Chapter 6 6

Kaelen POV

"Save him."

The command hung in the sterile air, heavy with the terrifying weight of a Lycan King who had just shed his disguise. I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my survival instincts to override the shock paralyzing my limbs. There was no room for hesitation. Not with Damian Graves watching me with eyes as dark and sharp as the blade in my hand.

I turned back to the massive four-poster bed. My mother's notes flashed behind my eyes, a desperate lifeline pulled from the depths of my memory. *Silver doesn't just poison; it binds. It wraps around the Inner Wolf like a parasitic vine, suffocating the soul. Only obsidian can sever the connection without tearing the wolf apart.*

I moved to the foot of the bed, my muddy boots silent against the hardwood floor. Damian didn't move, but his gaze was a physical weight against my skin-a silent, suffocating promise that if I failed, I wouldn't leave this room alive.

I found what I was looking for near the arch of Alistair's pale foot: a swollen, pitch-black energy node where the toxin had pooled. Taking a steadying breath, I pressed the volcanic glass into the flesh and pulled.

Thick, sludgy blood oozed from the incision. It didn't look like blood at all; it was dark as tar, carrying the acrid, burning stench of pure silver.

Almost instantly, the frantic, high-pitched blaring of the heart monitor shifted. The erratic red spikes began to smooth out, dropping into a slow, rhythmic green pulse.

*Bang.*

The heavy oak doors crashed open, shattering the fragile silence. Dr. Sterling burst into the room, her face twisted in a mask of hysterical fury. Flanking her were three fully armed Pack Warriors, their assault rifles raised.

"She slit his veins!" Dr. Sterling shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at the black puddle forming on the silk sheets. "She's murdering the Elder! Shoot her!"

The Warriors snarled. The heavy scent of their Elder's blood hit their senses, agitating their inner wolves into a protective frenzy. Their eyes flashed a dangerous, feral gold. The lead Warrior lunged forward, his massive hand reaching to snap my neck.

I didn't even have time to raise my blade.

Damian didn't shout. He didn't even fully step into the Warrior's path. He merely shifted his stance, his obsidian eyes narrowing into slits. A suffocating wave of pure, unadulterated Lycan dominance slammed into the room like a physical shockwave.

The air turned to lead. The lead Warrior froze mid-stride, his knees buckling instantly under the sheer, crushing pressure of his true Alpha. The other two dropped their weapons, their hands flying to their throats as they gasped for air, forced into absolute submission.

Before Dr. Sterling could open her mouth to scream again, a low, bone-rattling growl vibrated from the bed.

Alistair Graves opened his eyes.

The terrifying black veins mapping his neck were already receding, sinking back beneath his skin. He looked weak, his chest heaving with the effort of drawing a clean breath, but the eyes that locked onto the doorway burned with the ancient, terrifying authority of a former Lycan King.

He ignored the kneeling Warriors. He ignored Damian. His piercing gaze pinned Dr. Sterling to the floor.

"Shut up, human," Alistair rasped, his voice like grinding stones.

The room fell dead silent. Dr. Sterling's mouth snapped shut. All the color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a hollowed-out ghost. Her medical authority, her pride, her entire existence in this pack had just been obliterated by four words.

I didn't look at her. I calmly picked up a sterile gauze pad from the overturned medical cart and wiped the black sludge from my obsidian blade. I slid the weapon back into my boot, the click of the sheath echoing loudly in the quiet room.

When I finally looked up, Damian was staring at me. The cold calculation that usually masked his features was gone. In its place was a terrifying, absolute certainty. He had seen exactly what I was capable of, and I knew, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that he was never going to let me go.