Chapter 2

Camille POV:

I skidded to a halt at the base of the ten-foot stone wall.

A curtain of dead ivy hung over the weathered rock—clearly the exact route my two reckless girls had used to scale it.

Beyond the barrier, armored boots crunched against stone. Mail clinked in perfect formation.

Not a casual patrol. The royal vanguard.

I hauled myself up a gnarled old oak leaning against the wall, ignoring the sting of scraped knuckles, and flattened against the ledge, peering through withered branches.

Below, a dozen silver-armored knights had formed a tight ring.

Trapped in the middle were my girls.

Juliette stood with tiny boots planted in front of Adell, slingshot pulled taut, dark eyes glaring up fearlessly at the towering warriors.

Behind her, Adell sniffled quietly, clutching her sister's tunic. Her little iron pot lay forgotten on the cobbles.

"Stay back!" Juliette barked, voice high but bristling with authority. "Don't you dare touch my sister!"

The circle parted.

Diego strode through the mist, draped in a heavy black fur mantle over broad, plated shoulders.

Even from fifteen yards, the suffocating weight of his Alpha presence crashed into me, locking my body up.

Diego narrowed his golden-black eyes, studying the two mud-caked children blocking his path. A deep furrow formed between his brows.

Juliette didn't flinch. She aimed the leather pouch dead center between his eyes.

My heart stopped.

She was aiming straight at the most ruthless warlord on the continent.

Yet Diego made no move to draw steel. He simply stared, a flicker of genuine bewilderment crossing his harsh features.

As though some unseen, primal thread was tugging him toward the tiny girl defying him.

"Insolence!" A guard strode forward, gauntleted hand outstretched. "Where did these rogue runts come from?! Lower your weapon before the Alpha King!"

Snap!

Juliette let loose.

The river stone cracked squarely against the guard's knuckles. He hissed, jerking his hand back.

Diego lifted a single hand, halting the guard mid-draw. His gaze remained locked on Juliette's fierce little face, something unreadable glinting in his eyes.

Then, with startling swiftness, he reached down.

Gripping each by the collar, he hoisted both girls clean off the ground like a pair of scrappy kittens.

"Bad man! Put me DOWN! I want my Mommy!" Adell wailed, kicking frantically.

The second the word 'Mommy' left her lips, the faint intrigue on Diego's face turned to glacial disgust.

He was absolutely convinced he'd watched me swallow that sterilizing draught five years ago. There was no possible way these children could be of royal blood.

"How in the blazes are there pups near the Abandoned Tower?" Diego demanded coldly. "Some filthy rogue must've snuck past the perimeter and bred in the ruins."

"You're the filthy one!" Juliette spat, thrashing wildly.

She twisted in midair, bared her tiny white teeth, and sank them deep into Diego's right wrist.

Diego grunted. The old scar on his wrist split open, a bead of crimson welling around her teeth.

But he didn't drop her.

Instead, a low, dark chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"Sharp teeth for a runt." He wiped the blood away with his thumb, a dangerous glint of amusement dancing in his golden eyes. "You've got the temper of a war wolf."

Up in the tree, my nails dug so deep into the bark they threatened to split.

I could NOT let him take them back to the keep. If they were dragged into the dungeons, they'd be interrogated, restrained, thrown in chains without hesitation.

I slid my hand into my sleeve, curling my fingers around three silver-tipped needles laced with potent paralytic venom. I was fully prepared to leap down.

But Diego suddenly froze.

His head snapped toward the withered oak, predator senses catching the faint rustle of fabric.

I sucked in a breath and went utterly still, pressing flat against the cold stone until my ribs screamed.

"Something wrong, Your Majesty?" the captain asked, hand tightening around his pommel.

Diego stared intently at the swaying branches, jaw clenching tight.

"Change of plans." His voice dropped to a menacing growl. "Carry them straight into the Abandoned Tower. And bring that pot—the little one seems fond of it."

A guard scooped up the iron soup pot from the cobbles, looking faintly ridiculous as he tucked it under one arm alongside his spear.

Ice flooded my veins.

He wasn't taking them to the keep. He was bringing them straight into my sanctuary.

I could not let him see my restored face. I could not let him learn the truth of their birth. Not now.

Slipping down the old oak as fast and silently as I could, I gathered my skirts and sprinted through the overgrown courtyard toward the tower's heavy front entrance.

The second I slipped inside and slammed the inner door shut behind me, panting harshly, the rusted outer gate groaned open with an earsplitting screech.