A shuddering breath left her lips. ‘You're a...’

‘A warlock.’ His smirk sharpened.

Alina twisted to the side and vomited. The contents of her stomach spilt onto the polished floor, bile rising as reality crushed her. Hagan merely watched, unconcerned, his laughter filling the space like a hammer against glass, shattering what little was left of her composure.

She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her gown, the world spinning.

‘But you're half drakonian,’ she rasped, her mind clawing for logic, for something solid to ground herself in.

The moment the words left her lips, Hagan’s smile vanished, replaced by something raw and snarling.

‘Shut up,’ he hissed, his entire body taut with rage. ‘I amnotdrakonian. That filth of a man will never be anything but the cursed thing that blessed my mother the means to bring me into this world.’

Alina swallowed, trying to steady herself. ‘I'm sorry that happened to you.’

Hagan’s lips curled in amusement. ‘No, you’re not.’ He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. ‘See, that’s the thing, Alina. I grew up with you. I know when you’re lying.’

His movements were too fast. He pushed off the table, striding towards her with effortless menace.

Alina stood and staggered back, her instincts screaming at her to run.

She didn’t make it two steps.

His hand snapped around her throat.

She gasped as he shoved her back into the chair, the grip firm but not yet crushing. Just a warning. A promise.

‘What do you want?’ she rasped.

Hisfingers tightened, just enough for her breath to hitch. ‘To see you suffer, Alina.’ His voice was low, rich with cruelty. ‘That’s all I’ve ever wanted. To see you and Ash suffer. I have dreamt of this moment my entire life. I have imagined it in a hundred different ways. How I would finally get to break you. How I would make you pay for what was taken from me. My kingdom, my home.’

His hand uncurled, and Alina sucked in a sharp breath, her chest burning.

‘That was a long time ago,’ she croaked.

Hagan’s control shattered. ‘Have you tried fixing it?’ he roared, his face inches from hers. ‘No. You all sit in your pretty palaces, laughing, ensuring the witches never regain power. And why?’ His grip dug into the arms of her chair, his knuckles whitening. ‘Because you all know the truth. You know how powerful we are. You know what you did. The seven kingdoms tremble at the thought of us rising again.’

Alina shook her head, her voice breaking. ‘Hagan, I had nothing to do with it.’

His expression twisted in disgust. ‘Do not start, Alina. I cannot stand that pathetic look on your face.’ His breath came heavy, uneven. ‘Your ancestor—Princess Aithne Acheron—is the reason we are here today. Because of her father, who resented the witches for breaking an oath marriage. Because of him, my people lost everything. So do not sit there and tell me you had nothing to do with it.’ Alina flinched as his voice broke into a snarl. ‘Your bloodline is the very reason I do not have a home.’

‘Hagan—’

‘Shut up.’

He seized her arm in a brutal grip,yanking her from the chair with the force of a storm tearing through a fragile branch. The floor met her with a punishing crack, her breath leaving her lungs in a startled gasp. Before she could scramble away, he was on her, his weight pressing down like an unmovable force, trapping her beneath him.

The gleam of steel caught the dim light, and Alina’s pulse stilled in terror. The dagger was in his hand. What was he going to do?

With a vicious yank, he tore the veil from her head, his fingers digging into her face, squeezing until she swore her bones might crack beneath the pressure. His breath was warm, cruel against her skin.

‘Do not move, Alina. The more you squirm, the more this will hurt.’

Her body trembled, panic sinking its claws into her chest. She struggled against him, desperate to see where the dagger was, what he intended—but his hold was merciless, his body a prison of iron above her. She could not move. She could not escape.

‘What are you doing?’ Her voice wavered with the taste of terror. She kicked, writhed, fought against him with everything she had. ‘Hagan, please—please, stop! Don’t—whatever you’re about to do—’

The pain struck like a lightning bolt, blinding, merciless,unforgiving.