Kiara's pov
The fire in my room had burned down to glowing embers, but I couldn't sleep. My body was exhausted, but my head wouldn't stop spinning. Draven's words, Grey's silence and Xander's defiance. They kept circling in my mind like vultures.
I pulled the blanket tighter around me and stared at the shadows dancing on the stone wall. Every little sound made me tense. I hated that I was scared here, i hated that I was scared at all.
I didn't even know who I was supposed to trust anymore.
"Safe," Grey had said. "Everything I've done is to keep you safe."
Then why did it feel like I was breaking apart?
I shifted on the bed and tried to breathe slowly. Maybe if I just forced myself to sleep, things would stop hurting for a few hours. But the moment I started drifting, I heard a faint scrape.
It wasn't the usual creaks and groans of the old castle. This was different, it was a careful sound. Someone trying not to be heard.
I sat up slowly, heart thumping. "Hello?"
I swallowed and pushed the blanket aside. "Is someone there?"
No answer.
I stared at the far side of the room, where the shadows pooled near the window. That's when I saw it, a darker shape moving within the dark.
My heart jumped into my throat.
"Guards!" I shouted, but the word barely left my lips before a figure lunged from the shadows.
I rolled off the bed just in time. A blade sliced through the air where my chest had been.
"Stay still," a rough voice hissed.
"Like hell I will," I snapped, crawling backward across the floor.
The figure stepped into the faint light. He was hooded, masked and leather-clad. Their eyes glinted, it looked cold and focused. The knife in their hand caught the glow of the embers.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"Not important."
The intruder lunged again. I scrambled back, grabbed the first thing I could, a heavy metal candlestick and swung. It hit their arm with a dull thud. They grunted but didn't drop the knife.
"Guards!" I screamed again, louder this time.
The figure cursed and slashed again. The blade grazed my arm, burning hot. I hissed and stumbled back against the bedpost.
"Stop fighting," they snarled. "It'll be quick."
"Not if I kill you first." I shot back.
They laughed, short, cruel. "You think you can fight me?"
I didn't answer, I waited. They stepped closer, raising the blade.
And then the door exploded.
Wood splintered. Hinges ripped free.
Grey stormed in, silver eyes blazing, a growl tearing through his chest so deep the walls shook.
"Step away from her," he snarled.
The assassin froze. Then they bolted for the window.
Grey was faster. He caught them mid-leap, slamming them into the wall so hard dust rained from the ceiling. The blade clattered to the floor.
"Who sent you?" Grey asked quietly.
The man spat blood on the floor. "I don't talk to monsters."
Grey's fist cracked across his face so fast I didn't even see him move. The chair rocked but didn't fall.
"Who sent you?" Grey repeated, voice still calm, too calm.
The man laughed, the sound ugly and hoarse. "Wouldn't you like to know, King."
I swallowed hard. "Grey…"
He didn't look at me. "Stay back, Kiara."
"I'm fine," I said, even though my heart was still racing. "But maybe you should.."
"I said stay back." Grey shouted.
The edge in his voice made me flinch. Grey froze and closed his eyes for a second, like he was trying to control himself.
When he spoke again, his voice was softer. "Please, Just… stay there."
The assassin chuckled. "Look at you. The great Lycan King, begging a girl. How far you've fallen."
Grey grabbed him by the throat and slammed him on the chair and all against the wall. Wood splintered, and the man gasped for air, but that smug smile never left his face.
"Tell me who sent you," Grey growled, his claws digging into the man's skin.
"Do your worst," the man rasped. "I was dead the moment I stepped in here."
Grey's grip tightened. For a second, I thought he was going to snap the man's neck.
"Grey!" I shouted, rushing forward before I could stop myself. I grabbed his arm. "Stop. Please."
His chest heaved as he stared down at the man. Then, slowly, he let go. The assassin slumped forward, coughing, his breath wheezing in and out.
Grey stepped back, his hands shaking. He turned to me, eyes glowing faint silver. "You could have died tonight."
"I didn't," I said, even though the thought made me sick. "You stopped him."
"I almost didn't." His voice cracked. "If I hadn't come when I did…"
I put a hand on his chest. His heart was beating hard under my palm. "But you did."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The room was too quiet. My wolf was still unsettled, pacing inside me, and Grey's wasn't far from the surface either.
Finally, Grey turned back to the man in the chair. "One last time. Who sent you?"
The assassin spat blood on the floor again. "Death comes for her either way. We just wanted to be the ones to deliver it."
Grey's jaw clenched. "Who's we?"
The man grinned, teeth stained red. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Grey moved so fast I didn't have time to blink. He drove his claws into the man's shoulder and twisted. The man screamed, the sound sharp and raw.
"Talk," Grey snarled.
"Grey!" I shouted again. "You're hurting him!"
"That's the point." Grey said quietly.
"This isn't going to work," I said, stepping between them. "You're not going to scare him into talking."
Grey's breathing was ragged, his claws dripping blood. "Then what do you suggest?"
I looked at the man. He was watching me now, not Grey. His eyes weren't afraid. If anything, he looked almost pleased. "She doesn't know, does she?" he said, voice weak but steady. "She doesn't know what you really are."
"Shut up," Grey snapped.
"What is he talking about?" I asked.
"Nothing," Grey said quickly, too quickly.
The man laughed, and even though he was bleeding and broken, it was the kind of laugh that made my stomach twist. "She thinks you're her savior. That's funny."
Grey slammed his fist into the wall next to the man's head. "I said shut up!"
"Or what?" The man coughed up blood and smiled wider. "Kill me? You're too late. The message is already sent."
Something cold slid down my spine. "What message?"
The man looked at me and whispered, "The curse is waking and when it does… no king will be able to save you."
Before Grey could react, the man bit down hard on something in his mouth. His body convulsed, foam bubbling at his lips. I screamed and jumped back as he jerked once, twice, then went completely still.
Grey cursed and checked his pulse. "He's gone."
I stared at the body. "What… what just happened?"
"Poison," Grey said grimly. "He was never planning to survive this."
My hands trembled again. "Then that means.."
"Whoever sent him didn't care if he lived or died," Grey finished. "Only that you didn't."
The room felt colder suddenly. I pulled the blanket tighter around me.
"Someone close did this," Grey muttered, pacing again. "No one gets past the guards, not into this wing. Not unless they knew the patrol routes. The timing."
I looked at him, heart pounding. "Someone close to you?"
His jaw tightened. "Maybe."
The thought made me sick. "So it could be anyone. Anyone here wants me dead."
"Not anyone," Grey said, coming closer. "There are people I trust with my life."
"And how many of them would risk it if it meant getting rid of me?"
He didn't answer.
I turned away from the body, my stomach twisting. "I don't understand. Why would anyone want me dead? I haven't done anything."
"That's not true," Grey said softly.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He hesitated, then sighed. "There are those who think your existence is dangerous. That the curse Draven spoke of… is real."
I stared at him. "Do you think that?"
His eyes met mine. "I think you're the most important person in this war and that makes you a threat to some, and a target to others."
"That's not an answer."
He stepped closer until he was right in front of me. "I don't care about the curse. I care about you and I swear, I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you."
The way he said it, low, dangerous, certain sent a shiver through me. But it didn't erase the fear crawling under my skin.
"Then what do we do now?" I asked quietly.
Grey glanced at the body on the floor. "We find out who sent him and we make them regret it."
"By torturing more people?" I asked.
He looked at me sharply. "By protecting you. Whatever it takes."
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him I didn't want people dying because of me but I couldn't make the words come out. Not when I could still feel the assassin's hands on my throat.