Ronan hid the truth.
Before dawn, he scrubbed every trace of the black blood from the palace floor.
He burned the handkerchief he had used to wipe it away.
Then he stood before the mirror and forced himself to look normal.
No one could know.
Not Kaelira.
Not his brothers.
Not even Lucien.
If they discovered the mark was spreading, they would lock him away.
And he refused to spend whatever time he had left behind iron bars.
He looked at his reflection.
For a heartbeat…
Someone else looked back.
A pair of pitch-black eyes smiled at him.
Then they were gone.
The day passed in a blur.
Kaelira spent the morning meeting with the Alphas who had sworn loyalty to her, while Ronan trained new recruits in the palace courtyard.
At first, everything felt normal.
He barked orders.
Cor
