"Ouch!" Emma froze when she saw Corvin tumble in and sprawl across the floor. For a heartbeat, the air in the palace went utterly still. Emma blinked, then snapped, "Corvin, were you eavesdropping?" Caught red-handed, Corvin panicked. His mind went blank. Instinct took over. He sprang to his feet, didn't even dust himself off, and waved his hands like a madman. "Emma, don't get me wrong! I swear I wasn't eavesdropping!" His face turned bright red, eyes darting everywhere as he fumbled for an excuse. "I was—uh—I was looking for you! To ask where we're hanging out this afternoon! Yeah, that's it!" Desperate to sell the lie, he jabbed a trembling finger toward the door. "Silas and Edric came too! They can vouch for me!" Outside the door, Silas and Edric, who'd been tiptoeing away, froze mid-step. They turned at once. Their eyes, sharp as blades, sliced through the door crack and pinned Corvin like daggers to the back. Traitor. With their escape cut off, Silas pasted on a spring-breeze smile and glided inside, every inch the picture of calm elegance. "Emma," he said, his voice smooth and honey-soft, "don't listen to Corvin's nonsense. We just got here. Didn't hear a thing." Edric followed quickly, nodding hard. "Emma, we really just arrived. Didn't hear a word." "Yeah, yeah!" Corvin seized the lifeline and echoed frantically. "We just got here! We just did!" Somehow, the tiny cub perched on Silas's head had woken up. Delighted by Corvin's frantic tone, the cub copied him, piping in with a sweet, childish voice, "Yeah, yeah! Mommy, we really just got here." Relief flooded Corvin, Silas, and Edric's faces. They'd found the perfect witness. After all, cubs don't lie. Then the cub delivered the finishing blow. "We only heard Lucien say he won't dare again." No one dared to say a word. The air inside the palace was instantly sucked dry. All color drained from Corvin's face; his mouth hung open in a perfect O, wide enough to fit an egg. Silas's flawless, gentle smile cracked like porcelain. The corner of his mouth twitched twice. Edric's stoic face twitched too, his body locking up like a statue about to shatter. And Lucien, standing off to the side, was black with fury, his expression dark enough to drip ink. All the tenderness and lingering fear he'd felt moments ago for Emma combusted into pure rage. His most humiliating, pitiful moment was heard loud and clear by these three idiots.He ground his teeth, glaring at Corvin, Silas, and Edric, eyes saying plainly, "You're dead." Emma nearly burst out laughing at the cub's divine timing. She smothered the grin, her gaze sweeping over the three with amused judgment. Then she walked over to Lucien, rose on her toes, and whispered against his ear, "They're yours." If you eavesdrop, you pay the price. And Lucien is far less merciful than I am. She winked at him, turned, and strode off with calm, collected menace—headed for her next target, Marcus. Bang. The palace doors shut behind her with a soft thud. Inside, silence fell like a death sentence. Corvin, Silas, and Edric turned slowly, stiff as boards, to face Lucien. Lucien's expression was calm, but the fire in his eyes swirled with a terrifying quiet before the storm. He flexed his wrist. The sound of his knuckles echoed through the hall."We…" His voice was soft but carried the weight of doom. "…should have a little chat, don't you think?" Emma stormed across the grounds and kicked open the doors to Marcus' palace. In the center, on a massive bed of cloud-silk, lay a snow-white giant wolf, sprawled belly-down. Its limbs were flopped out, painting the very picture of defeated dignity. His ears drooped. His huge tail gave a half-hearted swish across the bed. Emma's eyes lit up. The noise made Marcus' ears shoot straight up. He saw Emma charging in, fury radiating off her, and flinched. Not knowing what was happening, he instinctively began shifting back to his human form. "Don't move!" Emma's voice rang sharp and commanding. Before Marcus could react, she lunged forward, vaulted onto the bed, and flopped right across his thick, furry back.