.Chapter 35-1
Kane
Clawn
My lycan slammed against my ribs, demanding to be let loose. He was convinced he was fast enough to rip the guard’s hand off before those claws could swipe across our mate’s throat, but I
couldn’t risk it. Not with Simone unconscious and defenseless, her head lolling forward in a way
that sent a terrified shiver down my spine.
“You’re not as fun as your son, you know,” Lania said, walking around me, satisfied. Her heels clicked against the stone floor, each step calculated to grate on my nerves. “He’s much more…
volatile. More entertaining.”
My hands clenched into fists at my sides, every muscle in my body coiled and ready to strike. But those claws were still pressed against Simone’s throat, and I could see the thin line of blood where they’d already broken skin.
“Don’t worry, we won’t kill your mate… yet,” she added with a smile that made my blood run cold.
My heart started beating faster and faster, the sound thundering in my ears. How the hell did she know Simone was my mate? And how the hell had they caught her? She was supposed to be far away by now, safely in the woods with her rescued family.
The plan had been perfect. Simone would get Kenzi and Irene out while I kept Kellan distracted, then I’d excuse myself and we’d meet in the backyard. If I wasn’t there, she was supposed to run. Fucking hell, she should have been long gone before anyone realized what was happening.
“You knew about his curse, Lania?” Kellan asked, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that I’d never
heard before.
The woman froze on the spot, her confident facade cracking’slightly. For the first time since she’d entered the room, she looked genuinely unsettled.
“Your Majesty, I-” she pretended to stammer, her usual poise slipping. “I found out just hours ago when I tried to touch him and he pulled away-”
“Shut up,” Kellan grunted, his eyes flashing with something that might have been betrayal. “We’ll
discuss this later.”
I filed that interaction away for future consideration. There was clearly tension between them,
cracks in their alliance that I might be able to exploit.
If I lived long enough.
The double doors burst open again, and the sound of a struggle drew my attention away from
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Chapter 35-1
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Simone. Dash was being dragged in by four guards, fighting every step of the way. His face was
bloodied, his lip split and swollen, his clothes torn from whatever battle he’d put up before they’d
overwhelmed him.
But he was still snarling and spitting curses at his captors, still fighting even though his hands were
bound behind his back.
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch! Your little serum won’t work much longer! Just wait until I have my
magic back…” he yelled the second he saw Kellan.
Then his eyes found me, and the betrayal that crossed his features was like a physical blow. He
spat on the floor between us, the gesture filled with disgust and rage.
“And you, fucking traitor. I never should’ve trusted Aerith scum. A king no less, for fuck’s sake. You sold my position!”
The words hit me worse than any physical attack. This kid had trusted me, had become the brother I’d never had during our time together at Indigo Peak. He’d defended me to his family, vouched for my character, and now he thought I’d sold them out, even though I never would.
“Dash, listen to me-” I started, desperate to explain.
“Save it,” he snarled, struggling against his restraints. “I see my sister unconscious and bleeding. That tells me everything I need to know about your loyalty.”
Fuck. The carefully laid plans were falling apart around me, and the people I’d come to care about were paying the price for my failures. All I wanted was to find every single person responsible for Simone’s bruises and tear them apart with my bare hands.
But first, I needed to understand what was happening here. How had they known about the rescue? How had they been ready for us?
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