Maria.

By the time the structure came into view, my legs felt like stone.

Not weak.

Not trembling.

Just heavy, like every step I’d taken through the forest had slowly hardened inside me, turning muscle into something stiff and unyielding. The path beneath my boots crunched with quiet finality, each sound too loud in the stillness. My breathing had settled into something controlled, measured... but I could feel the strain in my calves, the dull ache climbing upward as if my body already understood what my mind refused to dwell on.

The eastern storage wing stood ahead of us.

Isolated.

Square.

Built from old gray stone that looked colder than the forest surrounding it.

The trees around it swayed faintly in the wind, branches whispering against one another, but the building did not move. It stood rigid and unwelcoming, its surface worn smooth in some places, rough and jagged in others, as though time had tried to soften it and failed. The stone carried a kind of weight to it. Not decay.

Discipline.

It wasn’t abandoned the way Vincent had once described during rogue lessons, when he’d spoken of forgotten pack structures swallowed by moss and silence. There was no rot creeping up the sides. No broken windows. No sagging roofline.

It was maintained.

Guarded.

Two armed guards stood at the main entrance, rigid and alert. Their posture wasn’t casual. It wasn’t bored. They stood like statues carved for a single purpose, watch, assess, respond. Their weapons rested easily within reach, not brandished, but close enough to remind anyone approaching that this was not a place for mistakes.

A few rogues lingered at a distance, likely workers assigned to outer maintenance. They moved quietly, efficiently, heads down, but not unaware. Even from here, I could feel the subtle shift of their attention when they noticed us.

Other patrol guards walked slow, deliberate circles around the perimeter.

Not rushed.

Not distracted.

Controlled arcs of movement that overlapped just enough to leave no blind spot.

This wasn’t some forgotten corner of the territory.

This was controlled.

Vincent slowed beside me, and I matched his pace without thinking. The weight in my legs seemed to sink deeper the closer we drew, as though the building itself pressed against my body.

"So this is it," he muttered.

His voice sounded quieter than usual. Less teasing. Less sure.

I nodded, swallowing the dryness in my throat. My mouth felt lined with dust, my tongue sticking briefly to the roof before I forced myself to answer the silence with composure instead of hesitation.

We approached carefully, my posture straightening automatically.

Years of instinct pulled my shoulders back, chin level, gaze steady. Confidence, real or manufactured, was armor here. I could feel eyes on us immediately. Not openly staring, not rudely assessing. But watching.

Measuring.

Rogues didn’t usually walk up here with confidence.

One of the guards stepped forward the moment we crossed an invisible boundary near the entrance. His boots scraped softly against stone as he planted himself directly in our path.

"State your purpose."

His voice was firm. Not aggressive. Not welcoming.

Simply immovable.

I didn’t hesitate.

Hesitation would be read as doubt.

And doubt, here, would be weakness.

I pulled the folded document from my satchel, careful not to fumble, and handed it over with steady fingers. The parchment felt warmer than the air, slightly creased from being handled too tightly during the walk.

"Authorization signed by Alpha Davian," I said steadily.

My voice didn’t shake.

Even if my pulse did.

The guard took it, his fingers brushing mine only briefly before withdrawing. His eyes scanned the parchment with practiced efficiency. His expression shifted, subtle, but noticeable, the moment he reached the signature.

Recognition.

He angled the parchment toward the second guard, who leaned slightly closer. A single nod passed between them.

"It’s valid," the first one said.

Relief flickered briefly inside me.

Not enough to relax.

But enough to allow one steady breath to slip through my lungs.

Then....

"Only the authorized individual enters," he added firmly. "He waits outside."

The relief hardened immediately.

I stiffened slightly.

Vincent stepped forward instinctively, his presence at my side suddenly sharper, protective.

"I’m with her."

"Only the authorized individual enters," the guard repeated, tone colder now. Less explanation. More rules.

The air shifted again.

I felt the tension coil in Vincent before he could speak further.

I reached for his arm lightly, fingers pressing just enough to anchor him. Not restraining. Not pleading.

Just grounding.

"It’s fine," I said quietly.

My voice was softer now, but no less steady.

He looked at me, jaw tightening, clearly not liking it. His eyes flicked toward the guards, then back to me, weighing pride against practicality.

"I’ll be right here," he said under his breath.

Close enough that only I could hear.

I gave him a small nod.

Small.

Controlled.

Then I turned back toward the entrance.

And stepped forward alone.

The heavy wooden door creaked as it opened.

