I could barely breathe. The only sound that echoed was Mascot’s labored breathing. He lay before me, body trembling as if the magic seeping into him was pulling apart his very soul.

My hands were cold as I clutched his, trying to pull him back, to wake him, but the more I tried, the more distant he seemed. “Lysandra!” I screamed, my voice trembling. “Help him!” But Lysandra didn’t move. She stood there, her face as cold as stone, arms crossed in front of her as if this was just another moment in the endless rituals of the coven.

I looked back down at Mascot. His face twisted in agony, his body limp and barely moving. I felt the panic rise in my chest. No. This couldn’t be happening. He’d been honest with me—or so I thought. I couldn’t bear the thought that he’d hidden something so important from me. Not after everything we’d been through.

“Lysandra, please…” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “You have to help him.”

But Lysandra only shook her head. “It’s not up to me, Tasha. It’s up to him.” Mascot’s breathing grew more shallow, and I felt my own heart tighten in my chest. I couldn’t lose him—not now, not like this. I leaned over him, brushing a strand of hair from his face. His skin was ice cold.

“Mascot, please…” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Just tell me the truth. Whatever it is, I can handle it.” I could feel the others watching, their silence heavy with judgment. Jacob stood a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest, his face dark with suspicion. He hadn’t trusted Mascot from the beginning, and now it seemed he had been right all along. But I wasn’t ready to give up on Mascot. Not yet. Slowly, Mascot’s eyes fluttered open.

His breathing was ragged, and his hand trembled in mine. “Tasha…” he whispered, his voice weak. “I… I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

“Find out what?” I asked, desperation creeping into my voice. “Mascot, please, just tell me.” For a moment, he said nothing, his eyes locked on mine. Then, with a trembling breath, he spoke.

“I worked for Eden.” The words hung in the air like a death sentence. My heart stopped, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt beneath me. I stared at him, unable to comprehend what he had just said.

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “That’s not possible.”

“I was part of Eden’s army,” Mascot continued, his voice filled with pain. “Before I met you… before all of this, I served him. But I left. I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t be part of the evil he was spreading.”

My mind raced, trying to make sense of his confession. Eden? The very man we had been fighting to stop all this time? Mascot had been one of his soldiers? How could he not have told me? How could he have kept something like this from me? “You… you were working for him this whole time?” I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief.

“No!” Mascot’s voice broke as he struggled to sit up, his body weak from the magic. “I left him, Tasha. I swear. I’ve been running ever since. That’s why I came to you, so that we could stop him together.” I pulled my hand away from his, my mind spinning.

“You should have told me,” I said, my voice cold. “You should have told me the whole truth when you had the chance earlier.” Mascot’s eyes were filled with guilt. “I wanted to, but I was afraid. Afraid that you’d hate me… that you’d never trust me again.” I stared at him, the anger and hurt building inside me. How could I trust him now? After everything we’d been through, after all the times I had put my faith in him, he had still lied to me.

For the second time. “I don’t know if I can trust you anymore,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Mascot’s face twisted in pain, but not from the magic this time.

“Tasha, please… I love you. I left Eden because I couldn’t stand what he was doing. I stayed because of you.” But his words fell flat. My heart was too full of anger, too full of doubt. Could I really believe him? Or was this just another lie?

Jacob stepped forward, his voice low and filled with anger. “I told you not to trust him. I knew he was hiding something. And do you know what else I think? He’s not worth saving. Especially after betraying and lying to us. We need to move.”

I turned to look at him. His eyes were hard, colder than Mascot’s skin. There was no sympathy there, only the hard edge of truth. Jacob had never liked Mascot, and now it seemed like he’d been proven right. But that didn’t make it any easier to hear.

“Jacob, not now,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“No, you need to hear this,” he insisted, taking a step closer. “He’s been lying to you this whole time. How do you know he won’t betray us again? How do you know this isn’t some elaborate trap?”

Mascot groaned, trying to sit up, but his strength had left him. I knelt down beside him, pressing my hand against his chest, keeping him still.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “You need to rest.” He closed his eyes, his breath coming in short gasps. “Tasha… I swear, I was going to tell you. But Eden… He’s relentless. I didn’t want to put you in more danger.” More danger? As if we hadn’t been in enough already? My thoughts raced as I tried to reconcile the Mascot I knew—the man who had fought beside me, saved me, loved me—with the man who had once served our greatest enemy.

Clara stepped forward then, her soft voice breaking the silence. “We all make mistakes, Tasha. The question is whether we’re willing to forgive them.” She paused, looking down at Mascot’s broken body. “You don’t have to decide right now. But we need to keep moving, or Eden will find us before you even have the chance to figure it out.” I looked between Clara and Jacob, their faces reflecting two different kinds of judgment.

Clara’s was softer, tinged with empathy. Jacob’s was hard, merciless. But they were both right. Mascot wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and neither was Eden. We couldn’t stay here. But I couldn’t leave Mascot behind. Not after everything. Not while he was dying in front of me. I turned to Seth, my voice steady despite the chaos in my heart.

“Can you carry him?” Seth gave me a solemn nod, his massive frame moving forward without question. He knelt beside Mascot, lifting him as carefully as he could. Mascot groaned in pain, but he didn’t fight it. His strength was gone I shot Jacob a glare, but I couldn’t deny that part of me agreed with him. Mascot had lied to me—kept a secret so big that it had almost destroyed us. Lysandra’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“The ritual is complete,” she said, her eyes fixed on me. “But you must know, Tasha, that trust is a fragile thing. The road ahead will only grow more dangerous if you cannot trust those around you.” Her words hit home. I looked at Mascot, who still lay on the ground, too weak to move.

Could I trust him? Could I really put my faith in someone who had lied to me about something so important? Lysandra stepped closer, her voice low and foreboding.

“Your choice is near, Tasha. Between love and power. Between Jacob and Mascot. And it will determine the fate of us all.” Her words sent a chill down my spine. The choice. I had known it was coming, but now, it felt more real than ever. How could I possibly choose between them? As we prepared to leave the coven, Lysandra’s words filled my mind. My heart ached with uncertainty, the future, a mix of doubt and fear.

Mascot had betrayed me once—could he do it again? And Jacob… could I ever forgive him for leaving me? Lysandra’s final words echoed in my mind as I looked back at Mascot one last time.

“Your choice is near,” she had whispered in my ear. “And it will determine the fate of us all.”