SEANIron bars groaned under the brutal pressure of my bare hands.Finding the rat inside my own house remained my absolute, singular goal tonight. Stifling July humidity crawled through the damp stone corridors of the packhouse dungeons, mixing with the foul smell of stagnant water and unwashed despair. Martha and Elise huddled together against the wet back wall, shivering violently beneath the dim, flickering torchlight."Look at me." My voice dropped into a dark, grinding millstone. "You told my guards you didn't touch the tray. Start talking again, and leave nothing out."Martha gripped Elise’s shaking shoulder, pulling the younger maid closer. Tears tracked through the grime on Martha’s wrinkled face."We didn't poison it, Alpha!" Martha choked out, her voice rising to a frantic, cracking shriek. "I swear on the moon! I made the broth, I put it on the counter, and I turned around to check the roast!""And then what?" Marcus stepped out of the shadows, resting his heavy hand on th
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