The web of enemies was far thicker than I imagined.
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My sister's death wasn't accident. Was murder. Orchestrated by the same people who'd been trying to kill me.
Through the bond, Darius sent steady presence. Grounding me when everything else spun out of control.
"Who ordered it?" I asked, voice barely above whisper. "Who paid her mate to abandon her?"
Adrian looked uncomfortable. "I don't have names. Just heard fragments of conversations. Council members discussing 'necessary measures' to prevent 'unsuitable bloodlines' from gaining influence."
"That's not specific enough."
"It's all I have. The conspiracy runs deeper than I understood. People involved have been planning this for years, maybe generations. Your sister was just one example of how they maintain control."
My wolf snarled. Demanded violence. Demanded revenge for sister I couldn't save. For system that killed her deliberately.
But rage without strategy was useless.
