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 only a matter of time before he finds us," he declared.

"We still don’t know where this woman came from. She seems insignificant. The Alpha’s daughter died without revealing much. The specter appeared, drawn by the special blood."

I felt a small wave of relief.

They didn’t know I was Aldric’s personal maid—otherwise, I’d have zero chance of survival.

What was this "special blood" they kept mentioning? I had no idea.

"Should we kill her?"

"No. Heal her hand and squeeze some coin out of her. Sell