Chapter 19: Marked by Chaos
Kaia’s POV
Every step toward the altar felt like another chain — but beneath the quiet, chaos was already stirring.
The air thickened with wolfsbane and cedar smoke, meant to dull instincts, meant to suffocate the wolf. Guards flanked me on either side, claws brushing stone, their silence more dangerous than growls. My wrists were bound in ceremonial silk, but every thread felt like iron. The procession pressed forward, the stink of oil lamps and burning herbs coating my tongue.
I lifted my chin anyway.
Because something pulsed inside me, steady and certain — a bond thrumming like a war drum in my veins.
The first crack in the silence came from the south corridor. A crash deep enough to rattle the floor beneath my bare feet. Bone against stone. A snarl. Th
