Ayla's POV
"You took what was mine."
Rylan's voice cut through the snow like a blade. The air itself seemed to flinch.
He stepped out of the treeline, cloak dragging through the frost, violet eyes burning with a light I didn't recognize. His scent—once smoke and pine—was warped now, threaded with something metallic and wrong.
I rose slowly, my body still trembling from the Hollow. Kael stirred beside me, one arm around his ribs, eyes narrowing as he struggled to his feet.
"Rylan?" I breathed. "What happened to you?"
He smiled without warmth. "You did."
The words sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the wind.
Kael moved between us, his golden gaze hardening. "Stay back."
Rylan tilted his head. "Still playing the protector, Your Majesty? How noble. How predictable."
Kael's wolf flickered in his eyes. "You've got one chance to walk away."
