Chapter 23 · Noah's Dirty Card

"Get away from her." Noah's voice cut through the stone air before I heard his footsteps.

I spun. Kael didn't move, still crouched beside my mother's glass cage, one hand resting on the edge like he owned her breathing.

"Pike." Kael's eyes stayed gold, tracking Noah as he came down the last three steps into the vault. "How'd you find this place?"

"Followed the blood trail." Noah stopped just inside the threshold, his gaze locking onto my mother. His face went pale. "Jesus Christ. That's Mara Vale."

"Alive," I said. My voice cracked. "They kept her alive."

Noah's jaw tightened. He looked at Kael. "You knew."

"I knew."

"You let Lena walk into that tribunal thinking her mother was dead."

Kael stood, slow, his shoulders filling the space between Noah and the pod. "I let Lena stay breathing. That's the job."

"Your job," Noah said, "is whatever keeps your crown on. Don't pretend this is about her safety.