Chapter 310

• Carmen’s blade gleamed darkly beneath the dim light, its edge hovering over Dean Elira Blackthorn’s chest. Blood already slicked her clothes, pooling on the floor, but still Elira’s trembling lips clung to life through words.
• “I’ll give you two choices,” Carmen growled, her voice low, trembling with the force of her fury. “One—tell me exactly where Riley’s daughter is, and I will grant you a swift death. Two—you refuse, and I’ll carve your body apart the way I carved Caden’s. Even if you never speak, it won’t matter. If I tell Lucien Duskgrave, the Alpha Prince of Stormridge, he’ll find the child no matter how deep you bury her.”
• The dean’s gaze wavered, trapped between terror and the primal instinct to cling to life. She trembled, lips moving soundlessly before she rasped out, “If I tell you… you’ll really spare me?”