The silence in the Obsidian Citadel was absolute, deafening in its weight. Hundreds of the most powerful Lycans in the supernatural underworld held their breath, their eyes darting between the terrified human trembling on the marble floor and the towering Northern Sovereign who had just sealed the S

The sheer weight of Elena’s confession slammed into the amphitheater, suffocating the last remnants of the Southern Syndicate’s dignity. The silence that followed her manic laughter was not born of shock, but of absolute, horrified disgust.

Serafina didn't look at Julian. She didn't look at Elena.

Kaelen’s jaw tightened. Every protective instinct in his Northern blood screamed at him to push her behind him, to rip Julian’s throat out and shield her from even a drop of blood. He had spent the last five years agonizing over his failure to protect her. The urge to be her executioner was overwhel