Inside the chamber, Linda seethed with rage, her body trembling as the weight of her failure settled over her. Her meticulously crafted plan to seduce Casian and claim him as her mate had unraveled before her very eyes.
She had accounted for everything. From altering the suppressant formula Elric had given Casian to ensuring she could slip into his chamber unnoticed that night, every detail had been carefully arranged. Yet despite her efforts, she had been forced to witness the very thing she had fought to prevent, Casian and Lyra, entangled in bed, bare beneath the moonlight.
The image burned in her mind like a cruel brand. Their bodies pressed together, his mark adorning Lyra's neck a symbol of what should have been hers. It struck her like a slap, leaving her feeling betrayed in ways she had never imagined.
