The chilling roar tore through the locked bedchamber like thunder, rattling the copper bowls and glass vials across the bedside tables.
King Kaelen’s body remained arched in violent agony, his powerful spine bowed tight above the tangled linen sheets. His bare chest heaved with monstrous force, every muscle corded and strained under the assault of the black venom. His pitch-black eyes held no warmth, no memory, and no golden flame—only the savage madness of a beast burning from the inside out. His blackened claws dug hard into Elara’s pale wrists, his crushing grip dragging her down toward his snapping teeth.
"Elara!" Beta Vance yelled, springing across the blood-spotted rug.
Vance wore his heavy boiled leather vest over his sweat-stained gray shirt, his short sword gripped tight in his
