The next threedays pass quietly. Then, on the fourth day, Daciana receives an invitation from Astra to join her for lunch. “Selene is also going to be there,” she says as she braids her hair.
I watch my mate from the doorway, my wolf restless beneath my skin. Three days of tension, of investigating the Ravelholt Clan, of watching shadows. Something feels off about today, though I can’t put my finger on what.
“I really don’t want to let you out of my sight,” I murmur, the disquiet settling heavier in my chest.
She finishes her braid and turns to face me before crossing the room to press her hands against my chest. “Relax, Kieran. I’m going to be in the most protected place in this palace. Nobody’s going to be able to get to me.”
She’s right. Logically, I know she’s right. The Queen’s private garden is surrounded by guards, by magic, by every protection the Kingdom can offer. And yet…
“Will you be okay while I’m gone?” she asks, studying my face.
“I’ll survive a few hours without you.” I catch her waist, pulling her close and breathing in her scent. Lavender and honey. Mine. “Go. Enjoy yourself.”
She smiles up at me, then presses a kiss to my jaw. “What will you do?”
“Paperwork. Reports from my pack. The usual, boring, alpha business.”
It’s not entirely a lie. I do have reports waiting. But as I watch her leave with her guard, an idea sparks in my mind.
This is my chance. Daciana is safe, occupied, surrounded by guards and royalty. And the Umbra Council is meeting “secretly.” Theodore’s estate will be as defenseless as it’s going to get.
My men have been trying to infiltrate it for three days. They’ve mapped every entrance, tracked every guard rotation, noted every vulnerable point. But there are sections they can’t access, areas so heavily secured that even my best spies can’t get close.
They can’t, but I can.
I find Artisem in the training yard. “I’m going to Theodore’s estate,” I say without preamble. “Now.”
Artisem’s brow furrows. “We don’t have enough information yet.”
“We’ll never have enough information. They’re too well protected.” I keep my voice low. “But I can get in. You know I can.”
He studies me for several seconds, then nods slowly. “What do you need?”
“Just silence. If anyone asks, I’m in my chambers, resting.”
“And if you don’t come back?”
“Tear Theodore’s estate apart until you find out why.”
I cloakmyself in the stealth enchantment before I even reach the estate grounds. The world dims, colors muting to shades of gray as I slip between the visible and the invisible. It’s like pulling on a second skin, familiar and draining in equal measure.
Theodore’s estate is obscene. All white marble and gold fixtures, columns that serve no purpose except to scream wealth. I ignore the main house entirely and head for the eastern section. The abandoned wing.
My men identified it two days ago. Overgrown courtyard, crumbling walls, windows dark and empty. But there are guards. Always guards, standing at the only entrance.
I see them now. Two men, posted at the courtyard gate. They stand perfectly still, faces blank, staring forward.
Too still.
I move closer, studying them. Their chests don’t rise and fall. Their lids don’t blink. But they’re not dead. I can sense life in them, twisted and wrong but present.
Puppets. Someone has turned them into puppets.
I reach for my magic and weave a sleep spell between my fingers. It’s elegant and simple, and it should drop them where they stand.
I cast it.
Nothing.
