THE QUEEN’S ULTIMATUM
The sky screamed.
Silver light tore through the clouds like veins splitting open, spilling radiance that scorched the treetops and turned the clearing into a cathedral of blinding fire. Wolves cried out, some dropping to their knees as ancient magic pressed down on their spines, forcing submission.
Kael felt it too.
Not fear.
Command.
The kind that demanded obedience from blood and bone alike.
He dug his claws into the earth, teeth bared, refusing to bow.
Nara swayed in his arms, her breath shallow, silver fire flickering beneath her skin in violent pulses. The bond between them burned hot, anchoring them against the Queen’s crushing will.
The Queen stepped fully into the clearing.
She was no longer half-shadow, half-myth. She was flesh and power incarnate—t
