Murder in the Palace

The metal key felt warm in Sera's hand. Too warm. Almost burning. She turned it over. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the metal. Ancient writing she couldn't read. The lock clicked open. The cell door swung wide without a sound.

Freedom. Or a trap? Sera stepped into the hallway. Her bare feet made no noise on the stone. The cellar stretched dark and empty. Where were the guards? Something was wrong. Very wrong. She crept up the stairs. 

Each step felt like walking into a nightmare. At the top, voices drifted through the door.

"—ceremony must proceed—"

"—blood moon at its peak—"

"—Silverblood secured—"

Sera pressed her ear against the wood. Lord Blackthorn was speaking. "My son will mate with Liora within the hour. Then we deal with the other problem."

"The girl could be useful," another voice said. "Silverblood power is rare."

"Too dangerous. She dies tonight."

Sera's blood froze. She had to run. Now. She slipped through a servant's path. The palace rooms were strangely empty. Everyone must be at the mating event. Her room. She needed clothes. Supplies. Anything. But when she reached her room, the door stood open. Inside, her few things lay scattered. Someone had searched everything. A white dress lay on her bed. The same dress from the ball, now splattered with dark spots. Blood. Beside it, a note:

"For your execution. -L" Rage bubbled up. Liora.

Always Liora. A bell tolled. Midnight. The ceremony was starting. Sera grabbed her coat. She should run. Leave the house. Disappear forever.

But Elias's face haunted her. That moment when his mask slipped. The pain in his eyes. What if Liora had lied? What if he hadn't wronged her by choice? She had to know. Even if it killed her. Sera snuck toward the formal hall. Chanting voices grew louder. The air smelled of smoke and something else. Something wild. 

Through a crack in the door, she saw them. Hundreds of nobles in their best clothes. At the altar, Elias stood stiff. Liora floated toward him in a bloodred gown.

"Do you accept this bond?" the high priest asked.

Elias's voice was flat. "I accept."

"Do you reject all others?"

A pause. Then: "I reject all others."

Each word stabbed Sera's heart. She turned to go—And crashed into a guard.

"You!" He grabbed for her. Sera twisted away. Her power flared. Silver light burst from her skin. The guard flew backward.

"The prisoner escaped!" someone screamed. Chaos occurred. Nobles scattered. 

Guards poured in. Through the madness, Sera saw Elias. His face had gone white. Liora clutched his arm, nails digging deep.

"Seize her!" Queen Myra shrieked. "She's ruined everything!"

Sera ran. Down halls. Through rooms. Lost in her own home. Behind her, howls rose. They'd moved. Wolves hunted her now. She burst onto a balcony. Three stories up. No escape. Wolves poured through the opening. Their eyes glowed red. Teeth bared. Ready to kill.

"Wait." Lord Blackthorn appears, human again. "I want her alive. For now."

"Father—" Elias pushed forward.

"Silence." Lord Blackthorn's eyes never left Sera. "You've caused enough trouble, girl."

"I didn't do anything!" Sera backed against the railing. "Liora's alive! This is all a game!"

"Enough lies." Queen Myra stepped out, crown glittering. "You couldn't have Elias, so you tried to destroy us all."

"That's not—"

"Take her."

Guards advanced. Sera's power surged. Silver fire danced on her fingertips. Then she heard it. 

A scream. 

High. 

Terrified. Coming from inside. Everyone froze.

"Liora?" Queen Myra's face drained of color. Another scream. Weaker. Wet.

Elias was already running. Everyone followed. Even the guards forgot Sera. She trailed behind, dread pooling in her stomach. They found Liora in her room.

The real Liora. The red dress was now redder. Blood spread across white marble. So much blood. Her throat was torn. Just like the fake body. But this time, the scars were real. Raw. Fatal. Liora's eyes stared at nothing. Her mouth hung open in a quiet scream.

"No!" Queen Myra fell beside her daughter. "My baby! My beautiful girl!"

Elias knelt too. His hands shook as he touched Liora's face. "She's... she's really..."

