(Catherine POV)
I was pacing my chambers when I heard it—the sound of something heavy hitting the castle's main doors with enough force to rattle stone walls. Not a knock, not even urgent pounding, but the kind of impact that spoke of someone colliding with wood and iron rather than simply requesting entry.
My blood turned to ice water as possibilities flooded my mind. The raised voices I'd overheard, the territorial threats Lucas had mentioned, the way Kieran had disappeared into the night like he was heading toward war rather than simple estate business.
I pressed my ear to my chamber door, listening for sounds that might tell me whether safety or catastrophe waited in the corridors beyond. Footsteps, heavy and uneven, echoed up from the entrance hall. Someone was injured, struggling,
