Derek was a dead man walking, and the fool didn’t even know it.

I watched Magnus’s Beta swagger around the Great Hall like he owned the place, barking orders at servants preparing for tonight’s ceremony. Twenty years of  service had made him arrogant, comfortable. He’d forgotten that comfort breeds weakness.

Benjamin should have challenged him an hour ago. What was taking that northern idiot so long?

The hall buzzed with pre-ceremony energy. Flowers, silk, crystal everywhere. Pack ...