbing ones where they'd manipulated my face to make me look even more like the dead woman in this room.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?"

Kane's voice behind me made me jump. I turned around fast, my heart pounding. He was in the doorway, blocking my exit, looking way too calm as he surveyed his shrine.

"Kane!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Luna told me about Lyra. About what happened. I'm so sorry, but this…" I gestured around the room. "This isn't healthy."

"Healthy?" He laughed, a broken sound. "Losing your mate and child in one night? Watching them die in your arms? That destroys you, Ella."

He walked into the room, running his fingers over a photo of Lyra in a garden. "She loved flowers. Said they made her feel alive." His eyes fixed on me. "You like them too. I've been watching."

Chills ran down my spine. "You've been watching me?"

"Protecting you," he corrected softly, moving closer. "Learning what you need, what makes you happy. Making sure you have everything to be comfortable here."

"Here?" I edged toward the door, but he blocked me effortlessly. "Kane, I can't stay here. Not after seeing this. You need help—real help—not someone who reminds you of her."

His expression darkened. "You don't understand. I'm not trying to replace Lyra. I'm being given a second chance. The universe is offering me redemption."

"Redemption for what?" I already knew, and nausea rolled through me.

"To save both of you." He reached out, his hand hovering near my stomach. "The ritual tomorrow will stabilize your pregnancy. Dr. Sarah explained the medical necessity. But it'll do more than that—something she doesn't fully understand because she can't read the ancient texts."

I pressed back against a table covered with Lyra's belongings. "What else will it do?"

Kane's smile was gentle, almost loving, which scared me more than anger would have. "It will restructure the bond. Everyone—including you—will recognize me as your baby's father. You won't even remember Nathaniel's claim."

The words hit like a physical blow. "That's insane! You can't just erase Nathaniel!"

"Can't I?" He moved closer, trapping me. "He abandoned you, Ella. Left you vulnerable and pregnant. What kind of father does that make him?"

"That's not your decision to make!"

"Yes, it is." His voice was maddeningly calm. "You're in my territory, under my protection, carrying a child whose life is at risk. Dr. Sarah confirmed you need a stable mate bond to carry this baby to term. You need someone."

"Then I'll go back to Nathaniel! We'll fix what's broken!"

Kane's expression turned dangerous. "He doesn't deserve you or that child. He had his chance, Ella. He failed."

"And you're succeeding? By stalking me? By photoshopping pictures to make me look like your dead mate? By stealing my baby's identity?" Fury overtook fear. "That's not love, Kane. That's an obsession!"

"Call it what you want." He picked up a late-term photo of Lyra, her belly swollen, her face exhausted. "I failed her. I failed them both. I won't fail again."

"I'm not her!" I shouted. "I'm not Lyra! I'm Ella! Different person, different life, different choices! You can't just paste her face over mine and pretend you get a do-over!"

"You're right." He set the photo down carefully. "You're not Lyra. You're stronger. You survived what she couldn't. That's why it will work this time. This time, I'll protect you properly. I'll give you everything. I'll keep you both safe."

"Even from myself? From my own choices?" I tried to slip past him, but he caught my arm. Not painfully, but inescapably.

"The ritual is tomorrow at dawn," he said quietly. "Dr. Sarah will perform it. It's not painful—it's actually quite peaceful. And when it's done, you'll be safe. Forever."

"Let me go, Kane." My voice shook. "Please. If you truly care about my wellbeing, let me decide."

He tightened his grip slightly. "You're not thinking clearly. The hormones, the stress, Nathaniel's rejection—you need someone to make the hard choices."

"I need someone to let me make my own damn decisions!" I wrenched my arm away, stumbling back against Lyra's shrine. A photo fell, glass shattering on the floor. "I'm not a child who needs a keeper!"

Kane stared at the broken frame, emotions flickering across his face. Pain. Anger. Madness. Maybe all three.

"You're pregnant and in danger," he said, his voice ice-cold. "You need me. Your baby needs me. Tomorrow, you'll understand. Tomorrow, everything will be clear."

He turned and walked to the door, pausing at the threshold. "Luna will bring you dinner. Get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day. The beginning of our new life together."

"Kane, wait!" But he was gone, the door closing with a click that sounded like a prison lock.

I stood alone in the shrine, surrounded by evidence of Kane's fractured mind. My baby moved inside me, unaware of the danger we were in.

The window was too high, the drop to the rocks below deadly. The door was locked. And somewhere in this twisted sanctuary, Kane Winters was planning a ritual that would erase my baby's father and trap me forever with a man who saw me as a vessel for his redemption.

I sank to the floor among the broken glass, mind racing. Luna had warned me. Nathaniel had tried to reach me. I hadn't listened because I'd been desperate for safety.

But safety was an illusion. Protection was a cage. And tomorrow would seal both unless I found a way out before dawn.

My phone was gone, confiscated for "security purposes." The windows were impossibly high. The door was locked. And the only person who might help was Luna, who was probably being monitored.

A soft scratching at the door made me freeze. Then Luna's whisper: "Ella? Don't make a sound. Kane's in his study. I have five minutes."

I rushed to the door. "Luna?"

"Listen carefully. The ritual isn't just about stabilizing bonds. The Alpha Council banned it centuries ago for good reason." Fear laced her voice. "It requires a sacrifice. A life for a life. Kane plans to use your severed bond with Nathaniel, but if that's not enough…" She trailed off, and I understood.

Kane would take something else. Someone else.

"How do I stop him?" I whispered.

"You can't, not alone. But Nathaniel's here. He crossed the border an hour ago. Kane doesn't know yet, but he will soon. You need to signal him."

"How? I'm locked in—"

"There's an air vent. Lyra used it to escape when Kane got too controlling. It leads to the east wing, near the medical bay." Luna's whisper was urgent. "I left a penlight in Lyra's dresser. The vent is behind the mirror. Hurry, Ella. Kane will check on you soon."

Footsteps approached, and Luna vanished, leaving me with my pounding heart.

I could stay and let Kane perform his ritual, losing myself but possibly saving my baby.

Or I could trust Luna, trust that Nathaniel was here, and risk everything on an escape through a vent while pregnant and terrified.

My baby kicked.

"I'm sorry, little one," I whispered. "But I won't let him erase your father. We have to try."

I found the penlight in the dresser. The mirror came away easily, revealing a dark vent opening.

I was about to climb in when I noticed a journal in the drawer.

I shouldn't have opened it. But I did.

If you're reading this, Kane has chosen someone new. Someone to replace me. I'm writing this at eight months pregnant. I feel the darkness in him, the obsession that will destroy us both.

The ritual isn't to protect me or our baby. It's to control me. To ensure I can never leave. The ancient texts speak of possession, not partnership.

I keep trying to run. He always finds me. He promises it will be better after the baby comes.

If you're the one he's chosen now, please—run. If you can't run, fight. The ritual will take everything you are.

—Lyra

The entry was dated three days before Lyra died.

My hands shook. What if her death wasn't a tragic accident? What if Kane's need to control her had caused it?

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, growing louder.

I shoved the journal in my pocket, climbed into the vent, and repositioned the mirror just as Kane opened the door.

"Ella?" Kane called. "I know this is difficult. But tomorrow will make everything better."

I held my breath in the darkness.

"Ella?" Then, I panicked: "ELLA!"

I crawled through the vent as fast as my pregnant body allowed, the penlight creating eerie shadows. Behind me, I heard Kane tearing apart the room, his roar of rage animalistic.

And somewhere out there, Nathaniel was coming.

I just had to survive long enough for him to find me.