"Look at them.Look at the triplets standing there now. Look carefully."
Shiqi;s gaze flicked to the podium without meaning to. And what she saw made her eyes widen. How was that possible?
Just moments ago, the three of them had been looking at Ramona as if she were a priceless treasure. Their attention had been complete. Absolute. Zen’s eyes had followed her every breath. Kael had lowered his head with quiet devotion. Lance had stood tall, solemn and accepting, ready to preside over what fate had finally corrected.
The moment Ramona had climbed onto the podium, the three men had welcomed her and then knelt down, ready to begin the ceremony.
But now—
They were still kneeling. But something was wrong. Very wrong.
Their bodies had not moved, but their expressions had changed even with their eyes closed. By now, they should have walked to Ramona and started undress her...
And then she noticed the subtle changes on their face. Easy to miss if one did not know what to look for. Zen’s brow was no longer smooth. A faint crease had appeared between his eyebrows, as if a question had surfaced. His lips were parted slightly as if wanting to ask something.
Kael’s gaze was no longer closed or fixed on Ramona. His eyes looked unfocused, distant, like a man listening to a voice no one else could hear. His jaw was tight, the muscles jumping faintly, his hands curled against the stone as if he were holding himself in place.
And Lance— Lance looked frozen.
His head was still bowed, his posture perfect, but his eyes were no longer calm as he seemed to be thinking something...
Shiqi’s breath caught in her throat. No.
No, this was not possible. She had seen this before. She had been careful this time.. making sure that they would believe that Ramona would be their mate. That they would want her... Zen had even formed conjugal relations with Ramona, which should have been easier for them to believe that she was their mate...
And yet, their expressions said otherwise...The realization struck her like ice down her spine.
This-this exact stillness. This moment where devotion cracked but had not yet shattered. Where the spell loosened just enough for doubt to slip through. It was the same expression that she had seen on the three lords’ faces all those years ago.
Back then, they had stood before her under a sacred sky. They had looked at her with awe. With belief. With certainty so strong she had thought it unbreakable. And then— They had frozen.
Just like this.
Their eyes had changed first. Confusion bleeding into awareness. Awareness into resistance. As if they were waking from a dream they had not known they were in. Her chest tightened painfully.
She remembered the way her heart had started pounding that night. The way unease had crept in, even as she told herself she was imagining it.
Then they had pulled away and rejected her in a rush, before anyone could stop them.
Shiqi’s eyes whipped toward Aron. Just like they had done in the past in that one moment when they had rejected her...
The realization burned.
She had invited him to that ceremony back then. Invited him so he could watch. So he could see her triumph before she ruined him. She had wanted him to hurt.
Instead, she had been the one humiliated. And today seemed to be repeating itself...
No! She would not allow it. Shiqi reacted without thinking.
Her hands lifted sharply and her fingers twisted through the familiar motions of control. Words spilt from her lips in a low, urgent chant—older, harsher magic meant to press and reinforce, meant to remind the mind of what it was supposed to believe.
Ramona is your mate. Ramona is your truth. Ramona is what fate has chosen.
The magic surged forward. And then-
It struck the blue barrier. The impact sent a sharp recoil through her arms, the force snapping back at her like a stretched cord released too suddenly. Shiqi staggered half a step, her breath hitching as the spell shattered harmlessly against Aron’s magic.
"What—" Her eyes widened. The blue light did not even flicker.
It held. Calm. Absolute.
Her head snapped toward Aron, fury blazing in her gaze. He stood exactly where he had been before, hands still raised, expression unchanged. Unbothered. As if he had expected this.
Shiqi’s lips thinned.
If subtlety would not work, then she would not be subtle.
She closed her eyes and drew deeper. Much deeper.
The air around her shifted as darker power coiled beneath her skin, answering her call. This was not the gentle persuasion she had used before. This was command. Domination. Magic meant to crush resistance and leave no space for doubt.
The ground beneath her feet trembled faintly.
Her chant changed, growing sharper, heavier. The golden light around the podium pulsed in response, flaring brighter as she poured more of herself into it. She released the spell.
It slammed into the barrier— and bounced back. Harder this time.
The force tore a sharp gasp from her throat and sent pain shooting up her arms. Shiqi’s eyes flew open as she stumbled back, disbelief flashing across her face. Impossible. No one had ever blocked her like this. No one.
Before she could recover, movement on the podium caught her attention. The three men moved.
Zen was the first to straighten, his body rising as if pulled by instinct rather than command. Kael followed a heartbeat later, then Lance. They stood there beneath the mingled gold and blue light, no longer kneeling.
Free.
They looked around slowly, as if waking from a long, disorienting sleep.
Zen lifted a hand to his head, his brows drawn together. "What...?" he muttered under his breath.
Kael scanned the courtyard, his gaze sharp and searching, confusion etched plainly across his face. His wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin. Lance remained silent, but his eyes were alert now. Fully awake. Calculating.
Then, almost as one, their heads turned. They looked at Shiqi.
There were questions in their eyes. Doubt. Suspicion.
And then— Their gazes shifted.
Past her.
Locked onto Emira. The moment stretched, heavy and charged. Shiqi felt something cold settle in her chest as she followed their line of sight. No. This was not how it was supposed to go.
The spell had broken. And this time, she was not the one in control anymore.