Chapter 1501
The wind shifted as the sun disappeared behind the canopy, casting deep purple shadows across the moss-covered ground. They moved together now - Jude and his twelve wives - not as individuals but as a unit, bound not just by touch and trust, but by something older. Something sacred. The forest no longer frightened them. It pulsed with familiarity, like veins through a living body, and they were its heartbeat.
Scarlet walked beside Jude, her hand in his, her body still glowing faintly where they’d joined moments before. She didn’t speak - none of them did - but the silence between them was thick with meaning, a thread of tension and desire that hummed beneath their skin.
Sophie was the one who broke it. "There’s something ahead. I can feel it in my teeth."
Emma glanced over. "In your teeth?"
"It buzzes. Like static, but internal. Like the air’s not just around us anymore - it’s in us."
Zoey nodded. "The island’s singing louder."
They came to a clearing surrounded by trees so tall they disappeared into mist. In the center stood a stone archway, half-buried in vines and etched with unfamiliar runes that glowed faintly as the group approached. At its base, a pool of still, black water reflected the stars, even though it was too early for night.
Natalie knelt by the pool, dipping her fingers into it. "Warm. Like blood. But not threatening."
Stella walked toward the arch and placed her hand on the stone. It pulsed beneath her fingers, and the vines began to shift, sliding away as if moved by an unseen will.
A whisper moved through the trees, but it wasn’t in a human voice. It was feminine , fluid, melodic. It said nothing Jude could translate, and yet he understood . It welcomed them.
Layla stepped to the edge of the pool and stripped away her dress without hesitation. Her body glistened in the odd light, and her eyes - half-lidded and shining - met Jude’s. "Come with me."