Chapter 99

Lisa's POV They said power had a scent. I used to think it smelled like blood or fire—something strong, something that turned heads. But that day, as I passed the lower council room near the apothecary wing, I realized what it actually smelled like. Lavender and parchment. Ink and iron. And the faintest whisper of moonstone. That was the day I overheard the prophecy. The door hadn't shut completely. A servant had propped it open for air, and the voices drifted out softly, like a secret being exhaled. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop. I only paused because I heard my sister's name. But what I heard instead changed everything. "The White Wolf has awakened," said a deep voice I recognized as the Tiger Prince's. "She bears the lunar mark, can command light, and heal the dead. The time of the prophecy is close." "She must be protected," someone else said—Thomas, perhaps. "If Brayden or the vampires find her, they'll use her to destroy us all." "Do we know her identity?" another asked, hushed and