The mate bond remains dead in my chest, its absence worse than any physical wound.
We run for what feels like hours. The palace is far behind us, and the forest has grown thicker, darker. My lungs burn. My muscles scream. But I don’t slow down. Can’t slow down.
The trail twists and turns through the trees, following paths I don’t recognize. Kieran never hesitates, tracking the invisible signature of decay with absolute certainty.
Then, the trees begin to thin. Manicured grounds appear in front of us, carefully tended gardens and ornamental hedges betraying the kind of wealth that screams nobility.
Kieran stops, shifting back to human form. His chest heaves, sweat gleaming on his skin despite the cool night air.
“We’re here,” he says softly. “The rot ends here.”
I shift back, too, barely feeling the cold as I stare at the sprawling manor ahead. Dark stone walls, tall windows reflecting moonlight. “Whose estate is this?”
Lucian shifts beside me, his half naked form radiating lethal intent. His eyes scan the property until recognition dawns. “Radrick.” The name comes out as a snarl. “This is the Radrick family estate.”
My wolf howls inside my head, vindication mixing with feral rage. I knew it. I fucking knew it. “That bastard. Zane Radrick is the necromancer.”
It makes horrifying sense. The red mist that appeared the night Selene rescued him. The way he’d known exactly whereto position his “attack” so she would find him. The drugged wine meant to suppress her wolf. The manipulation of the mate bond.
All of it. Every piece of this nightmare leads back to him.
“He played us.” Lucian’s voice is deadly quiet. “All of us.”
“He used Selene.” My hands clench into fists, nails biting into my palms. “Made her rescue him. Made her believe he was her fated mate. Made her—” The words choke off as understanding crashes over me. “I bet he needed her to come to him willingly. That’s why he tried to drug her. Why he kept pursuing her even after I’d marked her.”
Kieran nods. “Necromancy does require consent of a sort.” His expression darkens further. “The victim has to invite the death in somehow. Accept it. Even if that acceptance comes under false pretenses.”
“And now he has Astra, too.” Lucian’s power erupts again, wild and uncontrolled. Trees crack and splinter around us. “He has my mate. My child.”
“We’re ending him.” I don’t wait for a response, already moving toward the manor. “Now.”
The oily stench hits me as we approach, making my wolf’s hackles rise.
Rot. Decay. Death.
It’s everywhere, clinging to everything, even the air. This place reeks of necromancy. Of dark magic that should have been destroyed centuries ago.
We reach the edge of the estate grounds and crouch down, studying the manor house. No lights. No movement. Nothing but that overwhelming smell of corruption.
“He knows we’re coming.” Kieran whispers. “He’s expecting us.”
“Good.” Lucian’s eyes have gone completely wolf, his humanity buried beneath animal rage. “Let him expect us. Let him see what happens when you endanger a king’s mate.”
“There.” I point toward a side entrance partially hidden by overgrown hedges. “That door. It’s open.”
An invitation? A trap? Both at once?
“We need a plan,” Kieran suggests calmly. “We can’t just rush in—”
“Watch me.” Lucian moves before either of us can stop him, stalking toward the open door with deadly purpose.
I exchange a glance with Kieran. His expression mirrors what I’m thinking—that this is insane, reckless, and exactly what Zane wants.
But my mate is in there, too. And I’m not waiting another second. I follow Lucian into the darkness, Kieran on my heels.
A scream tears through the night.
High-pitched. Terrified. Female.
