LOGINI tied the cloth tightly around the lower half of my face. The oil burned my nose, but I ignored the stinging pain. I looked back at the men. Every single one of them had their faces covered. We looked like a silent army of ghosts in the dim firelight."Which way, Healer?" I asked. My voice was muffled by the thick fabric.Gaius pointed his finger directly at the center tunnel. "Straight down that path."I pulled my heavy broadsword from my back. I held a burning torch in my left hand and my sword in my right. I stepped into the center tunnel.We walked for twenty long minutes. The tunnel was wide enough for three men to walk side by side. It felt entirely too easy. There were no traps. There were no locked doors. The silence was heavy and suffocating. I kept my eyes scanning the high ceiling and the rough walls, waiting for something to go wrong.Suddenly, the yellow light from my torch hit a massive, solid wall of rock.I stopped walking.The main corridor was completely blocked. A
The entire courtyard gasped. Cillian let out a deep, rumbling exhale beside me. He didn't pull away. He didn't try to silence me. He just stood taller, projecting his massive Alpha aura outward to completely back up my words, his chest swelling with profound pride."If the cure is truly lost, and my heart stops beating tomorrow, then I will gladly go into the dark knowing you are coming with me," I vowed, my eyes locking onto hers with deadly certainty. "Because the exact second my pulse fades, my Warlord is going to tear your head off your shoulders. Your magic does not make you a Queen, Selene. It just makes you a hostage on death row."I saw the exact moment her spirit broke.The arrogant, untouchable illusion she had wrapped around herself evaporated entirely. She realized that she had zero leverage. I was not afraid of pain, and I was no longer afraid of death. By refusing to play her psychological game, I had entirely disarmed her. She was just a woman standing in the snow with
Elian P.O.VThe entire courtyard gasped. Cillian let out a deep, rumbling exhale beside me. He didn't pull away. He didn't try to silence me. He just stood taller, projecting his massive Alpha aura outward to completely back up my words, his chest swelling with profound pride."If the cure is truly lost, and my heart stops beating tomorrow, then I will gladly go into the dark knowing you are coming with me," I vowed, my eyes locking onto hers with deadly certainty. "Because the exact second my pulse fades, my Warlord is going to tear your head off your shoulders. Your magic does not make you a Queen, Selene. It just makes you a hostage on death row."I saw the exact moment her spirit broke.The arrogant, untouchable illusion she had wrapped around herself evaporated entirely. She realized that she had zero leverage. I was not afraid of pain, and I was no longer afraid of death. By refusing to play her psychological game, I had entirely disarmed her. She was just a woman standing in th
[Elian’s POV]"Do you truly believe you control us?" I asked.I stood on the edge of the stone balcony, looking down at the paralyzed courtyard. I did not raise my voice to command the space. My tone was completely steady. It carried a quiet, lethal authority that cut through the dead silence of the Northern stronghold like a freshly sharpened blade.I looked directly at Selene. She stood perfectly still in the dead center of the Northern army, the polished silver dining knife pressed flush against her own throat. For weeks, that pathetic little weapon had dictated every single move my Alpha made. It had brought an entire continent to a standstill.I shifted my stance, pressing my shoulder firmly against Cillian’s massive arm. I laced my fingers tightly through his.The great Warlord of the Blackwood Legion, the most terrifying predator in the realm, was trembling. The tremor vibrating through his thick fingers was pure, suffocating terror. He stared at the blade resting against Selen
[Selene’s POV]I stood in the dead center of the freezing Northern courtyard, completely surrounded by an army of people who wanted nothing more than to tear the flesh from my bones.But they did not move. They did not even dare to breathe too loudly.I held a simple, polished silver dining knife loosely in my hand, the sharp edge pressed gently against my own carotid artery. It was a pathetic, blunt little weapon, yet it was more powerful than the entire Northern Vanguard combined. With a single, sharp twitch of my wrist, I could end the life of the boy sleeping upstairs. I looked up at the stone balcony. King Cillian stood at the edge of the railing, his massive shoulders tense, his golden eyes burning with a desperate, helpless rage that sent a thrilling spike of power straight down my spine."Are you planning a little excavation, Warlord?" I asked, my voice carrying effortlessly through the dead silence.I watched the muscles in Cillian's jaw lock. The great Warlord of the North,
[Cillian’s POV]I did not hesitate. I shoved my hands against the heavy iron handles of the Great Hall doors and threw them open.The massive oak panels slammed against the stone walls with a deafening crash. The sound echoed down the long, sweeping corridors of the Northern stronghold like a crack of thunder."Sound the assembly!" I roared to the two Vanguard guards stationed immediately outside the doors. My voice was a lethal, vibrating command that left absolutely no room for question or delay. "Summon every single soul within these walls. I want the Vanguard, the off-duty mercenaries, the castle staff, and every miner currently residing in the lower districts. Bring them to the courtyard. Right now."Seconds later, the massive Northern war horns blew.The deep, earth-shaking sound vibrated through the floorboards. It was a sound usually reserved for sieges and absolute war. It was the sound that told my people their lives were on the line.I did not wait inside the Great Hall. I
The first thing I felt was cold. A heavy, damp chill seeped straight into my bones, sucking the life right out of me.Where was I? I tried to move, and a sharp, metallic clink echoed through the darkness. My breath caught. I pulled my arms toward my chest, stopping short as heavy iron chains bit
Several people screamed. I slapped both hands over my mouth to keep from making a sound, biting down on my own palm so hard I tasted blood. My heart was beating so fast against my sore ribs that I thought my chest was going to split open. Panic. Blind, total, animal panic. My body got hot fast.
My ribs ached before I opened my eyes. That was how every morning started. Pain. A dull, steady ache burned on my left side where Alpha Thorne had kicked me two days ago. My crime? I hadn't scrubbed the blood out of the training mats quick enough. It wasn't just that my ribs ached. The screaming
I was not given food or water.A few hours after Cillian left me in the dark, the iron door shrieked open again. Two massive Beta guards dragged me out by the chains, my bare feet scraping against the freezing stone. The sudden influx of torchlight felt like daggers in my eyes. My head was pounding







