"What the hell are you doing here?”

I growled, stumbling forward. "The words tore out of me, harsh and bitter, like something I’d been holding back for too long.”

I could barely see straight, but that face

Lucan.

He stood in the courtyard like he owned it, dressed in tailored black, eyes sharp, smile cruel.

The years hadn’t softened him. If anything, he looked more dangerous—taller, prouder, like someone who’d been waiting for blood.

“Well, hello to you too, cousin. What, no warm welcome for a family?” Lucan said, spreading his arms like this was some kind of joke.

My hands curled before I even realized it. That smug look on his face? It made my skin crawl. I wanted to wipe it off with one good punch.

“My, my…didn’t think you’d be drowning your sorrows already, You look... pathetic.”

My mother’s eyes narrowed. “Lucan. I didn’t expect to see you. Especially not without a word of intent.”

Kael appeared beside me, silent but tense.

"Aunt Vivian,” Lucan said smoothly, turning toward her with that same princely arrogance. “Still as regal as ever. I came as soon as I heard the troubling news. I do hope I’m not intruding.”

“I was… concerned,” he said with mock sympathy. “Two cursed princes? A throne without an heir? You can’t blame me for worrying about our legacy.”

Kael stepped forward. “Cut the act. What do you want?”

Lucan turned to us, smiling faintly. “You always were the blunt one, Kael. I want what’s best for the Crimson Pack.”

“Bullshit,” I muttered, swiping my face with my sleeve. “You came here because you think we’re dying. You want the throne.”

Lucan raised his brows. “And if I did?”

Mother's voice cut like a blade. “You come here, uninvited, after vanishing for years, and suddenly claim you’re here to lead?”

“I only offer a solution,” Lucan said calmly. “In case your sons... fall.”

I blinked. Even in my drunken state, that hit like a slap.

"You’ve lost your damn mind."

"On the contrary," he said. "You two are cursed. If neither of you survives, the throne passes to the next in line. That’s me. I simply came to offer a smoother... transition."

Kael stepped forward. "We're not dead yet."

“But close, aren’t you?” Lucan said, voice calm. “Four months is hardly enough time to find a mate. The elders talk. The council is restless. They want leadership.”

Mother narrowed her eyes. “And you think you’ll provide that?”

“You’re a vulture,” I spat

He turned to me, eyeing the bottle in my hand.

“You can barely stand. You look halfway dead already.”

Kael grabbed my arm before I could lunge. "Don’t," he muttered. "He wants you to lose control."

Lucan didn’t flinch. Just kept smiling.

“Such rage, cousin. Perhaps a sign the curse is already making you unstable?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You think the palace will accept you? You’re not even full-blooded Crimson.”

"Blood matters less when the heirs are dying," Lucan said. "And if a kingdom sees weakness, they’ll eat it alive."

“You’re not staying here,” Kael said coldly.

Lucan shrugged. “We’ll see what the council says. I’ve already spoken to some of them. They worry about the bloodline. I’m family, after all.”

I glanced at the guards. Some of them looked unsure. Lucan had grown up with them. Trained with some. That was his game—use old ties to wedge himself in.

"You're a parasite, Lucan," I muttered, swiping the blood from my lips. "Always sniffing around when things get bloody."

“And yet, here I am. While you drink yourself into the ground.” He tilted his head, voice turning cold. “This pack needs a leader. Not two broken boys playing dress-up in their father's throne.”

Kael stepped forward again. “We’re not boys. And the throne’s not yours to take.”

Queen Vivian turned to Lucan, her eyes blazing. “You think you can come here, disrespect my sons, and walk away with my throne? You overstep.”

Lucan bowed slightly. “I only speak facts. If either of them dies, the council will vote. And you know they favor survival over sentiment.”

The moment Lucan turned his back and walked away, the weight in my chest exploded. A sharp, hot pain lanced through my ribs.

Blood dripped from my nose.

“Rael!” Kael’s voice cracked beside me, and I saw his knees buckle slightly.

But I was already falling.

Pain shot through my chest. A burning, twisting pressure like something inside me was breaking.

“I can’t… breathe..”

I coughed hard and the sharp tang of blood hit my tongue.

Kael was yelling, but his voice felt far away, it felt like it was fading.

Everything was slipping, like I was sinking slow and helpless, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hold on.

I felt his hand on my back, steadying me, but I couldn’t see him.

Guards ran forward now, finally moving. Someone shouted for a healer. I saw Mother drop to her knees beside me, her hands trembling as she touched my face.

"Stay with me,” she whispered. “Please, Rael.."

I blacked out.

Later - Inside Queen Vivan’s Chambers…

Kael’s POV

I closed the door behind me, the soft click echoing louder than it should have in the silence.

I didn’t move from the doorway. My hands were clenched so tight they ached, my chest still heavy with the image of Rael—

Falling.

Not breathing.

Blood painting his lips.

That final, shuddering breath before everything went still. I couldn’t get it out of my head.

“He’s stable,” Mother said quietly, not turning to face me yet. Her voice was calm, but her hands trembled as they rested on the edge of the window. “The healers say it was the curse. It’s progressing.”

I gave a small nod, though my throat felt too tight to speak.

“I felt it too,” I said after a pause. “Not like him, but… the pain was there. Just for a moment.”

She finally turned. Her face was pale, but her eyes held fire.

“It’s accelerating faster than the witches predicted,” she said. “Much faster.”

My jaw tightened. “I should’ve stopped him. The drinking. The spiral. He was out there for hours—”

“You’re not to blame,” she cut in gently but firmly. “You were holding him together. Holding both of you together.”

I didn’t respond, only stared down at my hands, as if trying to force them steady.

Mother took a breath and crossed the room toward me. “Your brother’s strong, Kael. Even now, after everything, he’s fighting it.”

She walked toward the hearth, staring into the low flames. Her voice dropped, quiet but certain.

“And so are you.”

I glanced at her. “You’re not afraid?”

She gave a dry, tired laugh. “Terrified. But fear makes us act faster.”

Then she turned back to me, eyes fierce.

“We’ll do what must be done,” she said. “For both of you. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll call in every debt, break every tradition, threaten every council elder if I have to.”

“I won’t lose you,” she whispered. “Not either of you.”

I looked up.

“Tomorrow, I’m summoning the Alpha Princess from the Sapphire Pack, she’s royal, strong. Of pure Alpha blood. And she’s of age. If there’s any chance that she could be a fated mate to either of you... then we act now.”

“And if she’s not?” I asked quietly.

Her expression hardened.

“Then we keep looking. But she’ll come. And if she refuses…” She paused, voice dropping cold. “I’ll make her.”

I didn’t ask how. I didn’t need to.

For a moment, the room fell silent again. Then I stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We don’t fold,” I said, voice steady. “Not for Lucan. Not for the curse. We fight until the last breath.”

Mother covered my hand with hers.

“For both of you,” she said, voice thick with promise. “I’ll burn the world down, if I have to.”