Darius's POV
I didn't make it far from the house. My scars were too deep, my strength fading too fast. The clearing where I fell was peaceful at least—a small mercy as I lay dying.
Blood soaked through my shirt where the Queen had stabbed me. Her leaving gift when she realized I was going to warn them.
"You'll die slowly," she had promised, turning the blade. "Long enough to feel every second of your betrayal."
She was right about that. Each breath hurt worse than the last.
I dragged myself to the base of an old oak tree. Funny how beautiful everything looked when you knew you wouldn't see it again. The leaves above me danced in the wind. The sky was darkening unnaturally—the Queen's fake Blood Moon coming early.
I had played my part. Warned Kieran and the others. Maybe that would make up for some of what I'd done.
Not all of it, though. Nothing could erase those mistakes.
"Well, well. The mighty Beta of the Shadowfang Pack, dying alone in the dirt."
