POV: Orion Kings
My fist crashed into a tree, missing Amara's head by inches. I didn't want to hurt her. But my body wasn't listening to me anymore.
"Orion, please!" Amara begged, jumping away from my next attack. "This isn't you! Fight it!"
I wanted to tell her I was trying. That I was yelling inside my own head. But my mouth opened and different words came out.
"The Mother commands, and I obey," my voice said, cold and empty. "Join us, sister, or die."
The strange woman with white hair and shining eyes—the one who appeared after the black stone broke—stood watching from the edge of the clearing. She wasn't The Mother, but somehow, she controlled me now.
"I know you're in there," Amara said, refusing to fight back as I swung at her again. "Remember who you are!"
Who was I? Memories stirred—broken pieces I couldn't quite grasp.
"I am the Son of Blood Moon," I said automatically. "I serve the Ancient One."
