“You poisoned me.”
“I kept you alive.” Her voice hardens, but her eyes are glistening. “Too little, and you’d be discovered. Too much, and you’d never shift at all. I walked that line for years, Violet. Every single day, wondering if I’d given you too much or not enough. Don’t you dare judge me for it.”
I want to scream at her. I want to rage and cryand demand answers for everything she put me through. But what’s the point? We’re both going to die anyway.
My wolf stirs weakly. She’s there, but muted. Whatever they used to bind us is working.
I stare at the cell bars. “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way out of here.”
My mother makes a sound that might be a laugh. “Always the optimist.”
“I’m not going to give up so easily.” I test the chains again, ignoring the way they burn my wrists the way silver sears a shifter. There must be a spell on them. Iron and magic, forged specifically to hurt creatures like us.
“Violet, stop.” My mother’s voice is sharp. “You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Good.” I pull harder, and my skin tears. “At least I’ll feel something other than helpless.”
The chains hold firm. Blood trickles down my wrists, warm and sticky.
Footsteps echo in the corridor. I freeze. My mother’s head snaps up, her eyes wide and alert despite her exhaustion.
The steps grow louder, accompanied by the jingle of keys. Someone is coming.
My heart hammers against my ribs. I press myself back against the wall, trying to make myself smaller. My mother does the same, though her eyes never leave the cell door.
A shadow falls across the bars. Then, a familiar face appears.
Ryker.
“What are you doing here?” The words scrape past my lips before I can stop them.
Ryker stands on the other side of the bars, his face half in shadow. He looks tense, his jaw tight and his eyes darting back down the corridor like he expects someone to appear at any moment.
My mother frowns at him. “What do you want?”
Ryker holds up a set of keys, and the metal glints in the torchlight. “I’m here to get you two out.”
The world stops moving. I stare at him. My mother stares at him. Neither of us breathes.
“You…What?” My voice comes out strangled.
“I don’t have much time.” Ryker fumbles with the keys, trying one after another in the lock. “Your execution is in two days. Zion is pushing for a public one. He’s claiming hybrids tried to infiltrate the Alpha’s household.”
My stomach drops. Two days. That’s all we have left.
“The execution will be brutal.” Ryker’s voice drops even lower. “And humiliating. For both of you. They’re planning to make examples out of you.”
I can barely hear him over the roaring in my ears. “Brutal.” “Humiliating.” The words echo in my mind, painting pictures I don’t want to see.
“Why are you helping us?” The question bursts out of me. “Won’t you get in trouble? Your pack is allied with Alaric. You’ve always supported his goals.”
Ryker finally finds the right key. The lock clicks, and the cell door opens with a metallic groan. “I know what it looks like. But my father doesn’t believe in Alaric’s cause. The Ravenhood Pack has given safe harbor to many hybrids over the years.”
He steps into the cell, and I press myself harder against the wall. My wolf stirs weakly, but she’s still muted. Still trapped.
“How did you know?” My mother’s voice is sharp, cutting through the tension.
Ryker’s eyes flick to her. “My father recognized you the moment Alaric introduced you as his mate. Years ago. He knew what you were, but he chose to stay silent. Revealing you would have put everyone at risk. All the hybrids we’ve helped. All the lives we’ve saved.”
