The air inside the infirmary was thick with the sterile tang of antiseptic and the faint, metallic sting of blood. The moonlight filtering through the tall, frosted windows painted pale silver streaks across the white-tiled floor. The sharp click of Becca’s tools against the metal tray echoed in the otherwise hushed room, broken only by Alpha Eugene’s ragged breathing.Becca’s brow glistened with sweat as she plucked the final sliver of poisoned claw from the deep gash along Eugene’s ribs. The wound was angry and swollen, its edges blackened from the venom Alpha Desmond had buried in his flesh. She moved with precision, her tired fingers steady despite the hour, despite the tension twisting in her stomach.All she care about was to save his life.She had been working for nearly an hour, and the stench of the poison still lingered, stubborn and nauseating. A part of her wondered if she was fighting a losing battle—until she finally dropped the last curved fragment into the small g
The room was too quiet.Seraphina had been sitting in the same chair for what felt like an eternity, her gaze fixed on the clock on the mantel. Every tick of its delicate hands seemed to mock her, each second stretching into something unbearable.She hated waiting.With a sharp exhale, she rose from the chair.The long hem of her gown swept across the polished floor as she began to pace. Her maids, three young women with their hair perfectly braided and their hands folded in front of them, stood near the far wall watching her anxiously.“My lady,” one of them ventured softly, “perhaps you should rest until—”“Rest?” Seraphina turned on her, her eyes flashing like shards of green glass. “Do I look like I’m capable of resting?”The girl flinched. “I only meant—”“I know what you meant,” Seraphina cut in, the edge of her tone slicing through the air. “And if you have nothing useful to say, keep your mouth shut.”The other two maids exchanged uneasy glances.She stalked past them again
The damp, musty air of the lower corridors clung to Kaelyn’s skin like an unwelcome second layer. Down here, the stones seemed to breathe with the memories of centuries—cold, wet, and whispering faint secrets she wished she couldn’t hear. The torches flickered in their iron sconces, casting jittering shadows across the narrow hallway, and for a fleeting second, she felt as though the walls were closing in.They were not far from the dungeon entrance. That fact alone tightened Kyra’s stance; her boots planted firmly on the floor, her body positioned squarely between Kaelyn and danger. The thick scent of damp earth rose from below, but mingled with it was the sharper, metallic tang of anticipation—blood not yet spilled but hovering like a promise in the air.On both sides of them, guards blocked any possible escape. They stood like statues carved from darkness, their eyes glinting under their helmets. Kaelyn swallowed hard. There were too many to fight and nowhere to run.And then t
The air over the Sacred Grounds felt heavier than it had at the start of the duel.It was not just the lingering scent of blood and sweat, or the faint smell that still clung to the circle from the wards protecting the arena.It was the tension after Seraphina’s voice rang out like a bell, her words still hanging in the cold night air.Her tone had been steady, almost regal, the faintest tremor of defiance in her gaze as she stood there, spine straight, head high.The flicker of shock that passed through the gathered crowd was immediate—an audible ripple of murmurs breaking out across the circle, swelling into a tide of disbelief and curiosity.Becca’s jaw tightened.She had known Seraphina was ambitious, manipulative even, but to play such a card now, moments after Desmond’s defeat, was a level of boldness she hadn’t anticipated. If the duel was meant to decide the rightful Alpha King, and Desmond had lost to Eugene—badly—this was the only move that could keep the crown within Desmo
The sacred grounds was no longer a place of combat. It had become a place of chaos.Dust still hung in the air from the last, devastating clash, but all eyes were on the two motionless figures in the center. Alpha Eugene lay slumped, his breathing shallow, a streak of blood soaking the right side of his cloth.Alpha Desmond was sprawled several feet away, unconscious from the bone-cracking blow Eugene had delivered. The tension that had ruled the arena during the duel had broken—now replaced by something heavier, something jagged.Becca was looking through Eugene’s wounds to see what needed to be done immediately. She didn’t care that the duel had been fought under the strictest laws of the packs. She didn’t care that no one was meant to step onto the sacred ring until the head councillor had spoken. All she saw was Eugene’s pale face and the faint tremor in his lips as he tried, and failed, to draw another breath.“Eugene,” she breathed. “No… no, don’t you dare.”Mira was already
The sacred grounds breathed silence and violence all at once.Dust hung in the air like restless spirits, swirling between the two alphas. Their breath was heavy, ragged in different ways—Desmond’s from the exertion of trying to break Eugene, and Eugene’s from the slow, creeping grip of the poison gnawing at his side.They had been fighting for what felt like hours.Every blow they traded was heavy enough to shake the watching crowd, the clash of steel on steel echoing off the ancient stone pillars.But Eugene could feel it—the heat spreading from his wound, the sluggish pull in his limbs. The moment Desmond’s claws had cut into his side earlier, Eugene had smelled it, the poison. The kind that worked fast if left untended. His cloth clung to him, damp with sweat and blood, the wetness warm where the gash burned. He didn’t have much time before the venom stole his strength completely.And yet, retreat wasn’t in his bones. Not here. Not now.The crowd around the sacred ring stirred