Chapter 2

Aldric recovered fast. Predators always do.

"Guards," he said, his voice dropping into that low, commanding register that made lesser vampires kneel. "Escort Sera to her quarters. She's clearly... overwhelmed."

Two armored guards stepped forward.

I didn't move.

"Touch me," I said, locking eyes with the nearest guard, "and I'll break every bone in your hand before you feel the first one snap."

He stopped.

They all knew what I was capable of. Every guard in this castle had trained under me. Every soldier in Aldric's army had watched me tear through enemies twice my size.

"Sera." Aldric's tone hardened. "Don't make this worse."

"Worse?" I laughed — a hollow, razor-edged sound. "You voided our bond in front of three hundred witnesses. How exactly do I make that worse?"

Before he could answer, his hand went to his temple.

The mind-link.

His expression shifted instantly — hard lines melting into something soft, something tender.

Vivienne.

"What is it, love?" he murmured.

I couldn't hear her words, but I could read his face like a book I'd memorized.

"Of course," he said gently. "I'll announce it tonight. The full transfer of military command."

My blood went cold.

"You're giving her my army?"

Aldric closed the link and looked at me with something almost like pity. "Vivienne will oversee all military operations going forward. She has a... softer approach. The soldiers need that."

"The soldiers need a commander who can keep them alive!"

"And they'll have one. Just not you."

He turned his back on me and walked toward Vivienne, who was waiting at the edge of the throne room with her perfect posture and her stolen crown.

I watched them leave together.

Then I went to my quarters.

My hands were shaking — not from fear, not from sadness, but from a rage so pure it felt like silver fire in my veins.

I opened my tablet and checked the kingdom's internal network.

The notifications were already stacking up.

[System Alert: Your access to the War Council has been revoked.]

[System Alert: Your access to the Intelligence Network has been revoked.]

[System Alert: Your command credentials have been deactivated.]

Six years of work. Erased in minutes.

I switched to the public feed. The top trending post:

"Queen Vivienne: A New Dawn for the Crimson Court"

The comments were filled with praise from Aldric's loyalists.

"Finally, a queen with grace and elegance."

"The court needs refinement, not a wolf in silk."

"Vivienne's purity is exactly what this kingdom deserves."

I scrolled further. A few dissenting voices were buried beneath the flood:

"What about Commander Sera? She's the reason we're alive!"

"This is insane. Vivienne can't even hold a sword."

Those comments were being deleted in real time.

Someone was scrubbing the narrative clean.

My phone buzzed. A private message from Aldric:

"Accept this gracefully, Sera. You were a good soldier. Don't ruin that legacy by being bitter."

A good soldier.

Six years of love, loyalty, and sacrifice — and that was all I was to him.

A good soldier.

I typed my reply and posted it directly to the public feed:

"A king who mistakes obedience for love will lose both."

I hit send.

The network crashed within thirty seconds.