EMMA
The kitchen was dim and cold when I slipped in, barefoot and silent. My stomach twisted with hunger. I knew the maids kept leftovers here. I crept toward the pantry, my fingers brushing the edge of the counter, when a sharp, familiar voice cut through the silence.
Vera.
I froze mid-step and ducked behind a stack of crates. Her heels clicked across the tiled floor like knives.
"You will do it, Tyler," she hissed.
Tyler?
"Vera, this wasn't the deal—"
Vera's laugh was quiet, razor-thin. "Do not forget what I have on you. Or do I need to remind you what you really did the night the Moon Temple caught fire?"
The silence that followed was thick. I didn't breathe. My heart thundered. Moon Temple? That fire was years ago… Mom's guard, Tyler—what had he done?
"I didn't mean to—" Tyler started.
"You didn't mean to do it? Or you didn't mean to lie to Alpha Kai about it?" she snapped.
My blood ran cold.
She kept going, her voice honeyed now, too sweet to be safe.
