Kael’s POV
The stone of the road pressed into the soles of my bare feet with every step. I felt every grain of dirt, every shard of gravel, as if pain had sharpened my senses. The chains around my wrists clinked with each movement. Their weight wasn’t only in the silver—but in the memory of having been brought to my knees before Selene… and not being able to protect her.
Around us, the walls of the lycan fortress rose like claws of gray stone, crowned with battlements and watched by sentinels who stared at us like circus beasts waiting their turn in the ring. Beside them, Tara and Nicole walked with heads held high, as if they hadn’t been part of the betrayal that brought us here.
“This wasn’t the deal,” Nicole growled to the nearest lycan. “We were promised they’d be released once you
