The grainy drone image burns into my retinas even after Seth closes his laptop. Black scales, golden eyes - unmistakable. Andrew. My brother, whom I've mourned for two years, is alive.

The Foxes buzz around me, already planning a rescue mission, but all I can hear is the blood pounding in my ears. "That's Andrew," Nicky gasps from beside me, voice breaking. "He's alive."

Alive but not free. The Ravens are hunting him. And if they want Andrew, they'll stop at nothing to get him.

Wymack's hand on my shoulder pulls me back to reality. "We need you to talk to him, Aaron. If anyone can get through, it's his brother."

Brother. The word feels foreign after all this time. The last words I'd said to Andrew still haunt me: "You're dead to me."

Now I have to face him. Underwater, where he's strongest. Where our kind reigns supreme.

Katelyn squeezes my hand, her warm brown eyes meeting mine. "You don't have to do this alone. The translator works, and we're right behind you."

But I know better. This isn't just about rescuing Andrew from the Ravens. It's about rescuing what's left of us.

As I strip off my clothes and prepare to shift, the cool ocean air raises goosebumps on my skin. My body remembers the water even if my mind resists the memories it holds.

"Ready when you are, merboy," Seth calls, but I barely hear him.

The sea awaits. And after two years of believing he was gone forever, so does my brother.

I dive into the icy water, my body transforming as gills open along my ribs and my legs fuse into a black tail. The ocean welcomes me home as I swim toward the island, toward Andrew, toward the reckoning I've avoided for far too long.