CHAPTER 7: THE BEAST’S EMPIRE
Dawn broke pale and gray over the treetops, but neither of us had slept.
Kael had stayed right there with me on the bed, his back propped against the headboard, me curled tight against his side. He didn’t push, didn’t demand — just held me, one hand resting heavy and warm on my hip, while the distant sound of patrol bikes rumbled through the quiet compound.
When the sun finally spilled thin light through the window, he stood, stretched, and offered me his hand.
“Come with me. There’s something you need to see. Something no one else knows.”
I took his hand without hesitation.
We walked down the hall to a door I hadn’t noticed before — solid steel, no handle, only a keypad glowing faint blue. Kael typed in a code, the lock clicked loud, and he pushed the d
