#Chapter 169 – Shifted Loyalties

Ronan I’d spent enough years here to know he palace’s rhythm; the rhythm of boots on patrol, the faint scrape of servants moving through lower halls, the way torches sputtered when drafts slipped between the stones. Tonight, I wasn’t listening to the rhythm to do something I never thought I was capable of. My boots barely touched the flagstones, weight pitched forward as if I were stalking an enemy camp. My pulse kept time in my throat, steady and even. This wasn’t a mission or duty. It was the highest betrayal. The word caught under my ribs. I forced my face into its cold neutral state, the soldier’s mask I’d worn for years. Calm on the surface, a storm underneath. My wolf prowled inside, restless and uneasy. This was Damon’s palace. Damon’s halls. And here I was, threading through them with the intent to steal from the man I’d sworn to protect with my life. But I’m not doing this for me. The thought came sharp, almost pleading. I’m doing it for her. Lila’s fac