Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Sandra’s Warning

Kira stepped out of the bathroom stall, her legs feeling like lead. Every step back towards the backstage area was a struggle against the heat still burning under her skin.

She needed to find Jessica. She needed to find a way to stop the bleeding of this event before there was no one left in the hall.

However, as she pushed through the curtains of the backstage vanity room, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Sandra was there. She was leaning casually against the vanity, her arms crossed over the front of a flashy designer dress. She was staring at her own reflection, but her eyes shifted the moment Kira entered.

A smug smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she watched Kira through the mirror.

"Hello, Your Highness," Sandra said. Her voice carried that particular lilt, friendly on the surface and mocking underneath. "Everything alright? You look a bit... pale."

The grief and exhaustion Kira had been carrying out of that bathroom stall evaporated. What replaced it was a defensive spike of anger. It flared up, hot and sharp.

She did not have time for Sandra’s games, not when her world was crumbling just a few yards away.

"What are you doing here, Sandra?"

Sandra scoffed and turned around to face her fully. Then, she reached into her clutch, pulled out a tube of lipstick, uncapped it and began applying it slowly.

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Sandra asked. She pressed her lips together, checking the result in the mirror. "You sent invitations to almost every pack in the region, dangling the mighty Wolfe name like bait. Of course I came. I wouldn’t miss watching you fail so spectacularly."

Kira’s jaw tightened so much it ached. She felt the sting of those words because they were true—the event was failing, and she was the one standing in the wreckage.

She turned on her heel, ready to walk out.

"I do not have the time for you or your stupid games, Sandra," Kira threw over her shoulder.

"Wait."

Something in Sandra’s voice made Kira’s hand pause on the fabric. The mockery was gone. What was left behind it was quieter, and somehow that was worse.

But she did not turn around. She pulled the curtain an inch.

"I didn’t come here to start trouble." Sandra’s voice dropped. "I have something to tell you."

Kira did not want to turn around. Every instinct screamed at her to keep walking, to find Jessica and face the mess waiting in the auditorium. But the heavy silence pulled at her. Slowly, she looked back over her shoulder.

Sandra was watching her with an expression that Kira had never seen on her face before. It was not smug, and it was not angry. It was almost pitying.

"I’m only going to say this once," Sandra said, stepping away from the vanity. The distance between them shrank. "I know you think I’m the enemy because of my history with Derek. But you’re playing a game you don’t even fully understand yet."

Kira frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Sandra’s eyes flicked toward the curtain, quick and careful, checking it the way people checked over their shoulders when they were not sure who was listening. Then she looked back at Kira and lowered her voice further.

"Watch your back at Dravengard," she said. "And watch the people inside that palace even closer. They are not what they seem to be, Kira."

Kira felt a chill wash over her that had nothing to do with the air conditioning in the room.

She stared at Sandra at first, unable to utter a single word. Her mind raced, trying to find the lie, trying to find the trick, but Sandra’s eyes remained serious.

Do not trust anyone.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify