Nicholas POV.
I stood alone in the room Nathan had booked for me in the shadow claw pack, the night thick outside, the room dim, lit only by a single candle flickering on the desk.
The air smelled of old wood and the sharp bite of the alcohol in my hand, the glass cold, my grip tight.
My heart pounded, my jaw clenched, Kael's warning echoing in my mind, "Pray he wakes up." His voice, sharp and angry, cut through me, his eyes burning in the dungeon when he'd stopped me from killing Elijah, my own guard, my spy who'd tried to burn Kael's guest house.
My teeth gritted, my scar across my jaw itching, my anger boiling.
I knew my aunt, Mara, was behind the fire, even though she'd denied it, her sly smile, her cold words, "I wish I had" betraying her.
She wanted Kael dead, her hate for him deep, and she'd do anything to make it happen, even use Elijah.
I couldn't let him talk, couldn't let him expose her, so I'd clawed his chest, aiming to silence him forever.
