bChapter /bb174 /b

    ra’s POV

    My hand shot out, gripping Thorne’s shoulder hard. He trembled beneath my fingers. Blood soaked his shirt, dripping bsteadily /bbfrom /bbhis /bfingertips onto the dirt beneath him, a dark, growing pool.

    His wolf should’ve been healing the wound. It always did before. But this time, the injury was too severe–his wolf couldn’t bsave /bhim in time.

    Thorne was going to die. And I couldn’t let that happen.

    “Dorian!” I turned, my voice raw with desperation. “Please, I’m begging you… Thorne–he might not be your favourite person, bbut /bwe bare /bbon /b

    the same side. Please, save him.”

    “…Don’t.”

    Thorne’s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but I could hear the bitterugh beneath his words. “Don’t beg him… he won’t do itb./b”

    I turned back to him, grinding my teeth. “Swallow your goddamn pride!”

    Dorian stood with his arms crossed, his face unreadable, his eyes cold as ice. Behind him, Alden let out a sharp, humorlessugh. b“/bording to Dorian, Thorne tried to kill him more than once. Why would we save the life of an enemy?”

    I clenched my fists so hard I thought my nails would draw blood. “He’s not your enemy.”

    Alden wrinkled his nose, but before he could respond, Dorian raised his hand, silencing him.

    “See if our men can find some bandages,” Dorian said, his tone clipped. “We need to stop the bleeding first.”

    I froze. Wait. King?

    A cold realization hit me like a p. Dorian wasn’t just a Lycan. He was the Lycan King?

    The ground seemed to shift under my feet.

    “Go,” Dorian said again, his voice low, but firm. “Now.”

    Alden shot him a reluctant nced, but at a word from Dorian, he disappeared into the woods.

    Dorian walked toward me, his movements smooth, and crouched down until our eyes were level.

    “I’m sorry,” he said, his smile faint, almost apologetic. “I should’ve told you sooner. I suppose it must be a shock.”

    I stared at him, my mind spinning. “Yeah, well… Lycan? A myth, right? The Lycan King? Definitely never saw thating.”

    Dorian shrugged. “We don’t usually show ourselves to humans. It’s natural you wouldn’t know.”

    “Then why are you here?” Thorne’s weak voice cut through the tension. Blood dripped from his mouth as he spoke. His strength bwas /bbfading /b

    fast.

    I turned to him, my own thoughts jumbled/“What does a Lycan King want in the Grace Ruin?”

    Dorian’s eyes narrowed, but the corners of his lips twitched. “Respect,” he said simply. “Maybe you should start bshowing /bbsome /bbnow /bbthat /byou know who I am,”

    bAug /b

    Thorne’sugh was short, humorless. “You’re the Lycan King. Not my King. The rogues might bow to byou/bb, /bbbut /bnot bme /b

    His voice rasped, the words cutting deep. “So, what’s your angle? Why go undercover? What’s your game?”

    The air thickened with tension as the two men locked eyes, neither willing to back down. I felt a deep, gut–wrenching bconfusion/b. bWhat /bdid Dorian want? What was his endgame?

    After what felt like a lifetime, Dorian spoke. “We want to kill Lance.”

    Thorne blinked, his curiosity piqued despite the pain. “And why’s that?”

    Dorian’s face darkened. “He’s a threat. To everything. Too many wars, too many lives lost.”

    “Bullshit!”

    Thorne’s sudden outburst took me off guard. He was barely holding on, yet the fury in his voice was as sharp as ever. “This isn’t the first time

    the Lycans and the rogues have fought. You never cared about any of it. So why now?”

    Dorian’s jaw tightened, his gaze turning colder. “I don’t need to exin myself to you. The point is, Lance must die. You in or bout/bb?/bb” /b

    Thorne’s eyes burned with a defiance I didn’t quite understand. “Let’s say I am. You got a n? Lance’s territory is practically invincible. bHe’s /b

    immortal there. How do we lure him out?”

    Dorian looked thoughtful, but his resolve never wavered. “It’s going to be tough, but it’s possible. You destroyed his pce. His people are already in panic. I’ll have Alden spread the word–tell them that anyone still in the city after midnight will be executed by the Lycans. The rogues fear us. They’ll leave. Once the ce is abandoned, Lance’s immortality won’t protect him anymore.”

    I blinked. It was a simple n, but terrifyingly effective.

    Alden returned, holding bandages in his hands. “You want me to help with that, or are you good?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

    Thorne rolled his eyes, but I was already moving toward him.

    “I’ll handle it,” I said quietly, starting to wrap his wound as gently as I could.

    Dorian watched, a strange glint in his eyes. “You’re sure about this, ra? Remember what he did to you.”

    Thorne’s lips curled in fury. “Stay the hell out of this.”

    But I was focused. I didn’t need Dorian’s approval. I didn’t need anyone’s.

    I looked at Thorne, my hands working quickly. “What happened before the fight with Lance? What did you two talk about?”

    Thorne’s chest heaved with a painful breath. “Why do you ask?”

    “Don’t y dumb,” I snapped. “We had a shot at taking Lance down before, and you bailed. Now you’re working with Dorian. Why?”

    Thorne sighed deeply, but his voice was strained. “I needed Lance alive. He knew something… something I needed to learn. The bsecret /bto bing the Werewolf King.”

    The weight of his words hit me like a freight train.

    “But you’re working with Dorian now,” I pressed, not wanting to lose the thread. “bWhat /bchanged?”

    Thorne’s gaze softened, but there was a hardness behind it. “I found out how to kill Lance. I can’t do this alone. But I bknow /bbwhat /bbes /bbnext/b. You can’t be by my side if you don’t understand.”

    b213 /b

    I met his gaze, knowing this conversation was about to go ces I didn’t want to follow. “Tell me beverything/b”

    He paused, his face tight with emotion. “Lance wanted me to offer him my blood. But the ritual didn’t work. bThat’s /bwhy bwe /bbfought/b.

    My heart skipped. It was the first real answer I had. The pieces were starting to fit

    together.

    Thorne reached out, cupping my face with a strange tenderness. “Before this ends, I need you to help me with onest thing

    My throat tightened. “What is it?”

    He swallowed hard. “Lance is dead. But someone has to take his ce as the new Rogue King. Someone we can trust, someone we can

    control…”

    His words hung in the air like a heavy stone, and suddenly, everything clicked.

    “Someone who will offer me their blood,” he finished, his voice barely above a whisper.

    AD