"Dead." Lord Blackthorn's voice was ice. "Murdered."

All eyes turned to Sera. "I didn't—I was running—you all saw me—"

"Blood under your nails," Lord Blackthorn pointed. Sera looked down. Red crescents marked her hands where she'd clenched too hard. Her own blood. But no one would believe that.

"Monster!" Queen Myra lunged at her. "You killed her! You killed my daughter!"

Guards caught the queen. She fought like a wild thing. "Let me go! I'll tear her apart!"

"Sera." Elias stood slowly. His eyes were empty. Dead. "How could you?"

"I didn't! Elias, please. You know me. You felt our bond—"

"There is no bond." His voice cut deeper than claws. "You're sick. Jealous. Evil."

"Look at me!" Sera begged. "Really look. You know I couldn't—" "Guards." Lord Blackthorn's command rang out. "Arrest the murderer." 

They surrounded her. This time, Sera didn't fight. Couldn't. Not with Elias looking at her like that. Like she was nothing. Less than nothing. As they dragged her away, she caught a flash of something. A shadow in the corner. A smile that shouldn't exist. Liora. Standing behind her own body. Transparent. Flickering. But there.

"Sweet dreams, sister," the ghost whispered. Then vanished. Sera screamed. Thrashed. Tried to tell them.

"The drugs are affecting her," someone said. "Hallucinations. Common in Silverbloods who've killed."

"I'm not crazy!" But even to her own ears, she sounded mad. They threw her in a deeper cell. Underground. No windows. No hope.

"Trial at dawn," a guard spat. "Execution by noon."

The door slammed. Locks clicked. One. Two. Three. No escape this time. Sera curled in the darkness. Tears wouldn't come. Her wolf had gone quiet.

Everything hurt. Liora was living. Somehow. Playing dead. Playing everyone. But who would believe her? She was the jealous sister. The rejected mate. The Silverblood with death on her hands.

Hours passed. Or minutes. Time meant nothing in the dark. Then. Footsteps. Soft. Familiar.

"Sera?" Kael's voice. Her only friend. But was he?

"Go away." Her voice was broken glass.

"I brought food. Water."

"So I can be strong for my execution?"

The lock clicked. He slipped inside. In the faint torchlight, his face was drawn. Worried.

"You didn't kill her." Sera gazed up. "How do you know?"

"Because I know you." He knelt beside her. "And because I saw something. Tonight. Before the second murder."

"What?"

"Liora. Walking the halls. But different. Wrong. Like she was there but not there."

Hope flickered. "You believe me?"

"Always have." He pulled something from his cloak. A vial of clear liquid. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Freedom. If you trust me." Sera took the bottle. Their fingers touched. Warm. Real. The only real thing left.

"What about you?"

"I'll manage." His smile was sad. "Drink. Before they come."

She drained the bottle. It tasted like moonlight. Like power. Like—The world burst. Her bones cracked. Shifted. Reformed. Pain and ecstasy combined.

"What did you—"

"Your wolf," Kael whispered. "I set her free."

Silver fur sprouted. Claws extended. For the first time in her life, Sera felt whole. But as she looked at Kael through wolf eyes, she saw the truth. He wasn't just a Beta's kid. Power rolled off him in waves.

"Who are you really?" she tried to ask, but only howls appeared. He pressed his face to hers.

"Someone who loves you. Always has. Now run. Find the truth. Save yourself."

"The prisoner!" Shouts echoed outside.

"Check the cell!"

"Go!"

Kael shoved her toward a hole that hadn't existed before. His magic. His sacrifice. Sera's wolf refused. Wanted to stay. Protect. Fight.

"GO!" She ran. Through caves. Past bones. Under the house. Behind her, guards yelled. Kael's voice rose. Then cut off. She burst into moonlight. Forest loomed ahead.

Freedom.

But as she ran, one thought burned:Liora wasn't just alive. She was something else. Something wearing her sister's face. And Sera was going to find out what.