Alec’s

"We reached out to other packs," added Elder Thorn, his tone clipped with frustration. "We thought perhaps they'd have some forgotten text buried in their vaults. But even with access granted, we came up empty."

"There's no record of Kaden," said Elder Mira, her silver braid falling over her shoulder. "Nothing about demigods. Nothing about what's keeping him locked. Nothing about how to undo it."

Each elder took a turn, each report a variation of the same grim truth: nothing. Not even breadcrumbs.

The silence after their words felt louder than before. I turned my gaze toward Raven.

She leaned forward slowly, resting her forearms on the table. Her dark hair was pulled into a low bun, strands loose around her temples. Even in stillness, she looked exhausted-more so than any of us. Her eyes were ringed with sleeplessness, her voice barely above a whisper when she spoke.

"I haven't found anything either,” she admitted. "I've followed every lead I could think of. I even reached out to some of my mother's old contacts."

She paused, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose for a second before continuing.

"As for the spell itself... I still haven't figured out a way around it. It's layered, ancient, and laced with magic I have no clue about. To unravel it safely would take more time than we have. And even then, I don't know if it's possible."

A cold hush fell over the room as her words settled in.noveldrama

"Are you saying," I began slowly, "that the only way to break the spell is to release him?"

Raven's eyes flicked up to meet mine, haunted. "At this point... yes."

A quiet breath escaped me. So that was it. All this time we'd been trying to find a way to weaken the cage without breaking it.

"As for Kaden, I can seek permission and go back to the coven. Try and see if I can find anything more," She added.

I nodded and remained quiet, trying to decide if I should let them in on my discovery or not. Finally, I decided on telling them. There was no point in hiding it.

I straightened slowly, resting my hands flat on the table. "There's something else," I said, my voice steady but low.

All eyes turned to me. Raven looked up sharply. Alec went still. Jason tilted his head, alert. Even Micah, who rarely betrayed anything, leaned forward slightly. The elders, in contrast, looked mildly curious-but only because they didn't know yet what this would mean.

"I had a conversation with Nyx yesterday," I said carefully. "She confirmed something for me."

A pause.

"You were right, Alec. The veiled woman is Nyx's sister and her name is Xena."

Raven let out a slow, quiet curse. Alec's jaw clenched. Jason

straightened, eyes widening slightly. Only the elders remained still, their brows beginning to furrow in confusion.

"That's not all," I continued, because I couldn't stop now. "There's

something else I've suspected for a while, but I didn't want to bring it up until I was sure."

Alec's gaze locked onto mine.

“Xena and Kaden..." I took a breath, the words heavy in my throat. "They're somehow connected. Nyx didn't reveal anything, but it was there. She knows him somehow and so does Xena."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Raven blinked slowly, like she was trying to process it. Micah sat back in his chair, exhaling a sharp breath. Jason swore under his breath, low and sharp.

And the elders?

Confusion broke across their faces, like someone had dropped a foreign language

into the middle of the conversation.

"What connection?" Elder Kael asked cautiously. "Who is this Xena?"

I glanced at Alec, who was still watching me, unreadable.

They didn't know. Not yet. Not the full story.

But they would.

Because if Xena and Kaden were connected-by magic, by purpose, or something else—then we weren't dealing with separate threats.

We were standing in the shadow of something bigger.

And it was finally starting to show its shape.