Maya died in my arms exactly three minutes after the Council arrived.
I know because I counted every second, watched the light fade from her eyes heartbeat by heartbeat. Her last words were a whisper I had to lean close to hear: "Don't... let them... make you... like them."
But it was already too late for that. The Council Alphas didn't waste time on grief. They hauled Maya's body away like discarded trash and turned their attention to the real prize, me. The lost queen. The bloodline they'd thought extinct.
"Restrain the creature," the lead Alpha commanded, gesturing toward Ryder's twisted form. "Use the silver nets. We'll deal with it later."
"It?" I snarled, Maya's blood still wet on my hands. "That's your Alpha. That's…"
"That's an abomination," he cut me off coldly. "Whatever cur
