Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Kitana Pov

"Move away from the door, or your heads will roll on the floor. No matter what happens, my father dies today, and I’ll make sure of it."

I gripped my sword tightly, stepping over the corpses scatter across the hallway. Dozens of guards lay lifeless behind me, all killed by my blade. Only two remained, blocking the entrance to my father's room. They didn't speak. They just drew their weapons, standing their ground.

I lunged forward. In a flash of steel, both guards collapsed onto the cold floor, dead before they hit the ground.

I kicked the door open. My father sat relaxed on his throne, sipping from a glass. He didn't even flinch at the sight of my blood-stained sword.

"So, you decided to play tonight, my daughter?" He set his glass down, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. "Look at you. Still weak, but maybe a little less useless than before."

My blood boiled. "You monster! You let Mother die! She was sick for four months, and you never once visited her! What did you do instead? You brought another woman into your bed while the woman who stood by you when you had nothing was dying alone!" Tears burned my eyes, but I forced my voice to stay steady. "She didn't just die from sickness—she died from a broken heart watching you treat her like garbage!"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Fine. Say I killed your mother. What are you going to do about it? I married her, I got bored, and I moved on. I am the Alpha. I can do whatever I want."

"You are not fit to be Alpha," I spat, taking a step toward him. "That’s why I’m going to kill you and take your place."

He scoffed, his eyes cold with mockery. "A woman as Alpha? Never. Women are weak. You belong in the kitchen and in a man's bed—nothing more. I’ll forgive your foolishness tonight because women are naturally foolish, so turn around now before you make a mistake you can't fix."

"Just because you have a small piece of flesh between your legs that you stick into any hole you find doesn't make you wise," I hissed, raising my blade. "You are the most useless male alive. You always look down on women, but I am ending that tonight. Any last words?"

He set his bottle down on the arm of his throne and smirked. "Fine. Come at me."

"With pleasure," I growled.

I charged at him full speed, but right as I got close, my whole body froze. A sharp, burning pain ripped through my chest.

I looked down in shock. Two arrow tips poked out from the front of my chest, shot straight through my back. Black veins began spreading across my skin. Wolfsbane. The poison hit my bloodstream instantly, paralyzing my muscles and robbing me of my strength.

I forced my head around. Two guards stood at the doorway with bows drawn. Thwack! Thwack! Two more arrows slammed straight into my stomach.

My knees buckled. I fell to the floor, gasping for air as the poison burned through me like fire.

My father slowly stepped down from his throne. He started clapping, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Wow, daughter. Nice try. I must say, that was impressive. Fierce and fearless—just like your father."

"I am nothing like you," I choked out, blood dripping from my lips.

"No, you are wrong, Kitana. You are everything like me," he said, stepping closer. "You are determined. You train harder than the males. You don't forgive, and you hit back with interest. But you have one giant flaw, daughter. You are a woman, and that makes you weak."

He bent down, picked up my fallen sword, and pointed the tip at my throat. "I'm sorry, daughter, but you made a mistake, and every choice has consequences. Remember, I gave you a chance."

He raised the sword high into the air. "So, I, Alpha Ragnar, sentence you, Kitana Ragnar, to death. I wish it didn't end like this."

I coughed up a mouthful of blood and whispered, "Who decided that?"

He froze, frowning. "What?"

"Who decided... I'm going to die today?!"

Before he could react, I grabbed one of the arrow shafts sticking out of my chest, snapped the wooden end off with the last burst of strength I had, and jammed the poisoned tip deep into his leg!

He roared in agony, dropping the sword and stumbling backward.

I didn't waste a single second. I threw my body toward the large glass window at the far end of the room.

"Get her! Kill her!" my father screamed behind me.

I smashed through t

he glass and plummeted into the pitch-black darkness below.