The grand hall lay in ruins. Stone cracked underfoot, beams sagged and smoldered, and the scent of ash clung to every breath. Aria sat curled against Killian’s chest, her body trembling, her wolf silent in the hollow of her ribs. The fire that had erupted through her only moments ago was gone, leaving her cold, weak, and terrified of herself.
Killian’s arms were iron around her, his chin pressed against the top of her head as if holding her tighter could shield her from what she had just become. His heartbeat thundered steady beneath her ear, grounding her, even as her mind screamed with questions.
She had killed them all. With fire that wasn’t fire, with power that didn’t belong to wolves.
Her hands shook as she lifted them into the pale light filtering through the broken roof. They lo
