Adrian’s POV
The same bloody curse.
It wasn’t some ancient fairy tale whispered around campfires to scare pups. It was real, carved into my bloodline like a scar that never healed. I’d lived with it my whole life, but I’d never truly understood the monster it could turn me into until that one night five years ago.
I staggered back, the study suddenly feeling too small, the air too thick. Thomas watched me carefully, his eyes following mine to stop me from doing anything stupid.
He knew. He was the only one who knew everything.
That night, the rogues had hit three villages on the eastern border. Slaughtering families, burning homes, leaving nothing but blood and ash. We tracked them for days…me, Thomas, and twenty of our best warriors. When we finally cornered them in the Black Hollow
