Aria's heart hammered as she stared at the bleeding claw marks.
Someone was stuck inside the castle. Or worse— someone was trying to escape something terrible.
"Liana," she whispered, but when she turned around, Liana was already pushing open the heavy wooden door.
"Come on," Liana called happily. "Everyone's waiting for you inside."
The door creaked open. Darkness swallowed the opening like a hungry mouth. Aria's Moon Wolf senses screamed danger, but Caden was already moving forward.
"Wait," Aria grabbed his arm. "Something's wrong."
"I know," he breathed. "But we need to see what she's planning."
They stepped inside. The hallway stretched ahead of them, lit by flickering flames that cast dancing shadows on the stone walls. Their footsteps echoed weirdly, like they were walking through a tomb.
"The council chamber is just ahead," Liana said, her voice too bright. "Alpha Magnus is waiting with the others."
