The first thing Emilia noticed wasn’t the words. It was the blood.
Dark, thick, drying into the creases of the guard’s uniform. Smudged across his hands like he had tried and failed to stop it.
Her breath hitched.
Alpha, it’s the Queen Mother.
The words landed a second later. Something inside her chest tightened, sharp and sudden, like a warning she couldn’t understand.
Draven didn’t move.
For a split second, he stood completely still, his back straight, shoulders rigid. The air in the room shifted, heavy with a sense of shock.
It was there briefly, almost invisible. Then it was gone.
“What happened?” His voice came out low and controlled.
The guard swallowed hard, stepping further into the room.
“She… she just started coughing blood, Alpha. In her private garden.”
Emilia’s fin
