---- Chapter 42 Damien POV: Lyra's voice, distorted and cruel, echoed from the crystal. "What do | want, Princess? | want you to feel what | felt. | want you to lose everything. A life for a life." "Anything," Elara choked out. "I'll do anything." "Go to the docks," Lyra commanded. "Alone. Now." Without a second's hesitation, Elara ran. | followed, my feet pounding on the stone path, my mind a whirlwind of terror and self-loathing. This was my doing. My sin. We reached the end of the long wooden pier. There, on the edge of the cliff overlooking the churning sea, stood Lyra. She held Kael in her arms, his tiny body wrapped in a blanket. The wind whipped her hair around her face, giving her the appearance of a vengeful goddess. | could smell it instantly. A sharp, metallic tang in the air. Silver. She had scattered Silver dust around her, creating a deadly circle. The rocks below, | knew, were rich with the mineral, making the water a death trap for any wolf. "Let him go, Lyra!" Elara screamed, her voice breaking. Lyra laughed, a high, unhinged sound that the wind carried ---- away. "First, you pay the price, Princess." She held Kael out over the raging water. "Jump." "No!" | yelled, starting forward. "One more step and he falls!" she shrieked, her eyes wild. Elara's face was a mask of pure anguish. She looked from her son to the deadly, silver-laced waves below. "Please," she begged. "He's innocent." To prove her point, Lyra gave a little toss, making Kael's small body arc for a terrifying second over the abyss. A strangled cry was ripped from Elara's throat. "I'll do it! I'll jump!" | grabbed her arm. "No, Elara! Me! Let me do it! It's my fault. Let me pay the price!" Lyra shook her head, a venomous smile twisting her lips. "No, Damien. Your death is too easy. | want you to live. | want you to live with the knowledge that she died for you. Now, JUMP, Princess!" She made another threatening move with the baby. That was all it took. Before | could stop her, Elara wrenched her arm from my grasp. With one last, heartbreaking look at our son, she threw herself off the edge of the cliff and into the violent, silver- poisoned sea.