The silence in the Great Hall was absolute, heavy with the scent of ozone and the lingering shockwave of raw magic. Valeriana Cross did not look back at the man groveling on the floor. She did not spare a single glance for Lyla Fawn, who was still whimpering in the

"Move, Silas! Now!" Kaelen’s voice was no longer a command; it was the frantic roar of a dying animal.

He didn't wait for the Beta to step aside. Channeling every ounce of his Alpha strength, Kaelen lunged forward, throwing his entire weight against the iron door.

The stone floor of the North Tower was still stained with Valeriana Cross’s blood.

She sat in a high-backed wooden chair by the narrow window, her breathing shallow and measured. Beneath her simple linen tunic, ninety-nine severing runes burned into her flesh with