"Because," ric said softly, "this happened on your watch."


    Kieran opened his mouth to protest.


    ric did not give him the chance.


    “You created a climate," ric continued evenly. "You fed lies to people who were already desperate to believe them. You encouraged paranoia. You let hatred masquerade as loyalty. And now someone felt bold enough to test how far they could go."


    "That wasn''t my intention-"


    "Intentions are luxuries," ric cut in. "Oues are what matter."


    Kieran''s hands clenched at his sides. "I can''t control every fanatic who supports me."


    "No," ric agreed. "But you can control what you allow to grow in your name. And you can control who you allow close to you."


    Kieran froze. His skin prickled and goosebumps rose. There should be no way for ric to know about his ties to Felicity, but what else could his words mean?


    Before he could think of a reply, ric spoke again.


    "You took in that traitor thinking that she would give you an edge against Nn, that because of her insider knowledge you could use her as another pawn in your game You befriended a devil."


    Kieran shook his head. "This is insane. Nn''s enemies are legion. How do you know this wasn''t one of his?"


    ric''s gaze sharpened, something lethal flickering beneath the calm.


    “Because,” he said quietly, "the message was not meant for Nn."


    Kieran stiffened. "What message?"


    ric leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper.


    "My daughter was warned."


    Kieran''s breath caught. Messenger of the goddess, it shed through his mind like an rm. He felt his breath stutter out. "Warned of what?"


    ric straightened.


    "You do not need to know," he said. "You need to understand whates next."


    Kieran bristled. "You can''t just storm into my quarters and issue threats. I''m still an alpha and a candidate-"


    ric moved faster than thought.


    His fist drove into the wall beside Kieran''s head with devastating force. Stone cracked. ster exploded outward. The reinforced interior wall buckled, caving inward with a violent crack that echoed through the suite.


    The shockwave rattled ss and sent amp crashing to the floor.


    Kieran shouted, stumbling back as debris scattered across the carpet. The blow was


    more than physical, the air crackled with the snap of magic.


    ric did not flinch.


    +25 Bonus


    His knuckles bled slightly. He did not look at them.


    He looked only at Kieran.


    The silence afterward was suffocating.


    "You will fix this," ric said, his voice still quiet-but now edged with something unmistakably dangerous. You will find out who thought they could reach my family. You will dismantle whatever rot you allowed to fester around you.”


    Kieran''s chest heaved. His face had gone pale.


    "And if I can''t?" he asked hoarsely.


    ric''s eyes burned.


    "Then I will,” he said. "And you will wish you had never se eyes on my daughter."


    The words were not shouted.


    They did not need to be.


    Kieran felt them settle into his bones, heavy and inescapable.


    "I didn''t order this," Kieran said again, weaker now. "I swear it. I wouldn''t hurt Ellie,


    not intentionally. I know that you don''t believe this, but I truly care for her."


    "Then prove it," ric replied.


    He stepped back, the pressure lifting just enough for Kiera to breathe again.


    "This is your only warning," ric said. "I do not care about your crown. I do not care about your legacy. I care about one thing, and one thing only."


    He turned toward the door.


    "I understand," Kieran said softly, his voice shaking.


    "If anything like this happens again," ric said without looking back, "there will be


    no conversation. No threats. No chances to fix it."


    The door opened.


    Kieran stood frozen, staring at the ruin in his wall, his heart still hammering in his chest.


    ric paused once more, just long enough to deliver the final blow.


    "Choose carefully," he said. "Because you have already bee weighed and found wanting."


    Then he was gone.


    The suite felt cavernous in his absence.


    Kieran sank slowly onto the edge of the table, his hands shaking despite his efforts to still them.


    He stared at the shattered wall, at the blood smeared faintly against pale stone.


    For the first time since the campaign began, the enormity of what he was entangled


    in settled fully over him.


    This was no longer a political contest.


    It was a reckoning.