Chapter 25: The King’s Gambit

The King's Gambit

Darkness.

The scent of damp stone and old blood filled the air. A distant drip echoed through the cavernous walls, slow and deliberate, like the ticking of a dying clock.

Alexander's wrists burned, the iron cuffs biting into his flesh, suppressing his strength.

But his golden eyes gleamed in the dim light.

He had expected this.

The moment he stepped into the clearing and saw Aria's lifeless body, he knew it was a trap.

And he walked right into it anyway.

Because seeing her was worth it.

Even now, barely able to move, his wolf snarled, restless beneath his skin. He could feel the power simmering inside him, waiting for the right moment.

They had stripped him of his weapons, taken his claws and fangs with wolfsbane-coated shackles, but they had no idea.

They had no idea what he was truly capable of.

A slow chuckle cut through the silence.