The cell door stood open.
Selene Frostveil leaned against the frame, twirling the iron key between her fingers.
My heart plummeted.
Selene regarded me with a mocking smile. "The Nightveil girl finally arrives?"
"What a shame. Too late."
"The prisoner? I let him go."
"Looks like you'll never have your revenge now."
My voice turned cold as winter frost. "You dared release a captive held under Alpha Court authority. Do you understand what that means?"
The woman arched one delicate brow. "Consequences?"
"The Alpha Heir told me I could do whatever makes me happy."
She paused deliberately, pressing her hand to her lips in feigned surprise. "Oh! I nearly forgot. That captive left behind some information before he fled. What was it again?"
"Ah, yes. Something about the young master of Moonhart Guard and Escort."
My pupils contracted sharply.
I seized her wrist in an iron grip. "Speak clearly!"
She wore an expression of false pity. "The Nightveil boy everyone thought died? He's been alive all along. Chained in a flood-tunnel beneath the old disputed grounds for seventeen years." She clicked her tongue. "Seventeen whole years. Can you imagine what's left of him?"
A heavy blow struck my chest.
I stood frozen, unable to process her words.
Selene suddenly leaned closer, her scent cloying and sweet. "Want to know where he's being kept?"
"Then agree to one condition."
"Leave the Alpha Heir. Walk away and never return."
I nodded without hesitation. "Done."
Surprise flickered across her face.
She let out a scornful laugh. "The Alpha Heir thought he had you completely under his control. Turns out you're the coldest one of all."
I closed my hand around her throat. "Enough talk. Give me the location."
"Unless you'd rather not leave this den alive."
I tightened my grip.
Fear flashed through her eyes.
She told me everything.
I ran faster than I'd ever run before.
But I was still one step too late.
Inside the flood-tunnel.
The stench hit me like a wall.
A young man's body lay curled in the darkness.
He wore nothing but a tattered undershirt that barely covered him.
His spine had warped from years in that cramped space.
Every inch of his body, except his face, was so damaged I couldn't recognize what his skin once looked like.
Was this... Rowan?
My brother, Rowan Nightveil?
I covered my mouth, gagging.
An invisible hand crushed my heart. I couldn't breathe.
Rowan's mind had stayed at three years old because of the wolfsbane they'd fed him. But he'd always been such a good, gentle soul.
When Father left on escort missions, Rowan would sit quietly by the den entrance, playing with his little drum all day long.
He loved sweets more than anything, yet he'd always save the last honey cake for me, fighting his own cravings.
For seventeen years, I'd stayed by Kael Ironcrest's side. I'd raised him. Trained him. Devoted myself to him.
While my own brother rotted in chains beneath the earth, barely recognizable as anything living.
What had Rowan ever done wrong?
In his simple world, he didn't even understand what evil was.
Why did he have to suffer like this?
I broke completely. I screamed and wept.
If only I'd arrived a quarter-hour sooner.
If only Kael hadn't hidden the truth to keep me dependent on him.
Would Rowan still be alive?
Back at the Alpha Court.
Kael Ironcrest opened his eyes.
He caught Selene's guilty expression and felt a dark premonition settle in his gut.
"What happened?"
Selene forced a nervous smile. "I... I released the Nightveil girl's captive."
Kael's expression eased slightly. "Released? We'll track him down again. No need for dramatics."
Selene's voice trembled. "But... the Nightveil girl found out."
"She also learned... that someone from the Moonhart bloodline survived. She's gone to find him..."
Kael's face darkened instantly.
His jaw tightened.
Before he could speak, his Beta Guard-Captain's voice came from beyond the door.
"Alpha Heir. A body was discovered in the tunnels beneath Sweetbriar Lane..."
Kael waved his hand in irritation. "Report it to the territory patrol! Why bring this to me?"
The Beta Guard-Captain's words came out broken and unsteady. "The body..."
"The body... it's Lady Lyra's younger brother..."
