A Queen Reforged in Ice

We were ambushed—me, my fiancé Cole Griffin, a few of his family's Made Men, and a woman named Bianca Carden.

It happened at an estate deep in the Alps during a secret transaction. The firefight erupted without warning, and I took a bullet for Cole.

The estate was completely cut off by a blizzard; not just the roads, but the signal tower had collapsed under the weight of the snow. And my wound was festering at an alarming rate.

Late at night, I awoke from a raging fever, my body ice-cold to the touch. Shivering, I reached for the first-aid kit, only to find the last of the life-saving, high-potency antibiotics gone. In its place were a few cheap painkillers.

Bianca was nestled in a warm cashmere blanket, completely unscathed, while Cole whispered reassurances to her, clutching the vial of medicine that was supposed to be mine.

I propped myself against the wall and dragged my numb leg toward them, my voice hoarse. "My medicine. Why does she have it?"

He pulled me aside, his eyes cold. "Keep your voice down. Bianca's family is crucial to our alliance. You're a Valeriano; act like one. Don't be so fragile."

I pointed to the wound on my leg, which was starting to turn black. "So because her family is 'crucial,' I'm supposed to rot and die here for the sake of your alliance?"

His brow furrowed. "Cassandra, don't be unreasonable. It's one vial of antibiotics. Try to see the bigger picture."

I laughed, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. This was the man I had loved for three years, the future Don of the Griffin Family.

I didn't say another word. I just crawled back to my corner, grabbed the encrypted satellite phone, and dialed the number I had sworn I would never use again—my brother, Zander, the Don of the Valeriano Family.

"Zander, come get me. The coordinates are… Bring the Cerberus Unit. And remember: other than me, kill everyone."

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1

Before long, the wind outside began to howl like a banshee.

Cole burst in and snatched the encrypted satellite phone from my hand, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You contacted the outside?" he roared. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? Our entire alliance could be ruined! I've bet the Griffin Family's future on this deal!"

He didn't even glance at me—didn't see my fever-flushed face or my uncontrollable shivering.

"Are you trying to ruin me?" he yelled. "Make me a laughingstock? Let the whole world know Cole Griffin can't even control his own fiancée?"

He grabbed me, slamming my weakened body against the cold stone wall and shattering the last of my warmth.

I curled up, trying to dull the searing pain from my wound. My voice was faint, but it held the unyielding pride of a Valeriano. "The storm is getting worse. We could be trapped here and die at any moment. This place isn't safe anymore. I'm infected. What's wrong with calling for help?"

Before Cole could answer, Bianca, who was lying on the sofa, lifted her head. Her voice was as delicate as silk, but her eyes held a needle-like sharpness. "No offense, Cassandra, but aren't you the one who's been trained since childhood? You can't handle one little injury without crying for help?"

She sighed softly, toying with the medicine vial in her hand. "If word of this gets out, the Griffin Family will be a laughingstock. They'll say we can't even protect one woman and need outsiders to bail us out."

"And you know how important this alliance is to Cole. This is the last step before he takes over as Don. Do you really want to destroy his future?"

"Are you really going to fall apart over something so small? Or does his future mean nothing to you?"

Her voice was sickly sweet, but every word was a poisoned dagger aimed at the heart of Cole's pride.

Cole's men, the same Soldatos who were supposedly here to "witness his success," all turned on me.

"Cassandra, you're being too selfish, only thinking of yourself."

"Exactly. We're a family. Cole is doing this for all of us. You're trained; your body is tougher than Bianca's."

The cold burned my lungs, but their words were colder still.

I ripped off the makeshift bandage, revealing my wound, which had turned black and was beginning to ooze pus.

"Are you all blind? My wound is festering. Do you still think I'm exaggerating?"

An unnerving silence fell over the room. Only Bianca remained composed, even covering her nose in disgust.

"So what if it's getting worse?" Cole's voice went cold, all pretense gone. "Is the future of our family supposed to die with you?"