Celeste felt her. Alina.
Not through the earth. Not through pack bonds. Through something older, deeper—a connection that bypassed distance and dimension entirely. The presence slammed into her consciousness with the force of absolute authority, regal and unyielding.
Celeste, child.
Alina's voice resonated through her mind like a bell struck in a cathedral—clear, commanding, impossible to ignore. Celeste gasped, her knees nearly buckling under the weight of it. Reign's arm tightened around her waist, holding her upright.
"What is it?" he demanded, his eyes scanning for new threats.
"Alina," Celeste breathed. "She's—she's in my head."
We have to contain her from earth, Alina continued, her mental voice brooking no argument. Send her to me.
Celeste's heart lurched. "What?"
Talia and
