Killian didn't move. He just couldn't. The crowbar he had used to fight the drones lay in the snow, a twisted piece of useless metal. His chest was thrusting up, his lungs burning from the thin mountain air. He wanted to reach out to her. He wanted to grab her shoulders and pull her into his arms to make sure she was really okay.
But the girl standing in the mouth of the cave right now, didn't look like she needed a hug. She looked like she could level the entire mountain with a thought.
"Faith?" Killian's voice was raspy. It was the first time he had ever felt small in front of someone.
Faith didn't blink. Her black eyes remained fixed on the horizon, toward the city where the King's palace sat like a golden crown. The blue sparks between her fingers grew brighter, humming with a sound like a swarm of angry bees.
"The King is coming," she said. Her voice didn't sound like her own. It was deeper, echoing against the stone walls of the cave. "He thinks he can own the Source. He thinks he can own me."
Inside the cave, Sarah and Leo stepped forward slowly. Sarah was shaking. She was a scientist, she had studied the "Catalyst" her whole life. But seeing her daughter floating in the air, glowing with silver light, was more than any book could explain.
"Faith, honey….come down," Sarah whispered. She reached out a trembling hand. The pool healed you. You're safe now. We can go.
Faith finally turned her head. When her black gaze hit her mother, Sarah gasped and stumbled back. There was no warmth there. No recognition. It was like looking into a deep, dark ocean.
"I am safe because I am power, Mother," Faith said. She landed softly on the snowy ground, her boots making no sound. The girl you hid in the slums is gone. She died the moment the King's poison touched her heart.
Leo stepped up next to Sarah, his hand still on his sword. He was the Prince, the son of the man who had caused all this pain. He looked at Faith with a mix of awe and sadness.
"The drones are down, but my father won't stop," Leo warned. He has an entire army. He has Alphas who have been trained to kill since they were pups. You might have power, Faith, but you're only one person.
Faith tilted her head. A small, cold smile touched her lips. It was a look that didn't belong on her face.
"One person?" she asked.
She raised her right hand toward the sky. Suddenly, the wind picked up. It wasn't just a breeze; it was a windstorm that whipped Killian's coat around his legs and forced Leo to shield his eyes. Above them, the clouds began to swirl, turning a deep, bruised purple.
BOOM.
A bolt of silver lightning struck the top of a nearby peak, shattering the rock into a million pieces. The sound was so loud that Killian's ears rang.
"I am not one person," Faith said, her voice rising above the wind. I am the Source. I am the mother of the wolves. And your father is playing with fire.
Killian finally found his legs. He stepped into the wind, moving toward her until he was only a few feet away. He could feel the heat coming off her skin. It smelled like rain and ozone.
"Faith, look at me," Killian commanded. He used his Alpha voice, the one that made grown men kneel.
Faith turned to him. She didn't kneel. She didn't even flinch. She just stared at him with those void-black eyes.
"Wasn't I just an investment to you, Killian? She said quietly. "You spent millions on a 'Dud' because you saw a profit. You wanted a weapon you could control."
Killian flinched. It was true. At the beginning, that was exactly what he wanted. "That was before," he growled. "I almost died for you tonight. Does that mean nothing?"
Faith stepped closer to him. The silver markings on her neck began to glow brighter. "It just means you have a heart, Alpha. But it doesn't mean you own mine. The girl you saved is no longer here.
She turned away from him and looked at the valley below. The sun was starting to rise, hitting the snow and making the whole world look like it was made of diamonds.
"We are leaving," Faith announced.
How? Sarah asked, looking at the steep, icy path. The drones destroyed the transport. We'll never make it down before the King's soldiers arrive.
Faith didn't answer with words. She walked to the center of the clearing and knelt, pressing her palms against the frozen earth.
"Rise," she whispered.
The ground began to groan. At first, Killian thought it was another earthquake. But then, he saw the silver light flowing out of Faith's hands and into the mountain itself. The snow began to melt in a perfect circle around her.
Suddenly, the rock under their feet began to shift. A massive slab of stone, carved with ancient symbols none of them recognized, rose out of the ground. It was like a floating platform, held up by nothing but raw energy.
"Get on," Faith said. She stood up, her hair flowing behind her like a cape of shadows.
Leo and Sarah hurried onto the stone, looking terrified. Killian stayed where he was for a second. He looked at the woman he had spent so much energy trying to protect. He realized that the roles had flipped. He wasn't her protector anymore. He was currently just a passenger in her world.
He stepped onto the stone platform next to her. The moment he did, the slab lifted higher into the air.
"Where are we going?" Killian asked.
Faith looked at the city in the distance. The sparks of blue lightning were dancing across her skin again.
"To the palace," she said. Her voice was as cold as the ice around them. "The King wants a Goddess. I'm going to show him exactly what one looks like."
With a sudden burst of speed, the stone platform shot forward. They weren't walking down the mountain. They were flying. Below them, the trees were just a blur of green and white.
Killian watched Faith's profile. She looked beautiful and terrifying. He had spent his whole life being the most powerful man in the room, but as they flew toward a war he knew was coming, he realized one thing.
He had bought a Goddess. And now, he had to figure out how to keep up with her.