Chapter 245

Howl…

The howls came first.

They rolled over the hills like thunder — low, mocking, hungry.

Hundreds of them.

Each one carried a message I could feel in my bones.

The King is weak.

The throne is open.

The De Lucas are finished.

I stood by the window, watching the moon climb through the clouds — red and swollen like a wound.

The air was cold enough to bite, but I didn’t move.

Behind me, Dante still