Matteo
The cheers still echoed when I stepped forward into the open courtyard, every eye trained on me, waiting to see how the Alpha of Bloodshade would respond to the woman they thought he wanted destroyed. Some looked expectant, some afraid, and a few—especially among the elders—furious.
Aveline stood in the center of the arena, blood crusting over her shoulder, her breathing ragged, and her chin held high like the pain was just an inconvenience. She looked like a warrior. And that made it worse.
Because she wasn’t supposed to survive.
And yet… she had.
“Remarkable,” I said, my voice projecting across the silence. “Truly. Who knew a cursed bloodline could be so… persistent?”
A few gasps. One elder shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
I descended the steps one at a time, each boot st
