Lorraine's POV

I stared at the queen, certain I had misheard her.

She wanted me.… to help her save her husband?

I blinked, my mind tripping over itself. "Your Majesty… forgive me, but… what are you talking about?" My voice came out careful, slow, as if speaking too quickly would make the conversation collapse in on itself. "The Alpha King is dead. Everyone knows that."

"He killed himself… after Adrian got to him with his mind controlling powers. I…" I hesitated, not sure how far I should push it, "… I don't understand what you mean."

Her gaze didn't waver, not even for a heartbeat. "He is alive, Lorraine."

I almost laughed from the absurdity of it, but the raw conviction in her tone froze the sound in my throat. She didn't sound like a woman clinging to false hope, she sounded like someone speaking a truth she knew in her bones.

"He is my mate," she continued, her voice steady but heavy with something that was almost pain. "And I can still feel the bond pulsing at the back of my head. My husband is alive."

I just stared at her. The words didn't make sense.

If she was right… if the Alpha King was alive… then who go to such length to make us believe the Alpha King was dead and why?

"But…" I began, forcing my voice through the knot in my chest, "how? How is that even possible? His own royal physician confirmed his death. Adrian himself bragged about it, he confirmed that he mind controlled him into… into…" I trailed off, not wanting to say the words kill himself again in front of her. "So how could he possibly still be—"

"I don't know, Lorraine." She cut me off gently, but firmly. Her eyes softened, but her posture remained like steel. "I don't know how. But I do know he is alive. And that is why I need your help."

The world tilted for a moment, and I realized I was shaking my head without even meaning to. "Your Majesty, I think you overestimate me," I said, my tone heavier than I intended. "I'm just a weakling now. A one armed fighter who can barely hold a sword for more than a few minutes without fumbling it to the ground." I lifted my right arm slightly, flexing my fingers as if to prove my point. "I can't even spar with Felix without feeling like a fool. What could I possibly do to help you save a king?"

For a moment, her expression didn't change.

"You think strength is measured only by the arm that swings a sword?" she asked, her voice calm yet heavy with authority. "If that were true, I would have been dead long before I ever met Ronan. You have something more valuable than brute force, Lorraine. You have loyalty. You have fire. And whether you see it or not… you have the will to survive against impossible odds. That's what I need."

I shook my head again, the uncertainty pressing down on me like a weight I couldn't shrug off. "I… I don't know, Your Majesty." My voice was quieter now, almost lost to the breeze stirring the leaves around us. "Even if you're right, even if he is alive… what could I possibly do?"

But the question I'd been biting back slipped out before I could stop it. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

At once, the Queen's expression shifted. The raw vulnerability from before vanished, replaced by something far sharper, a steady, unflinching resolve that made me straighten involuntarily.

"In a few days," she began, her tone low but certain, "we'll be attacking the academy to take it."

My pulse spiked instantly at her words.

"I've heard about you and this Adrian," she continued, studying me closely. "You two were… close. And from what I've gathered, he has a soft spot for you."

"Before we attack," she went on, "I need you to go there. Act like you've defected to his side. Get into his head… and find out exactly what he did with my husband."

I froze, my mouth falling open slightly. I stared at her as if she'd just asked me to leap off a cliff. "You want me… to go back into an academy filled with Crimson Hunt soldiers?" My voice pitched higher without my permission. "To act as your double agent?"

It wasn't disbelief, it was outright shock.

"Yes," she said simply, her gaze unwavering.

"Do you even hear what you're saying?" I stood up, taking a step back and shaking my head. "That place is crawling with killers. Wolves loyal to Adrian to their last breath. And you want me to just… stroll in there and pretend I'm one of them?"

She didn't flinch, didn't waver, didn't even blink. "I know that I'm asking for a lot…"

She stepped closer, closing the gap between us until her presence felt like a tangible force pressing against me. "But..."

She didn't get to finish.

"Mother," a familiar voice called, cutting through the air like a blade.

I turned instantly, my heartbeat doing an unsteady flip in my chest. Kieran emerged from the direction of the hideout, his dark eyes flicking from his mother to me. He looked composed, but there was something in the set of his jaw that told me he'd been standing there for a for a while.

"Everyone's looking for you," he said to the Queen as he closed the last few steps between them. "We're about to start making our strategic attack plans, and you're needed."

The Queen's head tilted in acknowledgment, her face softening ever so slightly when she looked at him. "Oh, okay, son."

Then her gaze returned to me, sharp and deliberate. "We'll continue this discussion later, Lorraine."

With that, she straightened and stepped away from the tree stump. Her gown whispered against the ground as she moved toward Kieran, her posture regal, as though our conversation had been nothing but a casual exchange.

The Queen turned without another word, gliding back toward the hideout. Her figure disappeared into the shadows of the entrance, but Kieran didn't follow.

He stayed where he was, standing a few feet away from me, his presence heavier than the silence between us. His gaze found mine, and oh, those eyes…

They brought with them a storm of memories, moments when his touch had felt like the only thing tethering me to life, moments when his voice had been the one comfort in the chaos. My heart betrayed me in a single, sharp skip, but I forced myself to harden against it. No. I must not falter now.

I hate this man. I have to hate him.

I had to remember the way he'd told me to go and die when I was already standing on the edge, the way he had abandoned me when I needed him most. My mind clung to those truths like a lifeline, but my heart…. my heart was deaf to reason.

He moved closer. Not much, just enough to close some of the distance, but it was enough to stir the air between us.

"I apologize on my mother's behalf," he said, his voice low but clear. "For asking something so reckless of you."

I blinked at him. "You were listening?" I asked quietly.

He nodded once. "Just for a little bit," he admitted. Then his tone sharpened, becoming more certain, almost commanding. "And you won't be giving in to my mother's request. You are not going to be doing such a thing."

Something in me snapped, unexpectedly, uncontrollably, and I burst into laughter.

It wasn't soft or polite. It was sharp, almost incredulous, like his words had been the punchline to a cruel joke.

Kieran frowned, clearly not expecting the reaction. "I don't think I've said anything funny," he said, his expression twisting with confusion.

"You definitely have, Kieran," I said, my laughter tapering off until I could steady my breathing again. Then I straightened my face, letting my amusement vanish completely.

"It's funny," I began, my voice cool "how you Lycans think the world revolves around you, that everyone and anyone must dance to your words."

I stepped toward him now, my one hand curling into a fist.

"You're all the same. Astrid, acting like she owns my life, like I have no right to decide what I want to do with it. Your mother, showing up here after ripping off my arm to tell me I should risk my life and infiltrate an academy full of enemies to be her spy. And now you..." I stabbed a finger toward his chest, "standing here, telling me that I will not be saying yes to your mother, like it's your decision to make."

My voice grew sharper, louder with every word. "You didn't even care to ask my opinion, because obviously, it doesn't matter to you, does it?"

His brows drew together, but I didn't give him the chance to speak.

"You know what? I'm done. I'm done entertaining you Lycans. I've made my peace with everything you've cost me, and all of you should just leave me the hell alone!"