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Lena's POV
"You're not chickening out, are you?"
Elaine's voice crashed through the room like a slap, yanking me out of my thoughts. I blinked at my reflection, still wrapped in a silk robe, my hair half-done, the golden sunset bleeding behind me through the window.
"No," I said, voice low but sure. "I'm not."
Outside, the city stretched into the dusk, the heartbeat of Eldoria growing faster with the night. We belonged to the darkness. Born for it. Molded by it. Only the ones with gemstones could brave the sun without burning—and mine glittered against my skin like a secret crown.
Tonight wasn't about the sun. Tonight was about us. One last wild night before I left for Atheria.
Another sharp knock rattled the door. "Lena! Move it!" Elaine shouted.
I laughed under my breath. She hated waiting. Always had. I grabbed the red dress off the bed, the fabric cool and shivering in my hands, like it knew the weight of this night.
Fifteen minutes later, I swung the door open. Elaine stood there, arms crossed, tapping one boot against the floor. Her glare melted the moment she saw me.
"You're killing it," she said, whistling low. "Worth the wait."
I smirked and twirled once, the gown catching the light in a river of scarlet. I had matched it with my mother's gold heels and the heavy jewelry I almost never wore. Somehow, they made me feel... invincible. Like she was with me.
Elaine lunged for a hug, but I dodged easily, laughing. "Not the face!"
"You and your stupid makeup," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Her silver hair was twisted into something elegant tonight, softening her usual sharpness. We looked like we were headed to a ball, not a battlefield.
"You know," she teased, elbowing me, "your future husband is going to need the patience of a saint."
"He'll wait," I said, flashing a grin. "For his princess."
Before Elaine could fire back, the door creaked open again and in walked Zena, towering and unrushed, her red hair spilling wildly down her back.
"Late again," Elaine muttered.
Zena shrugged, smirking. "I like making an entrance."
We laughed—loud, careless, free. For a moment, it was just the three of us again, no wars, no wolves, no looming goodbyes.
But the laughter faded too fast.
"They're surrounding the western city," Elaine said quietly, her voice tight. "The wolves are closer than ever."
I felt it too. The unease, like storm clouds pressing against my skin. The air tasted of iron and endings.
"Atheria's holding for now," Zena said, trying for her usual bravado, but her jaw was set too tight, her eyes too serious. "But they can't last much longer."
"If Atheria falls, we're next," Elaine whispered, staring off into nothing.
Their words buzzed around me like angry bees, but my mind was somewhere else—already racing ahead, already seeing the blood, the fire, the fall of everything we loved.
I had to go. I was the only one who could.
"Lena," Elaine said sharply. "You're too quiet."
I met her gaze. I saw the worry carved deep into her face. Saw it mirrored in Zena's.
"There must be another way," Zena said. "Send a scout. Or a guard."
"They'd never get close," I answered, keeping my voice steady. "The wolves can smell a vampire guard from miles away."
"And they can't smell you?" Zena shot back.
"No," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. "They won't."
Because they didn't know me. They didn't know what I was capable of.
Elaine shook her head, her silver hair catching the light like a broken halo. "It's suicide, Lena."
"Maybe," I said, the word hanging heavy in the room. "But if Atheria falls, Eldoria falls. Our families, our people... everything. I have to try."
Silence thickened between us.
I felt it all—the fear clawing at my chest, the wild, stupid hope trying to punch through it. I was terrified. I was ready.
Zena broke it first, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine! If you're going to die, at least let's party first."
I barked a laugh. It felt good, real. "Exactly."
We weren't going to spend our last night crying.
We were going to dance like queens in a kingdom about to burn.