Urzara's pov
"Your bond feels... strange."
Urzara stood outside the tent, her massive frame tensed like a warrior preparing for battle. But this wasn't an enemy she could face with axe and fury. Through the bond she shared with Arthur, something writhed like a wounded animal—dark, hungry, and utterly wrong.
Inside the tent, Arthur's voice carried desperation she'd never heard before. "Stay back, Urzara. Please. Just... stay back."
The orc queen's tusks gleamed as she bared them in defiance. In thirty-seven years of life, through countless battles and three previous mates, she'd learned one truth above all others: you don't abandon your bonded when they're in pain.
"Like hell," she growled, pushing through the tent flap.
