The council chamber of the Blood Rivers Pack was heavy with silence, its walls illuminated by the dim glow of oil lamps. The long, carved black oak table stood around which the elders had gathered, their faces marked by age, wisdom, and, at that moment, unease.Janet sat at one end, her hands tightly clasped, her knuckles white. Beside her sat Gerald, the father of the future Alpha, his broad shoulders slumped under the weight of worry. Both parents shared the same tormented look, the look of wolves who had raised a monster and now feared what they had unleashed.“He’s cruel,” Janet said, her voice cracking in the tense stillness. “Cold beyond reason. He killed his brother without hesitation. And now the other lies broken, perhaps never to heal. Is this the kind of Alpha who will lead us? He doesn’t care about the pack. He doesn’t even care about his own blood.”Gerald exhaled slowly, clenching his jaw.“I tried talking to her too. There’s no reasoning with Valta. She only listens to

The village of Drelwen was a quiet place by most standards, nestled on the edge of dense forests that stretched into the lands of the Blood Rivers Pack. Unlike the wolves' howling nights, where the air seemed alive with power and dominance, Drelwen lived and breathed in steady rhythms. The clang of the blacksmith's hammers during the day, the laughter of children chasing each other through the dust, and the crackling warmth of fires at night—all wove a simple tapestry of human life.Peace had not always been the nature of that place. Long before Valta's rise, even before Gerald had firmly established himself as Alpha, wolves and humans clashed frequently. Borders were disputed, hunts were disrupted, blood was spilled under the moonlight. It had been Gerald himself, still powerful in those days, who had stepped into the human king's chamber and shaken his hand, forging a peace neither side expected to last. But the treaty held.Part of the treaty's strength lay in the Meeting Hut, a sm

Valta lay reclining on the large bed covered in furs, a figure sculpted in shadows and moonlight. The air around her pulsed with a silent command. Beside her was Gregor, her chosen favorite, his chest still rising and falling strongly, his skin glowing faintly from the warmth of her presence.She had personally chosen him to be more of a pleasure toy than a lover. She had other wolves to satisfy her desires, but she preferred Gregor.Gregor was one of the few males in the pack who could hold her gaze without breaking. He had a warrior's build, hands marked by scars, and eyes that burned when she looked at him. Even he knew that what they shared wasn't love. It was a privilege.He looked at her now, with a mixture of astonishment and exhaustion on his face."You'll ruin all the males in this pack," he murmured with a breathless smile, trying to provoke her.Valta slowly turned her head, a mocking smirk brushing her lips."They ruin themselves," he replied. His voice was soft, but it ha