TO RUIN A KING

Magdalene felt pain wash over her in relentless waves—an icy fire that churned in her veins. She teetered on the edge of consciousness as Maddox carried her through the dense Valecliff woods, one arm under her legs, the other bracing her back. Each step jolted fresh agony through her shoulder, and she bit her lip until her teeth grazed her tongue.

Cassian walked beside them, his blade still dripping, eyes darting into every darkened glade.

"Poison's moving faster," he murmured. "She's on fire."

Maddox didn't respond. His steps didn't falter. "We're close," he promised.

"Where?" she managed to whisper, voice barely there.

Maddox met her gaze, resolve etched on his face. "An old hidden outpost. Only a handful know its location."

She closed her eyes but managed a soft, "Convenient."

He tightened his grip. "You're not dying on me, Magdalene."

That name—so rare on his lips—sent something fragile through her chest. She hated how it soothed her.

They reached an outpost carved into living rock, draped in moss and roots. Faint ancient wards shimmered as Maddox entered, blood recognized by old magic. Inside, the air was crisp. A single brazier ignited with a whispered word, painting the chamber gold. Against the walls, war relics and faded maps leaned like silent sentinels.

Gently, Maddox lay her on a stone slab in the room's heart. He quickly undid her cloak with careful urgency, his hands slightly shaking.

"Cassian," he said, voice sharp, "boil riverroot, get the silver dust."

Cassian didn't hesitate.

Magdalene touched her shoulder. Dark veins snaked down her arm. The poison coursed, fueled by magic she could feel draining in her bones.

Maddox knelt beside her, voice low: "Stay."

Her breath hitched. "You should've let me die."

His gaze hardened. "You can't die angry with me, not tonight."

She managed a brittle laugh. "I've hated you since I was eight."

He said nothing but drew a slender dagger etched with moon crescents. He slit his palm.

"What are you—?"

"Valeblood magic," he murmured. "Only blood of the same line can bind this."

He pressed his palm to the wound on her shoulder.

Pain ripped through her—hot, electric. She screamed. The rune on her collarbone flared wildly, reacting to the venom and the blood magic alike. Maddox bit his lip, gripping her tight.

Her form convulsed; the poison hissed against their combined magic.

Then silence. She collapsed, trembling, as the venom receded.

Maddox staggered upright, blood dripping down his palm. Cassian returned, green-tinted bowl in hand.

"You're both mad," Cassian said softly.

"They'll live," Maddox rasped.

"For now," Cassian replied, grinding the riverroot.

Magdalene blinked, the fog lifting to see Maddox against the stone—a figure caught between relief and dread.

"You saved me."

He looked at her, pain and something unsaid in his eyes. "I couldn't lose you. Again."

She swallowed. "But you already did."

They fell into a charged hush—the smell of smoke, iron, and crushed root thick in the air.

Cassian handed her the bitter brew. She sipped, the fever's grip loosening.

Cassian moved to stand guard. Maddox lowered himself beside her.

"The attack... wasn't random. It was a signal," he said quietly.

Her head tilted. "One of your pack wants me dead."

"No," he corrected. "They want me destroyed."

Her gaze searched his. "Then they know."

"Everything," he admitted. "That assassin… he's a noble-born wolf, bloodsworn to me. He shouldn't have been able to attack a fated mate."

She froze.

"Maddox—"

He sighed, defeated. "Something's broken in the ancient laws."

Her heart thundered at the question left unspoken between them.

"Maddox—ed?"

"I know you'll say it changes nothing. You still want revenge. That trust isn't rebuilt on harm." His voice cracked. "But you can hate me. You can wreck worlds. I'll still be yours."

She rose slowly, muscles protesting. "Please don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because it sounds so true. And I can't handle more truth that splits me in half."

He brushed her jaw, guilt etched into his features. "I thought I was protecting the realm. I didn't realize I was destroying you."

Tears welled. "You let them erase my family."

His head dropped. "I thought it'd stop a war... only delayed it."

She pulled back. "Who else knows I'm alive?"

Cassian answered quietly from the doorway. "Word's out. Markets whisper of the Rivers' ghost."

Maddox looked to her. "There's a bounty. From the Western Court. Any killer of the last Rivers claims their lands."

She drew a sharp breath. "The West once backed my family."

"No longer," he said flatly. "If The Forgotten are stirring, they're behind this."

Cassian stepped forward. "We need allies, not survival."

Magdalene nodded. "I know where to begin."

They turned to her.

"One who remembers the old ways... even the Forgotten feared her."

Maddox's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Her lips curved. "My grandmother."

Cassian's brow rose. "She died in the fire."

Her eyes glittered. "No. She became it."

Before he could speak, thunder cracked outside. Cassian readied his blade. Maddox rose, tension coiled like a spring.

The door burst open.

A silhouette in soaked, dark robes stepped in.

Magdalene's breath caught. She recognized that stride. The scent—charred wood and myrrh.

Familiar.

"Hello, little flame," the woman purred, voice smooth but edged with steel. "Did you really think I'd let you burn this war down alone?"

Magdalene's fingers tightened.

"Grandmother."