The Royal Sanctum, once a place of healing and quiet whispers, was transformed into a slaughterhouse of stone and shadow within seconds. The air, heavy with the scent of metallic blood and ozone, curdled as a sound erupted from the bed—a sound that did not belong in the world of men. It was a visceral, bone-deep roar that vibrated through the floorboards, shattering the remaining crystal decanters on the side tables.
Kaelen—the poised, elegant Prince of the Moon—was gone. In his place was a nightmare of silver fur and crimson eyes. The Black Sun blood Gwen had sacrificed had saved his life, but Viper's necrotic poison had achieved its final, cruel purpose: it had dissolved the thin, civilized veil between the man and the beast. The shifter's mind had collapsed into the primal abyss.
