Kiara's Pov
The world stilled in the strangest way. The clash of teeth and claws faded, though wolves still circled with snarls caught in their throats. Everyone seemed to wait, not for victory, but for the shadow now standing at the ridge.
The stranger's laugh rolled down like thunder—dark, amused, completely out of place among the blood and mud. He strolled closer, unhurried, as though this battlefield had been staged purely for his entertainment.
Draven.
The name passed in a ripple of growls through Grey's warriors. Even Kaine, bleeding and wild-eyed, stilled.
The Red Fang Alpha.
I'd heard whispers, like ghost stories told too late at night. A wolf who didn't follow the Moon's call, a man who wore madness like a crown. And now he was here, grinning down at us as though we were nothing but pieces in his game.
"Well, isn't this charming?" Draven spread his arms wide, boots sinking into the ruined earth. His voice was velvet over broken glass. "King Grey, Alpha Xander, Kaine the Betrayer. All fighting over one girl. Makes a man wonder…" His gaze slid to me, sharp and lingering. "…is she really worth all the blood?"
Grey's growl vibrated against my bones. "Say her name again, Draven, and I'll rip your tongue from your skull."
"Oh, possessive." Draven chuckled, circling us like a predator too confident to rush. "You always were. Tell me, Grey—do you leash her with fear or with the bond? Or is she still trying to decide which of you she despises less?"
"Enough." Xander stepped forward, blood streaking his jaw, eyes burning gold. "You have no place here."
"And yet," Draven's grin widened, "here I am. Funny how that works."
Kaine laughed, low and ragged. "Told you he'd come."
The tension cracked like a whip. Wolves bristled, waiting for someone to make the first move. But instead of charging, Draven clapped his hands once.
"Why waste good blood?" he asked lightly. "We've all had our fun. Now, why don't we… talk?"
The manor was cold when we entered, though the fire Grey ordered lit spat and roared in the hearth. Shadows clung to the carved walls, and the air reeked of iron and wet fur. Warriors guarded the doors. None looked at me, though I felt their unease ripple through the room.
Grey took the head of the long table. Xander sat stiffly to his right, close enough to shield me, though I could feel Grey's disapproval burning holes into his skin for daring. I sat between them because Draven insisted, dragging a chair for me with a theatrical bow.
"You're enjoying this," I muttered.
"Of course," Draven said brightly, dropping into the seat across from me. He lounged like he owned the place, eyes glinting red in the firelight. "Do you know how rare it is to see two Alphas and a King snapping at each other like starved dogs? And over a girl who doesn't even realize what she is."
I stiffened. "I know exactly what I am."
"Do you?" His head tilted, almost pitying. "Sweetheart, you have no idea."
Grey's claws scraped the table. "Stop talking to her."
"Oh, but it's so much more fun when she listens," Draven purred. "Tell me, Kiara, did Grey mention the curse? No?" His grin widened at my silence. "Of course not. He never shares his toys."
"What curse?" My voice cracked sharper than I meant.
Grey's glare cut into me. "Don't."
"Don't what?" Draven mocked. "Don't tell her the truth? Don't admit that her bond is tearing your control apart? That Selene whispers louder every night because she isn't meant for you?"
The air shifted. My wolf pressed against my skin, restless, as if Draven's words had peeled something raw inside me.
Xander's chair scraped back. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Draven leaned forward, his grin gone sharp, cruel. "Ask your King why the Moon never speaks to him anymore. Ask him why the bond burns instead of soothes. Ask him why your precious mate can't breathe when his wolf touches her."
Silence cracked heavier than any growl. My chest heaved, breath tight. Grey's eyes burned silver fire, but he said nothing.
That was worse than if he had denied it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" My voice was barely a whisper.
Grey's gaze softened, just for me. "Because it doesn't matter. I won't let it matter."
But it did. Goddess, it did.
Draven sat back, smirking at the chaos he'd spun. "Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I couldn't have written it better myself."
Kaine finally spoke, his laugh bitter. "You came for her, didn't you? Same as the rest of us."
Draven shrugged. "She's the key. The question is—will she open the cage, or lock it tighter?"
My skin prickled. "What cage?"
"Oh, you'll see." His grin turned wolfish. "Soon."
Grey slammed a fist against the table, the wood cracking beneath his hand. "Enough riddles. Say what you came for."
Draven rose smoothly, all lazy grace, as though the broken table and snarling wolves were beneath him. "I came to watch. To play. To remind you all that the Moon's power is shifting, and the girl you fight over will decide who burns."
He started for the door. At the threshold, he looked back, eyes gleaming red.
"Sweetheart," he said to me, soft and mocking, "be careful who you trust. Sometimes the monster who loves you is worse than the one who wants you dead."
The door shut behind him, leaving the room drowning in silence.
My heart hammered so hard it hurt. Three pairs of eyes were on me—Grey's, burning with possession; Xander's, blazing with desperate protectiveness; Kaine's, gleaming with dangerous amusement.
And me?
I was falling apart in the middle of them all, wondering if Draven was right.