Chapter 4 — A Bargain Sealed in Venom

Gray light seeped through the tent canvas as Rowan peeled back Dylan’s bandage. Beneath the poultice, thick violet lines fanned out from the puncture like roots strangling a tree.

Rowan’s jaw tightened. “Poison’s winning.”

Dylan tried to sit. Pain drove him flat again. “Status of the outer wall?”

“Stable,” Griff answered from the entrance. “Ironclaw hasn’t pressed since dawn. They’re waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” Dylan rasped.

Before Griff could reply, a trumpet blare rolled over the camp—three steady notes, then silence. Unfamiliar. Ophelia straightened from the basin. “That isn’t our call.”

Griff’s eyes narrowed. “Parley.”

Caroline swept in, cloak snapping. “Rurik sends an emissary, love. He wants to talk.”

Dylan ground his teeth. “I don’t negotiate with raiders.”

Rowan pressed him to the cot. “Alpha, you can barely stand. Let the council hear their terms.”

Caroline stroked Dylan’s hair. “For me, then. Rest while I speak on your behalf.”