The sound stretched long and low, like the building itself was exhaling after being disturbed. The hinges groaned in protest, metal scraping against age, and the echo carried inward before dissolving into stillness.

The air inside felt cooler.

Not the fresh coolness of forest shade, but something denser. Settled. Undisturbed for long stretches of time. It wrapped around my skin immediately, heavier than the air outside, pressing faintly against my lungs as I stepped across the threshold.

It smelled faintly of old wood and aged fabric, dry, preserved, untouched.

And beneath that...

Something floral.

Subtle. Lingering.

Not fresh flowers. Not blooming petals.

Something stored long ago and still clinging to threads.

The interior wasn’t cluttered.

That struck me first.

For a storage wing, it was immaculate.

Shelves lined the stone walls from floor to near ceiling, spaced with precision. Every crate was aligned. Every chest centered. Folded ceremonial fabrics rested in careful wrappings, pale linens layered between them to protect against dust and time. There was intention in every inch of the room.

No chaos.

No neglect.

Everything here had value.

One of the inner guards stepped ahead of me, boots thudding softly against the stone floor. His movements were efficient, familiar with the layout.

"The silver-thread ceremonial shawl," I stated.

My voice sounded smaller in the space, swallowed by stone and wood.

He nodded once without looking back and moved toward the far wall. My gaze followed him to a high shelf where a long, narrow chest rested above the others. It wasn’t ornate, but it was placed higher than the rest.

Elevated.

Protected.

I stayed near the center of the room, hands clasped lightly in front of me. My fingers laced together to keep them still. The quiet pressed in around my ears.

Too quiet.

No wind.

No forest sounds.

No footsteps beyond the door.

Only the faint shift of the guard moving.

He pulled a small ladder closer, its legs scraping softly against the floor, and climbed with steady, practiced movements. Each step of the ladder creaked faintly beneath his weight. He reached the chest, slid it forward with careful hands, and began lowering it down.

My heart pounded.

Not from fear.

From the pressure of completion.

From the knowledge that once I took the shawl, the task would be finished.

He descended carefully and set the chest down on a sturdy table.

The lid opened with a soft click.

Inside lay the shawl.

Even from where I stood, I could see it shimmer faintly in the muted light. Silver threads woven intricately into pale fabric, delicate and precise. The embroidery caught what little light filtered through the high windows, reflecting it in quiet glints.

It looked expensive.

Intentional.

Sacred.

Vanessa would look radiant in it.

The thought passed through me briefly.

The guard lifted it carefully, supporting the length of fabric so it wouldn’t drag or crease. He held it out for me to inspect, the silver threads glinting as the folds shifted.

I stepped closer, the scent of preserved fabric stronger now.

As he adjusted his grip to fully remove it....Something shifted.

At first, it sounded like a faint vibration.

So subtle I almost mistook it for my own pulse.

A low hum.

The guard paused.

His brow furrowed slightly.

"What is..."

The hum grew louder.

Deeper.

Layered.

Sudden.

Violent.

Before I could step back, before I could fully register the source, a dark swarm burst from behind the upper shelving.

Like a living cloud tearing itself free.

Bees.

Hundreds of them.

They poured out in a chaotic wave, spilling into the air with furious movement. Wings beat in frantic unison, filling the quiet space with a deafening roar of sound.

The room that had been controlled....Ordered...Still...Exploded into motion.

"What the...?!" the guard shouted, stumbling back.

But it was too late.

The swarm descended directly onto me.

The first sting hit my neck.

Sharp.

Burning.

I gasped.

Then another.

My arm.

My cheek.

My shoulder.

Pain exploded across my skin as they surrounded me, crawling into my hair, beneath my sleeves, attacking without mercy.

I screamed.

The sound tore out of my throat as I tried to swat them away, but there were too many. They stung everywhere, my back, my legs, my scalp. Each sting burned like fire sinking beneath my skin.

"Get her out!" someone shouted.

I stumbled backward, disoriented, vision blurring as more stings landed. My hands flailed uselessly. The buzzing was deafening, drowning out everything else.

My body felt like it was on fire.

Another sting near my eye.

I cried out again, collapsing to my knees.

The shawl fell to the floor beside me.

Guards rushed forward, waving clothes, trying to disperse the swarm, but the bees clung stubbornly.

Pain.

Everywhere.

My breathing grew ragged.

My skin throbbed.

And the last thing I heard before the world tilted sideways....was shouting.

And the relentless buzzing in my ears.