bChapter /bb100 /b

    Prisca’s POV

    Twatched as ra and the other’s disappeared into the distance, their figures slowly swallowed by the darkness. Everyone who had gathered to send them off turned and made the way back toward the Cragfen Fortress, the atmosphere thick with silence.

    Except for me.

    I lingered, the wind biting at my bskin /bas I stood there, lost in thought.

    Sin thought. ra’s wonds echoed in my mind, thest thing the had said before leaving About

    Was too quick to trust her?

    couldn’t help but ask myself bwas /bI just fooling mysell, thinking that Mi–who had once ordered her maids to cut off my hands without a second thought–could change so drastically in such ba /bshort time? Could someone that brutal really change overnight?

    I drew in a shaky breath, the weight of the thought pressing down on me.

    If Mi had been ying me this whole time… if she had something to do with Serena’s death…

    I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for letting her off so easily

    Iclenched my fists, the thoughts swirling in my head like a storm. But just as I was about to turn and head back, I heard it–something from behind me, a noise that didn’t belong. My heart skipped ba /bbbeat/b.

    “Who’s there?” “called, my voice sharp, strained, “Step out!”

    was well past midnight. No one should be out here.

    Afigure stepped from the shadows, emerging into the moonlightb, /bband /bmy heart dropped when I saw who it was.

    Mi

    “What are you doing here?” I gasped, my voice full of shock.

    Mi bjust /bchuckled, her smile almost mocking. “Sending my dear sister offb, /bjust like you bdid/bb. /bShame I didn’t gat ba /bchance to wish her good luck.”

    The tension in my chest doubled, my body instinctively stiffening. “How did you know about this?” I bdemanded/bb, /bmy voice low and threatening.

    Her grin widened, like she was savoring every second of my confusion. “Oh, I know a lot of things,” she said, each word dripping with malice. “I know where ra and Thorne are headed. The Great bCanyon/b. Suicide mission, really. And I know this… I know you won’t be able to boss me around anymore.”

    narrowed my eyes, trying to keep myposure. But her words were like knives in my bside/b.

    “You“My throat went dry, the horror of what bshe /bwas implying setting in. “You’re blying/bb” /b

    Mi’s grin twisted, something almost yful in the way she moved closer, reveling in the fury on my face.

    “I’m not lying, darling,” the purred. “And you’re about to find out just how much I know.”

    And with that, a sharp, burning pain mmed into my side, knocking me to the ground. My breath hitched as i curled into the dirt, the cold air rushing into my lungs, Mruggling to keep my vision steady.

    It was Zara–standing above me, baseball bat in hand.

    “You.“I gasped, my body fighting the crashing pain. “It bwas /byoub… /bA–And-

    -And meb,/b” a deep voice added from behind me, sending a shiver down my spine.

    Lance stepped into view, his shadowy figure moving like a predator. A twisted smile tugged at his lips as he watched me struggle.

    “I bet you didn’t see thisite, did you?” he teased, his voice mocking

    My heart raced in panic, but my body was born, the pain from Zara’s hit overwhelming me. I tried to move, tried to fight back, but everything in my body screamed in protest.

    Lance’s foot came down, pressing into my shoulderb, /bband /bI cried bout/b, unable to stop him.

    “You’re all too gullible,” he mocked, his voice cold and plumphant. “You believe people can change. You believe too easily. That’s your fatal w

    “bYou/b… You killed Serenal” I gasped, the truth finally slipping from my Tips

    Lance shrugged, unfazed. “Caught me Alittlete, though!

    He shifted his foot, pressing harder into my neck, and I choked, my bface /bturning purple with the effort to breathe.

    “You really think ra and Thome are going to save you?” Lance snickered. “They’ll never make it. Alpha Thome’s strong, sure, but strength isn’t everything. You’re all too simple. Too predictable.”

    My chest tightened, desperation bwing /bat me. “They’re strong… They’lle… They won’t let you win…”

    Lancelot out a cruelugh. “You really have faith in them, huh? Well, I’ll give you this–Alpha Thorne’s the strongest werewolf I’ve met. But I don’t bneed /bto fight him. I’m smarter. I’ve already won.

    I coughed, struggling to speak, but my breath was short, the pressure on my throat unbearable.

    *Remember that box of snacks you gave ra? Lance asked, his voice dripping with amusement

    I felt a cold sweat break out across my skin, my heart pounding in horror. “What did you do?” I croaked.

    Lance smirked, taking a slow step closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “I had Mi add a little something extra,” he said with a grin. b“/bbYou /bdidn’t think they’d stay as strong as they bare/bb, /bdid you?”

    Anger surged in my chest, but it was buried beneathyers bof /bsuffocation and pain. “You sick bastard,” I gasped.

    Lance chuckled, unbothered. “You’re mad, huh? Maybe you should be mad at byourself /bSerena’s death? Your bfault/b. And now ra and Thome! They’re

    His boot came down harderb, /band I felt the bdarkness /bcreep in. My vision blurred, and the world around me spun.

    bZara’s /bvoice was distant, muffled. “Should we hide her body?”

    “Leave her,” Lance answered dismissively: “We’re headed to the Great Canyon. No need to hide our tracks anymore.”

    Helt the ground tilt beneath me, and before I could process anything more, everything wont ck.

    Mi stepped forward, her gare fixed on Lanceb, /ba curious gleam in her eyes. “That thing you had bme /bput in their snacks. What was it?” she asked softly. “hit poison? Are they going to die before they even got to the Great Canyon?”

    Lance’s grin widened. “No poison can kill a werewolf,” he replied nonchntly. “It’s something much more effective. Zara’s blood.”

    Mi froze, her face scrunching in confusion. Her blood?” she basked/b, incredulous. “What good is that if it doesn’t kill them, then-”

    She stopped mid–sentence as bshe /bcaught the dangerous glint in Lance’s eyes. His smile altered, turning into a dark, threatening expression “bCareful/b, Mi,” he warned, his voice cold. “I don’t like being questioned. I’m the king here. You’re just my subject. Remember that.”

    Mi nodded quickly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes, my king ”

    Lance’s eyes softened, but only for a moment, as he patted her on the head like she was a child. “You’ll see soon enough what Zan’s blood will do. bWet /bfind out when we get back to the Great Canyon.” He turned toward the road, his eyes glinting with excitement. “Wpha Thorne is waiting for un

    As the group prepared to move, the tension in the air was palpable. The journey to the Great Canyon would take a full day, but Lance seemed more bran eager to make the trip, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

    In the shadowy depths of the canyon, an entire ck market was hidden–trading in illicit goods and dangerous secrets. ra had warned me about it. But I hadn’t expected to see whaty ahead.

    The stench of bdanger /blingered in the air, the market a web of chaos and uncertainty.

    We’d barely begun our search when Bex’s voice cut through the noise. “Nobody knows anything about the Rogue King!”

    “We’ve been asking for hours,” Jory murmured. “They all have different stories. It’s all lies.”

    But Thorne’s voice, low and certain, broke through the chaos. “It’s simple. We need to be true rogues. We need to take the test.”

    And with that, everything changedb. /b

    ?