Chapter twenty nine
The gates of Blackmoor stood open when we returned. Unnatural. Unsettling. Kael gripped the reins tighter. “Something’s wrong.” “Too quiet,” I murmured, scanning the ramparts. No guards. No howls. Just the wind and the weight of knowing we were no longer alone. Inside the courtyard, scorch marks blackened the stone. A banner lay in the mud—ripped in half. Kael leapt from his horse. “Get inside. Find Alaric.” But Alaric didn’t greet us. Neither did anyone else. Just a single figure waiting in the throne room. Draped in velvet. A smirk carved across his face like a scar. “Welcome home, Alpha.” Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Aeron.” The name dripped with venom. I stepped closer, the bond flaring in warning. “Who is he?” “A cousin,” Kael muttered. “Exiled for treason.” Aeron’s gaze sli
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