“Are you with me?” I asked mentally.
No pause.
“Always,” Kael replied.
The bond between us had never been just blood or training.
It was deeper.
Something older than our shared childhood.
Something that made us move as one even when cornered—like now.
From where we were, kneeling, naked, and chained before a court full of enemies, all we could do was think.
Wait.
Watch.
And plan.
The place was guarded by lycan soldiers.
Not just any sentinels—war betas.
Men and women who knew how to kill with precision, and who had no qualms about using silver and wolfsbane to keep enemies subdued.
Our wounds hadn’t fully closed.
The gash along my ribs still dripped blood, and I could feel the cursed metal in the chains keeping my body from healing.
But the pain wasn’t the point.
Neither w
