Midnight Queen's POV
Finally. After decades of planning, centuries of waiting, the moment had come.
I hovered above the old ruins, watching my shadow wolves tear through the pitiful defenses below. The vampire prince, Caius, had brought his troops. The cursed alpha, Kieran, had gathered his pack. And the Phantom Wolf, Ronan, stood guard over my daughter.
Such loyalty. Such wasted work.
None of them understood what was truly happening here. None of them could see the bigger picture that I had been working toward for longer than any of them had been alive.
"My Queen," Darius called up to me, blood dripping from his mouth after his fight with Kieran. "The perimeter is secure. We're ready for the next phase."
I smiled down at my trusty spy. He had served me well, infiltrating Kieran's pack, giving me information about my daughter's every move.
"Well done," I said. "Begin the ritual preparations."
