The hunt began at dusk. The Shadow Court gathered in the courtyard, torches casting long, jagged light over armored guards, masked nobles, and dark creatures bound by oath. The air vibrated with excitement, but beneath it ran a current of dread. The Hunt wasn’t sport—it was ritual, a bloody offering to keep the boundaries between realms intact.
And this time, Alina was part of it.
Kael had insisted she stay hidden within the citadel, but Riven had intervened, his laughter carrying over the council chamber as he leaned casually against the obsidian table. “Keep her caged? What better way to test her power than to throw her into the fire?”
Now, standing between the two princes, Alina felt the weight of every eye on her. She tugged at the sleeve of the black leather tunic they’d forced her
