The next morning came heavy with tension. The air outside smelled of smoke and steel. Shadowfang was already awake before sunrise; warriors moved across the courtyard carrying weapons, voices low and hurried. The attack from Kael’s rogues had changed everything.

Selene stood by the window of her room, staring out as the mist lifted from the trees. She hadn’t slept again. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw Kael’s red gaze, the way he looked at her as if she still belonged to him.

The ...