VALERIA

It hurt. It hurt so much, like I had shoved my fingers into a burning oven.

And honestly, they looked just like that—bleeding and scorched.

"She's not the one. That idiot girl messed up again! We shouldn't have trusted her to handle this properly!" the vampire growled in frustration, kicking a chair aside.

Then, as if realizing his outburst, he calmed himself, carefully returning the stone to its box.

"We can’t stay here any longer. The Lycan King was sniffing around that pack, and it’s