IRIS

The doors slam open, and I’m dragged inside.

My knees scrape the stone as I hit the ground hard, the echo of the impact swallowed by the murmur of a crowd. My palms sting, my breath shudders. The air is thick with power, Lycan energy thrumming like a living thing. I lift my head just enough to see them. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. All watching me.

The throne room stretches wide and cruel, lined with dark marble and silver banners bearing the royal crest. Every gaze cuts through me like a blade. But I only see one person.

The Lycan King.

He sits on his throne, still and terrible, his...