1. Raiden

RAIDEN

My fingers tingle the way they always do when I know I'm going to do something rash and possibly stupid. My usual collected and calculated manner disappears into the thick of night, leaving me to crawl from the derelict depths with my own blood, sweat, and tears fueling me.

Only this time, as the world unravels before me, I'm not making the decision for myself.

Standing, my seat at the table is long forgotten while Brody and Kryll remain in their spots with a silent Janie, who is blinking up at her alpha like he's going to tear her throat out. He just might if that snarl on his face is anything to go by.

The moon party seems to have found the highlight of its entertainment, and I'm not the least bit surprised that it involves the lowly fae that continues to survive in such settings. What puzzles me most is the fact that I can't seem to turn away.

I blink, my eyelids shuttering in slow motion as I hear the treacherous words swirl around the trees, gathering us in and holding us captive.

"I've sliced the ears of a Fae before." … "A small girl." … "Not just any small girl…you."

"Me." The word is barely more than a whisper from Addi's lips.

I frown, noting the horror on her face as a sickly feeling ripples down my spine. I knew the leader of the Kenner pack was insane, but this is something else entirely. He's ruthless to the core. In another setting, it might be inspiring, but the way my muscles bunch together tells me that's not what my subconscious is taking away from this little speech.

"Somebody spell it out for me." Cassian's growl pisses me off. He knows his father better than anyone, or maybe not, considering the truth seeping into the night air around us, but he should know better. He wants to hear it said out loud because he refuses to believe the weight behind the words. Words that have his father beaming with pride, a salacious grin splitting across his face.

Maybe Cassian should just put the girl down so we can see what she can do. The stiffness to her arms, the coiling of her fists, it's a little exciting. She'll fail against Kenner, but watching her direct her rage is a source of entertainment I'm growing fond of.

As if sensing my thoughts, Addi growls. "Let go of me, Cassian. He needs to pay." Her green eyes narrow at Kenner. "What you did to my sister…" Her pain is thick and her heartache is true. I can feel it in the air, echoing in my ears like my own pulse.

"Ah, little Nora, right? Was that her name? I can't remember."

Hmm, a sister? Two of these maniacal handfuls? Please tell me there's not. One of her is more than this world can handle.

"She was just a baby."

My head tilts at Addi as she spits the words out. Her ears have been an unusual feature this entire time, and learning who is the cause of her sliced tips is doing something to my chest. My jaw clenches and I internally berate myself. I just ridiculed Cassian for not paying close attention, yet it slowly washes over me that it didn't just happen yesterday; it happened when she was small—her sister seemingly even smaller.

I don't like that.

I don't like that at all.

"How is she?" I'm certain Kenner can't smile any wider, but he makes a liar out of me by tipping his smile up another inch.

"Alive, no thanks to you."

Alive? What did this fucker do?

I peer at Brody and Kryll out of the corner of my eye, intrigued to see how they're reacting to all of this. It's no surprise to find their jaws slack and nostrils flared. It seems an attachment is growing to the irritating little fae among all of them.

"How are her legs?" Kenner is having too much fun. Way too much fun.

"What the fuck is going on?" Cassian repeats, ignoring the growing audience as he snarls like a pup having a tantrum over his favorite toy. I'd say that's all this is, but a ball of anger at the revelations falling around us is continuing to expand through even my veins.

A cry echoes from behind Kenner, drawing his attention away from the little fae, leaving trouble in her wake. Dalton, his right-hand man and keeper of secrets, parts the gathered crowd, pulling along a woman.

The woman in question looks tired and worn, her eyes darting around frantically like she hasn't seen so many faces all at once in a long time. She's not concerned about any of us though, just one person in particular. I catch a flash of her green eyes and my chest tightens.

Her lips part and she half sobs a single name from her lips. "Adrianna."

Murmurs echo among the gathered wolves and I speak the words on everyone's lips.

"Is that Queen Reagan?"

I regret them the moment they leave my mouth when I realize I played straight into Kenner's hands. "That's right, everyone. Please gather ‘round and meet Queen Reagan." His gaze isn't on the fallen queen, though. No, he's settling in on the troublesome fae with wide green eyes and a jaw so tight she could cut through steel. "And Adrianna Reagan, daughter of King and Queen Reagan, the fallen king and ruiner of the fae origin. Which makes her the rightful yet despised heir to the kingdom."

Gasps ring throughout the crowd, holding everyone captive as they piece together the slivers of information Kenner provides. The queen bows her head, a single tear tracking down her face. Cassian's hold on the little troublemaker slackens, but he doesn't release her completely. If he did, I'm certain she would fall on the spot, lost to the truth, bringing her mother to her knees.

It seems there's a lot we don't know about the wicked fae whose lowly life just became a tad more interesting. She holds me captive, but movement to her left catches my attention.

Dalton.

He's no longer hovering by the queen like the good little lap dog he is. He's inching toward the named princess.

My lips purse, my fingers flex, and the rash and uncalculated side of me takes over before I can even consider my next breath.

Putting one foot in front of the other, I quickly eliminate the distance between Cassian and me, retrieving the little doll from his grasp before he can even fathom what's happening.

And before I can think better of it…I run.