Xander’s POV

The first thing I felt was pain.

It burned through my chest like fire. It spread to my arms and neck, making my skin feel hot and tight. I opened my eyes slowly. Everything was dark. A soft glow from a lamp painted shadows on the walls of the hut. The smell of damp dirt and plants filled my lungs. It was a familiar smell, one that reminded me of home.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Confusion washed over me. Then I remembered. I remembered the trees. I remembered the poisoned shot. I remembered the girl with the shaking hands.

Raina.

I turned my head slowly, cringing at the movement. She wasn’t here. The mat beside me was empty and cold. A heavy ache settled in my chest. I felt a deep sadness. Her tears flashed in my memory. I could hear her voice breaking as she accused me. If the king wasn’t one who cared only for himself, why would he watch us suffer that way?

I shut my eyes, but the words cut deeper than any arrow.

She had every right to hate me.

I tried to push myself up, but my muscles shook. My hand went to my chest. I brushed against the patch Mama Rita had wrapped around me. The poison still stayed in my blood, crawling like ice under my skin. It was a cold, creeping feeling that made me shiver.

I had faced fighters, wars, and even death. Yet nothing scared me as much as the thought of losing her. Losing R

The hut’s curtain rustled. Cyrus entered quietly. He smelled of night air and woods. His bow was slung across his back, ready for action. His sharp eyes swept the room and landed on me.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice low and steady.

I pushed myself to sit against the wall. “Barely,” I answered. My voice was rough, and I could feel the pressure in my throat.

He crouched beside the mat. “The poison’s still in you. You shouldn’t move.”

I ignored that. “What did the elders do this time?” I asked, my interest outweighing my pain.

Cyrus paused. “They’re scared. Lancelot is… furious you found her.”

“She found me,” I corrected sharply. “And she saved me. Where would I be without her? In a shallow grave?”

He didn’t answer. His silence spoke volumes.

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache creeping in. My jaw was tight with anger. “You know what this means, don’t you?

They tried to kill me. Again. They don’t want a king—they want a puppet.”

“You already knew that,” he said quietly, his tone calm.

“Not like this,” I snapped. I took a shaky breath, trying to control my anger. “Not like this, Cyrus. I let them get this far. I didn’t see it coming. I have the gift—my curse—and I didn’t see it.”

Cyrus’s look was steady. “You were distracted.”

My eyes narrowed. “By what?” I asked.

He didn’t move. “By her.”

I didn’t answer. He was right. From the moment I saw Raina, the world changed. My attention bent around her like gravity pulling me in. And now the leaders were using it against me.

“They’ll keep coming,” Cyrus said. “If you stay here, they’ll burn this place down. If you bring her back to the house, they’ll tear her apart.”

I pressed my hands against my face, fighting the heaviness in my chest. It felt like a weight I couldn’t lift. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

“You can’t fight them alone,” he said. “And you can’t lose her. She’s your mate… and maybe your only chance at breaking them.”

The curtain opened, and the cool night air slipped in. Raina stepped inside. Her hair was damp from the mist, and her eyes were red. My chest tensed at the sight of her.

She froze when she saw me sitting up. Our eyes locked. The room seemed to shrink around us, every sound silenced except for the soft thud of my heart.

“You’re awake,” she said, her voice soft and almost unsure, like a whisper in the dark.

“I am,” I answered, trying to sound better than I felt.

I wanted to reach for her, to pull her close, but I didn’t. Not yet. She stood stiff near the entry, her hands clasped together as if holding herself together.

“I… went for air,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” I said quietly. I could see the strain in her shoulders, the way she held herself.

Her eyes turn to Cyrus, then back to me. The air between us felt thick, full of everything unsaid.

“Raina,” I said slowly, trying to find the right words. “I need you to trust me.”

She didn’t move. She didn’t move.

“I didn’t know your pack suffered like that,” I said, my voice low and serious. “I didn’t know… because the adults kept me blind. I won’t ask for forgiveness. But I will ask for your trust. Just that.”

Her lip shook. “And what happens if I give it to you?”

“Then I’ll burn their rules to the ground,” I said. My voice was rough but certain. “And I’ll protect you. No matter what.”

For a moment, she didn’t answer. Her look relaxed just slightly, and I felt hope stir—fragile but alive.

Then a sound cut through the night.

A long, low scream.

It wasn’t a sad song. It was a warning.

Cyrus’s head snapped toward the door. His hand went to his bow, ready for action.

Raina’s body went hard. “What was that?” she asked, her voice filled with fear.

“Not one of ours,” Cyrus said, his voice suddenly sharp. “That’s a hunting call.”

My pulse surged. I forced myself to my feet, even as the poison clawed at my legs. Every muscle protested, but I couldn’t show weakness.

“Stay behind me,” I told Raina, my voice firm.

Another howl joined the first closer this time. Then another. I could hear the sound of paws tearing through mud and branches snapping.

Cyrus swore under his breath.

“They found us.”

Raina’s eyes went wide. “The elders?”

I didn’t answer. I already knew the truth. The chain around my cap had followed me here, and it was made of teeth.

We turned toward the hut’s door as shadows moved just beyond the fence. Glowing red eyes blinked back at us through the night, watching, waiting.

A deep growl rolled through the darkness, and a voice—not quite human—spoke from the trees.“Hand over the king… or we take the girl.”

The threat hung in the air, heavy and filled with danger.