I stared down at the stained rocks where my mate's blood had been spilled, a cold fury settling into my bones. The spell's fog had lifted from my mind, leaving only the horrifying clarity of what I'd done—what I'd been manipulated into doing. I'd nearly killed my own warriors while believing I was protecting Seraphina.
In reality, I had done the opposite. I had failed her.
*She's not dead,* Kaelen growled in my mind, clinging to the faint pulse of our bond. *We would know if she was. The bond stretches but doesn't break.*
"I know," I whispered, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. My body had reverted to human form, though the rage inside me was anything but human.
I hoped Ronan and Regina were with her now. The lie they'd told me—that they were taking Seraphina to safety while I fought—had been to protect her. From me. The thought twisted like a knife in my gut, but I forced myself to focus on what mattered now.
