"Get away from her!"
Thane's voice cut through the air like a blade, raw with fury.
Before I could react, he moved—shoving the Lycan King back with every ounce of strength he had. The force barely made the Lycan King stumble, but Thane still planted himself between us, arms spread like a shield.
I gasped. No. No, no, no.
"Thane, don't!" My voice cracked.
He didn't understand.
He didn't know.
It was pointless.
The Lycan King wouldn't hurt me.
But him?
Him, he would kill without hesitation.
I sucked in a breath, reaching for Thane, ready to drag him away, to tell him to run—
But then—
Stab.
The sound was sickening, quiet, like a knife slicing through ripe fruit.
Thane stiffened.
A sharp, strangled gasp left his lips as his body jerked slightly, then froze.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then he coughed.
Wet. Gurgling.
A thick trickle of blood slipped past his lips.
