Chapter 59. Wolves of the Flame

The one-hour clock given by Regent Lyra started the moment Kade and Aria cleared the heavy iron doors of the subterranean Blood Court. They emerged not into open air, but into the deepest, forgotten level of the old Moon Court campus. It was a labyrinth of maintenance tunnels and magically reinforced basements that Kade knew better than his own heartbeat.

The air was heavy, not just with the chill of underground stone, but with the suffocating weight of being Anathema. The curse wasn't a spell; it was a state of being—a designation that marked them as magically infectious, enemies of all structured life. Every protective ward, every security sigil, every friendly face they had ever known was now legally bound to destroy them.

They didn't speak. There was no need. Their bond was a constant, low-frequency hum of shared panic and defiant resolve. Aria felt Kade’s controlled fury, a cold, Silver edge honed by the betrayal of his own people. Kade felt Aria’s simmeri