Chapter 69. Blood on the Snow

Lotus’s POV

The arrow hits the far wall, scattering sparks across the marble. Screams echo through the Great Hall. The music dies in a single discordant note. For one long heartbeat, the world stands still.

Then everything explodes.

Guards surge forward, lycans shift mid-run, claws raking against the floor as they form a protective ring around the dais. Levi pushes me behind him, already half-shifted, his eyes glowing silver. Louis grabs my hand, but I can barely feel it through the roar in my ears.

More arrows. Shards of glass rain from the ceiling like ice daggers, clattering across the floor.

“Protect the Luna!” someone shouts.

“Seal the gates!” another voice cries.

Lennox’s command cuts through the chaos. “Form ranks! Nobody touches her!”

But before the soldiers can obey, the torches flicker. The air thickens, a pulse of power so heavy it snuffs out sound. Every breath turns to frost.

The doors at the end of the hall s