The chain bites into my wrist, silver searing through skin like holy fire. I grit my teeth, refusing to scream—he doesn’t deserve the satisfaction. Across the cell, the Alpha King stands motionless, his massive frame silhouetted by torchlight, eyes glowing like molten gold. "You smell of lies," he says, voice low, dangerous. "And yet… my wolf knows you. Claims you."\n\nI lift my chin, blood dripping from my lip where his guard struck me. "Your wolf knows the truth. Your pride won’t let you listen."\n\nHe steps forward, nostrils flaring. "You were seen leaving the elder’s chamber the night of the assassination. You bore the knife. The whole pack saw it."\n\n"I was set up," I spit. "And if you’d stop punishing me long enough to think, you’d see it too."\n\nA beat. The air hums with tension, with something deeper—pull, connection, the cursed bond neither of us can deny. Then he grabs my jaw, forcing me to meet his gaze. "One wrong move, one hint of deception, and I’ll have your head. Understood?"\n\nBut before I can answer, a distant horn echoes through the keep. War. And from the shadows beyond the gate, a familiar scent rides the wind—my betrayer, coming for him next.