ADIRA

I can’t breathe.

The moment the Lycan King’s voice declared Iris would live, something in me snapped. It’s like the ground itself shifted beneath my feet. Every plan, every whisper, every careful move I’ve made for years, gone. Torn to shreds in a single heartbeat.

I stalk down the long corridor, my heels striking the marble hard enough to echo. The guards I pass lower their gazes, stepping aside, but I can feel their judgment burning into my back. Let them look. Let them whisper. I don’t care.

My hands shake as I shove open the next set of doors. The scent of cedar and steel fills my nose....