The transition from victory to terror happened in the space of a single breath.
I woke up not to the smell of blood and ozone from the battlefield, but to the suffocating silence of the Alpha’s suite. For a moment, I stayed perfectly still, my mind replaying Silas’s final words before I had succumbed to the darkness: “They will no longer be sending armies, Elara. They will be sending assassins.”
The word assassins felt like a cold blade pressed against my throat.
I sat up slowly, my body aching from the strain of the battle against the Inquisitor. The morning sun was trying to force its way through the heavy velvet curtains, but today, the light felt intrusive. I looked at the spot beside me. The bed was cold. Silas was already gone.
I moved to the balcony, my legs trembling. Below, th
