Kaelen’s POV
The wooden training dummy didn't just break; it completely exploded into a cloud of jagged splinters as my fist drove straight through the center of its chest. I didn't stop to breathe. I spun on my heel, my claws ripping through the air as I slammed my forearm into the next one, shattering the thick frame into kindling.
My knuckles were bleeding, the raw skin stinging from the impact, but I barely felt it. The physical pain was nothing compared to the voice echoing inside my head on a relentless, agonizing loop.
A king who couldn't even protect his own mother shouldn't worry about where I spend my nights.
The words were like a physical blade twisting around in my ribs. She’d said it so casually, with that icy, mocking little smile on her face before she slammed her door s
