carried across 51

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51 Hypocrite 

Fenris 

“I do not bet on losing dogs. I do not send my mate into a ring to die.” 

The Queen stared at me. She was calculating again. She was searching for a way to argue without crossing the line into disrespect. She gripped her silk skirts in her fists. I could see she wanted to scream at me, probably call me a fool. But the fear of Aldric’s wrath kept her mouth shut. She swallowed She chose silence over defending her daughter’s life. 

It was disgusting to watch. 

Yvara pushed off the wall. Her boots scraped against the stone. 

The Queen jumped at the sudden noise. She looked at Yvara. 

Yvara walked slowly toward us. She stopped next to me. She looked the Queen up and down, examining her expensive dress, her pinned hair, and the tear stains on her face. 

“Even now,” Yvara said, her voice raspy and loud in the quiet corridor. “You are still selfish.” 

The Queen stiffened. “Excuse me?” 

“You heard me,” Yvara said. She pointed a scarred finger at the Queen’s chest. “You are standing here begging for her life, but you aren’t actually worried about her dying. You are worried about the mess.” 

The Queen froze completely. Her breath hitched. 

I saw it immediately. Yvara was right. I saw the exact moment the Queen’s true motivation was dragged into the light. 

“Do not pretend you care,” I added. My voice was heavy. It pressed down on her. “This has nothing to do 

with Sera.” 

The Queen looked at me. Panic flared in her eyes again. 

“You are not afraid she will die,” I said, breaking down her aristocratic facade piece by piece. “You are afraid she will be humiliated. You are afraid King Aldric will look like a fool when his daughter bleeds in the dirt. You are terrified that if Sera fails, the Valdris name will be dragged through the mud, and your husband will blame you for it.” 

“No,” the Queen whispered. She shook her head, but her eyes darted to the guards down the hall, checking to see if they heard me. 

“You want her pulled from the duel so you can pack her away in a quiet room and pretend the mess never happened,” I said. “You want her weak because weak things are easy to control. You want her to 

shrink.” 

The Queen took another step back. Her hands dropped to her sides. She had no argument left. The truth 

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was stripped bare in the freezing corridor. 

“Sera will fight tomorrow,” I said, delivering the final verdict. “She will fight, and she will stand on her own feet. If you cannot handle watching your daughter become something stronger than you, stay in your 

room.” 

I did not wait for her to respond. I stepped around her. I did not look back. 

Yvara followed me. We walked past the two Valdris guards. They kept their eyes glued to their boots. 

We walked in silence for a minute. The smell of vanilla faded, replaced by the familiar scent of Ironmaw stone and burning torch pitch. 

“Her mother is a coward,” Yvara said quietly. 

“The South is full of cowards,” I replied. 

We reached the intersection that led to the Alpha’s wing and Sera’s current room. 

“I am going to check on her,” I said. 

Yvara nodded once. She turned and headed toward the barracks. 

I walked down the hall toward Sera’s door. I could already smell the heavy, thick scent of roasted meat and the sharp tang of her anxiety. I also smelled another southern scent. A male scent. 

** 

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