Carmen exhaled a trembling breath. Her gaze lifted to Duke, her eyes dark with unshed tears. “Duke. For the bond we once shared… protect her. Pleasei./ii” /i

    Duke’s heart roared inside his chest, a storm of grief and rage. “I will. You have my word. Bute with me now. Submit, Carmen, before it’s toote.”

    Carmen’sugh was brittle, tinged with bitterness. “Submit? I’ve spilled too much blood. There’s no path back for me.”

    Her hair whipped across her face in the night wind, eyes shing with the resolve of a wolf that had already chosen death. She raised her de high, silver catching the moonlight like a shard of winter ice.

    The Enforcers shifted their weight, ready to strike. Their orders were clear: if Carmen made one fatal move, they would tear her down.

    Time thickened. The crowd held its breath.

    Then Carmen moved, dagger poised to end the man’s life.

    But before steel could meet flesh, a blur of ck fur exploded across the square. Duke had shifted mid–stride, his wolf massive, his coat dark as obsidian. He crashed into Carmen with devastating force, his weight pinning her to the ground, ws sinking into the dirt on either side of her.

    Carmen’s dagger ttered from her hand. Her eyes widened as Duke’s muzzle pressed close, his snarl not of threat–but of desperation.

    “Stop!” he thundered through the bond. His voice burned in her skull, raw and guttural. “Do you want them to kill you?!”

    She frozei, /ichest heaving beneath his weight. For the first time, Carmen’s fire faltered. Her gaze darted past him to the ring of Enforcers, their weapons raised, their killing intent thick in the air. If she struggled again, they would not hesitate.

    Her lips parted, voice breaking. “Duke… let me go. Don’t chain yourself to my

    fate.”

    “Never,” his wolf growled, his golden eyes burning into hers. “If you keep fighting, they’ll strike you down. I won’t let you throw your life away here.”

    19:44 Mon, 1 Sept

    +20 Free Coins

    The Enforcers surged forward, seizing the moment. Shackles of silverced with wolfsbane were sped around Carmen’s wrists, forcing her wolf to recoil in agony. She gritted her teeth, refusing to make a sound, though the fire in her eyes. dimmed as the toxin bit into her veins.

    The vigers whispered in awe and fear. Some spat curses, others wept, but all knew the Council’s judgment was final. Carmen, once a Ashmoor Elite, was now a captive.

    Duke shifted back to human, sweat dripping down his temples, his chest heaving with exertion. He knelt beside her as the Enforcers hauled her to her feet, silver chains glowing cruelly in the moonlight.

    Her eyes met his onest time. “Don’t waste yourself on me, Duke. My path is already written. Death is all that waits.”

    He shook his head violently, voice cracking with fury and promise. “No. I’ll fight for you. I’ll stand before the Council myself. I’ll tell them why you did this, why you struck down those who wronged Riley and her pup. I’ll seek clemency for you.”

    Her lips curved in a bitter smile, though her eyes shimmered with something softer. “You were always the fool willing to carry my sins.”

    As the Enforcers dragged her toward

    waiting transport, Duke’s voice rang

    across the square, carrying the weight of an oath that could not be broken.

    “I swear, Carmen. I will not abandon you. I’ll make them listen. I’ll see you freed.”

    Carmen’s heart twisted. For the first time that night, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

    And though her body was bound in silver and wolfsbane, though her fatey in the Council’s unforgiving hands, a spark of warmth lit in her chest at his vow.

    The crowd parted as the Enforcers led her away, their chants and murmurs fading into the wind.

    Above them, the moon bore silent witness, its silver gaze steady and unblinking, as though the Moon Goddess herself waited to see if Duke’s promise could rewrite destiny.

    O