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The prisoner’s laugh echoed through the war hall like the creak of a coffin lid. It was weak, broken, but threaded with something venomous enough to send a shiver across every wolf in the chamber.
Kael’s hand was still around the scout’s throat, but his head had turned, silver eyes locked on Aria. The bond between them roared like wildfire, a torrent of suspicion, rage, and something else she couldn’t name.
Aria’s heart stuttered. The sound of her name—her true name—still hung in the air like smoke, undeniable. The Hollow Court hadn’t whispered it by chance. They knew her.
Her throat closed. How?
Kael growled, a low thunder in his chest. He slammed the scout back against the stone column hard enough to rattle dust from the ceiling. “Say it again.”
The scout’s grin split, blood dr
