Dahlia's POV
"A key?" I whispered, as my voice caught in my throat.
Axel didn't answer. He was already moving toward the center of the chamber. The runes on the walls were no longer just pulsing; they were beginning to bleed with a soft, golden light that made the black pool in the center look like a hole cut out of reality.
"Axel, wait!" I reached for him, but a sudden, heavy pressure in the air stopped me.
It wasn't Nate's Alpha command. This was heavier. It felt like the weight of the entire ridge was pressing down on my shoulders, forcing me to my knees. Beside me, Aidan and Ariana gasped, as their small bodies slumped onto the cold stone.
"Do not interfere, Mother of Heirs," a strange voice rang out. It wasn't the rustle of leaves like the old woman Axel had seen in his vision. This voice was deep, resonant, and echoed from every wall at once.
A man stepped out from a crack in the rock.
