Maeral smiled at me like he was offering a generous gift instead of a death sentence. “This is no ordinary escape, Alpha,” he purred, his voice a twisted mockery of amusement. “I have no interest in letting you run free without a proper wager.”
I stayed silent, muscles coiled, waiting.
“I told you—if you escape by sunrise, you leave with your lives,” he continued, tilting his head. “But… if you fail?”
He raised one pale hand, and a flick of his fingers sent a bolt of black energy racing toward us.
Pain erupted through my skin.
A searing burn spread from my arms, down my chest, curling along my spine like molten fire. I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound, even as I felt something etching into me like claws dragging through my flesh.
On the other hand, my warriors groaned, some
