Alric’s POV
“It was only a sting from my claw. Definitely not poisonous… was it?” I muttered.
“The pain she’s endured so far seems more poisonous than your claw.”
Ken’s voice cut like a blade. There was no mistaking the accusation in his tone, and it hit deeper than I wanted to admit.
“She came into my life herself,” I shot back, twisting open a bottle of whiskey. The cork popped sharp in the air as I poured recklessly into a glass. My eyes drifted to the pale girl on my bed, her chest barely rising as Ken pressed cotton wool then ointment against her wounds.
“Not enough reason to ruin her,” he said coldly. “She’s human, Aldric. She’s not you.”
His words hit straight in my chest, heavy accusations and it felt suffocating. My fist slammed against the table, making the glass rattle da
